Milan

On Friday afternoon we took the train to Milan. It's a scenic 4 hour journey and bubs was very well behaved. We arrived at the central station and got a taxi to our hotel, which was a minute's walk from the Duomo http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milan_Cathedral Dinner was via room service, and then hubby went out to meet his brother whom we had come to see, and bubs and I stayed and admired the view from the hotel.

The next day, after a tasty champagne breakfast, we headed out to see the Duomo. What's especially neat about this Cathedral is that you not only get a view from the top of it but you get to walk all over its roof! It was a tight squeeze in some places and we had to take the pram up and then abandon it, which seemed a bit silly, but it was definitely worth it.

After the Cathedral we headed to other parts of the city where the design fair was taking place, and took a look at a couple of exhibits. Then it was back to the hotel for a snooze for bubs and gelato for me.
Shopping and dinner followed, dinner was at a Pizzeria place not far from the hotel and the pizza was delicious, a far cry from our first pizza experience in Italy last year! Limoncellos were had back at the hotel and then the boys continued their night out, while bubs and I headed for bed. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limoncello

The next day allowed for another champagne breakfast, a look at the inside of the Duomo (it was Palm Sunday), and some more shopping, followed by one last gelato and then lunch, before heading off on the train again. Bubs was not quite so well behaved on the way back, and I can only imagine it was his disgust at having to leave such a lovely place.

Recent Travels

Since we came back from New Zealand we have continued to be on the move, first to the States, then to London, and we are currently in Lausanne (the French speaking area of Switzerland). Our trip to the States was visa and family related. We spent a few days catching up with friends in Atlanta and then went up to Wisconsin to see family. We had a great time but it was far too quick and I don't have any photos to share from it.

Our trip to London was also to see family but we squeezed in a little bit of sight seeing too. London is gearing up for the royal wedding later this month (I think that's right), so we stopped by Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abby to see what was going on there. Unfortunately London is not easy to access when you have a baby in a buggy and as a result I didn't get many photos.

After a lovely time in London, we were back home for a week. The weather has been wonderfully warm lately and the weekly markets have opened for the Summer months. The markets sell everything from bread, cheese, meat and fish, to flowers, vegetables and clothing. This is our local market in Oerlikon.

We found these two in a local shopping mall. I was quite surprised to hear the sound they make.

After a week at home, we are now on the road again. My husband is attending a workshop here in Lausanne, and bubs and I have tagged along. It's our first time here, having passed it many times on the way to Geneva. It's a lovely place and the weather has been absolutely amazing. It's so nice to wake up and see the sun shining and feel the warmth from an open window. It's also very nice to have a change of pace listening to French instead of German!

We're staying in a hotel between the lake (Lake Geneva) and the old city, and it's just a 10 minute walk to either. 

As always, the colour has washed out from the lovely bright photos that these are. These next photos, taken yesterday, are better but it's a little disappointing. This is Notre-Dame and the view of the city from there. Hopefully on Friday the three of us will climb up this tower...and maybe, just maybe, stop for crepes on the way back to the hotel...

Our adventure here continues until Saturday when we will hopefully meet up with our friends from Geneva. Then we're back home for a week before heading off to Milan for a quick trip to see one of bubs' uncles...and for me to eat all the gelato I can!