27 – 29 April 2014 – Milan, Lombardy, Italy

Milan is a paradise of pleasures with a spectacular cathedral, an iconic opera house, ancient churches, art galleries, delectable food, glamorous fashion and glorious shops.

The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, a beautiful art deco glass roofed barrel vaulted shopping arcade full of expensive brand name shops and high end bars and restaurants

Inside were marble mosaic floors – including the coat of arms of Turin.  Putting your heel on the bull’s genitals and turning three times is supposed to bring you good luck!

A A$48 cake for sale at one of the bakeries in the Galleria

Il Duomo, Milan's dazzling white marble cathedral

Carvings on the facade of the cathedral

There were fabulous views from the roof through the Gothic spires

Leonardo da Vinci keeping an eye on things at the Piazza della Scala

The stage of the Teatro della Scala opera house

An Australian we met in Milan

The stunning interiors of the Poldi Pezzoli Museum

Painting of Cairo

Slave Trader

Political poster at the Universita Cattolica del Sacre Cuore

Inside the Basilica di Sant’Ambrogio, one of the oldest churches in Milan.  It was built by Saint Ambrose in the 4^th century in an area where numerous victims of Roman persecution were buried

In the crypt we found the remains of Saint Ambrose (in white satin with gold trim) and two martyrs (in red satin with gold trim) on either side complete with grinning skulls

Our last meal in Milan at the at Ristorante One Way della Speranza

23 – 26 April 2014 – Zurich, Switzerland to Milan, Lombardy Italy

Zurich is the largest city (by area and population) in Switzerland.  We spent most of our time in the Old Town which stretches along both banks of the Limmat River down to Lake Zurich.

The distinctive towers of the Groβmünster Church

The stripy roof of the Landesmuseum (National Museum)

One of the shops on Bahnhofstrasse, which runs from the Zürich Hauptbahnhof right down to the lake and is famous for being one of the most exclusive and expensive shopping streets in the world

We spent our first morning at the Kunsthaus which is one of the main Swiss art museums and houses a collection of European art which included works by Rodin, Courbet, Manet, Degas, Picasso, El Greco, Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Monet and Cezanne

The Awakening of the Fairy Queen Titania - Johann Heinrich Füssli

The Artist’s Parents (with Lake Zurich in the background) – Albert Welti

Portrait of a Peasant (Patience Escalier) – Vincent Van Gogh

View from the Lindenhof, a small hill in the heart of the old town

A modern art installation with the Groβmünster church providing a scenic backdrop

The Fraumünster Church in front with the Groβmünster church behind and across the other side of the river

The magnificent steeple of the Fraumünster Church

A street performer getting ready in the bushes

This gargoyle was flaunting his hairy chest

The boat terminal at Burkli Platz where the Limmat River enters Lake Zurich

We took a lake steamer around the lake

We got off the boat to visit the Lindt & Sprungli chocolate factory at Kilchberg

Roger Federer was there to lend a helping hand

Zurich is eye wateringly expensive – a small cappuccino at McCafe costs the equivalent of AUD 5.50

On the other hand clear, cold fresh spring water is free from fountains all over the city

 

Views of Zurich from one of the towers of the Groβmünster church

University of Zurich

Student refectory in the university

Tasmanian Tiger in the Zoological Museum at the University of Zurich

Along with a scary looking Flying Fox

The fountain at the Villa Tobler featuring mosaics and a seahorse/dragon

The gardens and the lake were a highlight of Zurich

The swans on Lake Zurich were having their lunch

Inside the Zurich Stadthaus (City Hall)

No Dogs Allowed in Swiss

Instead of catching the fast train to Milan, we opted to take the scenic Bernina Express (with large panoramic windows so that we could enjoy the scenery) from Chur to Tirano through the Swiss Alps.  Their mascot was this scary looking steinbok

Our journey took us through the snow covered Swiss Alps where it was still winter

Cross country skier walking in the middle of nowhere

Note the house buried in the snow

We arrived in sunny Italy (Tirano) where it was already spring time

The last part of our journey to Milan took us past the Lake Maggiore