#2970 the three of us together again

He did it!

It took MT 39 days to hike the Colorado Trail from Denver to Durango. He started on Sunday, 13 July and officially finished on Wednesday 20 August. He took five "zero days" which are days when he was in a town resupplying, doing laundry, eating real food, and sleeping in a bed. Such luxuries. His brother picked him and brought him home yesterday afternoon, and you know, I cried a little. Kevin said it was the most emotion he has ever seen from me. I'm pretty sure he wasn't telling the whole truth because I have known him a long time - like longer than I've known his brother, the dude I married!

MT lost a good 22 lbs on trail. He's not a big guy to begin with, but his tummy was definitely smaller than when he left. This morning he put on a button front shirt that he hadn't worn for awhile and it fit him very well. He looks good. His beard is a little thicker than when he left, and he is very tan on his arms and face.

He said he had a marvelous time. It helped that he found a person to hike with, a Swedish woman named Emily who called him Uncle Marty. He is a social man, and walking alone was tough for him, so I am glad that he found someone to hike with. 

For now, MT says he will do day hikes in the Wasatch Mountains here in Utah. He's not saying he'll never do another through-hike, but he said he doesn't think he would want to be gone that long if he did another one. We'll see LOL

T is improving bit by bit. He seems to be staying awake a little longer and is walking more upright. We took the bandage off his back, and the cut is maybe a couple of inches long. He says his calf still aches, so I worry about permanent damage there. He will not have home physical therapy after all, since he is able to walk up and down the stairs and is progressing with his recovery. He will have outpatient PT, though. I want him to regain his posture and walk without that walker. Only a physical therapist is going to get him to do that, and I say that as someone who has had three bouts of PT (two knees and a shoulder.) Physical therapists get your body right again.

For me, now that MT is home and T is on the mend, I am focused on my upcoming vacation! Candice dropped off the paperwork packed with the air and hotel information as well as verifications for transfers. The cruise documents should be coming next week. Candice supplies hard copies, and all the information is also on the app she works on. Candice does a great job of putting our vacations together. Whether it is me and Lizzie or me and MT, we always want extra stuff. She still says we are her favorite clients, though! MT and I have been using her services for nearly 20 years. She gets us.

I'm a little bummed out because I haven't taken the time to draw or paint this week. I doodle a little something daily, but it's not the same. It's fun, but not quite as satisfying. Here's hoping that next week has a little more art and a lot less angst. 

Have a great week! 

# 2964 three things I'm looking forward to in August

 It's time to turn the calendar page, and here are three things I'm looking forward to in August.

1. Lots of live music!  August is my busiest concert month at Red Butte Garden. I'm scheduled to work at five shows: Rick Springfield, Michael Franti, My Morning Jacket, ZZ Top, and Keb'Mo' with Shawn Colvin. There were supposed to be six shows, but Ray LaMontagne rescheduled his show for next year. In addition, I am going to see Chris Stapleton perform at Utah First FCU Amphitheater (formerly USANA Amphitheater). 

2. Trip prep! I know August is going to rush by and the trip to Central Europe will be here before I know it. August is the time to get my clothing and shoes selected, gather some art supplies, make sure all the documents are in order, and research is done. 

3. MT will come home. At least I hope he'll be back in August. When we were talking the other day, we thought he had a good chance to get home by the end of the month. He's gone about 210 miles as of today, and he's been on the trail for 19 days. If it takes another 20 days to go the next 210 miles, then he would have a week to travel the last 80 or so miles. It could happen. My wish is that he is home by Sept 4 at the latest, because I leave on the 5th, and I'd like to see him before I go on my trip.

BONUS THING:

*Harley got a clean bill of health from the vet. She did have a UTI, but I treated it at home with  cranberry-infused doggie urinary tract supplement chews I purchased on Amazon. Harley likes the chews, and it seems to have worked. YAY!

