Monday, April 7, 2008
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Easter + George Clooney = Fun times in Lake Como
I’ve come to decide that waking up early just isn’t for me. I had to wake up at 5:45am to catch a 6:30am train. So, I left my house at quarter past six, giving me plenty of time to get to the train station by cutting through the grocery store parking lot. But by Murphy’s Law I show up at the gate and its locked! Time is ticking down, my friends are waiting, the train is coming and I can’t get to the station! I could go back the way I came and take the long way to the train station but that’s another 10 minutes at least- not going to happen. So I looked up towards the big fences contemplating how to shimmy up them with a bag strapped to my back. Crap- I then see that there is barbed wire on top of all the fences! Panicking I start to back track, hoping I can find some hill to run up and through myself over the fence… not even thinking how far the fall might be on the other side. But then I see the track- of course! I could just follow the tracks to the train station! I climbed up a slightly shorter fence and threw my bags over then threw myself over. I picked up my stuff and started to awkwardly run down the tracks whilst stumbling on the rocks.
Heaving and hoeing and completely out of breath I made it to the station in the nick of time. My friends (Megan R. and Megan T.) had just stood up to leave the station for the train when I came bounding in. “Perfect timing,” they exclaimed… if they only knew. We got to our seats and I shed my layers only to be sitting under a hot air vent. Oh bother.
A long train ride led us to Milan and then we took a short jaunt over to Lake Como. From the train station we couldn’t see the lake yet, but the mountains were absolutely unbelievable! It’s almost like Aspen, Colorado where you are just surrounded by mountains on all sides and feel microscopic when compared to how big they are. We found general directions to our hostel and knew that if we found the lake it would be around there. We took a few turns and then everything opened up and there it was- Lake Como; absolutely gorgeous and perfect in the picturesque daylight! The lake is much bigger than I thought it would be and has a large walkway that goes around it that led right to our hostel.
We couldn’t check in to our hostel until 4pm, so we stopped at a little café and had lunch. I had tortellini and the Megan’s had piadini’s. It was a much needed fill me up after a long train ride. After we were content we followed the cute walkway along the water’s edge to our hostel. Our hostel is located in Villa Olma, which is the oldest part of town. It’s right behind a large art gallery that is on the lake. The woman who checked us in is so sweet, like a substitute mother if you will. She explained everything about the town and the buses and trains that could take you to the other cities on the lake. We thanked her and made our way to our beds. The girls dorm is located on the 2nd floor and is basically just a big room with bunk beds. It reminded me of my days at camp. We made our beds and then decided that a siesta was definitely in order.
Three hours later we woke up with hungry bellies. We got ourselves together and headed for town in search of a pleasing dinner. We looked at a couple places but nothing was striking our interest. Then we walked by what looked like just a pizza place and thought that would be fine. So, we walk in and a waitress greets us, she asks if we want to eat out in the front room or “back there.” Not knowing what was “back there” we chose that option, only to be completely surprised and delighted that the pizzeria turned into a full out restaurant complete with dimmed lights and a candlelit dinner! It was so precious! We sat and looked over the menu, I decided on a lighter dinner- salad and minestrone soup, and the girls had pizza.
Everything was so nice, and the food was delicious. There were couples all around us enjoying their romantic dinner and we were just happy to have food in our stomachs, but still enjoyed the ambience. We decided on a desert too, a sort of chocolate custard with fresh berries and sauce. Ymmm.
Then we headed back to our hostel (had to make the midnight curfew!) and snuggled in our bunk beds. The next morning we woke up to a bright blue sky and shining sun. Down to breakfast we went and were greeted with cappuccinos and a loaf of bread with jelly. Just having a loaf of bread for breakfast isn’t exactly what I had in mind when they said they provided breakfast, but it was still filling. Then we got information on the lift that takes you up the mountain in Lake Como and set off for town.
