Whew! Our weekend was filled with lots of travel and sightseeing! It was an amazing time - It didn’t actually start off that way, with my Friday being somewhat of a disaster (which I will inform you of in a bit), but turned out to be a great time in Milan and Pavia. So Friday, I attempted to do the laundry and for those of you unfamiliar with European laundry machines, they are extremely small and do not dry very well…let’s face it, they do not dry at all. I’ll spare you the details, but after four frustrating cycles of the dryer machine, I finally surrendered to the old fashioned hang-and-dry method – with every inch of our kitchen draped with wet baby clothes, t-shirts and underwear. I wish we had a clothes line out the window we could have used, making us feel truly Italian, but nope, my memories of this fiasco will not be quite as nostalgic. Oh well…
Fortunately, I woke Saturday morning looking forward to a new day of traveling and sightseeing in Milan. We started at the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II – a shopping arcade built in the 1860’s and housed underneath beautiful glass vaulted ceilings. A place like this could only enclose the shopping trifecta of Prada, Louis Vuitton and Gucci!
We then walked to Il Duomo – the second largest roman catholic cathedral in all of Italy (following the Vatican) and possibly, equally as inspiring. Standing in front of the church, I could only think about all of the work in details and artistry that went into the building of this holy place, which started in the 14th century and lasted well into the 19th century. Laying eyes on this immense structure can only make you appreciate the power and creativity of human hands. Being that the entire structure is built of marble and there are no quarries in or near Milan, every single block had to be shipped in through the nearby canals and placed down individually. No wonder why it took them more than 400 years to complete! Next was the Montenapoleone district or "il quadrilatero della moda" (think Rodeo Drive on steroids). This is the heart of fashion in Milan and where many of the well known designers have boutiques. After drooling over some of the clothing in the windows and cars passing by on Via Montenapoleone, we strolled through the Giardini Pubblici on our way back to the train station (picture with the fountain) and headed home after a long day!
Sunday was spent right here in Pavia. After an amazing meal down the street from our apartment and of course, our daily fix of gelato, we walked north to an old castle, Castello Visconteo, built in the 12th century and now home to several museums. We strolled through a great art exhibit called La Belle Epoque, showcasing Italian art during the 1880’s and sat on the castle steps enjoying the cool fall weather. We closed out our anniversary weekend with yet again, more delicious food and wine…perfecto!
Fortunately, I woke Saturday morning looking forward to a new day of traveling and sightseeing in Milan. We started at the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II – a shopping arcade built in the 1860’s and housed underneath beautiful glass vaulted ceilings. A place like this could only enclose the shopping trifecta of Prada, Louis Vuitton and Gucci!
We then walked to Il Duomo – the second largest roman catholic cathedral in all of Italy (following the Vatican) and possibly, equally as inspiring. Standing in front of the church, I could only think about all of the work in details and artistry that went into the building of this holy place, which started in the 14th century and lasted well into the 19th century. Laying eyes on this immense structure can only make you appreciate the power and creativity of human hands. Being that the entire structure is built of marble and there are no quarries in or near Milan, every single block had to be shipped in through the nearby canals and placed down individually. No wonder why it took them more than 400 years to complete! Next was the Montenapoleone district or "il quadrilatero della moda" (think Rodeo Drive on steroids). This is the heart of fashion in Milan and where many of the well known designers have boutiques. After drooling over some of the clothing in the windows and cars passing by on Via Montenapoleone, we strolled through the Giardini Pubblici on our way back to the train station (picture with the fountain) and headed home after a long day!
Sunday was spent right here in Pavia. After an amazing meal down the street from our apartment and of course, our daily fix of gelato, we walked north to an old castle, Castello Visconteo, built in the 12th century and now home to several museums. We strolled through a great art exhibit called La Belle Epoque, showcasing Italian art during the 1880’s and sat on the castle steps enjoying the cool fall weather. We closed out our anniversary weekend with yet again, more delicious food and wine…perfecto!
3 comments:
Happy Anniversary guys. You'll have some serious work to do next year if you want to top this year's anniversary adventure. I hear Mt. Everest is nice this time of year. Seren should be walking by then.
hey sounds like a great time! Your baby girl keeps growing!!! And---tanti auguri per il vostro anniversario!
Seren is so funny!!! Happy Wedding Day to you guys, we cant believe how fast the time has passed. And Terry, you are a pro at this blogging thing...I am very appreciative that the monologue has your voice attached to it... and not professor fowlers. Stay safe. See you soon!!! K,N,A
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