#2951 three things: California edition

 T and I spent a long weekend in southern California with Mama and Lizzie. It was a nice getaway for me before the crush of summer, and I was so happy that T was there, too. Here are three takeaways from the visit.

1. The views from Griffith Observatory are phenomenal. Even though the day was kind of hazy, I was delighted to be up in the Hollywood hills overlooking the valley. The Hollywood sign proudly stood her ground in the hills, and the skyscrapers of Los Angeles shimmered through the haze in the distance. The weather was warm, but not hot, and a breeze kept us feeling happy and fresh. It's very cool and pretty amazing that you can enter the Observatory and look around at the exhibits free of charge. In the evenings, you can even look through the telescope at no cost. You do have to pay to park, and if you want to see a show in one of the theaters, you have to pay for that, too. Otherwise, it is free to roam around the building and the grounds, and it is very beautiful. 

We asked a passing fellow if he would take our photo, and he was kind enough to do it. I absolutely love how they came out because we all are smiling and looking happy.

The HOLLYWOOD sign is on the hill behind us!

2. It was great to be back at the ballpark.  On Sunday afternoon, Lizzie drove T and I to San Diego and the three of us went to the Padres/Mariners game. I love Petco Park. It's nestled downtown with the Coronado Bridge on one side and the skyscrapers on the other.. It was a gorgeous day; we had great seats, and even though the Padres lost on that afternoon, I was still extremely happy to be there with my sister and my son. I indulged in one too many adult beverages and got a little silly, but it was all good fun.

3. The baristas at Lizzie's Starbucks are the bomb! Lizzie and I like coffee, and we regularly go to the Starbucks on Rosecrans and La Mirada. Lizzie has been going there for years has a nice rapport with the baristas. When I am there, they always greet me with a friendly, "Hi Lizzie's sister!" or even by name. I'm blown away by their friendliness. There is another coffee shop Lizzie goes to, usually on Sunday morning, and the barista there is wonderful, too. I really like that level of nice-ness. 

BONUS THING! Although I don't have any photos of the baristas, I will leave with this pic Lizzie took when we went for a walk on Monday morning. There are so many trails of different levels in the hills near Mom and Lizzie's house. Lizzie is an avid hiker, but I prefer what I like to call a nature walk - nothing too strenuous, but off the road and sidewalks. Lizzie took me on two such trails over the weekend, and I totally loved it. I loved the smell of pine and eucalyptus, the blooming wildflowers, and the bougainvillea that was everywhere. Monday we walked to a man-made lake where people were fishing, ducks were swimming, and turtles were sunning themselves on the little rocks. It was just lovely, and once again, I was super happy to be there. Here's the pic Lizzie took with the lake behind us.

 

#2940 three things: SoCal edition

 

Lizzie, Mom, and me 
photo by Lizzie

I am back from an excellent little vacation in southern California. I got there on Wednesday night, and I came home on Monday night. As far as mini-vacations go, it was pretty great. There was a good balance between doing stuff and hanging out at home, plus the weather was superb! Here are three of my favorite things we did, in no particular order.

1. Knott's Berry Farm. I haven't been to Knott's in decades. I don't think I've been there since T has been alive, and that's going on 27 years. I don't actually remember the last time I was there - maybe when I was in college? Anyway, Mom expressed an interest in going, so we bought some tickets for Thursday Feb 20. The park opened at 11:00, and we got there around 1:00 or so. It was glorious. The weather was awesome, there weren't any crowds, and it was just really pleasant to stroll around. We went on a few rides. I rode one wee roller coaster that damaged my shins and my ribs. Lizzie rode a particular roller coaster a couple of times and totally loved it. Most of the roller coasters there are too roller coastery for me. I was dang happy to walk around, though. A few photos:

We stayed until closing time, at 6:00, then went over to The Cauldron for a light dinner. It was a fantastic day.

