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Published: November 22nd 2014
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We woke this morning to the sound of heavy rain. The news on TV last night reported flooding in Genova and storms were predicted in the wider region. The buffet breakfast was great and we wondered how we were going to get around today without being soaked. Our guardian angel came in the form of a man waiting outside our hotel selling umbrellas. Normally these salesmen are just serial pests but this was one occasion when he was a welcome sight.
We entered the underground near our hotel to avoid the rain and caught a train to the Duomo. Trains run very frequently in Italy and if you miss one, the next is only minutes away. The Duomo Met station opens straight onto the Piazza Duomo so the first thing you see is the magnificent gothic Duomo, the cathedral nestled in between the Galleria and La Scala, the famous opera house.
Safely in the Galleria, away from the heavy rain outside that only the African spruikers will brave, we wandered around looking at shops and people, and gazing up at this regal glass covered structure. Most of the high end fashion labels are represented, so there's really not much
here for me. Tourists soon filled the hallways and I think many people make a purchase for bragging rights, or just so they can have a memento of their visit. Sue and I left the Galleria and went to a cafe about 50 metres away for a quiet coffee. It was a nice spot to look out at all the people scurrying from the rain once they leave the station. Coffee in Milan varies in price and in the Galleria it is 4 euros , at our cafe, 2 euros. If you stand at the counter to drink, it might be 1.5 euros, seated at a table 3 euros. This also is the case with food, even gelato. We bought a cone in an empty cafe but had to go outside or pay more.
Our appointment with Michaelangelo's Last Supper was at 1.45pm so we allowed plenty of time to get there. It was a couple of stations away and luckily we were talking to two American women, one of whom had been before, or we would have been lost. As we were about an hour early and there was nowhere to wait, we went to a nearby cafe
for some lunch and to kill time. It was a pretty simple pasta/coffee lunch with a pretty serious price but we were fed and dry so who cares. We booked in months ahead for this, so we had to be on time. If you miss your appointment, you miss out completely.
Back at Santa Maria della Grazia we were placed in the waiting room fitted with a glass door preventing entry, awaiting our call. It was like waiting for a doctors appointment; everyone eyeing the others off or staring at the floor. Our time came and we were ushered into the 'holding pen' and locked in there until the previous group left. We then had 15 minutes to admire this wonderful work before being ushered out, naturally, through the gift shop.
Back out in the rain, we rushed to the station, caught the Duomo train, crossed to the Centrale train, and we were back in our room in less than an hour. With the weather as it was, the only thing left to do was rest and go for dinner. We did go to the station and work out our departure point for tomorrow but really the Milan
trip was short and our points of interest for the allotted time were covered so we can't complain. This was the first rain of our trip that affected any plans so we have been very lucky. Tomorrow Levanto and the weathers prediction is fine.
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D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley
Milan
So much beauty.