The Monza track experienced a whirlwind of weather race weekend. Saturday morning, we take the train to the Biassono-Lesom Parco station, and walk in through the Lesmo entry. An under-track tunnel leads us to the infield and we watch the first passing of GP2 cars. Ironically, GP2 cars still run normally aspirated V8s, so I get the full force of the racing rumble from the engines. The acceleration coming out of The Lesmos, a double-apex set of turns. I can’t believe I’m actually here! the weather was perfect race weather, a little over cast to keep it cool so walking around the track doesn’t result in drenched sweat-soaked clothes. Great day for racing. But then Saturday morning  wakes up to a torrential down pour resulting in a soaked track, mud pits and first canceled, then delayed qualifying. We tried walking the infield, visiting the Fan Zone and seeing the vendors for hats and shirts. The entire in-field is a mud field. And its a 20-minute walk for our grandstands to get here, but at least there’s some cover for the car displays. Then the clouds open yet again and we decide enough is enough. At this point qualifying has been delayed over an hour and it’s actually getting dark. Oh well, they’ll have qualifying Sunday morning, so lets get going before the crowds swamp us or it turns so bad that we can’t even walk through it. We head out, and sure enough, as we get 5 minutes from the train station, we hear the sounds of screaming, actually sort of a loud whisper, F1 cars climbing over the park walls. Oh well, we’re here now, and since on Saturday they only allow you to go through your designated gates, the thought of that 20-minute walk back was out of the question and Eataly was on our minds.

Saturday we wake to a beautiful day, the heat has returned, so it’s a perfect summer-spring afternoon. Just warm enough to lighten the heart and get us in the mood for some racing. And now, with jackets off, the Tifosi are abundant. Ferrai red is everywhere, and the fans have a lot to cheer for; Vettel and Räikkönen have been right behind the Mercedes or Hamilton and Bottas all weekend, so maybe there’s a shot of getting a good start. Unfortunately, Räikkönen falls behind Ricciardo in the race, but at least Vettel maintains 3rd for a podium and a reason for everyone to head down onto the track at the end of the race. Filling the race track is a fan tradition of the Italian GP. Unlike any other ace, this is 100% fan initiated, and everyone, I mean everyone heads down to the track. If you’re in the grand stands, the life force of everyone getting to the track literally pulls you down onto the asphalt. You can’t help yourself. Who wants to be the guy whogoes all the way to Monza, and then doesn’t go down on the track? Duh! So you go, and it is quite a thrill to be up close and persoanl like this. And then you look down, and notice the cracks in the track. wow, these guys are going flat out at over 200mph, and the track has cracks!?! As if F1 racing wasn’t dangerous enough.

Of all the places in the world, nothing evokes a passion for food like Italy. After all, if it wasn’t for Italy, what would college kids, single dads and football parties eat? Ya got me. Although Milan surprised me in it’s more broken down look and feel that the Armani-land villa I expected, we still had a fun time with the cuisine. Everything from gelato stops, cannolis and steaks, and even the quintessential pizza had us in heaven for the fresh flavors. Of all things not expected, was my wife’s absolute desire for Chinese food. What? Hello, we are in Milan, home of global fashion and frangipani spaghetti! Oh brother, OK, so we find the sign we passed in the car on the way to the hotel, whatever, it’s our first night and we are trying to settle in. The location of our Hilton hotel is interesting at best. Seemingly in a more industrial part of town, turns out most Milan is just an industrial part of town. Funny thing, sitting in this Chinese restaurant was my first true experience of globalization. This old Chinese lady comes out from the kitchen, same old Chinese lady that comes out from the back of the Chinese restaurant in Los Angeles or San Francisco or New York. And then she starts speaking perfect Italian. Whoa! Mind blown. Awesome! Don’t get me wrong, I know people speak different languages, but this had a different appeal than just a non-native speaking the native language.

