emergency on plane

Best hotel breakfast so far.  First one with cereals, cakes and eggs and bacon (not travelling first class here folks).  Didn’t have the eggs and bacon but had cereal, fruit, bread roll, small chocolate croissant, small apricot pastry.  Didn’t get hungry til well after 3pm.  Last night had a splendid seafood risotto, spoiled only by a 3 euro covercharge.  Lots of baby octopus, dead this time Josh.

After breakfast had to make my way to Cenacola Vinciano to see the Last Supper.  They let 25 people in every 15 minutes.  It is very tightly controlled.  You enter a chamber on time, then when all are in the doors close and the door to the next chamber opens.  This goes on through three chambers.  Slow or reluctant people slow the whole group down and cost you viewing time because the doors will not close until everyone comes through, and the next set of doors will not open until the previous set are closed.  Two young women held us up as they would not enter each chamber, hanging back to wait for us to move forward.  I resisted the urge to yell “could you kindly manouver your ever so slightly on the large side posterior through the chamber entrance so that we may all embark on this wonderful cultural experience.”  or similar.

                                               Cenacola Vinciano

The fresco is in the refectory of the old 15^th century convent, on one wall.  On the opposite wall is a fresco of the crucifixion by a different artist.  The other fellow used traditional technique and his work, though far less impressive, has lasted much better.  The last supper is still magnificent.  The two most striking features are the realistic perspective and the emotion conveyed by the composition of the figures.  Jesus has just announced that one of them will betray him.  Thomas is raising a finger, about to question…. (don’t we know that position dear), James the greater seems to be confidently assuring Jesus that he will take care of things, a group of three at the end seem to be having the “ah you just can’t trust everyone these days” conversation, etc.

It really is magnificent, the other one is good but pales in comparison.

After that, back to the hotel for my one hour free internet and then off the Castle Sforza for the museums.  The art museum was closed but the others open and only 3 euro total to go to all as a consequence.  Castle museum very interesting, with crypts and coffins and decorations and tapestries and armour and weapons etc.  This also had the Michealangelo exhibition devoted to the last few years of his productive life.   There was also a museum dedicated to the prehistory and early history up to the Roman conquest of the local area.  I found this very interesting.

                                               Madonna and child c1500  (based on???)

                                                        Isis and Horus c 1500 BCE  (interesting huh?)

I also enjoyed the Egyptian antiquities museum.

Everything went well getting to the plane and boarding, taking off and receiving the snack.  Then an emergency struck.  Just as the stewards were slowly making their way down the aisle serving drinks.

An emergency of the extremely urgent, potentially explosive kind.  Must have been something I ate or the suspect water I drank.  As the steward got to me and just edged his trolley past my arm rest, I leapt from my seat, pushed past him and bolted for the first class convenience room.  Phew!

Second emergency just after we landed and got bussed to the terminal.  I was very nervous on the mini-bus to the hotel.

Medieval Sforza weapons, not to be used for speeding up stubborn fellow tourists, or for clearing a speedy path to the dunny.

Hotel is very nice, looks like it will have a good breakfast, I may not be able to eat it.  Had a quick look around the Castle district as hotel is in the Castle Garden.  Old buildings. cute and quaint, a real difference to the communist era architecture we passed a lot of on the way in.

Hope touring is still on the cards tomorrow, there is a lot I want to see.  Perhaps they sell adult nappies in Budapest, you never know.