Day 4- Have a Holly, Jolly Christmas... Milano Style!

I went to visit the US Consulate’s office- had to surrender my passport to the Marine on duty. That's okay, they gave me a pass. Molly, Alvaro and I had lunch, a huge piece of Lasagna, and few customers were there, so the square they gave me was HUGE!!! Sorry, not being a foodie today, didn't take a shot.

After lunch then, I had the afternoon to myself. I didn't want to sit around and be lame in the apartment, so I walked down the Duomo by myself. I got to see a lot of beautiful shops. There's something to be said about walking through a city; you get a totally different view than if you were riding in a car through it. You can stop and study, admire, window shop, etc. Brera's a pretty cool place to be.

Another cool alley in Brera that I thought was pretty!

Hackett's of London! Hey Ms. Peggy and Kaylie!

I arrived at da Vinci Square and walked back to the Galleria, where I saw the Duomo Cathederal and all the little red-tented vendors selling their wares. I walked through all of them on a mission to find a Christmas present for Alvaro from Molly (shhh, can't tell you what!). I didn't quite find the store Molly specified, so I went to the subway stop around 2:30 and walked around it, finding an adequate gift for him. I bought it and went to buy subway passes. For a girl who has grown up in a car-only commuting system, I was a little intimidated, but it wasn't overwhelming. I paid my Euro 1.50 and got a pass for the metro. I had to rely on my metro map to make it to the red line. It was so quick, I loved it, and it wasn't so overwhelming. I had to be patient with myself and not freakout about changing lines to the green line. I managed to get to the right train, and it was only 3 stops before I got to Molly and Alvaro's neighborhood. Quite proud of myself to transitioning over to the public transportation system! Didn't even get pick-pocketed!

Alvaro and I met at Ted One and had a glass of wine with Pasquale, and he ordered a cab for us. Molly was working late and couldn't go with us I went to pay for my wine, but Pasquale told me he'd charge me later tonight. Alvaro and I went to see the Last Supper at Santa Maria della Grazie.

Notice they built a door arch where Christ's feet once were! Derp, guys!

We had printed out the reserved tickets and arrived there to go in. In the waiting foyer, we were able to read about the different restorations that the fresco had been through, and how it had almost been destroy by bombing during World War II. It was very closely guarded and we had to walk through some really severe security. The room was incredibly quiet, and we were able to enter. There were photos of the two walls with the frescos exposed to open air! I'm shocked it was able to be saved! 

What was left of the convent's chapel after allied bombing. You can see the fresco of calvary that opposes da Vinci's the Last Supper

I saw pictures of how it had been repainted and restored in the 20th century. I'm surprised the fresco has survived a long. I turned around and saw a fresco on the opposite wall, and it was interesting, too. One thing I noticed was that the Duke of Milan's consort, Beatrice had been painted in as well, and was identified on the plaque. But I looked her up, and she had been scratched out of the fresco!

She's kneeling on the far right

We weren't able to take pictures, but we did get to go to the gift shop, where I bought a few souvenirs to take home. They were probably over priced, but oh well... 

After seeing the Last Supper, we went to Ted One and Pasquale let us finish off the open bottles of wine at no charge for a Christmas eve present. We stayed home and Karina came over because her flight was delayed. We watched a Christmas Story after a beef roast dinner that was reminiscent of Madge’s Christmas roasts! Sorry, I was not a foodie on this day, but it was really delicious! Molly wants to make another one next Christmas, hopefully she'll be back in Murfreesboro next year!