10.4 - Tuesday - Part I - Touring Milan

ALL AROUND MILAN - or - DOV’ E' IL MIO CAPPELLO?

“Uhhh Ohhh…  Dove Mio Cappello!”

Run… Run...Pant... Pant...

“Hai visto un cappello nero?”

“No signore”

Run… Run… Pant… Pant…

“Ho perso il mio cappello!”

“No signore non l’ho viste lo.”

Run… Run… Pant… Pant…

“Stai cercando il cappello? è lassù!"

Says a dude from the bus pointing thataway.

“Grazie”, Running back…Pant…Pant…

“Damn… nothing…I'm Gonna miss the bloody Bus!”

“COMMON CHUCKY... The bus is leaving

Run… Run… Pant… Pant…

“Watch that Step!!!”

Sprinting across the Piazza that's 2 football fields long

“I’m coming…Pant… Pant…”

“Hurry… they're closing the door…”

“Wait… Wait… Ahhhhh they see us!”

Ok… let’s start this right way… with the pesky alarm.

“Ding Dong Ding… Bzzzz...Bzzzz... OK… you get the drill

After a quick shower, we make one last try to find a UPS/FedEx/DHL Office somewhere near the city center to ship the tchotchke’s home but the only thing the internet is yielding is stuff on the outskirts of town.  Since we've scheduled a 2:30pm Walking/Panoramic tour of Milan culminating in a visit to da Vinci’s “Last Supper”, we decide not to get stuck lugging the heavy tchotchke bag all over town on the tour. I'll just find a way to pack it all.

After the Loooonnnggg walk to the funky elevators [this Sheraton just celebrated its 1^st anniversary and to tell the truth… the place is falling apart already] it takes 3 tries and 10 minutes to reach the reception level and across the connecting concourse to the ticket office for the Malpensa Express which will whisk us to the Milan Cardona station downtown, in 29 minutes.  Tickets in hand, we rush to the platform, just as the doors are shutting, hit the green “Open The Door” button and jump on just before the train starts to move.  Seating is packed and we settle into a couple pull downs in the corridor for the non-scenic ride into Milan City Center.

Once at Cardona, it takes a couple of minutes to get our bearings and start out the right door… and turn the wrong way to find Zanni Viaggi – the agency handling the walking tour. Instead we're headed toward Castello Sforzesco.  But not before we snap pics of some interesting Art. In Sirmione it was the traveling Snails… here it's the Elephant Parade mission supporting the Asian elephant that is threatened with extinction. Hundreds of elephants, decorated and sponsored by corporations and world artists such as Aston-Martin and even Katy Perry, are scattered all over Milan and will move from City to city. [see the link] There was also a neat Needle and Thread sculpture to represent Milan as the Fashion Capitol of the World, that starts with the Knot in a fountain across from the stazione and the Needle and thread appearing to come out of the ground right in front of the stazione.  Very clever.

Chucky finally gets his map of Milan re-oriented and we head back to find Foro Buonaparte 76, which should be easy… but proved to be quite a task, with several stops to ask:

“Sa dove Foro Bonaparte Numero 76?”

Only to get the same blank stare, or

“Non So...Non Domicilio qui”  [Dunno...Don’t live here”]

Finally a news stand dude points us across Via Dante and we spot the tour agency... at the same time Dragon Lady spots a herd of boys and girls in Chef’s whites and Toques heading for the same intersection.

“Ohhh look – there must be a cooking school near here… look at all the young chefs!”

Uhhh… not quite.  Even though Milan is noted for it's cooking schools, it turns out to be McCafe promotion by McDonald's [yeah, the Golden Arches guys], with the Faux chefs passing out Toques and coupons for a free “McPanini” at the McCafe across from the Duomo. Not realizing it's a give-away till much later, all we get is a picture of a kid with a Golden Arches logo on his Touque.  Otherwise we would have scored a couple of hats for the grandkids.

Checking in at Zani Viaggi we're instructed to meet the Yellow bus across the street at 2:15PM and decide it’s time for Breakfast/lunch…Whatever and settle in at a Café Olimpia next door for 2 beers ala spina, 

some penne con pesto, 

and 2 cafes.  This is also when Chucky learns that the #76 in the Foro Buonaparte address refers to a section of a block where several stores can have that address, just as long as they're close to the Number… Confusing for non residents but it obviously works for the locals.

We have time to kill so we head for Via Dante to stroll the shops and dodge the Chicks on bicycles, in dresses and high heels, who are on their cell phones... dodging tourists. The elephants are everywhere as is a travel Promo featuring great Photos of Sicily, ones Chucky will probably never get, so he stops to take pictures… of Pictures [this always annoys DL] but they're great pics.

We que up for the yellow bus at the appointed time and join the lovely Lorella Baroncelli, [lorella.baroncelli@libero.it] our guide for the day, little flag and all where we are issued wireless receivers and earphones to wear so everyone can hear her spiel as we walk, but on the bus a scratchy P/A is used and we were off.

We'll continue a Walk about Milan in the next installment… as well as the hat race ??????.

Ciao 4 Now

Uncle Chuck & The anxious to get on with the walking tour, Dragon Lady

Still Luvin'  Fine Tuscan Wine, Aged Sharp Cheese & Great Crusty Bread