Milan’s Duomo

After 24 hours on the road, I made it to Milan.  My travel companions and I had planned to meet in Milan, not knowing that it is Fashion Week this week.  Why does that make a difference to me, not a fashion maven myself?  My plan was to jumpseat (travel using a pilot ID and uniform but no ticket) to Milan.  To jumpseat, there must be an open seat, and all the flights to Milan were overbooked due to Fashion Week.  So instead US Airways was kind enough to give me a ride to Rome, where I took a high speed train (at times reaching speeds over 150 mph) to Milan.  The three hour ride was through some very scenic countryside, unfortunately lost on me due to lack of sleep.

Fashion Week sign Milan

My travel companions are due in tomorrow, so after a short nap, I rode the metro from the central station in Milan to the Duomo, only four stops, to take advantage of my only solo night in Milan.   The metro was quick and easy, the ATMs for the tickets having English instructions.  For 1.50 Euro I got downtown right at dusk.

Milan’s Galleria

Window shopping

I liked the windows in this shop next to La Scala Opera House. All the windows had photos of greyhounds.

Teatro La Scala exterior at night

A statue of Leonardo in the piazza across from La Scala

Lots of people were at the Duomo and on the streets.  Signs advertising Fashion Week are everywhere.  Most shops at the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II were closed, but the restaurants were open and busy, and the window shopping was great.  Big names here;  Prada, Louis Vuitton, etc.  Window shopping is probably the best option, as the prices are not discount by any means.

Louis Vuitton window

3,000 Euro purses in the window

I walked around the area surrounding the Duomo and had a pizza and pinot grigio (14 euros) with a view of the lighted facade.  I felt completely safe, but to be perfectly honest, I did not carry my new Nikon camera downtown.  I like to think I learned something from my Buenos Aires experience, so thought I’d get a feel for the area first before tempting fate.