The First Day

The first day of the trip lasted a little over 24 hours and simply proves that just planning is insufficient. We have to be prepared to improvise!

We arrived in Milan only eight hours behind schedule thanks to the kindness of numerous people.
Monday started with a 6:50 AM flight out of LAX, which because of engine trouble actually left the ground pretty close to 10:00 AM.  This put us behind about three hours and caused us to miss our connection in Newark to take us into Milan.  This would have left us taking the Newark/Milan flight the next day (and spending 24 hours in Newark).

We were able to catch a flight Monday night into Manchester, England followed by an 11:00 AM flight into Milan.  Suddenly we are back on schedule for the Wednesday activities in Milan and only lost about ten hours.  

We are safe and sound at the Chateau Monfort in Milan.  We have showered and are ready for a quick bite and then off to bed.  A busy day tomorrow with a short tour of Milan and a visit to Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper.”

This is the train station in Milan.  It is impossible to try and fit it into one picture.  This photo is of the main entrance, which does not even try to capture the entire front facade.   I had read that the train station was highly influenced by Mussolini and his shared belief in Hitler’s master race and the related architectural prestige which flourished prior to World War II, but seeing it’s massive dominating structure helps me to understand it's compelling nature.