Tom and Jerry

Day 1 of the tour, the next morning we wake and venture out once everything is open. We walked past a place called Tom and Jerry. Wait, like the cartoon? Yes. OK, let’s try it. Inside was a dose of Italian hospitality like no other. This place was a mad house of people walking and talking about. The area is industrial, so I’m guessing these are factory workers on lunch break. The host catches our eyes and comes over. I say, “Bone jorno.” “Oh, you’re American. Come on in, sit down.” Wow, was I that obvious. Note to self: watch nothing but Fellini films the month prior to next trip to Italy. We sit, a lady comes takes our order, and everyone is so nice to us, almost apologetic. How cool. My first day in Italy and I’m loving it. We sit there, and I just take in all the patrons sitting, most are at 6 and 8 person tables, just chatting away, hands flailing in the air. I almost start to cry they’re so beautiful. We share a quick pasta dish, very tasty. The pasta is light, the sauce herbal-flavorful, and what the hell, I have a beer…make that a birra, a Moretti. So much better than the bottles back home. Yum!

We spend the day walking around the neighborhood, head into Milano Centro and see Il Duomo for the first time. The galleria Vittorio is pretty spectacular, and then we see the Park Hyatt and realize that in two days, this will be our home. Wow! Pretty cool and bustling scene, but now it’s munchy time…oh! Ferrari Store! We go in and the place is packed, to be expected.

Gino’s 1928

We look around for somewhere to eat, and here it is. complete with open store front to the street, my favorite, and hustling waiters and hosts trying to convince you to come in. OK, you got me. Gino’s 1928 is staring us right in the face. We go in, and at first, are seated upstairs. Nice but no cigar. I want to experience Milan and Mangia Italiano, the food as it meets the people. Not tucked away in some dark corner in the VIP section. I let the waiter know we are heading downstairs and are seated right at line between outside and inside. So we see the waiters running around ordering and bussing, but we also see all the fun people walking the street and heading into the Ferrari shop. We order a pizza to share, a couple glasses of wine and extra Parmesan please. What comes out ids just beautiful. The arugula tastes as if just picked. So fresh, and I normally hate the bitter taste of normal store bought Arugula, but this has almost a sweetness to it. And the Mozarello…oh please… best pizza ever. And from a shop in the middle of tourist central, wow, daddy happy!

Eataly Milan Smeraldo

Day 3: Tonight we attempt to correct a mistake we made in New York in 2016, Eataly. In New York, this was rated one of the best rooftops to dine. When we got there, we had no idea what we were doing, or where to eat. When we were leaving, we walked past all these little eating stalls, and then realized how big the place was and what was on offer. Now, here we are getting a second chance. The Eataly Milan Smeraldo is a huge location. It sits inside an renovated building, looks to be an apartment complex, taking up the first 3 floors. Replacing the old front facade of brick and mortar with steel and glass, is eye catching and a modern twist on the early century building. Inside is a marketplace, 3 floors of wine and food, and long waiting lines to dine. I grab a white wine from the second floor shop to pair with the quarto-mani pizza we plan to order. A huge Neapolitan pie consisting of four flavors in one pie: Cheese, Feta and Anchovy, Pancetta and mushroom, and a veggie with roasted tomatoes and squash. The pie is huge, 8 pieces in all, so we both got one of each. Needless to say, we were stuffed by the end of it all. And again, the friendliness of the people. We had a problem with the order, and the guy at the table next to us, jumped in to help out speaking with a New York  to clarify the issue. That surprised me, because the whole night he was talking to his buddy in Italian, so was he a New Yorker speaking Italian, or an Italian with a New Yorker accent?

Granaio Coffe e Cucina

Day 5: And already,. it’s time to head home. Tonight, we are spending the last in Milan going to Teatro alla Scala, Milan’s grand theater. And to support that, we are having a fine dining experience to say thank you and farewell to Milan. What a wonderful experience it’s been, so let eat at a wonderful cucina we’ve been walking past for the last couple of days. Granaio Coffee e Cucina is located directly across from Park Hyatt, and has both inside and outside seating. We take a seat outside, but of course, and are rewarded with a wonderful filet. Tender and juicy, and perfect medium-rare, it’s so wonderful, combined with the perfect location, a looming sunset and tender tasty spinach with a perfect garlic hint to it. But As much as I love the steak, I’m really looking forward to desert. Inside, the display of Cannoli is just making me drool. So when the waiter asks if we would like desert, oh yes! I order the pistachio per Nancy’s suggestion, and I get not only a great tasting Cannoli, light fluffy creme filling surrounded by a perfectly crisped crust, but I also get one of the best food photos I’ve ever taken. The food, the lighting, all perfect!

