Winter Olympics 2026

Sunday – February 8 – Milano

The Winter Olympics 2026 – Milan and Cortina, Italy

Today will be our final day in Milan. Tomorrow we move into the mountains for the outdoor events. I had the best night’s sleep, despite our crazy late-night schedule. We decided to walk to the principal Olympics store in the giant plaza of The Doumo and The Galleria. On the way was a huge antique book fair – block after block of tables with books. I found one about Magritte and bought it because of the cover. We have a wonderful sculpture of Magritte by the artist Marisol. The line for the Olympics shop was huge, so we turned around. I went back to write, while the others continued to shop and have lunch.

Our event this evening was the men’s 5000 meter speed skating. We returned to a sister site of the women’s ice hockey venue. Again, it was a wonderful experience. Two skaters competed at a time on a large oval of ice. Each lap, they switched lanes to keep the distance the same. The 12 laps take just over six minutes, with lap times posted after each lap. The winner will score the lowest total time.

The athletes appear to be relaxed, gliding around the track. In reality, they are working very very hard. The USA has one entry who finishes in the middle. Norway and Italy pretty much dominate. The Gold Metal winner, who set a new Olympic record, was Norway’s Sander Eitrem, a tall, thin powerful young man. After his record-setting performance, he stopped to sit on the track railing just across from us and burst into tears; they were tears of joy. We cannot imagine the years and years of dedicated hard work that brought him to this point – an Olympic champion!

The medals were presented right in front of us with their backs to us. That did not matter. We were present to see and hear the happiness of everyone.

Back to the hotel for a quick change before we make a special private stop to see Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper.” We are joined by Sami Cankaya, our guide for the rest of our stay. Speaking of guides, the woman who met us for “The Last Supper” was a total delight, full of energy and information. She explained the “revolution” in technique, moving from fresco (applied to a wet wall) to the use of oil. If I remember correctly, he was also the first to use perspective. I recently listened to the book “Leonardo da Vinci” by Walter Isaacson. It was my very favorite! I cannot recommend it enough. My mistake was listening to the book during my morning bicycle rides; I missed the 150+ illustrations. The book was made into a Ken Burns documentary.

Our dinner at II Soferino started after 10 pm. It was another grand experience, especially my gnocchi, which was absolutely the best I have ever had. Paige and Mae played a miniature board puzzle, while the guys, including Sami, enjoyed great conversation.

Back at the hotel, we said our goodbyes. The Eells family heads to northern Norway for a month, then to Europe for another month. They return to Lincoln in late April, completing their year traveling around the world. I certainly love adventurous souls. Mae returns on a direct flight from Milan to NYC. Paige, Jonathan, and I finish the last four days.

Robert