Vancouver-Frankfurt-Milan Italy (Oct 1-2, 2011)

Vancouver airport Oct 1, 2011 Karen and Sharon when we started our 4 week trip to Italy. We were supposed to leave at 6 pm but the plane was late and we did not leave until 8 pm. After a long 10 hour flight we got to Frankfurt.

Because we left late we had to rush when we got to Frankfurt to catch our connecting flight to Milan. We only had about 10 minutes to spare, but that plane left late too.

Frankfurt Airport

Frankfurt Airport

After about a 2 hour flight we landed in Milan, it was about 4 pm there Oct 2. We were going to take a taxi to the apartment we had rented and stopped at booth at the airport that said taxi. They wanted 55 euros for a taxi to the apartment, since the landlord-David said it would be 20-25 euros we skipped that and and got a taxi on the street who charged us 20 euros. There was supposed to be doorman but the building was closed. Since we did not have a cellphone or internet to use my IPOD we asked someone at the bar down the street to phone David and he met us right away.

Courtyard of apartment

Downstairs in the apartment, it was roomy and clean and just how it was described on the internet through Holiday Letting

The loft with another bed

We really enjoyed having our own apartment especially being able to cook some of own meals and use of the clothes washer. The location was good close to public transport so you could get to wherever you wanted.

Lake Como, Italy (Oct 3)

We took a 1 hour train ride to Lake Como, then we took a 1 hour boat ride
around part of the lake.

It was a beautiful sunny day and a very scenic ride on the lake.

There were many beautiful, large houses

a very long tram to get to the top of the mountain

interesting statue in front of hotel

Leonardo's Last Supper, Duomo, La Scala Opera, Sforza Castle (Oct

Milan Duomo (Cathedral)
This is the fourth largest church in Europe, it is built out of pink
marble from Candoglia, 60 miles away.

St. Bartolomeo statue
He was a martyr who was skinned alive

There are lots of beautiful stained glass windows, these were bought by rich families to earn the Church's favor and were designed to teach the illiterate masses the way to salvation.

La Scala Opera House
This is the world's most prestigious opera house built in 1778. It is very beautiful,
the museum is somewhat interesting for a non opera person.

You can not take pictures of the theatre this is off the internet

This is the gallery and chandeliers

Sforza Castle
It was built in 1300's as a military fortress, later served as a palace for the Sforza family and guest Leonardo Da Vinci. It has been a barracks for the Spanish, French and Austrians.
Today it houses several museums, but on our tour we only saw the courtyard.

Leonardo's Da Vinci Last Supper

I like the way it is organized with small groups at a time with 15 minutes for each group to look at the Last Supper and one other picture. This is a lot better than the Sistine Chapel which was so packed you could hardly concentrate or move to enjoy the paintings on the ceiling. You can not take pictures (this one is off the internet) and the picture is not as bright as this. It was interesting but not as exciting as I thought it would be.

Brera Gallery, Cemetary, Milan (Oct 5)

The Brera Gallery had so many beautiful paintings it was overwhelming.

We took a bus to Monumental cemetery that we had passed on the tour the day before. It was also overwhelming with so many fantastic tombstones and statues, landscaping and beautiful ceiling on the building.

   

 

  

Milan, Da Vinci's Horse, Da Vinci's Museum (Oct 6)

 Da Vinci's Horse

 The largest equestrian monument in the world, done in 1999 based on a model by 
Leonardo Da Vinci, which was destroyed in 1499. It is a 15 ton, 24 foot model.

 Leonardo's National Science and Technology Museum

It is a huge and fascinating museum, which has planes, trains, cars, boats, radios, instruments, phones, computers, etc. There is such a wide variety there should be something for everyone.

 This is a window box

 

 

The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele is a beautiful shopping center, reminds you of a museum