The Return of the Return of the Double Decker Bus

Alisa had meetings in Milan, so she left after breakfast.

Since it had been 5 days since their last double decker bus, the boys were going into withdrawal.  So we found out where the closest double decker bus would be and headed out mid-morning.

The schedule was less frequent and we missed a bus just as we were walking to the stop.  Joey and Sammy dealt with this amazingly well and spent most of the time waving to the cars driving by (with a remarkably high response rate).

After what felt like all day, the bus arrived and we were able to ride the top through the north of the city.  We eventually arrived at the Castello Sforzesco, an imposing castle originally home to the Sforza's but occupied by the Hapsburg regimen, Napoleon's army, and the Holy Roman Empire (among others).

Today it is a centerpiece of Milan and houses 7 museums, libraries, archives, and artwork.

The official site of the Castello is here (and can be translated to English by choosing your language in the upper right corner):
http://www.milanocastello.it/en/edificio-voci/4/98
This provides a thorough history and interesting information.

We spent most of the day around the Castello and Lanna had a fantastic time walking around.

The boys admired the huge turrets and, of course, the pigeons that dotted the large open spaces.

The kids needed some gelato to recoup the energy spent in the Castello, after which we sauntered through the pedestrian walkway and explored the side streets.  Joey and Sammy admired another Ferrari.

Since we were going to Brescia that afternoon to meet up with Simone's parents, we awaited the bus to return to the apartment.

Alisa had finished her talk and meetings and we headed out for Brescia.

Beppe and Lidia once again warmly welcomed us.  We met them at BB Farms, a location where they obtain high quality grains and produce to create healthy food for livestock. Their website is here:
http://bbfarmspa.wix.com/bbfarmspa#!home-page/c61v

Joey loved it!  He saw a few of their 7 big rigs along with some enormous tractors.  He tried some authentic corn flakes as well which he reported as "Really crunchy!"

They showed us an excellent store for Italian leather shoes and then took us out to dinner.  Beppe played with Sammy while Lanna and Lidia charmed each other.

Before we knew it, the hour was late and we had to return to Milan. Rain poured down as we went out to the cars (for which Lidia and Beppe borrowed umbrellas from the restaurant to ensure we were covered on the walk to the car).  They guided us to the highway and we honked goodbye before we drove back for our last night in Milan.