Couples Conference

December 8, 2013

This week was the semi annual couples conference.  We currently have 13 missionary couples in our mission not counting the mission president and his wife.  All 28 of gathered at the hotel for 3 hours of training on Thursday afternoon.  Than about 6:30 we headed over to the local Roadhouse for dinner.  This is an Italian version of an American Stake and hamburger joint.  On Thursday the hamburgers are half price.  So can get you a very large hamburger with fries and a coke for 8 euros.

Elder Durrand , the Savona branch president from France chose the Maxi burger.  It is a 500 gram beef patty (over 1.1 pounds)!  Very tasty too.

The next day was set aside for touring Milano.

We met at the Duomo.  This building never ceases to amaze me.

 Here are a couple of the carved stove panels on the front of the building.  "David & Goliath"

 Abraham offering Sacrifice

From the Duoma we walked through the Galleria  - The  fashion worlds shopping center!  The tile floor is amazing.  Here is a Mosaic of Remus and Romulus who settled Rome.

And then right in the center of this extremely high class shopping "mall" was a window display with Goose decoys!  I guess even the geese are shopping at Louis Vuitton.

We continued to walk north and here is statue of Leonardo

 Across the street is "La Scala"  The most famous opera house in the world.

Saturday night was the opening of the Opera season and La Traviata was on the bill.  We got a group tour of the opera house museum. 

A bus of the most revered Italian composer - Toscanini.  He looks very stern!

 We were able to go up to the 3rd of 6 balconies and stand in one of the booths (box seats) and look at the opera house.  It was very impressive.

 We then went through the museum.

 

 Some very strange paintings

 This is Franz List's Piano!

 Another fabulous Italian composer

 Here is a custom guitar with two necks and 4 sets of strings.

From La Scala we walked to the ENEL building (our elec & gas supplier for most of our apartments).  They supplied us a fabulous snack of juice and fancy sandwiches.  While on the walk there we saw this bakery with bread decorated like turtles.

 We then rode the trolley to see Leonardo's Last Supper.  We had to be there early to pick up our tickets.

 Yes - more interesting doors

 While waiting for our time to see the last supper i took some pictures. This is a poster outside.  The painting in side was extremely large.  It was worth the wait to see it.

 Here is a girls school's top of a 4 story building

 Drinking fountain

 Elder Keeffer waiting at the bus stop.  How about that seat?

 Here are the Burgers who find all of our apartments.  They look so Dapper in their hats.

 The Keeffers stayed with us Friday night and Saturday we went to the International Craft fair where shops and sellers from all over the world gather each year to show off their wares.  It was amazing.  here is a whole cow on a spit!

The Milano Fiere grounds are enormous.They are the left over from a worlds fair.  parking for over 10,000 cars.  I am certain there were over 100,000 people there that day.  More in one place than I have ever seen.  And the fair was only in less than 1/4 of the building space of the fair grounds.

We ate Brats with Kraut and fabulous buns (Italian bread).  While we ate, there was an Oom Pa Pa band playing and Austrian dancers jumping up and down on the tables.

We also watched this Scottish Bag Pipe and drum group playing.  They were great in thier kilts and long hair and beards.

We saw and sampled many things and had a great time.  Here are some chocolate shoes!