The market was going on all weekend so we walked through all the stands and looked at the craziness some people were trying to sell. Most things were legit, but then we came across this one vendor that was trying to sell animals that looked like squirrels on crack. I’m not even exaggerating, this animals were in these little cages and were zooming around so fast they almost knocked the cages over… it was weird.
We located the lift up to the top of the mountain of Lake Como and boarded it. It was a pretty fast ride and once we were half way up we could already see the Swiss Alps beyond Lake Como! It was so amazing! Once we were to the top we looked around and saw the entire city below us the extraordinary view of the mountains. Our ears were even popping as we were ascending to the top. It quite literally was like being on top of the world because there was nothing that blocked our view as far as the eye could see. After taking a half a million pictures so that we would never forget this amazing view we hiked around the top a little bit to discover what other views there would be. Imagine jaw dropping sensations while looking at the Swiss Alps and that’s exactly how we were.
Once we had our fill of gittyness we took the lift back down to town. There are many different cities that are on Lake Como and there are buses that take you from Como to the other cities, so we bought a bus ticket for Bellaggio to spend the afternoon there. We got some lunch supplies from a grocery store and then boarded the bus. Quite a windy, curvy, and queasy road, but eventually we got to Bellaggio. It is a very quite city with many adorable hotels that are right on the water. We found a bench near the lake and took up to start our picnic. We had soft bread and cheese from the Como region and salami that went perfectly with a wine the meant guy had suggested. Watching the ferries cross the lake, shooing away the pigeons that wanted our crumbs and eating till our hearts content was the perfect way to have a picnic on Lake Como.
When we were finished we explored town, obviously stopping for some gelato along the way. It was nice to see a lot of other people had our same idea to spend Easter weekend in such a beautiful spot with their families. I definitely wished that mine could have been with me to experience this remarkable place! We wandered around different roads along cute shops and gorgeous houses. We had approached this one house that was rather enormous and had a perfect view of the lake. It was gated so we were trying to reach our arms through the gate with our cameras to take pictures when all of a sudden we see the family of the house rounded the bend to exit through the gate we were at. We were so started that we immediately ran away and started laughing uncontrollably. We tried to act natural, but it was too obvious that we were on the verge of peeing our pants with laughter.
After collecting ourselves we took a road away from the town. We had noticed a lot of people were coming back from that way so we decided to see what was down there. It was a nice road of cobblestone lined by magnificent houses when all of a sudden it opens up and has this incredible view of the lake as well as two other towns on the opposite side! It was a big open park of grass and a few trees and plenty of benches. Families were all over and having fun watching the mountains get dimmer as the sun began to sink. We found a little cove near the boat docks where we skipped stones and watched little kids dare to get close to the waters edge without getting wet. There was a restaurant there too which I am sure is probably the most ideal place to ever have the luxury of having a meal at. An incredible little hideaway from the rest of town!
Once we were all pictured out and rather tired from exploring two whole cities for the day, we headed back to catch the last bus back to Como. There was of course some weird Scottish man blabbering drunk and bashing America’s government, not as though I blame him, but still, get some fresh air man.
We were pretty hungry by the time we got back so we went in search of a to-go dinner so we could eat it back at our hostel. We found this great little piadini place with a woman who was very warm and welcoming to our questions about what each sandwich contained. I ended up getting a vegetarian one that was devoured in delight once we got back to our hostel. And with full stomachs and smiles we headed to bed.
Easter Sunday we woke up to find it drizzling and cloudy. A little bummed we got our warmest clothes on and headed to breakfast. It was rather cold and windy outside and was doing a little more than just drizzling. We drank our cappuccino’s and ate our loaves of bread then headed out for the train station. We bared the nasty weather and got to the train station in time for the 9am train for Lugano, Svizzera (Switzerland)! While we were waiting for the train at the platform we even got to experience some snow! I hadn’t seen any snow yet since being in Italy so I just took it as a little Easter gift.
