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as is usual the day following an exciting one is often a complete juxtaposition. yesterday was no exception.
it was rainy, groggy, and uninspiring. we made food and watched tv. by the end of the day it was just David and i left in the lake house until tuesday or wednesday.
but today, although quite overcast and drizzly, i decided to get a ferry ticket and tour the islands on the lake. and they are incredible.
isola madre is a huge estate. all of these islands are owned by or have been home to the boromeo family, they're royalty and open the villas and islands to the public to see the gardens and such. so i began on isola madre...you have to walk around the perimeter of the island through manicured gardens and waterfront. the path curves past an old boat house and then up a hill, where i found the peacocks! they were big beautiful birds. some blue, some albino, and all free to roam around the grounds. they had a cyprus planted in the 1800s that was knocked over by a tornado two or three years ago, so it was wired to stand up straight in its original
position and will hopefully reroot and have new growth.
then i went to isola bella. this place was better than disneyland. the palace was amazing. when i entered the gardens i walked directly into the "picnic garden" where an enormous statue embellishes the garden; and every shade of green highlights and accentuates the variety of blooming colors. it was very cool. but the palace was my favorite. the estate takes up the entire island, just like isola madre, but three times bigger. napoleon stayed there and they had the tiny bed he slept in on display. the ballroom was amazing, pink marble all from the mountains around the lake. the furniture and paintings were so abundant i felt it could take hours on end to go from room to room. but instead i hopped from one tour guide to another, some of them not in languages i could understand, but the emphatic guides always made their point. there were lots of school groups and ragazzini running around. i like the italian kids, they seem to have absolutely no fear, and are not reluctant to speak about anything.
next i got on the boat to isola superiore, or pescatore. pescatore is
a brief boat ride from the wealthy boromeo estate to local fishing village. there was a cute church and i had coffee and gelato. i talked to a few locals but didn't get much interaction. i've been hearing german, french, english, and dutch all day, no real italian to speak of...i attribute this to the fact that its monday afternoon and the only people out touring islands are tourists. but that's ok.
i ran around like a kid taking pictures of everything. check them out on my google page, i don't feel like uploading them twice. my legs were so tired at the end of the day that all i could do was make some pasta for dinner and veg out in front of the wonderful fox crime channel they have here. all csi all the time, which is great if i want to space out and be put to sleep 😊
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BJ
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incredible pictures! give up food & work for Fodor's
Jamie... this is another wonderful entry... great photos - nice camera work! You should be able to hear my heart pounding at how excited I am for you - every word is filled with your enthusiasm and I can FEEL it... Thank you, sweetheart - for sharing your incredible experiences...