Category: Milan

Europe 2022 day #2 “You Did What?”  Milán 10/7/2022

by reissmd, posted in Italy, Milan, Uncategorized

Today was supposed to be a leisurely day but thanks to my friend, Michael, it wasn’t.  When I told him we were going to Milan he said you’ll love Lake Como.  When I told him we weren’t going there he was horrified.  So Lake Como was added and we are glad it was. Due to oversleeping this morning, our exit was a bit harried but mission accomplished.  We made it to the lake, had a lovely lunch and a brief tour that was long enough to convince us we have to come back.  If it’s good enough for George Clooney, it’s good enough for me. Then it was back to the city. 

The view of Lake Como from our table at Gatto Nero.
Patrice’s pasta from Gatto Nero and her phone.
My veal from Gatto Nero without my phone.

After the lake we returned to Milan for the main reason I wanted to come to this city, Leonardo DaVinci’s “The Last Supper”.   I’ve been told that Milan is a city of people who live to work as opposed to Rome where people work to live.  So other than the masterpiece, what I had been told about the city didn’t have much appeal to me.  But the Last Supper was always something I have wanted to see. Since it’s a mural I had to go to it because it wasn’t coming to me.  It too didn’t disappoint.  I’m not a religious person but seeing the painting that I’ve seen numerous times in books, television, and even recreated on stage (at the Laguna Beach Pageant of the Masters) was a surreal moment. Painted from 1495-1498 it is 181 x 346 inches of awe-inspiring beauty.  Simply put, I’m so glad we came.  

The Last Supper by Leonardo DaVinci. Need I say more?

Patrice had to drag me away from the painting because her highlight of the trip was on the agenda for the night (actually you are only allowed to stay for 15 minutes in the viewing room).  After leaving the Dominican convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie (home of “The Last Supper”) we headed to the historic theater, La Scala. Teatro alla Scala (its real name) was completed in 1778 taking 2 years to construct. The inside is incredibly impressive with an orchestral seating area surrounded by numerous booths.

La Scala.

If you would like to see a video of the seating area check out this short video: https://youtube.com/shorts/0QmJwkTvBuE

At this incredible venue, we heard pieces by Rachmaninoff and Tchaikovsky.  The theater was magnificent and the acoustics were beyond description.  I’d like to tell you about the conductor’s witty comments but he said NOTHING. Not that I would have understood anything since I don’t speak Italian but as I said, he didn’t say a word.  

I need to call it quits for now because we are scheduled to leave at 7 am tomorrow morning (What sadist planned this trip?). Breakfast starts at 7 am so I talked to the front desk about getting something to eat before we leave. He looked at me and said, “We will take care of you, this is Italy”. He left me with a smile.  I hope I did the same for you.  

Ciao

Europe 2022 Day #1 What did I forget? 10/6/2022 Milan, Italy

by reissmd, posted in Italy, Milan

Today we headed to LAX to begin one of our Covid makeup trips.  Yes, Covid has canceled the travel plans for many people including us.  I’m just glad we are still above ground and able to travel.  

This morning we each got a great workout trying to close our overstuffed suitcases.  Of course, as soon as we did that we each started asking, “What did I forget?”   Unfortunately, I’ve never been able to buy into the recommendation, “Don’t worry, if you forgot something you can buy it at your destination”.  Very good advice but as people who know and love me will attest, I much prefer to obsess. 

The flight from LA to London was great.  I got to watch a few movies.  I saw “Elvis” (Good, not great), “The Last Bus” (A real tear-jerker), and “The Duke” (Blah tale, based on a true story of the theft of a museum art treasure in London).  Much more impressive than the movies, was the bathroom on board the plane.  It was huge unlike what I’m used to seeing on airplanes.  Typically it’s difficult to take a deep breath in most airline bathrooms. This one was roomy enough to accommodate two people which gave me an idea.  I went back to our seats and asked Patrice if she wanted to join the “Mile High Club”.  She immediately took a quick look behind as if she thought I might be talking to someone else.  She then replied “First of all, we are about 5 miles up, and if you wanted to join the Mile High club you should have thought about that in Denver where you seemed more interested in baseball and visiting breweries!”    Hmmm. 

Our first stop on our current journey was Milan,  Just prior to arrival we got a view of the Alps from the plane. 

Nice but seeing Mt. Denali (the former Mt. Whitney) was much more impressive.

After arriving at the hotel we were greeted by our wonderful guide, Valentina for a 3-hour WALKING tour.  We had hardly slept at all so why did I plan on a walking tour shortly after arrival?  It was fun and informative and we are looking forward to some sleep tonight and more fun tomorrow. 

I am exhausted and need to go to bed but I can’t disappoint my followers who are always asking about food.  We had a wonderful meal at Bice Milano which is very close to our hotel (Via Borgospesso, 12, 20121 Milano MI).  Patrice had the branzino (aka European bass) and I had the veal (aka baby cows).  Both were excellent.  Even better than the meal was the delightful conversation we had with the two women sitting next to us.  Francisca and Michele are from Switzerland and I convinced them to subscribe to my blog. That means that I just need 999,698 more followers to make this a money-making enterprise

The Branzino was excellent.
My baby cows tasted much better than this picture looked.
From left to right, Patrice, Michele, Me, Fransisca.

Ciao