2. Sunset in Long Beach. Mom knew of a brewery called Ballast Point that has a nice outdoor patio with wonderful sunset views. She wasn't wrong. The patios (one upstairs, the other on the main level) were great. We sat on the main level and watched a spectacular sunset. There's something about sipping a beer on a nice evening, watching the sunset over the ocean that rejuvenates my spirit. It was truly a highlight of my trip.

photo by Lizzie

3. Shopping for stickers. Lizzie told me about a local business where she bought most of the gifts she gave at Christmas, and it sounded cute so I asked her to take me. The place is called Local Fixture, and it is in Whittier. So. Cute. They had lots of cool stuff, and I think I looked at every last thing. I ended up with a couple of things, one of which was a sticker book by Ban.do that is, well, super fun. We went to another little shop about a block over called Pour le Bain. Not only did they have soaps and lotions, but they also had stickers, so I bought some there, too. Those were just loose stickers, not in a booklet. That wasn't the end of the sticker buying. On Saturday morning, I bought a couple of stickers at the La Mirada Farmer's Market. There is an artist who is always there, and I always buy some of his stickers. You can check him out on Instagram @ninoskaarte. PLUS, when we were in Long Beach, before we went to Ballast Point, we went to 2nd & PCH, a mall at the marina. We actually went there for lunch at Teleferic Barcelona (a Spanish restaurant!), and after lunch, we walked around a little. There is a groovy little store called Paper Source where Lizzie and I found some really great little stickers. Oh yeah, and I bought a couple stickers on the Queen Mary, too. Yes, I do love stickers and yes, I have a jillion of them. (No photos available of the sticker haul.)

Honorable mention

A morning walk at Creek Park. I am not much of a hiker, but I do like to get out and walk around. Lizzie took me to a pretty park in La Mirada and we had a nice walk of about two and a half miles. The area has horse properties, a creek running through it, eucalyptus trees, pine trees, flowers, grass, people walking their dogs - I really like walking there! 

Did not meet expectations

Paranormal tour on the Queen Mary. Lizzie and I have been talking about taking a ghost tour on the Queen Mary for years, and we decided that this was the time to do it. The Queen Mary is said to be one of the most haunted places in the U.S., and that is probably true, but the tour was a disappointment. I say that for a few reasons. First, the group was big - 30 people. It's just too many. Second, our guide was earnest but not a natural storyteller. The guide makes a big difference on tours like this, and she just wasn't quite ready for prime time. I don't think she had been on the job very long. Third, we spent extra for the two-hour tour, and it was not executed. For some reason, there was a break back in the main lobby after an hour, so we backtracked a few times, and that's irritating to me. Oh yeah, and the tour was quite expensive AND we had to pay for parking. I thought parking should have been included in the admission. There were some good things, of course. The ship is amazing, for one thing. The art deco styling is beautiful. The City of Long Beach takes good care of its investment in the ship because it is clean and nice. There was some kind of big band party going on, and there were people dressed in costumes from the 1920s and 1930s, which was really fun to see. Overall, though, the outing wasn't all I'd hoped.

#2935 three things to look forward to

3 wonky chickens

 I know the chickens are a little wonky, but I sort of love them. I drew them with my left hand. When the combs and beaks were painted, I felt like they needed something else, so I spattered paint droplets. I think they sum up my mood. January has been a long month. It's the 22nd, but it feels like the 52nd. Why is that? For me, I think it is because I didn't have many things I was looking forward to. It's best to describe it in rhyme:

Having nothing to look forward to
Left me feeling sad and blue
I said to myself, "This will not do!"
That's when I began dreaming, planning and buying
Low-spend January? Yeah, I stopped trying
But now I have plans that are way appetizing!

1. Chris Stapleton concert! I really like Chris Stapleton's music, and when I heard he was coming back to SLC this summer, I wanted to go. He'll be here in mid-August, but MT will still be out on the Colorado Trail, so I figured I wouldn't go. Plus, the seats were super expensive. But then, Stapleton added a second show on 16 August and the tickets were on pre-sale today. I had the code, so I decided to see if I could get a ticket for a reasonable price, and I did! The ticket was under $100 (for a seat, not the lawn), but of course Ticketmaster/LiveNation tacked on a 30% charge, so it came to around $130. I've paid more for concert tickets, so I'm ok. And yeah, I'll go by myself and I'm ok with that too! Yay live music!