As we prepare for our trip to Milan, looking up all of the tourist websites and reviewing the blogs of world travelers, everyone points to one spot as the number one tourist destination for Milan: il Duomo. Funny I thought it would be the Armani factory outlet. What the hell, half of my shirts are Formula One race T-shirts. So much for my fashion statement!

So it’s Thursday and we are going to head over to check it all out.  We hop on the #12 trolley from our hotel, and 15 minutes later we stop to hop off a block away from il Duomo. We take a few steps, turn the corner and there it is, il Duomo! OMG!   Look at all the people here, there’s got to be 10 or 15,000 people out here. And everybody just taking selfie’s with il Duomo in the background. Reminiscent of everyone taking pics and selfies of Mona Lisa in the Louvre back in 2016. The rest are just milling about, either heading to or just coming from il Duomo. We take a couple selfie’s ourselves, stop at the Vittorio Emmanuelle II statue. He’s the first King of Italy, back in only 1861. And then we head over to buy tour tickets. A word of advice, by the full package that includes both the Duomo, the Duomo museum, and the underground museum.

I’m not Catholic, so I really don’t know much about cathedrals such as il Duomo, or Notre Dame, or Sacré Coeur, but one thing I do know, is incredible dedication to workmanship and craftsmanship. Unlike any other Cathedral and I have ever seen, including those mentioned above, the exterior is absolutely filled with tens if not hundreds of thousands of human sculptures, small and large. They seem to cover a full spectrum of humanity, people crouched in suffering positions, people stretched in elation, praying, eating, and even beheading. Yikes! Some as small as maybe 12 inches, all the way up to full size and then some. And this is carried all the way up to, what I would estimate to be somewhere in the range of 70 feet high in the main area, up to 100 feet or so towards the back of the cathedral. And that’s just on the wall, as I look up, I see spires at the top of the building with statues on top of the spires. Wow, that is trippy.  Thank about it, I mean these life-size statues on top of spires, the support that is needed to maintain that at the top of a building with winds gusting about, how these things simply do not blow off the top must be absolute divine intervention. And then as if that weren’t intricate and detailed enough, when we come back downstairs I noticed the front doors. Each door which stand some 15 feet high and probably 8 feet wide, inlay carved with thousands of bronze figurines depicting scenes from the Bible. This is absolutely fascinating.

il Duomo, incredibly, was finished in 1965. Wait…1965? Well when did it begin? How about 1386. Wait..wha…are you kidding me? That’s like 500…and something…carry the 7, 579 years in the making. Yes, the final gate was finished in 1965, and there are actually some statues still under construction! Whoa, some people just need to know when to quit.

The interior is like any other large Cathedral.  Full of sexpartite vaulted buttresses, massive columns for support and benches for praying. We walk through and admire it all and say a prayer. We head downstairs to see the underground museum, and then head up the steps to tour the rooftop. Rooftop? Yes the rooftop! What cathedral has tours of the roof top? il Duomo! When you’re the largest Cathedral in Italy, and #5 in the world, you can do whatever you want. The rooftop is just as fascinating as the steps to get up to it are not something a vertical sufferer would want to deal with. But it allows you to see architecture that extends literally to the heavens. Why would anybody even build this atop of the cathedral? Literally, only Heaven knows. Narrow walk ways, in marble which is very slippery in the rain, and even more narrow stairways allow you to see the rooftop guardians up close and the view over Milan is incredible.

Once you see these statues, above the city, something immediately comes to mind. Has it? Wait for it…think…The Dark Knight…Batman…comics in general. It is scary, seeing these statues in person, you see exactly where the idea for these comics came from. The Saviors. The Guardians. The Watchers. They’re all here, standing 100 feet above the city, watching over the citizens below.

