And the next adventure for the buggered old geezer and carer!
- Thread starter gerarddwatts
- Start date
Nice one Cherry and Gerard 
And a huge beer to congratulate myself on mastering the heights...
View from beer...
To our next port of call the Church of Saint Maria of Grace.
Therein is a large painting by Leonardo da Vinci of the last supper.
I had tried to get tickets beforehand but they were booked up for weeks, but I found one of these 'beat the line' outfits on line and booked via them. Worth it.
Painted between 1494 and 1498 it is a masterpiece of art, as well of mathematical/engineering skills getting the perspective exactly right. Apparently a restorer working in the 1970s found the actual needle placed by da Vinci in the forehead of Christ to help him lay out the perspectives of the scene. Astonishing. Also by a miracle a bomb in 1943 came close to smashing the whole lot up missing by yards.
Therein is a large painting by Leonardo da Vinci of the last supper.
I had tried to get tickets beforehand but they were booked up for weeks, but I found one of these 'beat the line' outfits on line and booked via them. Worth it.
Painted between 1494 and 1498 it is a masterpiece of art, as well of mathematical/engineering skills getting the perspective exactly right. Apparently a restorer working in the 1970s found the actual needle placed by da Vinci in the forehead of Christ to help him lay out the perspectives of the scene. Astonishing. Also by a miracle a bomb in 1943 came close to smashing the whole lot up missing by yards.
As I said we had mastered the metro and caught 2 back towards home. I keep some cash and a card in a money clip in my pocket, the rest elsewhere. On arrival at Central Station I went to get the clip out to use the card at the barrier to find another set of fingers in there! Cue lots of noise, the guy held up his empty hands and scuttled off empty handed with me yelling thief thief after him...the trousers I was wearing are 5.11 make and have very deep pockets....too far down for him to easily reach. A salutary lesson.
Much sympathy and apologies from fellow passengers...
Much sympathy and apologies from fellow passengers...
Braving the thiefs of Milan again we metrod back to the Piazza del Duomo for our tea....and splendid it was...
Carbonara..again...for my starter and Milanese Risotto for Cherry...
Carbonara..again...for my starter and Milanese Risotto for Cherry...
What a backdrop!
...a veggie Milanese lasagne thing for Cherry, and Veal cutlet for me.....about the size of Wales....
A perfect evening and no thieves on the return...
Fabulous Gerard and belated birthday wishes 
The next step of our adventure started 10 minutes from the hotel on a coach! Not a single whiff of grannypish!
7am breakfast and a donder across the front of the station to where we boarded our charabanc for the swift trip up the motorway to Lake Como/Como.
Como itself is an old and historic town with its own cathedral.
7am breakfast and a donder across the front of the station to where we boarded our charabanc for the swift trip up the motorway to Lake Como/Como.
Como itself is an old and historic town with its own cathedral.
It being Sunday there was a sung service, with choir going on which we joined for a few minutes. Being a good catholic boy I was able to pray for the rescue of Cherrys soul, she being a proddy. Luckily she neither melted or exploded through the service so my intervention was clearly effective. Outside for a coffee in the blazing sun; some sort of procession was forming up led by a marching...actually, a running band resplendent in plumed hats....
....which I photod so badly you'll have to blow it up and use your imagination
Our next treat was a boat up Loch Como...dazzling in the blazing sun....31 degs promised for today...
Nice shot of the prickly pear though!
The odd sight of a floating swimming pool, in a loch of sparkly clear water, thousands of acres in extent seemed a bit bizarre to me....perhaps its just me.
The place is clearly a playground of the rich and famous....lovely looking manicured villas in every vorner...George Clooney, Richard Branson, arab kings, blah de blah....beautiful though
..
..
