Published: 24 July 2016

Last night the wifi wouldn't connect to any of our devices - this is the first chance I've had to post, so this is from yesterday!

Also, for some weird reason it won't let me upload any photos! So strange.... If I get it to work I will add them later.

July 23, 2016

Julia and I didn't really have any plans for today other than count down the hours until we picked up Jeff and Chloe from the airport. Julia was actually interested in going to the hotel gym, so that is what we did! We once again ate a peach from the bowl in the lobby and then went to the health food store down the street to get a bit more food before our workout. What is that distinctive smell in health food store? No matter where you go in the world, they always smell the same. So interesting. I bought some amazing natural and organic pistachio yogurt. I would be addicted to it if I lived here! Julia bought (what she thought was) orange-ginger juice, but it turned out to be orange-turmeric-pepper juice! Not quite the same. That was a wake up call to the taste buds!!

The gym in the hotel a very nice facility and quite large. There were two Italian men doing a CrossFit workout (lots of huffing and puffing!), but other than that we had the place to ourselves. We both did some cardio, and then I did a bunch of mat Pilates while Julia did a few weights and ran on the treadmill. We felt very proud of ourselves afterwards. A quick shower and time to find lunch!

We saw a place last night that looked good and so we gave it a try. It is a beautiful place, but it was way too hot inside. I don't understand the lack of fans? We didn't linger as we were really hot, but the food was good and I finally found a decent salad! Julia ordered a calzone that was half the size of her body and she barely ate a quarter of it. It was a daunting meal, and we were both so hot that it made eating difficult.

We were really close to a metro stop so we decided to take it to the Castello Sforzesco. It is a huge castle built in the 15th century and was one of the largest citadels in Europe. We didn't pay to go inside, as all we cared to do was take a few pictures and see what the fuss was about. We found a lovely fountain to cool down in, and then we decided to head back to the hotel because we were boiling hot. We did take a short diversion to an interesting looking juice/smoothie shop where Julia ordered a passionfruit, orange, and mint juice. It was raelly tasty, and it was so tart that it made us scrunch up our faces after every sip. (In a good way.)  :)

The metro delivered us back to the central station where we figured out how to buy the tickets to the airport to pick up Jeff and Chloe. It was pretty straightforward, so we felt confident with what we needed to do when the time came. Then back to the room and its heavenly air conditioning… we are pretty lazy here in Milan. I think the heat and excitement of the last week and a half has exhausted us; lots of sightseeing, walking, and exploring. A little downtime is warranted.

We (excitedly!) took the train to the airport to pick up Jeff and Chloe - it was so great to see them after two long weeks. Unfortunately, Chloe's bag wasn't delivered which caused some time delays and annoyance, but thankfully she had a few things in her carry-on that can get her through until they bring back her bag. Of course all of her favourite things are in that bag, so she is understandably a bit anxious about its return. It's nice to be all back together again - a new adventure awaits!