The visit is exquisite, mesmerizing and even transforming. Seeing this in person makes you believe so much more, in the human spirit. What man is able to imagine, he can create. Ironically, for this Formula 1 weekend, is the Formula 1 of churches. Thank you, for this, I am eternally grateful to Milan. Grazie e arrivederla!

If you have the chance to make it to Milan, definitely make plans to see il Duomo. And if you make it to il Duomo, then definitely plan on getting the entire tour package which includes going up to the rooftop of il Duomo, going to the basement of il Duomo to see some of the excavated area, and going over to the museum. The Museo del Duomo is a remarkable display of Catholic statuettes. The museum isn’t heavy on historical Catholicism itself, few and far between are the trinkets and coins, and other artifacts from Jesus’ time. There’s a couple of golden crosses from the middle ages, some gold statuettes of Mary and the Holy Child, and even some antiquity wood carvings. More so it is a museum dedicated to the construction of il Duomo and the thousands of statues that make up the il Duomo. So what you have are lots of paintings of catholic martyrs, and lots and lots of statues of historical Christianity. These are done in plaster, and marble, and feature some really dramatic scenes. John the Baptist, Peter, Paul and many of the Apostles. Of course Mary makes several appearances with the Baby Jesus. There are other lesser known biblical members as well, such as a large relief of Judith and Holofernes, as she is cutting off his head. And it’s pretty detailed, and classic Italian.  Yikes! #MeToo!

The cool thing is that many of the statues are life-size. This gives you an incredible feeling as if you were walking back in time with these historical figures.  There’s nothing that puts the faith in you like standing next to a life-size statue of John the Baptist. He looks so peaceful, such a cool guy. The statues, of course, are played up for Catholicism, but they are fun nonetheless and the museum is a real joy to walk through. Also included for display are the rain spout that top il Duomo. These spouts are very intricate in their detailing. Interesting, since these spouts are located a hundred or so above the ground and are far out of eye sight. Even taking the rooftop tour, many people were not noticing them as they are out of the normal line of sight, but very intriguing to see from a view above the crowds below.

The museum was dedicated back in 1953, no doubt it has been updated since then. As you leave the main museum, there is a replica of il Duomo, which allows you to take in the enormity of the build in one view. And amazingly enough, the complexity and intricacy of this replica does not match that of the full building, which is amazing. As you leave, you see that there are actually 2 sections of the museum. The traditional depicted here, and then there is a museum temple outside, that contains a church with a beautiful sanctuary for prayer. This area is very reserved, very quiet with an attendant to remind people of the holiness and to keep it quiet. Outside of this church sanctuary section is a courtyard with the remnant of an ancient Roman trestle.  It is definitely worth the time and money to visit, especially if you are a statu-ista and really want to take in the full force of il Duomo and it’s thousands of statues. Not going to the museum is like getting a hamburger with no lettuce  or tomato. It’s still a hamburger, but it’s just not as good.

Underneath the 2nd largest cathedral in Italy, second only to the holy St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, and the 5th largest in the world, according to some records, lies truly historical ruins. Underneath il Duomo in Milan, Italy, lies the ruins of an original baptismal that contains fragments dating back to 355 A.D. This is by far, the oldest piece of land I’ve ever visited, and most interesting ancient site I’ve ever seen. What is so amazing, is that this is everything I’ve ever seen on the History Channel or any other ancient world show, and yet how ordinary and modern day normal it looks. Bricks are stacked orderly, atop dirt foundation, and support channels, drains and other modern day architecture. Amazing that old world building is still followed to the day. This area could date back to 355, or 1355, or even 1955. I makes me acutely aware of how limited I am in my “thinking” of the old world. They had drainage, water systems, architectural designs and so much more. The idea of everyone living in mud huts and dirt floors is blown away by a more modern approach to urban planning. So here are a few shots of the area beneath il Duomo. Enjoy and I hope this encourages you to visit Milan and see this on your own. Or to even explore architectural ruins local to you.

