Respite in Bellagio, on Lake Como

Hike affords view down onto Bellagio, Lake Como, Italy

We are enjoying a pleasant and productive visit to Bellagio, on Lake Como, a 15 minute ferry ride from Varenna, which is a 45 minute train ride from Milano.  After scoping out a tourist itinerary for Milano and investigating hotels, we made our first deviation from the original plan and decided, instead, to stay in an apartment on Lake Como. 

Shop and House in Bellagio

At this point, we are fatigued with bustling densely populated cities and too much restaurant eating.  We hit the wall with each others company the day before friend Gina arrived in Rome...two weeks ago. On that day, rather than risk the wraith of my intolerance and sniping at either K or G for very small yet consistent 'infractions', I buried my face in a book.  Gina's stay with us was coincidentally fortuitous as it gave us the excuse to find mental space from one another for ten days, while she appreciated all of our attentions.  We are also finding it redundant (to put it mildly) to load gear, decipher maps, decode transportation systems, translate menus or food labels, and wear *that one t-shirt or pair of jeans* again and again.  But, there isn't much to be done about all of that at the moment, and we have only one more destination before returning to Sifnos.  Three months fly by!

Prada Shoes on display in Milan

Fashion Week is underway in Milano, clogging up our preferred hotels.  Besides, we realized that tourists can see the city's historical highlights in one--very dense--day.  Since Lake Como is conveniently close, we took the train into the city for a day and have otherwise hovered in Bellagio.  We used the excursion as yet another *teaching moment* and insisted that Karoline take the leadership to navigate us through the Top 10 "Must See" sights of Milan.  She did a marvelous job of preparing the itinerary, monitoring the maps, navigating the streets, finding the right train on the right track, transitioning to the right metro line, buying tickets for transportation and museums, etc.  Despite her complaining and grumbling, I can tell that she is proud of her practical living skills.  I see the boost in her self-confidence.  

Galleria Vittorio Emmanuela, Milan

During the week Bellagio has been idyllic and quiet.  The apartment is perfect for our needs--new, minimally furnished, well laid out, fully equipped, comfortable, clean, and only steps from the ferry dock and awesome views.  From the apartment window we can see a church steeple.  Its bells ring prettily on the hour and half hour; 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.  At 8 p.m. each evening someone is playing a tune on its carillon bells and we have fun guessing the name of the composer.  Yesterday evening, around 9 p.m., a chorus of voices sang a hymn while the congregation streamed from the church and down the street. 

At noon yesterday, a Saturday, we stepped out the door for our jogs and were surprised to find the harbor brimming with day visitors.  The Europeans are still not accustomed to joggers:  Karoline and I had our fair share of arrogant snide comments from passersby.  For some reason, the Harley rider gangs and clusters of flashy spandex clad cyclists didn't seem to capture as much attention.  We caught up with Gerhard at an outdoor lakeside cafe where he and Karoline inhaled an ice cream sundae and we watched the glamorously clad strollers pass by the outstanding view.  

Milan has become a city for cyclists

Here in Bellagio Karoline is making satisfying progress with her studies, Gerhard and I are completing our U.S. tax return, and I am drafting a new page for the book.  We are becoming known by the local food shop owners since we do a daily run for our meal preparations.  I am surprised at how well my recalled Italian gets us through our shopping and general inquiries.  Karoline comments that the place feels so much like Sifnos during the low season--friendly casual locals have time to make pleasant conversation.

Bellagoio Tip; apartment:  WWW.BORGORESIDENCE.IT