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Italy Trip, Saturday, July 22 (Day 3)
Goodness…I didn’t wake up this morning until almost 10 AM! Good news is that I was really rested and rarin’ to go. Almost bad news is that breakfast is only served until 10:30, so I had to get a move on. Made it by 10:12. 🙂
After some fruit and a piece of ham and slice of cheese, I grabbed a banana to go and headed back to the room. Thinking like a photographer, I didn’t want to spend my energy out at the height of the sun, so I didn’t plan to head out until about 2 PM when the sun would start being at a good angle for photos. I did some reading, checked email, and did some other stuff, then moved on out right around 2.
Target for today was the Duomo, Milan’s major cathedral. The hotel had advertised a 10-minute walk to there, and they were right. It was just down the road a piece. After a couple of blocks, I turned around and took a picture of where I’d just come from. Maybe you can see the arches right across the street. No discernible reason they’re there, but the driving lanes go through them. Picturesque, anyway.
At the first plaza area, I realized I was at the famous La Scala opera house. This is not an imposing building from the outside. I’m guessing it’s much more so inside, but I wasn’t on that quest. Right across the plaza is the entrance to a famous shopping area, Galleria Vittoio Emanuelle II, according to the sign. It’s a lovely area, with high glass arches fanning out in four directions. Notice the beautiful tile floor, too. There are high-end (read, “expensive”) shops all in here, along with some restaurants. I was more interested in the sights than either of those.
Right as I came out of the other end, there it was, the Duomo. Wow! The first picture of it below is just how I saw it, and what a sight. I can’t imagine what it took to build this cathedral. (I’m sure the sightseeing guides have all that info, but I was plenty impressed without looking up all the details.) The statuary and details adorning the walls are really impressive. I took a lot of pictures but have put only a sample below. I figured everyone would recognize the David and Goliath panel, eh?
If you read yesterday’s entry from the castle, you’ll remember the picture of the spikes at the top of signs and structures that are efforts to keep the birds off. At the Galleria, I noticed a big net spanning about 2/3 of the way down from the top. It’s not really noticeable unless you’re looking intently–as I was while taking pictures. I figure this is another bird-defense, ’cause there are LOTS of birds in this area. There’s a statue in the plaza where the Duomo is, and that’s where I got the bird pictures, but they’re all over the plaza, just walking around and occasionally taking flight…seemingly within a foot or two of someone’s head!
I took my time here and walked all around the Duomo, just appreciating the art and craft of what it took to build and adorn the structure. Amazing. After a while I got a bottle of water and a chocolate gelato, then sat in the shade to eat and rest.
I had a back-up plan for what to do after the Duomo, depending on time and my energy level. There are some canals in Milan that I thought I might like to see, but it was a pretty long walk. After some contemplation, I decided to go. I figured I could always take a taxi back to the hotel if I ran out of steam.
So I set out into unknown territory with my trusty map in hand. It was a fun walk, really, though some not-too-busy streets. Along the way, I discovered another cathedral with statues at the top of its roof and a pretty garden.
The canal area was nice. Not spectacular, but it was great to sit by the water and in the shade. It’s been in the upper 80s for the last two days, so…whew. I even got in a short nap!
In that area I saw a decorated house, which was cool. Also, that tradition of putting locks on a bridge (and I assume throwing away the key) to signify your undying love was in evidence here, too.
I took a different route back to the Duomo and boy, was it crowded! I don’t know if it’s because it’s Saturday and everyone was out shopping or visiting or something, but the sidewalks were packed. That made for a leisurely pace, which suited me perfectly. It was still a long walk back, but I didn’t run out of steam.
The advantage to walking is that you can see things you might otherwise miss. Just off the main street I saw a strange-looking wall with what looked like statues on it. When I investigated, I saw it was a “Wall of Dolls.” The point was to protest female infanticide. Everyone was encouraged to bring a doll to put up. It started in 2014 and it apparently still being added to.
And on a lighter note, I passed a “Car2Go” parking spot. All of their cars are Smart cars, which are all over the place here. Since that’s what I drive at home, it was really fun to see. I only saw one yellow one, though. I got a quick picture of it, but it was pretty dark.
So that was my day. I stopped into a place that advertised lasagne and got my dinner, then headed back to the hotel. I’m going to pack up tonight so I’m ready to go in the morning, ’cause tomorrow I meet up with the Active Adventures group and the hiking trip starts! Woo hoo!
