Made it to the hotel in just under two hours. We checked in, and Lance an Evelyn headed out to enjoy the big city. I returned the car to the train station, and Miss Tay decided it was time to recharge on her own. When I arrived back at the hotel (killer location. who would have known there was a hotel back there?), no one was around, so I took a walk around. First stop: lunch upstairs at Peck. Leisurely, incredibly good and ordered more than I knew I wanted just because I was there. A view of the moo (actually, I think it was baaa):
Enjoyed a stroll past the Duomo in the rain:
then decided to head over to Teatro all Scala to see if I could get tickets for the ballet Giselle that night. Waited for an hour and a half – first in line! – for the tickets that went on sale at 6. The line formed behind me, but when they opened, they had only 4 tickets left in the Galleria (nosebleed, have to stand to see) section and I bought them all. Back at the hotel, texted and discovered Lance and Evelyn were attending an organ concert in Duomo, and then Lance was escorting her back to her room in a different location. She was leaving first thing in the morning for the airport and the States. Goodbye, Evelyn!
In the end, Jim, Carolyn and Alexi joined me. We had to hustle to make it, but we stopped first at Spontini, for a quick slice of pizza. These were uber big, fatties the one slice cut six ways was more than enough:
It tasted like buttery, crusty, fresh focaccia covered in freshly-made tomato sauce and gooey cheese. Yum! Then off to La Scala for the show. Carolyn and I sat together, as did the men (one level up).
Afterwards, we meandered back through the streets and ran into Jim and Alexi having a snack (they’d left at intermission) and we all walked back together. As we sat and chatted in the lobby, I suddenly realized that I had left my clutch purse (with major cash, driver’s license, credit cards and a very valuable necklace) on the floor in the cheap seats! yikes! Jim hustled back with me, where I banged on the locked doors. You can’t come in, Dorothy! Then Jim suggested I ask a policeman who was sitting in his car, and that young man was all about it. He escorted me back to the offices (why didn’t I think of that?) and as soon as I walked through the doors, I said “Do you have…” and a woman looked up and did an air drawing of my little purse. “Yes”, I squealed and she headed off to retrieve it. I was so lucky, as she was just walking out the door home when I entered. Aah, all is right with the world!