Heading to Svizzera we were stopped at the boarder and had our passports checked. Once everyone was cleared we rode through the beautiful scenic rails along lakes and mountains until we reached adorable Lugano. We took a people mover down to town from the train station and were met with weather just as windy but without any rain. At least the sun was shining! All over town we saw people begin to set up tents for a market and found posters saying that the Easter events were to begin at 11am. Who knew that the Swiss had Easter bunnies too?! I was a little worried I wouldn’t get to see one for Easter, but my fears were dashed once I saw posters advertising a man in a big bunny outfit.
We found a nice café to hideaway in from the wind and ordered hot drinks while watching the Sunday mass at the Vatican being given by the Pope. It was nearing 11 so we went out in search of the bunny and to explore all the different things the market had to offer. It was a very nice market, not too crowded or expensive. It was sort of like the art fair we have in my home town. Almost everything they were selling was original and the sweet smells coming from those selling pastries were absolutely heavenly. We stopped to get one along the way and it tasted just like a cinnamon roll with pecans only it was completely different looking. Quite delicious though.
We walk around town and climbed to the top of a big hill to find a lovely church where we were able to stop in and give thanks for all we’ve been given. Then, we went back down to the waters edge to do some souvenir shopping and watching the waves crash on shore from the big gusts of wind. We found out that there was a bus that could take us to Menaggio, Italy right on the northern end of Lake Como. We walked along the lake’s edge and through a really beautiful natural park with tulips and daisies and big booming trees above us. While walking through the trials the sun began to come out and warmed the whole place up. We saw swans and ducks having the time of their lives playing in the water and got some really great pictures too.
After leaving the park we spent quite a while trying to find the bus to take us back to Italy only to get frustrated and hungry. We stopped at a Kepab place to purchase a much needed lunch. The Megan’s got a huuuge kepab which was bigger than one I’ve ever seen before, but I had to traditional wrapped one which was delicious. Then after trying to ask a bunch of people where the bus picked up and not finding any luck we finally saw the bus turn the corner and stop at this completely random unmarked street. We ran for it not wanting to miss our chance at a lift back only to realize we hadn’t purchased any tickets to get on. There weren’t even any open stores within sight so we were at a loss of what to do. The bus driver said just get on and we could get them later. Thank goodness.
It was another long and winding bus ride there, but very beautiful nonetheless. We were also able to use up the rest of our Francs purchasing the bus ticket. Oh yeah, I think I forgot the mention that. Switzerland doesn’t use the Euro, so we got to use the Swiss Franc which is soo much more colorful than plain dollars back in America. It was fun for a nice change of pace from the Euro.
We got to Menaggio and were very pleased at how charming it was. There were quaint little café’s outside with people just looking out at the water and enjoying their Sunday. We also went to a shop where they sold some magazines in English! I was so excited to hear about some news in English so I quickly bought a Time magazine. We each got a magazine/ newspaper of our choice and took it out to read in the sun by the water fountain. I think we started a trend too because it wasn’t long before others had stopped walking the streets and the fountain was filled with people sitting on its edge. A completely perfect relaxing Sunday!
The sun had begun to set though and we weren’t quite ready to head back so we got a seat in a café and continued filling our voracious need of information about the world. Finally the time had come to catch our ferry back to Como and we headed out. The ferry ride was nice and relaxing and much less sickening than a bus ride. And although it was dark out, we are 90% positive that we saw George Clooney’s house on the lake. He may or may not have been cooking Easter dinner and invited us in to have some, I don’t know, it’s totally possible.
We got back to Como and found that there was a little market of goods being sold. So, we thought we would buy our dinner there, but then we went to go check on something a few blocks down and when we came back they were all closed up! The only thing still open was a dried fruit vendor, which looked rather scrumptious so we bought some dried fruit and chocolate dipped raisins for the train ride back to Macerata the next day. That still left us with hungry bellies though.