2. A visit with Mama and Lizzie! One of my priorities this year is to see my sweet lil mamacita at least four times this year. I had a little time today, so I took a look at the calendar and planned my visits. Other years I have just figured it out as I went along, then something almost always came up and I missed out on a trip or two. I don't want that to happen this year, so I have plans to go in February, May, July, and December. Yes, it's a long time between July and December, but there's a reason for the wait. Anyway, I booked my first quarter visit today: I'll be going to southern California in mid-February. Yay to warm temps and my women-folk in February!

3. A river cruise!  SQEEEE! Lizzie and I will be sailing down the Danube in September and visiting the big three capitals of Central Europe: Budapest, Vienna, and Prague. The cruise is booked, and we are currently finalizing flights and hotels for before and after the cruise. Now, I realize this vacation is eight months away, and it is my intention to not talk about it again until at least mid-June. That doesn't mean it is not on my mind and that I am not gathering information about any of the stops we will be making. I just won't talk about them to anyone but my private journal LOL. I probably drove Lizzie nuts when I was sending her all sorts of stuff about Italy for months before we left on that trip. I'll try to show a bit more restraint on this one, but I am pretty f**king excited about it!

I hope you have things to look forward to as well!

xo

#2934 a micro-memory of Florence

I am in my office, putting up a little piece of art that I bought in Florence. It's small, maybe 8" x 8" for the mat and 4" x 4" for the art. I loved the color and the features of the city. I have it in a spot that doesn't really showcase it, but where I can easily see it when I'm sitting at my home desk. 

art by Paolo Lazzerini

Maybe what I love about the little painting the most is the memory of the store from which I bought it, and more specifically, the memory of the man who was working in the shop.

On our first day in Florence, Lizzie found a wine window close to our hotel. (I wrote about it in post #2927.)

Lizzie at the wine window

Across the street from the wine window was a little art shop.

Arte Viae shop

That's it on the right with the arched door, Arte Viae. Lizzie said that maybe we could go back there before we left because she thought she might find a pretty magnet or some other souvenir. We like to buy from small local places when we can as opposed to a kiosk that has the same stuff as the kiosk next to it. I'm actually not sure why we didn't just go in at the time, other than we'd had four glasses of wine that afternoon, and sometimes bad shopping decisions are made when you've had some drinks. (I'm thinking of a particularly tragic souvenir I bought in Puerto Vallarta after waaaaaay too much tequila.)

On our final morning in Florence after breakfast, we went back to the little art shop. It was just opening for the day and we walked in. It was very small and very cute and colorful. Click on the link above to take a peek at the website. The man in the shop explained that all of the art was by a brother and sister who grew up in Tuscany. Most of their art focuses on Tuscany and Florence. Their styles are similar. The piece I bought is by the brother.

I found the prices to be quite reasonable, so I bought a few little things, as did Lizzie. As I was checking out, the man at the counter told me about a special he had on a couple of products, and he said he had already told my friend about them. He nodded his head toward Lizzie. 

"That is my sister," I told him. 

"Oh! Your sister! Yes, I can see now a resemblance, and your voices are the same," he said. He stopped what he was doing and he got a faraway look in his eyes. "My mother and her sister used to travel together," he told me. "I can remember them planning trips, then going for a week or a few days. They were always so happy to do that." He looked over at Lizzie, who I think was still looking around. "It is unusual for sisters to travel together, I think," he said. "It is wonderful you travel together, and share these experiences. And I thank you for telling me, because it makes me remember my mother and my aunt, and it has made me happy." 

