Milan in the heat of Monday

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We decided last night before bedtime that we were going to up and about and on our way into Milan city centre before it got too hot like yesterday.

Well that was th plan but it didn't quite work out that way because we slept so well that by the time we had got up and readied ourselves after breakfast it was already nearly 10am and the heat was building as we left the building to go down the road to take the bus this time all the way to town.

The bus seats were not designed for two people down one side of the vehicle but somehow we managed to squeeze two bottoms on and hung on as the driver weaved his way around corners and bumped over cobbled streets to the city.

The destination of the bus to the Duomo was very central and suited us perfectly as our first post of call was the magnificent Galleria Vittorio Emanuele,probably the most photographed shopping mall in the world.Stepping inside the cavernous building leaves you gobsmacked at the height and size of the space given over to all the top brands for clothing,shoes etc known to man or should I say woman!The glass canopy/ceiling gives the feeling of even more space and it is no wonder that most people wandering in the interior of the building are walking around with their mouths open as they come to grips with what they see before them.

Most of what we looked at for sale was way beyond the budget of the travellers of the BBA V2 but it was fun window shopping and just people watching including the young women in their ultra high heels and short,tight skirts wearing just the right white rimmed sunglasses strutting their stuff as if wanting to be noticed by everyone.

The shopping continues even after you leave the main building and the street opens out as it curves away before us packed with window shoppers just like us.We did go inside a couple of stores to have a look at the summer bargains on sale but didn't find anything that we wanted and carried on strolling in the shade of a wide verandah that was keeping the heat at bay,just a bit.

It was just a short walk to the La Scala Theatre,probably the most famous opera house in the world.

We don't know a lot about opera and in fact we know virtually nothing except a few names of composers and more modern opera singers but we were there for the theatre itself.

Despite the interior being under some renovation it was still quite amazing to stand in a 'box' and look out over the audiotorium and the semi circle of seating boxes all in plush red.The massive chandelier that hangs above the stall area had been lowered for cleaning but in a way that was good as it made it look even bigger then if you viewed it hanging above the stalls and gave us a closer look at its structure than if it had been raised.

For the small entrance fee you also get to tour the museum with exhibits of costumes worn in a number of well known operas performed over the years at the theatre.All very interesting and it raised our awareness of the world of opera.

It was getting near lunchtime and we thought a Mc D's wrap and ice cold coke would do just nicely and as I had observed on the route the bus had taken to the Duomo I knew Mc D's wasn't far away from the end of the shopping curve we were strolling on.

However,this Mc D's didn't do wraps so it had to be the Big Mac and of course the ice cold coke went down really well even if we had to lean against a table upstairs as there were no seats left and it was too hot to be outside despite the sun umbrellas.

We had deliberately kept the number of attractions to visit down to three because of the heat and the last was a cemetery a couple of subway stations away where as the tourist book stated 'you could see a slice of Italian life over the centuries'.So with this in mind we set off and found our way there by changing trains and temporarily getting lost in an underground station looking for another line that passed through the same station.

After all that and having to negotiate our way past three beggars sitting under a bridge we got to the cemetery only to find the road leading to it from the direction we had come had been dug up and we couldn't find a way in.Rather than walking around in the heat we decided to give it a miss and head back to our apartment and rest up for the remainder of the afternoon.

Arriving back at our subway station, this time there was a bus waiting for us and we got on board and into the air conditioned interior.

Tomorrow we head for the mountains between Italy and France with a stop on the way for a night before we head for a town near Mont Blanc.

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