Milano on Saturday

Milano Day I 2-2-08
O.K the impressions are coming way too fast! Yesterday Heidi met me at the hotel in Nurnberg at 4:00 and we headed by taxi to the airport. This time I had a business class ticket and Heidi didn‘t, so we spent a good 45 minutes getting her ticket changed. After security, and yes the fake hip set the alarms off as usual and they had to do the search thing, we headed to check-in. When we got to the gate they were boarding. This meant taking a bus to the plane. It was only an hour flight to Zurich, but we had water, wine, and a beautiful “snack” that consisted of gourmet hors‘deorves including smoked salmon, fancy little sandwiches, and a custard tart with strawberries, kiwi, and pineapple on top. Ya gotta love that business class. On landing it was another bus to the terminal and then a rush through the airport to our gate where they were already boarding the bus to the plane headed for Milano. Again, only an hour f light, but more gourmet snacks this time with custard in a solid chocolate cup. Did I say Swiss chocolate? That too. In Milano another bus to the terminal.
Our taxi driver was mistaken on our destination and after quite a long time in a not so nice area he fessed up and made a call to find out where he was supposed to go. We finally made it and were really glad to see our hotel. It was after 11:00 by the time we checked in and only the bar was open, so we had grilled ham and cheese and beer. Then to bed. No feather beds this time but still good sleeping..
Saturday morning was a sleep in and then off to the Duomo in the center Milano. I can see that traveling around Milano is going to be a lot different than smaller places like Dusseldorf and Nurnberg. We took a bus from the hotel to the green train and then after six stops we changed to the red train which took us to the square in front of the Duomo. When we emerged from the subway I looked up and couldn’t believe my eyes and said, “Oh wow!” Heidi said, “Bar, coffee.” We found a spot at an outdoor place under stripped canopies where the tables faced the great cathedral. It was an international mix of people all talking and pointing and snapping photos of each other and the sights. The accordian player that moved one young lady a few tables from us to get up and dance was frosting on the cake. Heidi said, “Aren’t you going to join her?” But, by the time I got up and out of my spot she had already finished
We wandered around and poked in and out of shops and even tried things on, but neither of us bought anything except post cards. We found a place where we thought we’d have a late lunch. It was a glass enclosed outdoor spot that looked good. After the waiter brought our wine and a beautiful tray of anti-pasto that we didn’t order, but came with the wine we realized they didn’t serve food outside. So, after the nice snack (by this time it was dark) we moved on and discovered a huge enclosed mall type place which we found out later is the Galleria. Mall is certainly the wrong word because this place wasn’t like any of the malls we know. It was gorgeous and when I looked up I couldn’t believe how wonderful it was overhead. And then I heard beautiful concert quality organ music coming from I didn‘t know where. In the center of the Galleria was a man playing on some kind of sophisticated keyboard. He had a page turner. The sound system must have been spectacular because it was like being in a huge church or cathedral. When the pianist finished a piece the crowd, some seated and many standing applauded. After his last set people were shaking his hand and expressing their gratitude. I shook his hand, too, and told him it was beautiful.
After more walking and looking in shops like Prada and such, (we took pictures of the purses and that’s as close as I’ll ever get to one) we found a place to eat right in the Galleria. We shared a pizza and an order of pasta. The pizza here is nothing like what we have at home. It’s what we would call gourmet, and is much lighter in crust and in topping than ours. Fresh cheeses and vegetables and thinly sliced meats and sausage make the difference. The Italians know their aldente, so the pasta was perfect.
Our table was adjacent to another table for two, and soon we were in a conversation with a couple from Norway, who now make their home in Spain because the weather is better and it’s less expensive. They have a son in Washington state so have been to the U.S.. The man has his own vinyl record selling business and he and his wife were in Milano for a music conference and buying trip. So, wonderful food, good wine, and great conversation; what could be better on our first night out in Milano?
It was like the blind leading the blind after dinner as we retraced our steps to the Jolly Milano 2. Heidi took the lead and I followed blindly, that’s where the blind comes in, even though I should have been watching so I would know how to do it on my own the next day. It really seemed confusing at first. We took the red train to Loretto where we had to get off and either go up or down, I still can’t get it straight, for the green train to Goppa. The station there didn’t look at all like the one on our way to the city center. So, we wandered around trying to figure it out and finally learned we had to take the #925 bus. People could have told us anything, because we knew nothing. But there was no way to get to a street from that station location no bus seemed to be coming to that stop, so Heidi make an executive decision and said, “Let’s take a cab.” It was under ten minutes from Goppa to our hotel by cab and a great time was had by all.