Well, I'm pretty soft-hearted about stuff like that, and I could feel my eyes get tight and a lump in my throat. I gathered up my purchases, thanked him for his time and for his beautiful shop, and we left. So, whenever I look at my little art piece from Arte Viae, I will remember the shopkeeper who remembered his mom and his aunt because two sisters from the U.S. came into his shop on a rainy October morning.

#2933 three things: Florence day 2

I've been having some feelings of wanderlust, so I guess I'll have to satisfy that, for now, with writing and posting pics of Italy. Today I'll share three things from the second day I spent in Florence with Lizzie.

1. The Uffizi Gallery. The Uffizi is probably one of the most amazing art museums I have ever seen, and I feel so lucky to have been there twice. The place is huge and chock-full of art, as you can imagine. There are works from da Vinci, Michelangelo, Caravaggio, and Botticelli, among others. There are statues and busts, there are tapestries, and oh so many glorious paintings. Not only is it crowded with art, it is also crowded with people. 

da Vinci paintings in the Uffizi

Lizzie and I took a tour, and it was good and fine, but kind of rushed. When the tour was finished, the two of us made our way to the top floor where there is a cafe. We got a table outside and had a drink and a snack before we went back downstairs to revisit some of our favorite paintings. I think we definitely got our money's worth. Going back through was pretty great.

Ussie at the Uffizi

2. Evening stroll to Oltrarno. In the evening, we thought it would be fun to walk across the river to the more "locals" side of town. First though, we went up on the roof of the hotel to take some photos. For some reason we did not take an ussie up there. Guess we'll take care of that next time ;) 

rooftops of Florence

Over on the left there is Brunelleschi's Dome and Giotto's Bell Tower. Off in the distance on the right you can see the clock tower of Palazzo Vecchio. 

The weather wasn't great that day; it rained off and on all day, but once we got over to Piazza Santo Spirito, the rain had stopped and it was a nice evening. It wasn't very lively, though, but it was a Tuesday night.

Piazza Santo Spiritu

We found a place with tables outside and had a drink and a snack. It was peaceful and relaxed, and I rather liked it.

Ussie in Oltrarno

We strolled back to the Centro Storico admiring the lights reflecting on the River Arno. Ponte Vecchio looked like a postcard.

Ponte Vecchio

3. Fontana del Porcellino. When we got back over to the Centro Storico, we took a few minutes to look at our lists to make sure we'd seen everything we wanted. Of course we had not seen everything, but you have to leave something for next time, right? There was something on the list that we thought we could get to easily, and that is a statue of a cinghiale (wild boar). It turns out that the statue is right around the corner from Mamma Mia, the pizza place where we ate lunch the previous day. We just didn't walk around that particular corner after lunch!

This fountain is called Fontana del Porcellino, which means little pig, but it is clear that the statue is of a wild boar. While we were standing there (with many other people), a small woman came over and started telling me the legend of the porcellino in an almost indecipherable mixture of Italian and English. What it boils down to is that you rub the cinghiale's snout for good luck, and you put a coin in it's mouth and make a wish, and if the coin drops down into the drain, your wish will come true. I watched a few people not have the coin drop into the drain, so what you see here is me wishing that my coin would fall into the drain, which was NOT the wish I intended to make, but there you have it.

I hope I can go back and try this again without making that face.

My coin DID fall into the drain, so technically my wish came true. LOL

Oh man...I just really like Florence!

#2927 in which I fall in love with Firenze

I visited the city of Florence, Italy in 2022 with MT when we were on a cruise. It was raining, and we only had a few hours there. I was looking forward to going back with Lizzie and spending more time there, and I think I fell a little bit in love with the place. 

We left Milan in the morning and took the train through the countryside down to Florence. It was a beautiful day with a bright blue sky and warm sunshine. The train station, Santa Maria Novella, is a short walk -maybe five minutes - from the church Santa Maria Novella which is right in front of the hotel where we stayed, the Hotel Santa Maria Novella. Here's the church:

Basilica of Santa Maria Novella 

We checked into the hotel, but the room wasn't ready yet, so we left our luggage and set out to explore.