Not keen on spending a fortune on dinner we looked for something less expensive but weren’t liking anything we were immediately finding. In need of sleep and food though we gave in to the quick alternative: McDonald’s. Yes, Mom and Dad, that’s right, I had McDonald’s for Easter dinner. I must say I am a little ashamed but it was tasty nonetheless. Perhaps you will just have to cook me a proper Easter dinner when I return home!
After having our fill of fast food we walked back to our hostel along the waters edge for the last time. Taking in the scenery of the magnificent lake and glowing stars I am still in wonder of what a glorious weekend I had! We all headed to bed for the last time in our camp-like bunk beds and said goodnight to wonderful Lake Como.
Heaving and hoeing and completely out of breath I made it to the station in the nick of time. My friends (Megan R. and Megan T.) had just stood up to leave the station for the train when I came bounding in. “Perfect timing,” they exclaimed… if they only knew. We got to our seats and I shed my layers only to be sitting under a hot air vent. Oh bother.
A long train ride led us to Milan and then we took a short jaunt over to Lake Como. From the train station we couldn’t see the lake yet, but the mountains were absolutely unbelievable! It’s almost like Aspen, Colorado where you are just surrounded by mountains on all sides and feel microscopic when compared to how big they are. We found general directions to our hostel and knew that if we found the lake it would be around there. We took a few turns and then everything opened up and there it was- Lake Como; absolutely gorgeous and perfect in the picturesque daylight! The lake is much bigger than I thought it would be and has a large walkway that goes around it that led right to our hostel.
We couldn’t check in to our hostel until 4pm, so we stopped at a little café and had lunch. I had tortellini and the Megan’s had piadini’s. It was a much needed fill me up after a long train ride. After we were content we followed the cute walkway along the water’s edge to our hostel. Our hostel is located in Villa Olma, which is the oldest part of town. It’s right behind a large art gallery that is on the lake. The woman who checked us in is so sweet, like a substitute mother if you will. She explained everything about the town and the buses and trains that could take you to the other cities on the lake. We thanked her and made our way to our beds. The girls dorm is located on the 2nd floor and is basically just a big room with bunk beds. It reminded me of my days at camp. We made our beds and then decided that a siesta was definitely in order.
Three hours later we woke up with hungry bellies. We got ourselves together and headed for town in search of a pleasing dinner. We looked at a couple places but nothing was striking our interest. Then we walked by what looked like just a pizza place and thought that would be fine. So, we walk in and a waitress greets us, she asks if we want to eat out in the front room or “back there.” Not knowing what was “back there” we chose that option, only to be completely surprised and delighted that the pizzeria turned into a full out restaurant complete with dimmed lights and a candlelit dinner! It was so precious! We sat and looked over the menu, I decided on a lighter dinner- salad and minestrone soup, and the girls had pizza.
Everything was so nice, and the food was delicious. There were couples all around us enjoying their romantic dinner and we were just happy to have food in our stomachs, but still enjoyed the ambience. We decided on a desert too, a sort of chocolate custard with fresh berries and sauce. Ymmm.
Then we headed back to our hostel (had to make the midnight curfew!) and snuggled in our bunk beds. The next morning we woke up to a bright blue sky and shining sun. Down to breakfast we went and were greeted with cappuccinos and a loaf of bread with jelly. Just having a loaf of bread for breakfast isn’t exactly what I had in mind when they said they provided breakfast, but it was still filling. Then we got information on the lift that takes you up the mountain in Lake Como and set off for town.
The market was going on all weekend so we walked through all the stands and looked at the craziness some people were trying to sell. Most things were legit, but then we came across this one vendor that was trying to sell animals that looked like squirrels on crack. I’m not even exaggerating, this animals were in these little cages and were zooming around so fast they almost knocked the cages over… it was weird.
We located the lift up to the top of the mountain of Lake Como and boarded it. It was a pretty fast ride and once we were half way up we could already see the Swiss Alps beyond Lake Como! It was so amazing! Once we were to the top we looked around and saw the entire city below us the extraordinary view of the mountains. Our ears were even popping as we were ascending to the top. It quite literally was like being on top of the world because there was nothing that blocked our view as far as the eye could see. After taking a half a million pictures so that we would never forget this amazing view we hiked around the top a little bit to discover what other views there would be. Imagine jaw dropping sensations while looking at the Swiss Alps and that’s exactly how we were.
