Tuscany

The End

Moto-Guzzi Factory









Villa Carlotta








Villa Carlotta #2








Below Villa Wally








The "Pink Room" at Villa Wally

Home Again

After leaving Villa Wally on Saturday Joan and I decided to drive down to Tuscany and visit a pottery store we had been in over ten years ago. Joan has described this adventure but I thought I might take a few minutes and describe driving in Italy. Since we were driving about 800Km in four days we certainly experienced the entire gamut of driving in Italy. In case you’re wondering there are speed limits on all roads in Italy including the Autostrata, which is Italy’s version of the US Interstate system. These are well-maintained roads with tolls! There are no built-in shoulders so if there is a breakdown or accident every problem is right there in the active lanes. This, of course, causes massive back ups, even for a simple flat tire, the back up can stretch for many miles. The Autostrata posted speed limit is 110 KM (about 68MPH) but is totally ignored not only by the cars but also the “Polizia”. Perhaps it’s only a suggestion!! We were cruising at about 140KM (close to 90MPH) the entire time and still had plenty of cars come up behind to pass. They either flash their lights or just pull up on your rear bumper!! Apparently this is not considered rude or inappropriate. You simply pull into the slower lane and let them fly by! These are not necessarily only Porsches and Ferraris but include family vehicles filled with kids waving at you as dad drives by at 160+Km. You MUST keep your eye on the rear view mirror at all times as the “closing” speed somehow brings these cars on to you in a split second!! There seems to be many, many trucks on the Autostrada but they are forbidden to use the “fast” lane at any time. This rule is violated occasionally but you can count on them staying far to the right. The problem is that there are too many of them and they seem to be wider than the average US semi and seen to wander into your lane by a foot or two. Another obstacle to watch for!! These trucks usually don’t run on Saturday and Sunday (maybe it is forbidden) so this helps on weekends but this hazard is replaced by the motorcycles!! There are strict helmet laws and “full leather” seems to be the norm. The problems caused by motorcycles include that they are small, blinding fast, quite numerous and worst of all, they feel free to dart in and out of lanes and use the “dotted” line as their own personal lane. Very scary and it makes you wonder how many go down at some crazy speed. I did see one accident that happened only minutes before I got there. It wasn’t a pretty sight!

Bottom line: you must pay attention at all times and be aware of what’s going on around you. Problems come out of nowhere and traffic conditions change in a second. Driving the Interstate system seems a lot safer but I guess the Italians are used to this and accept it. One improvement the Italians have over us is there system of roadside rests and food and fuel stops. Quite frequent and quite diverse, from full restaurants to full service gas and repair stations. We could learn something from them!!

It has been said that it’s not the end of the journey that’s important but rather the journey itself. In our case this couldn’t be more accurate. Our almost eight week stay in Italy has been the most enjoyable and fun time in our history of trips to Europe. Because of Joan’s many years in the travel business we have been afforded the opportunity to travel overseas many, many times but never attempted a stay anywhere near as long as this. Now that we have experienced it I can say we’re ready to do it again tomorrow!! Of course, the expense of it dictates something else!! For now we are both sitting back and reliving our days in Bellano and the adventures we went on everyday with those who joined us during our stay.

We have both enjoyed maintaining this blog and hope our readers have found it informative and entertaining. Thanks for taking time to read it and we hope you enjoyed it as much as we enjoyed writing it.

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The Final Days....Arrivederci, Italia

Gene and I spent the last days at Villa Wally doing a few things we hadn't done before. Linda suggested that I get an elastic brace for my knee so I went to the Farmacia and purchased one. My knee was improving each day and with the brace I was able to get around much better. Linda, Gene and I went to the Moto-Guzzi Motorcycle Museum in Mandello, a small town on the lake which is home to their factory. It wasn't far away, just north of Lecco. It was only open from 3pm-4pm daily so timing was important. It was interesting to see all the motorcycles dating back more than 50 years. Gene even bought a baseball cap with a Moto-Guzzi logo on it. Linda left early on Thursday morning and Gene and I took the ferry to Tremezzo to see Villa Carlotta. It is a beautiful place with extensive gardens and a lovely house. The climate in that area is almost Mediterranean so the variety of flowers and plants was extensive. There were a lot of stairs so I didn't get to the upper reaches but we agreed that it was an impressive sight.