Of course, if you are in Florence, you must see the Duomo and Brunelleschi's Dome, so that's where we went first.

The Duomo of Florence and Giotto's Bell Tower

Brunelleschi's Dome

The cathedral is just massive, and of course, the dome dominates, well, everything. From there, we wandered around until Lizzie took charge and got us to Piazza della Signoria. This splendid piazza is my favorite because of the statues, Palazzo Vecchio, and the Uffizi Galleries all right there. It is wonderous.

The Fountain of Neptune

David replica

Palazzo Vecchio

It was between noon and 1:00, so we wanted to get some lunch. All around the piazza there are bars and osterias, trattorias and enotecas. We saw a cool little patio surrounded by greenery that gave it a feeling of privacy. We were quickly seated, and it was really nice! The waiters were wearing beautiful suits and the tables were set with pretty plates and linens (although the linen was removed when we only ordered wine!) The prices reflected the posh-ness of the place: it was Gucci. It was the patio for Gucci Osteria. We just had a glass of wine each. It was quite good, and also the most expensive glass of wine we had on our whole trip! We felt bougie and fancy.

Livin' it up at Gucci

We felt happy after the glass of wine, but still hungry, so Lizzie found a pizza place called MammaMia where we proceeded to drink more wine and eat pizza. (Photos of the food coming soon in the food post!)

Mamma mia, ragazzi!

We started chatting with a lovely couple from Mexico that was seated next to us. Honestly, I could have probably sat there for quite awhile drinking wine and chatting with people. (Wine makes me less introverted.) But we were in Florence, and we had to move along. We stopped by to see Ponte Vecchio:

Ponte Vecchio

Then Lizzie found a wine window near our hotel!

the wine window at Osteria Belle Donne

Finding a wine window was on both of our "must do" lists for Florence. I guess there are several in the city, and this one was super close to the hotel. You knock on that little window, order a glass of wine, then you drink it there on the street! You can't wander around with the wine. You can't sit down. You can't stand in front of other businesses. You just kind of stand there and drink, so it's kind of weird, but it's pretty cool too. You get an actual wine glass, no plastic. It was fun!

So now we have had four glasses of wine in maybe three hours. We were slightly tipsy and feeling pretty good about Florence. We went back to the hotel to get our stuff into our room and figure out what we wanted to do in the evening. Our room was A-mazing! It was huge, by European standards, certainly, and so, so pretty! 

the beds in Europe are kinda weird - separate, but together

bathroom with the deep tub

the room is big!

a bottle of Prosecco!

I loved this hotel. I would absolutely stay there again. We kinda wanted to stay in the room and drink the prosecco or take it to the roof, but after we unpacked a bit, we decided to take a taxi up to San Miniato al Monte to see the sunset over the city. Best decision we made! I've always heard about the view of the Centro Storico at sunset, and it was just as dreamy as I imagined it would be. The light is so soft and Florence is so beautiful and when you put it all together, it's just magic.

Florence at sunset from San Miniato al Monte

panoramic view

view from Piazzale Michelangelo

The taxi ride was maybe 10 minutes, but it was worth the ride because it was way up on a hill. San Miniato is much calmer and has way fewer people than Piazzale Michelangelo. I was very happy to be up at the top. There's a church up there, and a cemetery, as you can see in the middle photo. The church bells rang at dusk and it was one of the highlights of my trip. 

We decided we could walk back down to the Centro Storico. There were hundreds of people at the Piazzale, so we just followed the crowd. There's a good sidewalk, and it's not too steep. You end up walking along the Arno River, looking at the lights of the city reflected in the water. We crossed over Ponte Vecchio, and it's pretty cool. Most of the shops were closed or were closing, but just walking over the bridge felt like walking through time. It is the oldest stone bridge in Europe, dating back to the mid-1300s. 

