Ciao, Bella!

Travel day today: up at 4.15, out the door in Istanbul by 5.30, pulling back from the gate at 8am, three hours to Milano (watched 'Good Hair' - a great documentary!), met more family at the airport (everyone AND their luggage arrived successfully - what are the odds of that?), and at the hotel in Milano shortly after 11am.

The hotel wasn't ready to check us in yet, so we dropped our bags and headed north a few blocks to check out the Duomo and La Scala.

La Scala. Can you hear the cats being strangled?

From the roof of the Duomo.

Along the way, we had lunch (I had an awesome salad with tuna & mozzarella). A and I climbed the Duomo, and S, B, C, & D took the elevator. Amazing views from above, but damn was it hot!

It's freaking hot.

We got back to the hotel at around 3pm and everyone went into their room for a siesta.  At 7.30, we met to go to dinner at a restaurant recommended by the front desk.  The food was excellent - a great meat plate, a Dory fish that we all shared, home-made pasta, wine, proseco, limoncello, and home-made gelato (including the best pistacchio gelato I've ever had). We ate outside at the restaurant, and by the time we were done, we were all sweaty and bug-picked, but it was still a tremendous meal.

Then, a walk home past La Scala and the Duomo.  And a good night's sleep.