We left the US in January after the Christmas visit saying, "We must travel more in 2016". Within a few days Ben realized he had a meeting in Milan and we decided a spontaneous trip to Italy was just what we needed. We booked a quick flight and within a few days we were on our way. We are getting the hang of flying with Ava and luckily both flights were not very crowded so we had lots of extra space. We stayed near the Central train station in Milan and therefore had close access to the subway, street cars, and buses. On this trip we had many opportunities to play "where to put the baby" so that we avoid going to bed at 7 pm. Luckily Friday night after we arrived, we were able to rig up a baby monitor between our iPhones and head down to the lobby for a quick dinner.
Saturday was filled with exploring. We toured the Duomo from top to bottom with all levels equally interesting. The Cathedral was huge and magnificent. The lower level burial grounds were fascinating and the roof top, while chilly, had amazing views of the city from all angles. Ava can even say when she gets bigger that she had lunch overlooking the city of Milan. We walked through the Galleria Vittorio and found a place for lunch. We decided to go with Italian staples and had steady diet of pasta, pizza, and gelato most of the weekend.
Sunday we enjoyed another sunny day and walked around the train station, through many of the parks, and went in search of The Last Supper. After a great afternoon walk, we made it to the Basilica di Santa Maria only to find that advance tickets were needed to enter. After a quick stop for more gelato we were on our way. We found that with Ava some of the best ways to see the city were with diaper bag, baby carrier, and stroller in tow; it was cumbersome but then we were prepared for most anything and could stay out for a longer period of time. Sunday night we switched hotels and stayed at LaGare, we tucked Ava's crib into the bathroom, ordered Chinese food, and caught a soccer game on TV. Early Monday morning Megan and Ava headed to the airport and Ben started his work trip.
We are looking forward to more travels in the next few months. Already on the calendar are visits from the Aylesworths Senior and Megan's brother Jon!