When we returned to the hotel, we thought it would be fun to get some dessert from the hotel restaurant and take it up to the roof. We got dessert, but we couldn't figure out how to get to the roof, so we at dessert in our room (gelato for me and something with meringue for Lizzie?) and then we went to bed since we had an early ticket for the Uffizi the next day. 

Oh Florence. I just love it, and I got to spend a whole other day there! That story is coming up next time.

Ciao!

#2926 Milano

I spent Sunday, 20 October in Milan, Italy with my sister. We got on a train in Rapallo that morning, and a couple of hours later, we were in Milan. Easy peasy! We took a taxi to our hotel. It was early, probably around noon, when we got to the hotel, so we checked in, left our bags, and hit the streets to explore this bustling, modern city in northern Italy.  

Most of the things we planned to see were just that: places to see. My sister, Lizzie, is an excellent navigator, so she lead me around and I didn't once worry that we'd go off track. Also, we wanted to see the same things, so that made it all easy.

It was probably about a mile from the hotel to the Duomo. Along the way, we passed by the famous opera house, Teatro alla Scalla. It was pretty underwhelming because the entire front was covered for cleaning and renovation.

La Scala opera house

However, in the little piazza where I took the photo, just behind me was a cool statue of Leonardo da Vinci.

statue of Leonardo da Vinci

I found the statue much more interesting than the opera house. The opera house is probably really beautiful inside with great acoustics, but I likely won't ever know. I don't see myself going there in the future. 

Do you see an arch over to the right behind the statue? That is the entrance to one of the most iconic, over-the-top shopping malls in the world: the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. It is gigantic - four stories - and every major and minor designer has a store in this mall. There were eleventy-thousand people in there, some going into and out of the shops, some just standing there gawking, like me, and about half of the eleventy-thousand were taking selfies and 360 degree videos of the place. Lizzie didn't care much for it:

Lizzie was not thrilled to be inside the Galleria

When you walk through to the other end, you are in the Piazza del Duomo. The Cathedral is magnificent, and the vast amounts of humanity there was a bit overwhelming. This pic doesn't really do justice to the amount of people that were in the piazza.

the Duomo of Milano

Lizzie and I walked up closer to the church and took some photos, then we decided to find a place to have lunch. Our Last Supper tour began at 3:00, so we began to walk toward that destination and find  a place to eat along the way. Using her superior navigation and Googling skills, Lizzie found a listing for a restaurant not far off the path to the Last Supper church, so we decided to give it a try.

When we got there, the restaurant, La Fettunta, was fairly empty. My grandmother always said if a place is empty, it's probably not that great, or else why would it be empty? We decided to try it anyway. I was surprised and slightly taken aback when the man who greeted us asked if we had a reservation. Seriously, there were only like, four other people in there! We got a table and settled in. It was a Tuscan restaurant (even though Milan is not in Tuscany), and I was torn between the ragu del cinghiale (pasta with wild boar sauce) or a milanese (breaded veal). I decided on the pasta for a couple of reasons: 1) I'd had veal the day before, and 2) pasta. Also, all signs pointed to me having the cinghiale:

I'm going to eat cinghiale

 If you are wondering, cinghiale is pronounced ching-GA-leh.

We had a nice white wine from the Lombardy region (Milan is in Lombardy), and an antipasto. I will feature the papardelle al cinghiale  in my food post, but spoiler - it was the BEST meal I had in Italy. It was incredibly delicious. So delicious, in fact, that I dropped a big splotch on my shirt, causing me to say, "Oy cinghiale!" while I attempted to cover it with my sweater without actually wearing my sweater because it was a warm day and I walked a lot.

Anyway...the restaurant was not empty for long. Shortly after we arrived, the place started filling up with families that were clearly locals enjoying a Sunday meal out. There were children who were well-behaved, grown-ups laughing and having a good time. The people were dressed nicely; nothing really formal, but much more well-dressed than I typically see at a restaurant in Salt Lake City. More put together, I'd say.

