Saturday 27/7/19
Today we left Ireland at 7am in the morning which meant we got up at 3.15am to get to the airport 2 hours early to fly to Milan. We had to be in Milan at 2.15pm for our tour. No pressure.
Until we found hundreds of people at the airport and long waits and distances. Then the plane left late and we arrived in Milan around 1 hour with time difference. No pressure.
And then the taxi to the hotel after long delays with our baggage. A taxi driver quoted us 100 Euro to take us to our hotel near the train station. What???
I said no way and i am sure i saw a train sign saying i think 10 Euro to Milan. I was so indignant that the guy showed me the distance etc etc and convinced us it was really worth 100 Euro. Time and cash register is ticking by but no pressure!
Yes it did take about 40 minutes to the hotel and then a quick checkin before dashing off to the train station to get the metro to the Duomo where the tour was starting at 2.15pm.
A nice man at the Metro station offered to help up find the Metro and how to buy tickets and get to the right platform. He got us return tickets as we requested (cost 9 Euros) and took at tip (about 5 Euros or all my change). We were also hoping to have some lunch after only a very quick croissant at the airport for breakfast. But no pressure.
We got there in 10 minutes and managed to have a quick half a panini on our feet (no pressure) to get to the tour start spot at 2pm ish. For some reason i had not thought about the tour so turned up in a top with less shoulders than required. The tour man suggested i needed a scarf and that the shop next door sold them. Now! but no pressure!!!
IT was about 35 degrees, we were standing and had been standing for some time and so i had to buy a scarf to get into the Duomo. (cost 5 Euro. He had a selection so probably makes a good living out of scarfs for the @#$%^ Duomo). All i needed at this point was a scarf to put across my shoulders to make me another 5 degrees hotter!
We stood and stood and stood until i sat in the gutter waiting for the tour to start. It did at 2.30pm. (No @#$% pressure required after all).
I had used my phone on the plane to pass away the 2.5 ours so was running low on battery. I decided to take few photos so that i would have enough for the main even ie the Last Supper. And we had been tot he Duomo previously. However the guide was very good and had great stories and took 1 hour to get through the Duomo. This was not good for me with damaged ankle and sore back. Paul had neglected to tell me it was a @#$% 3 hour tour just to see the Last Supper.
Interestingly i spoke to 2 other people on the tour who were also only doing the tour to see the Last Supper and were not thrilled to be doing a 3 hour tour. All of us tried to sit at every opportunity and found each other sets and things to lean against.
The Duomo is spectacular so i had to take some photos.
Inside
I love a good stained glass window
And then another hour to go through the Galleria where the guide pointed out the shops Prada etc and tried to give them an historical slant. We walked and walked. I could not help but think that at this point, what we really needed was a horse and cart ride.
WE walked past a statue of Leonardo Da Vinci
And then more walking to some Castle with a Leonardo DA Vinci exhibition and this castle was also the place where Michaelangelo did his last sculpture. Look it was hot, i had been walking for 2 hours, i was not capable of taking it in.
We walked past the opera house of LA Scala which both Paul and I thought was part of the tour. She did point it out across the road.
And finally we arrived at the church, Santa Maria Della Grazie where the Last Supper is. The tour was booked for 5pm and had arrived early so did a tour of the church etc etc etc. Finally after more standing around, we entered the area and then the room where the Last Supper is housed. There were only about 15 of us in this huge room with the Last supper at one end and another mural at the other.
It was amazing. It is huge and has such depth and feeling and proportion and everything. But mostly it is huge. It feels like you are in the presence of such history and genius.
These are people at the bottom looking up.
This is way better than viewing the Mona Lisa which is a tiny painting with thousands of other people. We had to leave after 15 minutes but it was worth it. Travelling to Milan, the cost in Euros and in sweat and tears. All of it.
It rained as we left, which was our first rain in 2 weeks (none in Ireland but rain on our first day in Italy).
And to get home we decided to not use our return train ticket as Paul had lost his and it was a bit late and a slightly dodgy area. The taxi cost 10 Euro. Still worth it.
So we finally did get to see the Last Supper and it was truly incredible.
