I slept well at the Michelangelo Hotel in Milan but unfortunately I woke up not feeling very well. We went down to check out the complimentary breakfast and I could only tolerate a few bites as I felt nauseated. While dad and Maria ate breakfast I went back to the room to rest and pray that I would feel better quickly as we only had the morning and a bit of the afternoon to see Milan.
When Dad and Maria came back from breakfast I felt well enough to set out and explore even though I still didn't feel 100%.
We checked out of our room and had the hotel store our bags until we came back in the afternoon.
We walked from the hotel to the historic centre where we would be meeting up with Maria's uncle outside of the Duomo.
The walk took about an hour and it was very pleasant. You are probably wondering why we didn't take the metro. It would have been faster but we also would not have been able to see as much of the city. When traveling I walk as much as possible rather than taking the bus or metro so as to really get the feel of a city.
Today was Palm Sunday and the city was so quiet. There was hardly any traffic or people about. The crowds built a bit once we got to the Duomo but even then they were not bad at all.
We were early for the family meet-up so I got to see some of the Palm Sunday procession.
Eventually we started to wonder where Maria's uncle was so she called him. There was confusion between Maria and her uncle about WHERE at the Duomo they were going to meet until I finally intervened and told them to meet at the giant statue in the middle of the square instead of wandering around trying to find each other.
While they had their family reunion I wandered around and took photos. One of the North African migrants tried to approach me with the "friendship bracelet" scam but I knew what he was about and told him no very forcefully and backed away. He just looked bemused but did not bother me again. I think it is a shame that these practices are allowed to continue as it is really off putting to tourists.
After a bit Maria said goodbye to her uncle and we went into the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II which is the fanciest shopping mall I have ever been in. Loaded with designer boutiques and expensive cafes. It was very beautiful.
There are mosaics in the floor representing Milan, Turin, Rome and Florence. Tradition states that on the Turin mosaic if you spin three times on the bull testicles with your heel that it will bring good luck. There is now a big hole in the mosaic from the damage this has caused.
After the Galleria we walked towards Sforza Castle. Along the way I purchased an amazing cannoli from a street cart and we saw some interesting street scenes.
The castle was very busy and we found out there was a big race going on in Milan that day that ended /began at the park located behind the castle.
On the grounds of the castle there were a few people with dogs so Maria had to stop and pet them.
Having seen some of the highlights of Milan we had to start walking back to the hotel.
We stopped in this beautiful park on the way to get some water from a water fountain.
Back at the hotel we picked up our luggage and made our way across the street to the train station to head off to our next destination.
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