Finally...

After what seemed a very long 7 weeks I flew into Milan on Saturday, 8th December 2012.  The flight over was shocking. The less said about it the better. I've learned my lesson and in the future I will always book my seat before getting to the airport! 

On Sunday, with no time to waste, Stephen took me on his personal tour of the city.  We walked and walked and walked!  First to the Navigli, a trendy canal district.  When Stephen and Cherie visited this area a month or so ago, the canals were empty and looked pretty ordinary,

but now they are full of water again, so the area was quite busy. Apparently in summer the canals are very popular with people and mosquitos! 

We walked on and saw the famous Duomo,

and strolled through the shopping district decorated with understated Milanese Christmas lights,

and gasped at the over the top window display in Dolce and Gabbana.

No sign of jet lag, so we jumped on a tram to return to the Navigli for a late Sunday lunch of risotto and osso bucco which are the local specialities. Delicious.

It was a fantastic introduction to our new adventure, but best of all was seeing Stephano in Milano.