Once we had our fill of gittyness we took the lift back down to town. There are many different cities that are on Lake Como and there are buses that take you from Como to the other cities, so we bought a bus ticket for Bellaggio to spend the afternoon there. We got some lunch supplies from a grocery store and then boarded the bus. Quite a windy, curvy, and queasy road, but eventually we got to Bellaggio. It is a very quite city with many adorable hotels that are right on the water. We found a bench near the lake and took up to start our picnic. We had soft bread and cheese from the Como region and salami that went perfectly with a wine the meant guy had suggested. Watching the ferries cross the lake, shooing away the pigeons that wanted our crumbs and eating till our hearts content was the perfect way to have a picnic on Lake Como.
When we were finished we explored town, obviously stopping for some gelato along the way. It was nice to see a lot of other people had our same idea to spend Easter weekend in such a beautiful spot with their families. I definitely wished that mine could have been with me to experience this remarkable place! We wandered around different roads along cute shops and gorgeous houses. We had approached this one house that was rather enormous and had a perfect view of the lake. It was gated so we were trying to reach our arms through the gate with our cameras to take pictures when all of a sudden we see the family of the house rounded the bend to exit through the gate we were at. We were so started that we immediately ran away and started laughing uncontrollably. We tried to act natural, but it was too obvious that we were on the verge of peeing our pants with laughter.
After collecting ourselves we took a road away from the town. We had noticed a lot of people were coming back from that way so we decided to see what was down there. It was a nice road of cobblestone lined by magnificent houses when all of a sudden it opens up and has this incredible view of the lake as well as two other towns on the opposite side! It was a big open park of grass and a few trees and plenty of benches. Families were all over and having fun watching the mountains get dimmer as the sun began to sink. We found a little cove near the boat docks where we skipped stones and watched little kids dare to get close to the waters edge without getting wet. There was a restaurant there too which I am sure is probably the most ideal place to ever have the luxury of having a meal at. An incredible little hideaway from the rest of town!
Once we were all pictured out and rather tired from exploring two whole cities for the day, we headed back to catch the last bus back to Como. There was of course some weird Scottish man blabbering drunk and bashing America’s government, not as though I blame him, but still, get some fresh air man.
We were pretty hungry by the time we got back so we went in search of a to-go dinner so we could eat it back at our hostel. We found this great little piadini place with a woman who was very warm and welcoming to our questions about what each sandwich contained. I ended up getting a vegetarian one that was devoured in delight once we got back to our hostel. And with full stomachs and smiles we headed to bed.
Easter Sunday we woke up to find it drizzling and cloudy. A little bummed we got our warmest clothes on and headed to breakfast. It was rather cold and windy outside and was doing a little more than just drizzling. We drank our cappuccino’s and ate our loaves of bread then headed out for the train station. We bared the nasty weather and got to the train station in time for the 9am train for Lugano, Svizzera (Switzerland)! While we were waiting for the train at the platform we even got to experience some snow! I hadn’t seen any snow yet since being in Italy so I just took it as a little Easter gift.
Heading to Svizzera we were stopped at the boarder and had our passports checked. Once everyone was cleared we rode through the beautiful scenic rails along lakes and mountains until we reached adorable Lugano. We took a people mover down to town from the train station and were met with weather just as windy but without any rain. At least the sun was shining! All over town we saw people begin to set up tents for a market and found posters saying that the Easter events were to begin at 11am. Who knew that the Swiss had Easter bunnies too?! I was a little worried I wouldn’t get to see one for Easter, but my fears were dashed once I saw posters advertising a man in a big bunny outfit.
