January 4 - Milano

After our included breakfast and some battles with the Internet and discovering that the hotel had over-charged us - we finally got on our way about 10 AM. The autostrada traffic was much less than the previous day. It was about 1-1/2 hours to Milano, and there we encountered another stressful traffic situation. The GPS had routed us through restricted traffic areas, including through the Piazza Duomo where a market was taking place and thousands of pedestrians were strolling about. There was no way out - Ron had to inch the van slowly past the people who seemed oblivious, and past numerous policemen who also ignored us. After major maneuvering and more frayed nerves, we finally made it to our FIRST destination - Pat and Mike's hotel, an ultra-modern, "minamalist" designer hotel. We were staying in separate hotels, as we had been able to secure a room at the Park Hyatt using points and dollars for a very good rate, but without the points it was stupidly expensive. Pat and Mike kindly said they would book a hotel nearby so we could take advantage of our special deal.

Well, we didn't actually arrive at their hotel. We arrived at a barricade in the road, and Mike hurried to the hotel lobby and came back with a fellow to take their luggage and tell us what we already knew - that WE DID NOT BELONG IN THAT STREET! I am sorry I didn't take pictures, as it was a drama getting out of that spot. Mike had to wave his arms and act the bully policeman to stop the pedestrians long enough for us to inch backwards, barely missing one of the parked market vans selling their wares! Ron and I then continued inching through the piazza past many more police. 

Unfortunately, the concierge told us that, unlike Rome and Florence, there was nothing they could do about the fines that would be issued as a result of traffic camera photos. In those other cities, the hotel would relay the tag number to the traffic authorities and an exception would be made. So, it is possible we are facing numerous 80 EU fines. Time will tell. The challenges of travel!

Lobby of Park Hyatt

Dome above Hyatt lobby

Milan (capital of Lombardy) is the main commercial and financial city of Italy. Also known for its fashion industry. The residents of Milan and Rome have a huge rivalry, much like Melbourne and Sydney.  It was a good place to stop on our way to Switzerland/Germany and make a day trip to the Lake District. And our hotels were right at the Galleria - the main area for shopping, people-watching, and the main sights of Milan - the Duomo (Cathedral) and La Scala Opera House.

That afternoon we walked past La Scala onto Via Manzoni, and Pat spotted a place in a courtyard, which turned out to be a very neat place for a bite of lunch - Corsia del Giardiano. It seemed to be very popular with locals.

Pat's lasagna with pesto and ham

Mary's Classico Club Sandwich

Ron's beef and polenta (something like pot roast he said)

We then walked further, window-shopping along the exclusive shopping streets, including Via Montenapoloene. We saw one store with custom designer cellphones - some encrusted with diamonds and other jewels.

Cartier store wrapped for Christmas. Smart Cars are ubiquitous.

Taking a break along Via Montenapoleone

Droves of people eating gelato at a popular spot

Ron and I went to our room to do some computer work for a couple hours. We met again around 6 PM, and walked past the Duomo (the fourth largest church in Italy - constructed from top to bottom of marble). We wandered onto the pedestrian street Corso Vittorio Emanuele, where we sat at an outdoor cafe under heaters for a drink and to people-watch. This is the scene in Milano for the famous Italian passeggiata. In major cities, as sunset approaches, Italians participate in a stroll. Italians tend to dress up for passeggiata, and tourists are easy to spot, but in winter the people are not dressed in such finery as would be the case in warmer weather. We did not even see as many fur coats as in the past. Older folks (like us) sit along the side watching with a glass of wine. According to aboutitaly.com, "la passeggiata is where new romances are on display as well as new shoes." Thousands of people passed by, but a new phenomenon is the constant parade of young men from Bangladesh trying persistently to sell you roses or toys that fly up in the air and float back down. One fellow kept offering to take our picture with a Polaroid. There were also numerous beggars.

The Duomo

Market in Piazza Dumo (which we had inadvertently driven through earlier)

Ron's pizza

Mary's rissotto Milanese

This was a rather touristic option for eating, and the food was nothing to rave about - and the prices weren't inexpensive. But, it is always good to experience the hustle-bustle and the passeggiata. We called it an early night, and I was able to catch up on some "blogging" and some tripadvisor reviews.