Today we left Ireland at 7am in the morning which meant we got up at 3.15am to get to the airport 2 hours early to fly to Milan. We had to be in Milan at 2.15pm for our tour. No pressure.
Until we found hundreds of people at the airport and long waits and distances. Then the plane left late and we arrived in Milan around 1 hour with time difference. No pressure.
And then the taxi to the hotel after long delays with our baggage. A taxi driver quoted us 100 Euro to take us to our hotel near the train station. What???
I said no way and i am sure i saw a train sign saying i think 10 Euro to Milan. I was so indignant that the guy showed me the distance etc etc and convinced us it was really worth 100 Euro. Time and cash register is ticking by but no pressure!
Yes it did take about 40 minutes to the hotel and then a quick checkin before dashing off to the train station to get the metro to the Duomo where the tour was starting at 2.15pm.
A nice man at the Metro station offered to help up find the Metro and how to buy tickets and get to the right platform. He got us return tickets as we requested (cost 9 Euros) and took at tip (about 5 Euros or all my change). We were also hoping to have some lunch after only a very quick croissant at the airport for breakfast. But no pressure.
We got there in 10 minutes and managed to have a quick half a panini on our feet (no pressure) to get to the tour start spot at 2pm ish. For some reason i had not thought about the tour so turned up in a top with less shoulders than required. The tour man suggested i needed a scarf and that the shop next door sold them. Now! but no pressure!!!
IT was about 35 degrees, we were standing and had been standing for some time and so i had to buy a scarf to get into the Duomo. (cost 5 Euro. He had a selection so probably makes a good living out of scarfs for the @#$%^ Duomo). All i needed at this point was a scarf to put across my shoulders to make me another 5 degrees hotter!
We stood and stood and stood until i sat in the gutter waiting for the tour to start. It did at 2.30pm. (No @#$% pressure required after all).
I had used my phone on the plane to pass away the 2.5 ours so was running low on battery. I decided to take few photos so that i would have enough for the main even ie the Last Supper. And we had been tot he Duomo previously. However the guide was very good and had great stories and took 1 hour to get through the Duomo. This was not good for me with damaged ankle and sore back. Paul had neglected to tell me it was a @#$% 3 hour tour just to see the Last Supper.
Interestingly i spoke to 2 other people on the tour who were also only doing the tour to see the Last Supper and were not thrilled to be doing a 3 hour tour. All of us tried to sit at every opportunity and found each other sets and things to lean against.
The Duomo is spectacular so i had to take some photos.
Inside
I love a good stained glass windowAnd then another hour to go through the Galleria where the guide pointed out the shops Prada etc and tried to give them an historical slant. We walked and walked. I could not help but think that at this point, what we really needed was a horse and cart ride.
WE walked past a statue of Leonardo Da Vinci
And then more walking to some Castle with a Leonardo DA Vinci exhibition and this castle was also the place where Michaelangelo did his last sculpture. Look it was hot, i had been walking for 2 hours, i was not capable of taking it in.
We walked past the opera house of LA Scala which both Paul and I thought was part of the tour. She did point it out across the road.
And finally we arrived at the church, Santa Maria Della Grazie where the Last Supper is. The tour was booked for 5pm and had arrived early so did a tour of the church etc etc etc. Finally after more standing around, we entered the area and then the room where the Last Supper is housed. There were only about 15 of us in this huge room with the Last supper at one end and another mural at the other.
It was amazing. It is huge and has such depth and feeling and proportion and everything. But mostly it is huge. It feels like you are in the presence of such history and genius.
These are people at the bottom looking up.
This is way better than viewing the Mona Lisa which is a tiny painting with thousands of other people. We had to leave after 15 minutes but it was worth it. Travelling to Milan, the cost in Euros and in sweat and tears. All of it.
It rained as we left, which was our first rain in 2 weeks (none in Ireland but rain on our first day in Italy).
And to get home we decided to not use our return train ticket as Paul had lost his and it was a bit late and a slightly dodgy area. The taxi cost 10 Euro. Still worth it.
So we finally did get to see the Last Supper and it was truly incredible.
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