Friday was our last full day at La Wally and we spent it packing and cleaning up. We had received some wine from Sven's mother which we wanted to take home so we decided to buy another suitcase as sending the package to the U.S. would have been the same price. Our landlords came by that evening so we could settle up what we owed them. We had used several bottles of their wine and also had gone over the allotted electricity included in our rent. We knew electricity was expensive. There was no clothes dryer for this reason. Sven had told us when he and friends had rented a place in Tuscany they were hit with a large electrical bill when they left. So were we--1000 euros. Roby, the landlord waived the 273E gas bill. Oh well....

We left early Saturday morning with our 4 suitcases, 2 computers and 3 other carry ons and drove to Radda in Chianti. We wanted to visit Ceramiche Rampini, a small place that makes handmade ceramics. They are usually open every day in high season which it was but were closed both Saturday and Sunday. We explored the area and finally got to Rampini Monday morning. We bought some plates which had to be hand carried home--more luggage. We overnighted near Malpensa airport, repacked our bags, dropped the car off at the designated spot(after driving around a bit to try to find the place) and left for the U.S. Tuesday morning.

Gene and I both agree that this was our best ever European vacation. We truly had a wonderful time with excellent weather, wonderful guests and a beautiful location. Our guests in order of appearance were: Dan and Annie, Doug and Lori, Pat and Kate, Tom, Tiarra and Kelli, Denis, Francesca, Joe and Monica, Sven, Graziella, Nicholas and Charlotte, Pat and Leanne and Linda. We got to know the Lake Como area quite well and would love to return. We talked to our landlords about trading houses so perhaps another stay at Villa Wally is in the future.

Gene will be posting his final thoughts shortly and we'll also put some more pictures up. We will be in Phoenix for a few days and will then head to Bainbridge Island until the 1st of October.

I really enjoyed doing the blog and and have enjoyed all the comments. It is also a wonderful remembrance of our time at Villa Wally.

Ciao, from Joan

Gene's favorite photos

How strong are these wooden cross beams?

Old foundation for a long lost building

You talking to me?

Looking for gold

A long way down

Really good Italian engineering

Don't sit in the back seat!

Overcoming the pain

Joan has not shamed me into writing this blog entry! I have had a sore left index finger for the last few days but after running warm water over it for a couple of minutes it feels better and I can now contribute to our blog. I think I overdid it with the little paddle spoon they give you in Italy to eat your gelato!! There is pain associated with getting the very last speck of the delicious delicacy!!

Joan’s description of Cinque Terre was accurate and I would only add that it is absolutely indescribably beautiful. A very rugged coast line, deep azure blue water, very steep terrain and dotted with succulents you commonly see in Arizona. The trail is manageable but was apparently very dangerous in the days before the safety rails. My photos don’t do this piece of paradise justice.

The race down the steps was kind of funny but at the time I wasn’t laughing. When at last we all got on the train with seconds to spare none of us had a dry spot on us. The sweat was pouring off. The ambient temperature was 85 degrees, matched by the humidity at the same dreadful rate! A darn shame that we all lost ten pounds in the run!! (Leanne only lost nine!) The look back at these towns as you walk the trail is a must and each ten yards you walk you get another unique angle of the beauty of these communities.

