Milano (2 days)

So after our fun in Genova, we headed to Milan.  I was really excited to be able to go there for a couple days since we hadn't had time when Dudi and I took our trip to Italy a couple years ago.

It did not disappoint!

 The first thing you see when you walk out of the metro is the Duomo.

It is beautiful...and huge!  At the time it was built it was built to house all of Milan.  It holds @ 40,000 people!  That's a stadium!

 Right next to the Duomo is the Galleria.  

Almost equally impressive!  It was gorgeous.  The galleria is THE shopping district.  It houses, prada, Louis Vuitton, gucci, etc. -you know the expensive stores.

 This is me outside the Galleria. 

 This is me (and the gang) inside the Galleria.  A-ma-zing!

Don't I look like I belong there?  

So, Dudi was sweet and took the kids out to the square and told me to do some shopping. 

I'm a bag girl-as in, I love bags, purses, totes.

I thought I'd try Gucci.  I should have known when a white gloved man opened the door for me, that this was not gonna be pretty.  As I looked around at the bags I overheard another lady in the store ask the sales woman how much a certain bag was (cause they don't have price tags on them!).  I was expecting a few hundred, but when she said, "oh, that one is $1,300."  I just left.  I mean seriously.  That's a semester of college for one of my kids.  I'll just keep my cheerio filled, toy holder (also known as my current bag), thank you.

This is the only store in the Galleria where we did buy stuff.  Naturally, it was the sports store!  There were the nicest workers in there.  They asked about all the kids and their interests.  When Olivia introduced herself, the workers were all "Olivia! Olivia!"  They liked that it was an Italian name.  We should have told them Jude's name was Nikolas (his middle name.  They would have liked that too!)

 

 The highlight of the trip for Micah was the afternoon in the park.  We found this great park right outside the square and decided it would be a great place for lunch.  Dudi headed off to find some lunch (which naturally ended up being pizza) and I stayed at the park with the kids.  Micah was bummed when he saw ALL the different groups of people playing soccer.  I told him to go ask a couple boys near us if he could play with them, but he said, "No, they don't even speak English."
A few minutes later, those same boys came over to us and started talking...in Italian.  I just said, "English?" and he responded, "oh, I speak some English. Do you want to play?"  Micah and Asher took of and for the next 1 1/2 hours played soccer with the Italian kids.

 More kids joined the game.  It ended up being about 8 kids total.  It was great.

 The view from our bed and breakfast.  It was beautiful.

 The next day we headed to the "Last Supper."  It was so, so cool.  You can't take pics of it, but this is the outside of the building it is in.  Your ticket buys you 15minutes to look at the painting.  It was worth it. 

Dudi loves Cathedrals.  Traveling with kids makes you have to pick and choose.  Saint Ambrosia's cathedral was a goodie though.

 I had to laugh when I saw Liv "directing music" in front of one of the information stands.

 So cute.

 To keep the kids entertained, we try and find amusing pictures throughout the cathedrals.  This one was a winner.  Asher says he is wearing his sisters shorts that are way too short.  Now that I look at this, is that a body over his shoulder?  Um, didn't even notice that.

 I love this picture.  

Dudi in his element, followed by the kids.  

 The reason this church was so cool is because Ambrosia is buried there. 

 Creepy, yes. 

But still cool.

And before you think the kids were too well behaved...

 this is the "I need Gelato face."

 Then we know we have reached another stopping point and head off for a Gelato break.

 Outside a castle.  We ate lunch here on the second day (pizza, again :))

 The kids doing handstands inside the castle grounds.

We entertain ourselves, and all those around us.

 One of the coolest things we did is go on the roof of the Duomo (see the second picture of the post). The ticket people thought we were crazy for climbing all the way to the top with the kids...so they didn't make us pay for any of them-sweet!!

 The kids on the roof.

 The view looking down.

 Taking a break on the roof. It was a long way up!

 Finally we headed back to our B & B tired and ready for...

 dinner!  I think we sampled every kind of pizza while we were there!

Micah was in heaven. He could eat pizza for every meal.  That's his Italian side coming through!

Milan was wonderful.  

I really loved it.