19th September Milan

** Ciao from my 2nd full day in Milan. Today, being a Monday, all the museums are closed, but the shops, in theory at least, will be open.

** I am a bit peeved off with myself. I'd like to think that I could have planned it better, but I didn't. I went to book my 15 allowed minutes in front of the Leonardo 'The Last Supper' only to find out that it was fully booked until the end of the month at which time I would have been long gone by then. In the timeless words of Monty Python, 'No one expects the Spanish Inquisition'

** I am planning to wander the city and parks today. Will post as I go on my merry way. Warning! Today will not be an exciting day.

** Just had a really cute interaction with a locale septagerian. She spoke no english, obviously other than being able to order 'cafe Americano' I am at a total disadvantage here, but with the help of my google maps and the live view feature I was able to direct her to her location, which was just 5 minutes further away, or 10 minutes given her stature and age. That was a good start to the day for me.

** Have not gone far but already have passed a statue of the 17th century astronomer, philosopher and mathematician Boscovich

** And a grove of the largest guava trees I have ever come across, lining a very dry park. Most grass looks like Perth in middle of summer. Relatively little rain is forthcoming.

Two obviously very old trees in a park not far from my hotel

** If I were retired, this little pond with a water fountain might be the type of place I could spend my days contemplating life, the universe and everything. Hang on, wait, I am retired, but once again the issue of the language and most of the food 😄

The Castello Sforzesco ( from Wikipedia)

The Castello Sforzesco (Italian for "Sforza's Castle") is a medieval fortification located in Milan, northern Italy. It was built in the 15th century by Francesco Sforza, Duke of Milan, on the remnants of a 14th-century fortification. Later renovated and enlarged, in the 16th and 17th centuries it was one of the largest citadels in Europe. Extensively rebuilt by Luca Beltrami in 1891–1905, it now houses several of the city's museums and art collections.

Took me about 2 hours of a gentle stroll to get here, but was well worth the time & effort. What I find strange is that although I did not go into any of the closed areas, entry to the Castello was free. On line I see exorbitant prices just to enter.

I love this one. It looks like a succah from the distance.

Again with the Magen David. Look at the ground layout. See below at a sit in the outside of a near by church

This Magen David is totally obvious in the centre. I keep seeing it across Spain, and Europe. So my question is, are these people ignorant, being lied to, or is there really a conspiracy so deeply hidden for 1700 years that even the conspirators are no longer aware of it.