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Published: July 20th 2006
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I had an easy time finding my way to Italy... navigating in small-town Italia without speaking much Italian is a challenge, however! Although both my English and Italian friends agree that speaking Italian is a matter of adding "o" "a" or "ione" to the end of (boring) English words... however, understanding these and being able to respond is more complicated! I often revert to French in a panic... "oui...c'est beau..." Egads! My blank face and the horror in my eyes is often enough for people to start gesturing rather than speaking to me, and it goes easier for all of us! Sometimes I will practice a phrase many, many times along with my voice translator and when I go to say it I get it wrong... but I'm working on it!
I took an air-conditioned bus to the Milano Centrale Stazione and caught the train to Morbegno, where my friends had offered to pick me up. The train track runs along the east side of Lago di Como and is a beautiful and easy way to see the area. Milan, from the train, is busy, dirty, beige... Lake Como is saturated in colour - red, terracotta, lemon, green, white, azure,
cornflower blue - with buildings perched on the sides of hills and cliffs, standing tall and pressing against each other in a friendly way.
My friends had said the trip would take 2 hours. I wasn't sure of the progression of towns, having neglected to take a schedule with me, so was alert to anything I might recognize in order to have time to get my bag from the overhead rack without bonking anyone in the head (including myself). I was amazed to pass by a tiny village with large, low buildings that I recognized! My Dad had shown me Cosio Valtellina (where my friends live) on Google Earth - and there it was!! I asked another passenger, well, "asked" is a generous way to describe my gesturing out the window and saying, "Morbegno?? Morbegno??" "Si, si" he replied. I struggled off the train, looking more sweaty disorganized tourista and less elegant European traveller than I had hoped... she has arrived, Italia!
All I had to do was phone my friends. I had lots of change, their phone number and a good sense of where they lived (back towards the big Google Earth buildings!) How hard can this
be?? The phone would not accept coins, and the phone card machine was broken (at least I think that's what the man behind the ticket counter was trying to tell me). For a worried moment I felt that I might be at the train station for my first night, and felt a little sick. I gathered up all my bags and tried to find a tobacco shop that would sell phone cards. Imagine me, dragging the wonderful metal carrier Kim found with my bag spilling over the sides, another backpack on my back, absolutely drenched, no idea where I was going... gorgeous! I found an Esso station and got stuck passing by a plastic chain fence. A woman from inside the station came running out yelling at me and gesturing wildly for me to get away ... I said "no comprendo" which is NOT Italian... and followed her into the station to ask for a phone card. She sent me away *surprise surprise* I couldn't find a shop anywhere and went up and down the street. Finally, I returned to the train station, thinking that maybe my friends might just come by (delirious at this point, no?) or that I would at least find shade while I figured something out. Two older men sucked their teeth and looked me up and down as I passed by... this is the only harrassment I've experienced (any idea what I can do to improve the situation?? *ha ha*)
Aha... the pay phone takes credit cards! *DUH* It took 4 tries, but I got through to Felicita (the mom) who said, "we come right now! ten minute! we love you!" Have more lovely words been spoken??
Angela and Matteo (her daughter and son) arrived and Angela came running toward me shouting, "MELANY, MELANY!!" It was such a great moment!! They took me home.
This you will not believe, but I could not make up such a thing... they live next door to the big buildings we had seen on Google Earth - a biscotti factory!! - and you can smell the gorgeousness of biscotti baking at all hours.
I spent the evening in the shade of their outdoor dining room overlooking their beautiful yard... chatting, sharing pictures, meeting Giovanni's sister and her family (sweet little Luca and Davide), and eating, eating, eating. Did you know that if you take a bunch of ugly, disgusting mushrooms, dry them, call them "funghi", and cook them in Italia that they are my new favourite food?? We had funghi risotto, zucchini and carrots in olive oil, thinly sliced veal in tuna sauce, salad, white wine, apple tart and espresso. Plate after plate of food! It was so gorgeous!!
I can't believe it's taken this much for me to tell you about my first hours in Italia! I pity you for having to read about the rest of my trip ;-) Quite seriously, each day I think, "I will never be this happy again, or see something this incredible again" and quite seriously, each day I do. It's as if I spent years longing for this, dreaming about what it would be like, laying awake at night just wondering, and now that I am here, I think, "how could I have been so stupid??"
I completely underestimated Italy.
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Cherylin
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Travel Diva!
Hey girl! It is soooo exciting to hear about your escapades throughout Europe. What a fantastic opportunity. Thanks for sending me the info. it's fun to keep track of where you are and what you're up to. I wish I was there with you! (some days even more than others - hahaha!). Ciao Bella!