Milan

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I flew out early on the Sunday morning - Martin dropped me off at Stansted and I just had time for some breakfast before boarding the plane.  I read and slept for most of the plane ride, luckily waking up just as we were flying over the Alps.  What an absolutely amazing sight...  And there was even snow!  (Unlike everywhere else where there would normally be snow at thist ime of the year.)  When we landed I nervously stepped off the plane, waited for my luggage and then tried desperately to remember my Italian phrases so I could get a taxi to the hotel - the Hilton darling!  I found a taxi and inbetween my basic Italian and his basic English we managed to make ourselves understood.  Once at the hotel - wow!  Very very nice...  I was there by midday so I unpacked, had a very nice lunch downstairs in the restaurant and then set off with my little pop-up map to do some sightseeing.  I headed over to Piazza del Duomo and the famous Duomo Cathedral which was a fast 45 minute walk from the hotel.  It was amazing there but stupidly I had left my camera at the hotel!  However I had timed my visit really well as there was a carnival going on to celebrate the beginning of Lent (which for me also meant no more chocolate until Easter Sunday...)  All of the children were in fancy dress costumes and throwing confetti and silly string everywhere...  Whilst trying to avoid getting sprayed I had a look round and took some photos on my camera phone of the cathedral.  "The first glimpse of this late Gothic wonder is certainly memorable, with its marble facade shaped into pinnacles, statues and pillars, the whole held together by a web of flying buttresses.  Some 135 spires and 3200 statues have somehow been crammed onto the roof and into the facade.  The central spire is capped by a gilded cooper statue of the Madonna, 108m above the ground.  The forest of spires, statuary and pinnacles generally distracts observers from an interesting omission - Milano's duomo has no bell tower.  The huge brass doors at the front bear the marks of bombs that fell near the duomo during WWII.  The inside of the duomo features 15th century stained-glass windows on the right and later copies on the left."  I had a delicious latte macchiato in the square people watching and then walked back to the hotel where I had dinner.  It wasn't in a very nice area and so I didn't want to be outside after dark...

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On Monday I had my first meeting.  It was at 10am in the clients offices and I thought we were having lunch together too but we didn't!!  The meeting went very well but once again I was back at the hotel for about midday so I had lunch at the hotel again.  I was still fairly full up from breakfast so I only wanted something small - unfortunately I don't think the Italians do 'small'!  I ate as much as I could and then set off to Piazza del Duomo again - but with my camera this time!!  I paid 4 euros to climb the steps and go on the roof of the cathedral which was amazing, it was a lovely day and I could see for miles!  I came back down and was just contemplating having an ice-cream when I saw all these girls screaming - Simon Webb from Blue was on one of the balconies in the square and all his fans were screaming out his name!!  Very surreal.  I bought my ice-cream and stood in the sun watching the chaos Simon Webb was causing in the square then headed back to the hotel at dusk again.  I had dinner in the hotel restaurant again - this time going for a delicious lobster pasta then off to bed.

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On Tuesday I had another meeting - at midday this time and we were definitely having lunch together!  It went well, they were lovely and afterwards I got the bus back into town and people watched in Piazza del Duomo again, this time with a beer!  I somehow got mistaken for an Italian by some Americans which was funny - just because I was speaking Italian to the waiter!  Only the basic but the Americans weren't trying to speak Italian at all.  As it was Shrove Tuesday I found a cafe which had pancakes on the menu and so that was my dinner!  I had been eating so much this was all I needed because I was still full up from breakfast and lunch!  I also had it quite early because of wanting to get back to the hotel before dusk...

On Wednesday I had a meeting in the morning then did a final bit of sightseeing before catching my train to Rome.  It was a fast train and I was in 1st class but it still took 4 and a half hours...