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Published: October 16th 2010
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Gelati in Como
Gelati in Italy is actually ice cream and it is very good. Not the watery gelati we get at home. *************** ITALY *******************
COMO
We had to make 4 train changes from Brig to get to Como. We crossed the Italian/Swiss border 3 times on our journey. Como is situated at the south end of Lake Como which is 46 kms in length. George Clooney has a house here, Star Wars scenes were filmed here and it is the home of Alessandro Volta, the guy who invented the battery. We arrived at our hotel and then walked into the main part of town. There were carabinieri (police) at several road blocks along the way and we soon found out that they were there for the big soccer game of Como v Chiasso. The local supermarket that we went into had a temporary wall over their alcohol section and a sign saying that no alcohol could be bought until 3 hrs after the game. Como was a grand old town with ancient buildings and landmarks everywhere. We stopped at a cafe and sat down to listen and look at the sights and people around us. The old Italians sitting behind us drinking their cappacinos and laughing, the vespas and other bikes traveling past, the pigeons competing for crumbs; it was
The leaning glass of Como
I was surprised when Lynette came out with this glass. exactly as we expected and more.
We had a bite to eat at the bar/restaurant next to the hotel for dinner and started up a conversation with the bar owner, Mikele. After paying for the first couple of drinks Lynette and I were well looked after. Her shots of vodka kept getting bigger and bigger. Mikele's broken English matched my broken Italian so we could always cover words that we couldn't express.
The next day we caught a boat up the lake to Lenno. Our intention was to visit the Villa Balbianello but unfortunately it was closed. On a Monday? The villa was the setting for one of the most picturesque scenes in the 5th Starwars movie. We took some good photos from the boat as we left though. That night we walked around the corner to a pizzeria for take-away. Pizzeria's are everywhere in Italy and nearly every restaurant will sell pizza. We were sadly disappointed when we got back to our hotel room and opened the boxes. The pizzas looked plain and oily. They are nothing like our pizzas back home. I had a Mexican but it only had capsicum, cheese and a few dodgy looking
Villa Balbianello
Isolated on the peninsula of Lenno beans spread over a thin base. Lynette had wisely opted for a few extras on hers so I ended up stealing half of it.
VENICE
The train to Venice lasted around two hours. We peered out the window as we crossed the bridge from the mainland to the island. Our excitement had built over the trip and it felt like Venice was the destination that was going to be the highlight of our journey. After walking out of the train station we caught a boat to the island of Lido, about 10 minutes from Venice itself. No buses here of course, only boats. Lido was a nice little island and after booking into the hotel we walked across to the other side of the island to find a nice stretch of beach. The sand was similar to home but there was not much in the way of waves.
The following morning we caught the boat bus to Venice and immediately thrust ourselves into the winding, narrow streets. I had a map which I tried to follow for a while but soon gave up and we succumbed to the labyrinth that is Venice. Every now and then
we would reach a square (piazza) or church that we could get our bearings from. We walked for about 8 hours that day. We crossed bridge after bridge and frequented streets that were no wider than two abreast. The gondoliers often tried to beckon us onto their boats but at first we were put off by the price: 80 to 100 euros for half an hour ($120 - $150 AUD). Eventually we relented. It would not be a true trip to Venice without a ride in a gondola. They have 400 gondoliers in Venice, 200 were working the day we were there. They must be very rich men if they manage to get 10 or more trips a day. I guess it is seasonal though. Our gondolier immediately launched into song once we were on board and we floated slowly through winding canals to the tunes of “Che sera, sera”, “That's amore” and “Don't worry, be happy”. They were very skilled in their craft and we were astounded how they kept their gondolas from banging into buildings or other boats. We noticed as we went how the island was slowly sinking. The water level had risen above some of the
Venetian street
This was one of the wider streets in Venice bottom of the doorways that led directly from the canal. Occasionally we smelt sewerage but it soon passed.
Every now and then we would come across some Africans with fake bags (Prada, Gucci etc) set out in front of them. This was quite common through most of Italy and they set their bags out on a rug that could be quickly wrapped up if the police ventured near. Beggars were also common. Mainly older women that were on hands and knees with their head to the ground and a cup in their hand stretched out in appeal. I told Lynette not to look at them when we passed by as she was tempted to put money in every one of their cups and there were that many of them that she would have been broke in no time.
St.Mark's square was the epicentre of Venice, Doges palace and the bell tower were the two main landmarks with a long queue of people at each one waiting to get in. As we walked further into the square, a huge flock of pigeons flew towards our faces and we flinched and dodged in alarm. The majority of shops in the
surrounding narrow streets and lanes consisted of cafes, gelati shops, clothes stores or sold the masquerade masks that Venice is famous for. We crossed the Rialto Bridge over the main canal and discovered a small market where Net bought a few knick knacks. I'm constantly peering over her shoulder as she browses reminding her that this or that particular item will not fit in her suitcase. It already feels twice as heavy as when we started and guess who has to carry the bloody thing up and down stairs?
By 5.30pm, with aching feet and legs, we decided to call it a day and catch the boat back to Lido. We felt that we had seen all that could be seen in one full day of exploring Venice and we were satisfied with our effort. We ate dinner at a Lido restaurant where we again ordered pizza and again we were disappointed. We turned in early that night, watching the Chilean miners being rescued on our small TV before turning the lights off and trying to sleep with the surrounding noises making their way through the paper thin walls.
We got to the train station early the next
morning to make a reservation for Rome but couldn't get a train until 1.30pm as they were all full up until then. We sometimes had to supplement the Eurail ticket we had purchased before our trip with a small fee. In cases where the train line was busy, a reservation was also necessary, otherwise we could just hop on any train we liked. I entertained myself in the train station watching Lynette try and order food. You had to get a ticket from the cashier with the price of the food you required and then take the receipt to the food counter and exchange it. I reckon she took about 10 minutes going backwards and forwards and writing things down and showing the cashier who spoke no English. I was at a table with our luggage so I could do nothing but watch out the corner of my eye in amusement as I spoke to an American couple.
Eventually we boarded the train and passed the time playing scrabble on Net's I-phone while the 4 hour train ride took us closer to the heart and capital of Italy, Roma!
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