This was our full day in Milan so we decided to hit some guidebook hot spots.

Our first goal was to see if we could nab a cancellation to Leonardo's Last Supper. We went to the subway (metro) and bought two 24 hour Milan public transportation passes. Only one of them worked. A second one got us on our way to the Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie where the fresco is located. Alas, they had no cancelations all day. Oh well, we have accepted that we can't see everything. Strike one!

The Leonardo Museum of Technology was within walking distance. It was closed as emergency work was being done. Strike two!

We thought visiting the Milan Cemetery, known as the most unique in Europe, would be a different experience. Getting there turned out to be quite a challenge. A subway to the nearest stop, a secondary Milan train station, left us 1/2 km. away, but when we got out, the construction surrounding the train station left us quite disoriented. By the time we figured out what direction we actually had to head in, we were another 1/2 km off course. We found the cemetery at last but arrived exhausted before we started exploring it.

It was worth the trip. Each plot, and there were thousands, from the most humble grave to the grandest tomb, was completely unique. Most were decorated with statuary depicting a theme different from the others, from sentimental sorrow, to a portrait or scene of the deceased, to mythical allegory. However, many showed young soldiers who perished in WW I being mourned by their mothers.

A trip to the toilet was a unique experience. We were loaned a key that would have kept The Last Supper safe.

We did not stay too long, but the problem of how to get back to the hotel presented itself. The guidebook suggested a tram was the most direct, but it was unclear which one and where to pick it up. After some poking around we found what looked like a tram stop a couple of blocks from the cemetery. An inquiry got us on the right one, which sent us on a scenic journey to end right near the hotel. Success!

It was lunch time and we were hungry, so we tried a recommended cafeteria. This worked out very well as the quality of the food, a tuna salad and dried beef appetizer, were excellent. All the foold was fresh. We saw no fries, processed or packaged foods.

Heading back to the hotel, we window shopped. We chanced on Peck's, a high end grocery store to put any in Fairfield County to shame in both quality and price. We couldn't resist picking up a couple of items to remind us of the culinary delights of the trip.

We decided we were museumed out and actually took the afternoon off from sightseeing—relaxing in our beautiful room instead. We then headed off the Hostaria Borromei again for dinner. Rick Steves wasn't there but as it was quiet the waiters hammed it up with us and played with Nick's camera. Barbara had osso bucco con risotto Milanese, both regional specialties. I had lamb with fried artichokes, also unique to the region. This was the most memorable meal of the trip.

Our last night, we went "home" to make sure everything was packed up. Nick watched an episode of Poirot in Italian on TV.

We haven't mentioned the breakfasts. A breakfast buffet was included each day. The choices of foods varied, but they generally included granola, yogurt, cold cuts including prosciutto, cheese, sometimes eggs, macedonia (fruit salad), whole fruits such as bananas and apples, croissants, bread for toasting, spreads for the toast such as preserves or nutella (a chocolate hazelnut spread), cakes, pies and other pastries. I am not a fan of nutella at home but I loved it there. And there would always be tea, coffee, or cappuccino, and fruit juices.

In Padua there was a large section of a wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese on the table, with a small knife for breaking off little chunks. Parmigiano, the queen of cheeses, and my grandmother's maiden name... no wonder I found Padua to be so special!