Hat Hating God (Day 03 Adriatic Sea Expedition, Milan) 1 May 2015 PART ONE

Trying to kick the jet lag, we woke four hours after we went to sleep: 7am. We packed most of our gear the night before so after a quick shower and some last minute packing, we left our bags at the front desk, checked out of the hotel and jumped on the Metro for the Duomo. We were second in the queue to get our tickets to the terrace or roof of the Cathedral. Vân and I decided to walk the 200+ steps to the roof… or I should say I decided and Vân agreed to come along. My inspiration wasn’t the €7 fee compared to the €12 admission, no… It’s the beer belly I’m trying to walk off. Plus, when do you get to climb a narrow, stone staircase that was built six hundred years ago?

The Duomo was pretty incredible. HUGE in all caps is still is not large enough to explain how big the interior of this place is. With a capacity of 40,000, it can fit a fully attended Fenway Park baseball crowd. It's 135 spires are pretty incredible to see and the flying buttresses are impressive. 

They have a marble carved statue of Saint Bartholomew. I wouldn’t want to be old Bartholomew, at least not when they skinned him alive. Well, that is one of the stories of his demise. I wouldn’t want any of them actually. One story speaks of him being kidnapped, beaten unconscious, and cast into the sea to drown. Another account states that he was crucified upside down. The most popular story seems to be this skinned alive thing which often ends with his beheading. Makes Game of Thrones seem pretty tame. 

Things I have learned about Milan and it’s people:

1. Milan has an extremely large amount of book stores.
2. Everywhere that advertises “free internet” then tells us it is coming tomorrow or is broken.
3. Everyone smokes cigarettes, and then some.
4. Pizza doesn’t always come with cheese
5. Pizza doesn’t always come pre-sliced but it will come with a very dull knife.
6. God does NOT like men wearing hats in his big cathedrals. Women… not a problem. Men yelling at the man wearing his cap in the large cathedral, that is okay with God. Peculiar one, that supreme being.

There and Back Again (Day 02 Adriatic Sea Expedition, Milan) 30 April 2015

Completely passed out last night just after midnight; the most tired I have been since… I don’t know when. Tried to pack a bit, tried to do some research, didn’t make it ten minutes before succumbing to the sleep. Woke at 10am feeling rested. “Babies don’t sleep this well,” to borrow a line from Fight Club. 

A couple of cappuccinos, a chocolate croissant, a ham & cheese sandwich for Vân and we were off. Quick stop at the photography shop and on to find Flash Pizzeria for a late lunch. Fortunately we stumbled upon Via Della Spiga, a beautiful pedestrian shopping street with a fancy cafe where we had our first stand-up espresso. We felt very Italian.

That was about the only thing we could afford on this Via. Prada, Dolce & Gabbana, Moschino, Chopard, Tiffany, other high-end jewelers with armed guards outside, beautiful glass-enclosed courtyards… We made our way through the maze of streets toward the Duomo where a souvenir shop attendant pointed out the way to Flash. Our waiter was not as friendly as the souvenir guy, but we got our Caprese de Bufalo salad, two pizzas and two Peroni draught beers. The food and drink was good and the travelers were happy.

Between our late start and our leisurely meal, we missed the last entrance to the Duoma Terrace. We’ll have to wait to walk on the world’s largest Gothic Cathedral’s roof another day; meaning tomorrow as it’s our last day in Milan.

Vân learned about a “secret” craft-beer bar from the New York Times “Milan in 36 Hours” video. We walked… and walked… and walked that pizza and beer off. We walked and got lost and got found again. We walked, guided by our excellent Ulmon City Maps 2 Go iPhone app which allows one to download an off-line, interactive city map. Life saver. We walked and finally found it, only to be told it was closed this day for a wedding. Married people ruining my day again. The Fonderie Milanesi reminded me of Freeman’s for those lucky enough to have been to this Manhattan gem. We then turned around and walked home. Over 20,000 steps according to my Dick Tracy pedometer watch (actually my Basis watch, which I wouldn't recommend). 

We passed the Duomo again on our return trip and it was packed. A choir and orchestra were preforming for the opening night of the Expo Milano. Apparently, and you may not have known this, but the Expo Milano is a big deal. Don’t ask us what type of Expo it is, we never found out. 

As soon as one raises their phone to take a photo in this town, it seems an Asian person pops up in front of said person and lifts their phone to take their picture and ‘enhance’ yours. I’ll have an album of Asians taking photos of Europe by mid-July. 

Better photos... and photos of Asians taking photos of the Duomo tomorrow.