Lake Como, Italy

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Sailing into Varenna, Lake Como, Italy — September 17, 2022


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Sunset in Belagio, Lake Como, Italy — September 17, 2022


italy/2017/venice_grand_canal_sunset

Hotel Florence, Beladio, Lake Como, Italy — September 17, 2022


Italy 2022 Journal

Friday, Sep 16 — Bellagio, Lake Como

Enter into Italy. There is a train, bus and boat strike, so we get stuck at the Como Train station. We walk into Como town and try and flag down a taxi. One Milanese taxi tries to take us, but the local taxi mafia threatens our driver, so he pulls over, opens the trunk and pulls our stuff out and leaves us on the roundabout where Lungo Lario Trieste begins. After some haggling with no luck, one driver offers to drive up to Bellagio for 50 Euro, which seems much fairer thant the 100 euro and 150 euro offers we’d recieved up to that point. He runs off and no sooner pulls up in a plush BMV SUV and we hop in. The ride up to Belagio is nothing less than perfect, other than Zara gets a tad sick. The road windes and turns, rolls up and down passed the serene lake dotted with ancient villas and palazzo. We pass George Clooney’s house across the lake. He and Amal Clooney wave at us. We arrive to our hotel, check in. We have an intimate lunch near the pool on the grounds Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni, overlooking Lake Como. I don't want it to end. I walk over to the neoclassical I Giardini di Villa Melzi and enjoy the gardens along the lake.

We have a nice dinner at the packed local restaurant called Bistrot Antichi Sapori and wander around town a bit more. We have an evening drink at the Pasticceria Bar Sport Bellagio, which just celebrated its 100th anniverary in 2019. Being the only late-night bar, the scene is a mix of semi-drunk locals letting steam off from a busy evening serving tourists, and tourists that aren’t quite ready to call it quits. I wish I had it in me to stay up longer, but bed is calling, so I slip away to the our adjacent hotel, and fall quickly asleep in our cute little room with the side balcony.


Saturday, Sep 17 — Milan

Wake, breakfast, check out of hotel. Walk around. Coffee at Pasticceria bar sport bellagio. I buy some liquirizia tins. We have lunch at Lunch at Trattoria San Giacomo, the popular spot where folks wait on cushions on stairs just outside. We walk more and take a sprizt back at the hotel bar. We grab our luggage, and after some confussion with many other tourists, we manage to board the 16:45 Navigazione Laghi passenger boat to Varrena. The trip takes about 13 minutes. Grab the 5:35pm Trenord RE2835 and depart the Varenna-Esino-Perledo railway station at 17:35 and arrive to Milan around 18:43. We naviate to the Four Points by Sheraton Milan Center. We walk into central Milan and find the trendy Corso Como Cafe, where we have a great dinner outside. We walk further, hit some wind gusts and head back to the hotel.


Sunday, Sep 18 — Milan

Breakfast at Primi e secondi. We walk to town. On the way, I hunt down the Liquirizia di Calabria tins I had last tie in Italy. After failing to find it in the candy section, we nearly give up when a clerk finds it at the checkout stands. We buy 8 tins! We then walk a distance and vist the Duomo di Milano. It is very impressive. Lunch at Papa Francesco’s, which takes some extra time, and then they miss up the order, so they comp us the meal, but we feel bad, so we leave a tip. We then visit some fashion houses. Channel no channel 😌 😭. Rescue dinner at Convivium restaurant and walk back to the hotel. Sleep. Sleep


Monday, Sep 19 — FLight out

We take Taxkblu No. 17 to LIN Milano Italy Linate airport for €27. We board British Airways flight BA656. Our Airbus A320-200 (G-TTNR) attepts to take off at it scheduled 12:03 departure time, but we are delayed on the airport tarmac, as the Queens Funeral requires a stop to all inbound aircraft. I watch the funeral from the plane until my daily data allowance runs out. We eventually take off about 90 minutes later. It still looks like we have enough time to catch our second flight back to SFO. But about 2/3 of the way through the flight, a nice flight attendants asks in a sweet British accent if I am Brian Johnson. I say I am. The attendant replies, “I’m sorry to inform you, but you will miss your onward flight. You have been unboarded and when we land, please visit the customer service queue to sort our a new flight.”

We land, exit the plane and find the queue. It is a long queue and several folks are melting down. We learn that we are put on a United flight the next day and that we have a half day in London.

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