For our first couple of nights in Milan, we we stayed at the Hilton Doubletree in the Certosa neighborhood. After our rumbling drive-through the streets of Milan, I was surprised to see the industrial neighborhood that this particular hotel is located in. I was expecting to do some shopping here, but this is a pretty quiet neighborhood of what seems to be mid-sized auto parts manufacturers.

Pulling up to the hotel I noticed the design was a little more like the Milan I expected. Lean, clean,  modern design, that surround an interesting walkway into the hotel lobby. At the front desk is Stefano and he’s great to us with a warm smile and I happy disposition. We chat a bit, and I am amazed at how much English everyone is speaking. Understanding that this is an a high tourist area, But here, as in Brussels, and Nice and Paris last year, everybody speaks crystal clear English. On the one hand you appreciate it because the language differences do not exist. On the other hand, like our hotel Lu Feye Boigelot, you expect to have a little language discrepancy and struggle with your high school Italian.

We check in and head up to the room which is again Euro-modern. It’s a good size, comfortable enough as a traveler hotel. Not full on luxury like Hotel Metropole earlier, but we are happy with the accommodations. Again, a bidet, smallish shower, little vanity area, but outside large closet space, fully functional TV, and a view looking back over northern Milan towards the mountains.

We head down to the lobby, and the lobby is spacious, and then we looked around the corner we realize it’s huge. Plenty of seating, a couple of communal bar tables with outlets for laptop work. Around the other corner there’s actually a men’s store in the lobby!

Alright, my first introduction to Milan fashion! Suits, jackets, shirts, ties, shoes and  a few accessories. I actually try on a couple of jackets, really nice fabric both in feel and fabric design, but unfortunately not quite my size. I ask the attendant if he had any others in the back, and unfortunately, no. Oh well, just the first night and I’m sure I’m going to find much more fashion once I get into Milan proper. We walk over to the area next to the men’s store which is a long bar, a great looking spot to have a Campari  or a pre-dinner Asti. There’s a good size restaurant where they serve the breakfast in the morning and dinner in the evening. We managed to have dinner here Friday night. I don’t know what I was thinking, but I left my phone in the room, and missed out taking photos of one of the better steaks I had this trip. Nancy had a salmon dish that was perfect, so thumbs up to the hotel for a wonderful dinner.

The hotel is located close enough to trolleys so it’s easily accessible to Milano Centro and other areas of Milan. One block to the east is the trolley stop for the Trolley Number 12 which takes you to Milano Centro and il Duomo. About a quarter-mile north is the stop for Trolley 14, which takes you to southwest Milan, Porta Volta park, which is pretty cool and Girabaldi train station. The Certosa Train station is half a mile or so, which equates to a 15 to 20 minute walk, or DoubleTree will provide a shuttle to the station. Although the area is a little dated, and not the glam house of Vogue and Elle magazine, the location is still quite comfortable and of very supportive of tourist travel. In the afternoon, and possibly perfect breakfast, if you want some local Milan faire, café Tom and Jerry is just a couple of steps up the block. Also, there is a small market about a five minute walk up Viale Carlo Espinasse. If you want to pick up local goods, you can get things such as cheese, crackers, fruit, wine and other goodies. Depending on your length of stay, I highly recommend heading over to the shop to grab some local goodies for the room.

By the time we check-out, we have grown quite found of our front desk staff. Stefano, Victoria, Gianni and the gang are so polite, so wonderful, and so helpful, it enhanced our experience to no end. We always felt safe and taken care, not like we were on our own in a strange land, but like we were hanging out with friends. I can’t thank them all enough for making this an unforgettable experience.

Now you’re packed and rewards to go! Off to the airport to start your grand adventure. One last item to remember: Digitize everything! Download travel apps to track your itinerary. Do screen shots of your boarding pass that include gate and seat assignments. Convert any documents created on your computer to PDF and email them to yourself AND upload to cloud storage.

