Day 11: Milan -> New York -> DC

Today was our last day in Milan before catching our evening flight to JFK.

The morning was spent packing while the boys caught some cartoons on TV.

Then decided to walk to cioccolatitaliani; a gelato and chocolate parlor which had great reviews on yelp.

 
Had to have a gelato before leaving the country and it was so delicious. Tarun had pistachio which was just so flavorful and fresh. I had their Chocolate and Fruit combo which came recommended and was really very good. Kabir who first had his favorite chocolate later wanted the chocolate and fruit combo too! Vir shared with us all! :)

This was not all, believe it or not, our last meal in Italy was Donburi; at a japanese restaurant across from cioccolatitaliani. It was such a refreshing meal. Tarun and I love japanese food and are always up for sushi. So, this was a fitting!

We walked back to our apartment. Our luggage was packed and left for the airport around 1:30 pm.

We flew Emirates for the first time and what a great experience we had. Super spacious aircraft, great crew and service.

We landed at JFK at 7:30pm only to realize our connecting flight was late. At that hour, it was a terrible news and when we finally made it back home, it felt so good!

We are excited to be back and settle in our routines thinking back the great time we had on our trip. 

I just need to close my eyes and see the mountains and the lake embracing our residence in Bellagio. So beautiful! We will surely miss the time we had, the places we visted and the experiences we shared.

Day 10: Milan

Today, we knew better! We took the right turn walking out of our apartment building and walked to Duomo which was about a 5 min walk from our apartment, stopping at a cafe, for breakfast.

It was a beautiful day, with the temperature in the 70s. We enjoyed spending our time in the square enjoying the sunlight, the tourists, the live music, the different structures and experiencing the beautiful church from the outside.

 The views from the roof top of Duomo are said to be spectacular but we were not motivated enough to stand in the long line for the tickets.

We walked in the arcade spotting more similarities with Delhi, like the lottery stall!

We walked through Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II to check out the Spinosaurus exhibit that was on at Palazzo Dugnani, something Kabir really enjoyed. We didn't realize till we got there, that we had gone for the same exhibition when it was in DC, back in June!

The boys enjoyed learning about the displays and even spent a long time just scribbling and making drawings. Kabir made several for his friend in pre-school that he had been really missing. I thought that was cute!

Water fountains are a favorite of both K and V, so when we got out of the exhibition they enjoyed playing around the fountain.

We walked back strolling through Via Monte Napoleone catching the fashion scene of Milan and later enjoyed a hearty meal at a family run Italian restaurant.

 It was a day well spent!

Day 9: Bellagio -> Milan

Our last day in Bellagio. Oh! How much we enjoyed soaking in the view while sipping coffee and eating breakfast outside, watching our children picking berries from the bushes!

It was a gorgeous day and we enjoyed whatever time we had left, spending it outdoors.

We were all packed and there was much anticipation to go to one of the fashion capitals.

Stefano and his colleague arrived at the appointed time to help us checkout and our car transfer arrived shortly after.

11 A.M and we were on our way to Milan.

As we reached closer, I could see so much of Delhi even in the outskirts of the city. Flats like the DDA flats back home with clothes hanging from the clotheslines. Graffiti painted over walls. It all felt familiar. I felt closer to home.

Soon we reached and checked into our Airbnb apartment, which was spectacular! 

We had tickets for Last Supper for 2:45 pm, so we mapped out the directions on Google maps which said 23 mins by walk. We freshened up and started our walk, not sure how but we took the very first turn wrong and there we were in the part of the city that was filthy with dirt and trash....my impression of the city went all downhill.

It was really crowded and there were too many smokers, giving me a headache. We walked a lot trying to get to Santa Maria delle Grazie where Leonardo da Vinci painted the painting, but at that point we had lost our way and were way too far to reach on foot. Finally we hailed a cab and reached the church but late.

Since we were late, we were asked to wait some and later allowed to go in and view the painting in silence, only if our boys understood the silence part!

It was spectacular, it felt like we were experiencing it live. One is just drawn to the Christ and hardly notices the other details till one really looks.

After our short tour ended, we waited to see what to do next or where to eat. It was late afternoon and some of us were starving! Not many restaurants were serving food at that time and the pollution, the smoking and the dust were causing Kabir's asthma to flare up and my headache was getting stronger. 

We decided to get back to our apartment.While walking back we crossed the majestic Duomo.

That place felt so much better. The arcades by the side of Duomo reminded me of Cannaught Place in Delhi.

We reached our apartment thinking may be we will walk back to Duomo after some food and rest but we were all too tired. We had pizza for dinner and decided to just stay in...rest and recover.