We found a nice café to hideaway in from the wind and ordered hot drinks while watching the Sunday mass at the Vatican being given by the Pope. It was nearing 11 so we went out in search of the bunny and to explore all the different things the market had to offer. It was a very nice market, not too crowded or expensive. It was sort of like the art fair we have in my home town. Almost everything they were selling was original and the sweet smells coming from those selling pastries were absolutely heavenly. We stopped to get one along the way and it tasted just like a cinnamon roll with pecans only it was completely different looking. Quite delicious though.
We walk around town and climbed to the top of a big hill to find a lovely church where we were able to stop in and give thanks for all we’ve been given. Then, we went back down to the waters edge to do some souvenir shopping and watching the waves crash on shore from the big gusts of wind. We found out that there was a bus that could take us to Menaggio, Italy right on the northern end of Lake Como. We walked along the lake’s edge and through a really beautiful natural park with tulips and daisies and big booming trees above us. While walking through the trials the sun began to come out and warmed the whole place up. We saw swans and ducks having the time of their lives playing in the water and got some really great pictures too.
After leaving the park we spent quite a while trying to find the bus to take us back to Italy only to get frustrated and hungry. We stopped at a Kepab place to purchase a much needed lunch. The Megan’s got a huuuge kepab which was bigger than one I’ve ever seen before, but I had to traditional wrapped one which was delicious. Then after trying to ask a bunch of people where the bus picked up and not finding any luck we finally saw the bus turn the corner and stop at this completely random unmarked street. We ran for it not wanting to miss our chance at a lift back only to realize we hadn’t purchased any tickets to get on. There weren’t even any open stores within sight so we were at a loss of what to do. The bus driver said just get on and we could get them later. Thank goodness.
It was another long and winding bus ride there, but very beautiful nonetheless. We were also able to use up the rest of our Francs purchasing the bus ticket. Oh yeah, I think I forgot the mention that. Switzerland doesn’t use the Euro, so we got to use the Swiss Franc which is soo much more colorful than plain dollars back in America. It was fun for a nice change of pace from the Euro.
We got to Menaggio and were very pleased at how charming it was. There were quaint little café’s outside with people just looking out at the water and enjoying their Sunday. We also went to a shop where they sold some magazines in English! I was so excited to hear about some news in English so I quickly bought a Time magazine. We each got a magazine/ newspaper of our choice and took it out to read in the sun by the water fountain. I think we started a trend too because it wasn’t long before others had stopped walking the streets and the fountain was filled with people sitting on its edge. A completely perfect relaxing Sunday!
The sun had begun to set though and we weren’t quite ready to head back so we got a seat in a café and continued filling our voracious need of information about the world. Finally the time had come to catch our ferry back to Como and we headed out. The ferry ride was nice and relaxing and much less sickening than a bus ride. And although it was dark out, we are 90% positive that we saw George Clooney’s house on the lake. He may or may not have been cooking Easter dinner and invited us in to have some, I don’t know, it’s totally possible.
We got back to Como and found that there was a little market of goods being sold. So, we thought we would buy our dinner there, but then we went to go check on something a few blocks down and when we came back they were all closed up! The only thing still open was a dried fruit vendor, which looked rather scrumptious so we bought some dried fruit and chocolate dipped raisins for the train ride back to Macerata the next day. That still left us with hungry bellies though.
Not keen on spending a fortune on dinner we looked for something less expensive but weren’t liking anything we were immediately finding. In need of sleep and food though we gave in to the quick alternative: McDonald’s. Yes, Mom and Dad, that’s right, I had McDonald’s for Easter dinner. I must say I am a little ashamed but it was tasty nonetheless. Perhaps you will just have to cook me a proper Easter dinner when I return home!
After having our fill of fast food we walked back to our hostel along the waters edge for the last time. Taking in the scenery of the magnificent lake and glowing stars I am still in wonder of what a glorious weekend I had! We all headed to bed for the last time in our camp-like bunk beds and said goodnight to wonderful Lake Como.
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