Travel apps are awesome and they are a one-stop-shop for your itinerary. Apps like TripIt, Tripcase, Lola and RoadTrippers capture details on your airline, hotel, car rental and in some cases can even make reservations for tours and dining. My favorite is Tripcase. The key factor is that it provided reservation info even when offline. And that is important when you suddenly find yourself in a location with no connection. All current info is stored on your phone, and updates trickle in when you’re connected. Even in the middle of Belgium cow country, I was able to retrieve hotel address and map location via the GPS function. A lifesaver!

It also updates me even faster than my United Airlines app for gate and/or flight time changes. Ever sit at AirVino sipping a Merlot, get your bill, head to the gate to find your flight delayed 55mins? I did. And upon return to the bar, all seats had been taken. Dang it Karl! Ever sit at a gate waiting for the flight and as they announce boarding, you realize they are boarding for flight #159 to Nebraska. Your flight#158 to Miami is now a 20 minute cross terminal run? I did. Air travel isn’t perfect and these apps help, but one thing they don’t do is provide the actual e-ticket for scanning your boarding pass. So there, you may still need to download the airline app that’s getting you to your destination. But even still, a minor issue to load another app on the phone, unless of course, you’ve maxed out storage with downloaded cat videos.

Another digi-tip: Take a screenshot of the mobile boarding pass. I’ve been rushing through an airport only to get stuck trying to get a signal to bring my pass up. Are you kidding me? No cell signal, so I had to search for wifi, and then navigate the ads and false links. What a pain! Instead, a screenshot works well to get you through TSA and on to the plane.

Most 3rd party itinerary apps have the email load feature, so when you get a confirmation email from your air, hotel, car and other travel aspects, simply forward the email to your app account and it loads into your itinerary. Cool! Now I have one spot for all my reservations and events during my trip. My air reservation, the rental car pickup, the hotel, dining and anything else on my trip are displayed in a nice timeline that displays in chronological order. Much nicer than my calendar.

But just because you’ve added these items to your app, don’t forget to back that up with the original documentation. Sometimes, there are details in the original document that does not transfer over to the app. And when you’re standing in the rain in Milan trying to figure out why the hotel doesn’t have your reservation, at least stand close enough to pick up their wifi and take a look at your original reservation document saved in the cloud. The cloud that pouring on you now. Ooops, we’re at il Parco by Hyatt, not Park Hyatt. Don’t blame the cabbie on your poor Italiano accent!

Larger documents, say tour passes or rental agreements made online can be printed out to PDF format, then emailed to your phone. From there, save the attached files and you’ll always have full documentation for backup ready even if you don’t have a connection to download. I just hope your phone doesn’t die before you get to the hotel. Can we say spare battery?

Another overall backup tip: Save all documents to the cloud. And if available, select the make available offline. I do this for the airline, hotel, car rentals, plus any tour correspondence, dinner reservations, subway maps. Anything that you may need to read, back it up, then make it available offline, for that one time you don’t have a signal and you’re stuck with no contact info for your next steps. I create a folder for each big trip, add all the documents to it. Select them all as “make available off-line”. And when the trip is over, just delete the whole thing.

Documents are easy to deal with, but what about foreign languages. Google translate is a cool travel app to have handy. It does manual entry translation, but also verbal, so have the foreign speaker say it, and even visual. This way, you can translate signs and menus. A pretty cool feature to have when you get to your location, and realize that one semester of high school French just ain’t cutting it.

For our recent trip to Brussels, as a result of heading over to Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps for the Belgium F1 GP, we were told to head out to other locations because Brussels is kind of boring, just another European city. Well…wrong! Brussels is awesome! What an amazing city. A perfect combination of a classic historic, old world city, and a new, modern urban metropolis. And to make it even more interesting, try walking around at night! What a fun spot. We walked from our hotel, Hotel Metropole, to dinner at Berlin Fabrik, up to Palais de Bruxelles, and back to the hotel. A nice little 5k walk, interrupted by BBQ and a couple pints of beer, several wrong turns and a quick stop at a random beverage store for champagne.

The pics here are some of my favorite shots.