Menaggio - 28 May 2005

It’s been over a week since our last update. We are still in Mennagio and enjoying the scenery and many laughs with our Visitors, Nira and Dani from Israel.

We have tried to plan our travels according to the weather. On a very rainy day we took the ferry to Varena across the lake and walked around this lovely town, which is beautiful rain or shine. We had lunch at a cute Café near the water and watched the rain and the wind rock the boats in the lake. After soaking this and rain we came back and started a fire in the fire place which was wonderful, and the first time Nira and Dani sat by a real fireplace. (Not many of these exist in Israel…)

The day after the rain was one of these glorious sunny and clear days and we jumped on the opportunity to take the Bernina express to St. Moritz which was absolutely fantastic. A 10!!! This short red train goes almost all the way up to the top of the snowy mountains, along jade colored streams, emerald lakes and frozen lakes and gives you a view from the top of the world. We stopped a strolled around the lake in St. Moritz and took the train back.

Since then the weather has been very warm and sunny but with extremely poor visibility. It seems like you’re looking through a milky veil. At times you can barely see the other side side of the lake and the boats seem ghostly. We decided to focus on places that didn’t require great visibility and visited a few old quaint hillside villages west of Mennagio, drove to Lugano and the back, and yesterday we drove to another lake, Lago D’Iseo where we visited an island which is really a huge mountain in the center of this deep lake, Monte Isola. It was very lovely and peaceful. The road back was longer than we expected as we tried to negotiate the Milano area freeways without adequate maps. We cannot get over the charm of the very very old houses, churches and farm buildings and towns, the old stone walls, the elaborate ornamentation of the facades and balusters, the many remaining frescos and statues, the grandness of the old palazzos with their beautiful gardens, many of which are still maintained as hotels, conference centers, and private villas.
One of the hotels we visited in Bellagio, elegant beyond belief, charges $500 per night including breakfast…

Today will be a down day to let us digest the last week and relax a bit from all this fun. Dani and Nira went to Milano, which we already explored for a couple of days. We will be leaving Mennagio in a week to bounce around for a month, so staying put for a bit is probably a good antidote.

We are looking forward to shedding the car and going by train as despite the freedom it affords, it also introduces a fair amount of stress because of the very narrow windy roads, in foreign territory. The roads however are quite well marked.

Our next update will probably be from Interlaken or Salzburg. I wish we had easier access to the internet. We have grown so accustomed to having it handy that we really sorely miss it. There are a few internet points here but we frequently find them in use and we feel pressured to end quickly because of the high cost. The hours of operation are limited with early closing in the evening and a long lunch break for siesta.
It would be so nice if there was a global subscription to an umbrella of wireless access wherever you are. I imagine this will probably happen soon but not soon enough for us..

Love to all you
Lance and Dahlia

Lance at Monastero Garden in Verena 

Dahlia at Villa Monastero Garden in Verena 

Street in Bellagio 

View Of Ancient Village with Old Cobblestone Road over Lake Como 

Ancient Village Below Pigra 

Funicular at Pigra with View of Lake Como 

Lake at St. Moritz, Switzerland 

All Board the Bernina Express 

Another View from Bernina Express 

Village in Switzerland from Bernina Express 

Bernina Pass Photo 

Bernina Express at Bernina Pass, Switzerland 

Mennagio - St. Mortiz May 20th

Sunshine!!!! Sunshine like we have not quite seen before it seems. Or at least not in a long while…. It’s reflected from the snowy peaks around the lake and from the giant reflecting mirror that lake had become… Almost blinding! Without a trace of white in the blue sky. Making all the cute villages around the lake sparkly and crisp, and the greens so much greener…Wow!!

We woke up yesterday to this beautiful day. There were sunny days here on and off during the past 2 weeks but now we know what the real thing looks like. The rains of the previous day deposited fresh snow on the tips of the steep jagged mountains around us and it added much beauty to the already spectacular place. We decided to explore St. Moritz, the famous ski resort which is 2 hours away by car.

The drive was gorgeous, meandering along several lakes, and meadows, a bunch of tunnels as well, and finally climbing an unbelievable series of switchbacks to the Maloya pass. Seeing them from below it looked impossible, but beside us there were several cyclists climbing them as well. We are planning to come back here again in the next week or so, and this time take a panoramic view train across the mountains so we can get better views without having to worry about driving.

The highlight of the day was somewhere along the way, where we pulled off the road at the sight of an old church in the midst of a green lush rolling meadow, scattered with yellow and pink flowers. It was quiet with very few cars going by, and in the valley just below there were cow bells ringing … we sat in the deep grass to take pictures, and it felt nice and soft….absolute perfection!!! One of these images that will stick in my mind forever.
Church bells are ringing now at 7:30 on another beautiful day. Except today the sunshine seems white! Added to the equation seems to be a thin fog above the lake, veiling the mountains around. Still bright, and still blinding in it’s brightness. It’s Friday, and we are planning to take a hike in the local area.

