Milan, Como, Bellagio, & Varenna
When we got to Como, Russ and I walked around for a while, exploring the town a little and buying some things for lunch. We eventually made our way to the lake, where we were floored by how breathtaking the view ended up being. We walked along the shore, past the marina and soccer stadium, back to downtown. After a few hours in Como, we took a bus ride along the shore up to the town of Bellagio, which is situated on the end of the peninsula that separates the two 'legs' of Lake Como. If the lake was a human body, Bellagio would be the genitals. We walked around Bellagio for
2 hours, stopping to buy postcards and eat something at a small restaurant. We finally decided to head for our final destination of the day, the town of Varenna. We took a ferry to Varenna and checked into our hotel. We explored a little of the town, but decided to do most of the sightseeing tomorrow morning, since it was already after dusk. At dinner, we met 4 American women who were on vacation from their jobs of teaching English in Florence. They gave Russ & I almost a complete bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon. I had a margherita pizza for dinner (cheese pizza). It was probably the best tasting pizza I'd had in a while, but the crust was a little thick. We then returned to the hotel to go to bed. Our hotel, the Hotel Olivedo, has a great location. It is right on the lake, in front of the ferry dock. We are paying 65 Euro for a double room, not too shabby for a 3-Star hotel. Our room has a balcony with a great view. I'll take some pictures tomorrow morning. Planning on leaving for Brussels & Amsterdam tomorrow night from Como. Well, time for bed. Breakfast is 8-10 A.M., and checkout is at 10 A.M....another day of travel and sightseeing excitement tomorrow! I just hope I'm not in 5 cities again, like I did today!! Whew, I'm tired.
10/29/02 -- Russ & I went to bed around 10:30 P.M., and I got up at 7:30. That's a good 9 hours of sleep and I'm still exhausted, but maybe that's because I'm bored and have been sitting in the train station for over 2 hours. Well, back to the storytelling. It was freaking cold today, maybe 40-50 degrees F, but probably not more. Breakfast at the hotel was bread, butter, coffer, and jelly. Russ and I went hiking up to see the Castello di Vezio, and it was quite a hike. I was soaked with sweat by the time I got up to the top (I let Russ go ahead, since I'm out of shape). It also might have been because of the heavy pack I carried up on my back too. GUESS WHAT!! The Castle was closed, and I mean the actual last path to the Castle, so we never even got to see any of the Castle. DAMN ITALIAN TOURIST SEASON CLOSINGS!! We hiked back down the mountain, which was alot easier. We then visited the tourism office and got free maps of Varenna. Russ left for the train station to go back to Milan, before returning to Macerata. After we split up, I took the ferry to Bellagio and met an American couple on their honeymoon. I also talked to two Italian men on the ferry. I think I'm slowly getting better at speaking and understanding the language. In Bellagio, I talked to some more American vacationers; an old couple from Florida and another from Connecticut. As I waited for the bus back to Como, I saw some Vigilante Hunters, who were equipped like the S.W.A.T. teams in America. I also met an Australian man, about 65 or older, who was also waiting for the bus. We talked until it finally came. The ride back to Como was pretty uneventful, except for when the bus got swamped by Italian kids going home from school. I got to Como around 2:30 in the afternoon, and ever since then have been trying to keep myself busy in the train station while I wait for my overnight train to Brussels, Belgium. That isn't till about 10:17 PM, so that's why I'm writing this now, as I sit alone in the waiting room. I'm finally on my own and it sucks because I have no one to talk to at the train station. I am constantly scouting out people, listening for any English. If I hear any, I go up to them and start a conversation, if they're not in a hurry. I just got done talking to a group of Texans on their way to Milan. Well, I think I'm going to listen to some music, play solitaire, and maybe grab something to eat for dinner around 7 or 8. Hopefully I get some sleep on the train to Brussels. They were out of couchettes (bed cars) so I will have to try to get as much sleep as I can in a regular seat car. I'll keep updates on anything interesting that happens.
OK, I'm back. I got on the Internet (it cost money of course) and wrote down the addresses for two of the 3 Flying Pig hostels in Amsterdam, one of which I have reservations at. I had spaghetti with meat sauce (spaghetti al ragu) for dinner. Back to sitting around and waiting.