The restaurant is on Via Santa Marta, and isn't it cute?

Via Santa Marta

It is about a mile walk from the restaurant to the church where the painting of The Last Supper is. It felt pretty good to walk off the pasta and wine a little bit. We arrived a bit early and sat in the sun, watching for our guide. We booked a small group tour, and there were just seven people in our group, and I think six of us were American. Getting in to see the painting is quite secure. You have to show your ID to get in and your ticket has your name on it. Only 30 or so people are allowed in at a time, and you get to be in the room for about 15 minutes.

The painting is not in the church. It is actually in the refectory which is the building the Dominican friars who lived there used as their dining room. da Vinci's vision was that the friars would sit there eating their meals and feeling like they were having a meal with Jesus and the apostles. It is quite interesting because the painting was done right on the wall, like a fresco, but with a different style that da Vinci was trying out. Because of the paints he used, and because the room behind the wall was the convent's kitchen, the painting, done between 1495 - 1498, has deteriorated over those 500 plus years. Much restoration has been done, and it also explains why the number of people allowed in at one time is so tightly controlled, along with the temperature in the room. 

my photo of The Last Supper

The symbolism and expressions of each apostle, as well a of Jesus, is amazing. This painting is, in every meaning of the word, awesome. Seeing it was one of the highlights of my trip. I could have stared at it for another 15 minutes, easily, but we had to leave when our alloted time was over. If you are ever in Milan, please plan to see this painting. Even if you are not really into art, this one is worth the time. The story of the refectory during the wars and everything this painting has been through in over 500 years is nothing short of amazing, maybe even miraculous.

We had time to go into the church. So unassuming on the outside:

Santa Maria delle Grazie

So stunning on the inside:

this is the back part of the church, where the dome-like structure is

this is what you see when you first walk in the front door

After the tour, we stopped for to get something to drink before continuing on the "the castle." We'd been hearing about this castle and we didn't know anything about it except that we wanted to see it. It didn't take us long to find it. As with everything, it was enormous.

one of the towers of Sforza Castle 

pano of Sforza Castle (pay no attention to the headless person there on the left)

The castle was a medieval fortification built by the Duke of Milan in the 1500s on top of the existing fort built in the 1300s (because Europe, amIright?). Now it houses a few museums and one of the pieces in one of the museums is the last Pieta that Michangelo would sculpt. You'll hear more about it when we get to Rome. Lizzie and I didn't go into the castle itself, we just walked on the grounds .

The sun was starting to set, so we headed back in the direction of the Duomo through the busy streets of Milan. Apparently there is an Arc de Triomphe, although they call it the Arco della Pace (Arch of Peace) in the city, too, but we didn't see it. 

Walking from the castle back to the Piazze del Duomo reminded me a bit of Athens, walking from Syntagma Square into the older part of the city, and also a bit of Barcelona, on Portal de l'Angel. There were lots of shops and restaurants and people going every which way, and beautiful buildings everywhere you look.

When we reached the piazza, the Duomo glowed in the setting sun. 

the Duomo of Milan

We walked up close to it to get an idea of the size of the massive doors.

those are some BIG doors

Piazza del Duomo at sunset

entrance to the Galleria

The whole area was full of people. Lizzie and I were about done. We'd been out and about for over eight hours, our feet were sore, and we were ready for the refuge of our hotel room. Since we didn't want to cut through the Galleria again, Lizzie found a more quiet back street to stroll along. We were both grateful to get back to the hotel, kick off our shoes, and relax. According to my Apple watch, I walked 7.38 miles that day.

Just for funsies, here is a pic of the outside of the hotel that I found on the web:

Hotel Manin Milano

It was a nice hotel. I think the bed was comfortable. Honestly, I was so tired, I don't really remember. I do remember that breakfast the next day there at the hotel wasn't that great. 

If you've made it this far, thanks for sticking through to the end of the tour of Milan. Our next stop is Florence, and you don't want to miss it!

xo