We really love Italy. So much to see, so much history… It is so quaint that every one of the little towns towns has almost the same layout, centered around an old Church and or fort, with the train and bus stations in the near vicinity. Following the “Centro” signs seems to always get us to the most interesting parts of every town, frequently without needing a map at all. All have many nice squares, with little fountains and surrounded by Café’s filled with people sipping coffee and chatting animatedly .. it seems like such a social people…

Maloya Pass, Switzerland 

Add cow bells and you get the effect. Near St. Moritz 

Alpine meadow 

Menaggio - 18 May

We have been at Lake Como for about nine days and the time seems to be flying by. The little towns and gardens around the lakes are beautifully quaint. We are adjusting to Italian life but our limited grasp of the Italian language has created a few challenges, but generally we find that we can get by with English. The main problem is in the super market when we try to find things and sometimes asking directions.

The weather has not been perfect, we have had a few rainy days and a few mostly sunny days, but most of the time has been mostly cloudy with a little sun in the afternoon. We have had a few days with thick mist on the lake in the morning. We talked to our neighbor Mario and he helped us order firewood. A couple of days later Franco arrived in his little three wheel pickup truck with way too much wood. With a lot of hand waving, picture drawing and consultation of the English-Italian dictionary we ended by buying half the wood. We have been putting it to good use on the rainy days when we spend time reading our books, the Harold-Tribune and watching CNN International. We even rented a DVD to watch on the computer one night.

We have been very pleased with the house exchanges approach to traveling. It worked well in Venice and has been very good here. We have two bedrooms and a large living room/ dining room/ kitchen (with, as I mentioned, fireplace and satellite TV) and a garage for the car. There is a dish washer and washing machine for the clothes and Itailian clothes dryer (a clothes line, since any self repecting Italians prefer the freshness of clothes hung on a line). It has a beautiful patio and garden overlooking the lake. We have found, that in, in addition to saving hotel costs, we have significant savings on the food bill since we generally cook breakfast and dinner in the condo. We usually have lunch (the larger of the Italian meals) out in mid-afternoon.
One of the greatest challenges here is driving. The lakes are surrounded by steep mountains and through some of the small towns the roads are very narrow (if a bus or truck is coming it is necessary to stop and let it go through). In fact, Menaggio has a stop light that allows one-way traffic to alternate through the town. The roads have many bridges and tunnels and over the hills there are steep switchbacks. It becomes a little stressful after a few hours of driving. There are good toll turnpikes (Autostrasse) to Milan and major cities but the closest connection is at Como about a half hour drive from Menaggio.

Since our last report we have visited several towns and gardens on Lake Como (Bellagio, Varenna, Como, Villa Carlotta, a Picasso exhibit in Como). We have been getting some serious walking exercise on the hills, which is a good thing. Last Sunday we went to Milan (to avoid traffic and to be able to find parking for the car, which can be a nightmare during the week). We visited the very impressive Cathedral, La Scala opera house and did a little shopping. We plan future trips to Milan (about 1.5 hours away) but will probably go by train. Yesterday we drove to Lugano, Switzerland, and to Lakes Lugano and Maggorie. The most impressive thing we have seen yet was Isola Bella in Lake Maggorie. This island is just off the shore has very impressive palace and gardens. It was started in the 16th Century by a Count and designed in the shape of a ship (see http://www.borromeoturismo.it). Both the villa and garden are beautiful and there is a bedroom where Napoleon slept and a room where negations took place in 1935 to try to prevent WWII. The place is very impressive, indeed!

The weather is forecast to be good for Thursday and Friday so we plan to drive to the Mediterranean coast and spend the night south of Genoa and take a hike through Cinque Terrea (“Five Lands”), which is highly recommended by people we have spoken to. Our friends Nerra and Danni from Israel are arriving Sunday and will be straying with us for about ten days. We are beginning to put the details together for the next leg of our journey through Eastern Europe.

- Cheers, Dahlia and Lance

Gardens at Isola Bella 

Varena Street 

Varena from Lake Como 

Victor Emmanual II Gallery in Milan 

Detail of Cathedral at Milan 

Cathedral at Milan 

Garden Detail at Villa Carlotta 

Menaggio - 14 May

It is a misty and gloomy day in Menaggio. A good day to be lazy and read a book, and catch up on our diary. The condo we are staying in is quite spacious, with a full view of the lake below from the balcony the living room and the bedroom. Varena is across the lake and beyond we can see the Alps with some traces of snow topping them. It is sooo peaceful and lovely .We cannot believe how fortunate we are to have this opportunity to hang out here leisurely and have time to tour and be lazy, and just absorb the atmosphere. The prices here are quite high, but much less so than in Venice.

Friday morning, May 7th we said good bye to Ivan our B&B host in Dubrovnik and headed back to Split to catch the overnight Adriatica car ferry to Ancona Italy. The cabin on the boat was one step up from what we imagine a prison cell looks like, skimpy, hard bunk beds. However, we were able to take showers before our arrival on a sunny day in Ancona.

On the way north we stopped in the lovely beach town of Rimini. The wide sandy beaches were almost empty, but there were clear signs that summer is almost here, and workers were busily readying the umbrella anchors for the coming season. Colorful Cabanas were set up and several sun worshippers were stretched out on lawn chairs absorbing the warm sun. We had a wonderful Cappuccino with a heavenly pastry and soaked a gentle sun for a long while. It was so tempting to stay here and take a nap since we barely slept the night before.
However we decided to press on to Bologna, to get closer to our final destination of Mennagio. The roads were great with beautiful trees covered with dense white blossoms and green fields scattered with tons of yellow dandelions.The encounter with Bologna was less friendly than we expected we got caught on the inside, express lane on the Autostrada and were able to get off only on the exit from town. Once in town all the streets were one way, the wrong way or narrow cobblestone alleys closed to traffic and parking spaces non-existent. Finally, frazzled, we headed out of the center to the train station where we found a nice hotel (Excelsior) with parking. What a HUGE relief to leave the car!!! Without the car, Bologna became much more pleasant. Most buildings are old with wonderful patina of age, and with welcoming Porticos in front. The center had a lovely square with several churches and impressive old palaces with statues and fountains. The streets were filled with shoppers and strollers out for a weekend. We had a refreshing Sprizze (A great new drink we found while in Venice, sparkling wine, soda and Campari bitter or Aperol added in, sort of a modified Sprizzer) and a wonderful dinner of Mushroom filled Raviolis. walk.What spoiled the fun were the motor scooters zooming by and the cars. After Venice and the walled towns that were closed to traffic mostly, the traffic was somewhat jarring.

On to Verona in the morning. Along the way we saw scattered medieval castles and hilltop churches surrounded by cute towns, and lots of red poppies along the road. We arrived at our B&B (Casa de Merlino) on the outskirts of Verona in the afternoon. It was a converted ancient farmhouse with an original stone cellar that was beautifully remodeled, leaving some of the old stone walls exposed. The room was cute but not particularly comfortable. The black cat was not too happy to be chased from his bed when he arrived. The other yellow cat was playing with a doll on the floor of the hallway making funny noises. The hosts were a cute young couple, Alexia and Paulo.

The town of Verona was a short drive away. We parked the car and walked into the old town, which is blocked, to traffic. It was a wonderful evening. The old Roman Arena is very impressive and reminiscent of the one in Cesaria. There were props being readied for the upcoming performance of Aida in the summer. It would be a real thrill to watch an opera like this performed in this setting.. We may come back here later in the trip. The town was delightful with lovely squares, great shops and impressive ancient ruins, 17th century homes with frescoes still visible on their front balconies. We saw the house that supposedly inspired Romeo and Juliet story which was very tacky, covered with love noted stuck to the walls with gum and a bronze statue of Juliet's with a shiny breast from being endlessly rubbed by people for good luck. Lance and I figured it couldn't hurt and did the same

From Verona we headed to Lake Como which was about three hours drive away. Once we reached the lake the drive became quite hair raising. The "Highway" has 2 very narrow lanes and no shoulder and hugs the steep cliffs over the lake. There are spectacular views of the Alps in the north and the quaint villages along the lake. A few miles short of Mennagio we stopped for lunch when we spotted a sign for parking. There was a steep stairway leading to the waterfront with an adorable restaurant right on the water. Across the water there was a tiny Island, It was almost empty except for two Italian gentlemen, chatting in their musical Italian, surrounded by shady pine trees, there were ducks and swans in the water, and a mother duck with a bunch of ducklings trailing behind. There were a few sail boats tied to shore and rocking in the breeze..Around the restaurant were a few residential old buildings, with flowering pots on the windowsills and balconies, old quaint doors and windows, skinny stairways for streets. What a delightful place!!!! It was hard to leave.

We finally arrived in Mennagio, which is a really lovely town, built along the shore and up the steep hills.The condo we are staying in can be reached in 10 minutes or so by foot from the boat docks by a long path and a steep stairway. It is nice to leave the car in the garage and just walk. The first day we explored the town by taking a walking tour all around it, we it was a really pleasant walk. The views are wonderful everywhere, the roads inside the town are mostly narrow cobblestone alleys, very quaint. It is always hard to believe when we see cars actually driving in them though.

On Thursday, our first sunny day here we took the boat to Bellagio across the lake and explored it and it's outskirts in a lovely walk. Lance, always the tour guide is able to follow the cryptic maps and find his way easily. Who needs tour guides when we have him? We walked through the beautiful gardens of Villa Melzi where azeleas were in bloom in every possible color.
Spring is really a wonderful time to be here! There are Tulips, Red Geraniums, Azeleas and pansies in full blooms everywhere Flowerin trees with thick white blossoms, Clumps of beautiful Wisteria in white and Blue on Thick heavy vines and the wild flowers are celebrating the warm weather as well. I love the red poppies in the green fields most of all. They really make your heart sing.

Maneggio from Lake Como 

Dahlia in the Castle Wall in Dubrovnik, Croatia 

Restaurant on Lake Como in Bellagio