As Joan mentioned Linda and I drove to the Splugenpass and beyond yesterday. This is a road I have wanted to drive for years! It is one of the most remarkable engineering feats in the world. What probably started out as an animal path centuries ago has been improved by man to a drivable short cut between the Lake Como area and Switzerland. Now, of course, other roads have been built in somewhat near areas that antiquated this road. None the less this forgotten passage has been well maintained for the locals, the bicyclist enthusiasts, the mountain goats and the crazies like me!! Going north on the Italian side you pass through and over some very green and luscious mountain country and some charming towns. One in particular, Chiavenna, is an Italian Alps village town with a very ancient history. Thankfully little towns like this were never bombed during WW2 and have maintained their past blended in well with their present. Once past Chiavenna is when the fun begins. There is an altitude change of about 5000 ft to the Pass. What a ride! Hairpin after hairpin where you need to pay close attention to the oncoming traffic, the edge of the road, the clutch, the brakes, the side mirrors, your speed and the car in front of you while all at the same time enjoying the view!! Linda and I stopped a few times to gawk at the scenery and to admire the towns below that started to look like small toy houses from far above. As we got higher and higher the tree line came and went and now we felt like we were driving across the moon with the very rugged rocky terrain. Very beautiful and very mean looking. As we looked off in the distance you could still see remnants of man made roads seemingly leading to nowhere! At last as we neared the top and the temperature plunged from a balmy 75 degrees at Bellano we noticed that our car was indicating an outside temp of about 45 degrees a mere 40 miles from the lake. Our selection of shorts and t-shirts for the trip made us look silly! With the heater warming us we crested the summit and gazed down on the piece of road that I have been wanting to traverse forever. From the accompanying pictures you might recognize this road from car commercials made over the years. I’m sure the car companies were touting their braking systems!! I felt that the engineering wasn’t quite as spectacular as the Italian side but the view was second to none. After taking our pictures we started down slowly and just enjoyed the whole experience. The road you see is about three miles long and a blast to drive. It is entirely in Switzerland by a few kilometers. Just keep your foot on the brake and down you go. What was remarkable were the bicyclists coming up in there lowest gear and just dying. Tough, tough people. We admired them and were so happy we were in the car. We were soon to the bottom and drove to the Swiss town of Splugen in the rain, turned around and started back. Still a lot of cyclists heading towards the toughest three miles in the world. God bless ‘em! Still being very careful we retraced our miles and saw all the scenery we missed. With a lot of brake pad now gone we arrived safely back in Chiavenna, had a gelato and walked a couple of miles around town and shared our thoughts of the drive. Both of us agreed it was a first and perhaps some day we would do it again. When we got back to Bellano I quickly reviewed the pictures on the computer and while enjoying them realized right away they did not do justice to what the human eye observes.

Got to go now as the pain in my finger is starting to flare up again.

Cinque Terre and Spluga Pass

As I mentioned last week, things are winding down. Gene has been promising to do a posting for at least a week. Perhaps I can shame him into finally getting it done. He usually writes when he gets angry about something but things have been pretty peaceful so he is lacking inspiration. So don't hold your breath waiting for his input, although he does get angry when the gelato person does not fill his cup to his specifications.

Pat and Leanne arrived last Tuesday and stayed overnight. We had a great dinner at Sottovento in Lierna and walked into Bellano and environs Wednesday morning, 4 miles in all. They left for the Cinque Terre late Wednesday afternoon. We decided to join them and the Browners on Friday to hike between some of the 5 villages. It was a 300K drive which took about 3 hours. We met everyone at the train station in La Spezia and took the train to Riomaggiore. We then did the first walk to Manarola. We continued on to Corniglia, a longer walk of about 45 minutes. Along the way Leanne got a splinter in her finger from the wooden fence and I was able to pull out my new Swiss Army Knife(purchased in Zermatt) and help with minor surgery on the path. When you arrive in Corniglia there are 400 steps up to the village. It's not a bad climb though as the steps are easy to walk on. It's just long. After much debate we decided to take the train to Vernassa after lunch. We finished lunch, checked the schedule for the next train which was in about 11 minutes and decided we could make it. We ran down the 400 steps and the street to the train. I barely made the train. I had been nursing a gimpy left knee for the last 2 weeks or so. All the steps we had been taking in Bellano and the hill towns were taking a toll on my poor knee. I was fine the rest of that day. We walked around Vernassa, had a gelato and decided we were ready for the 300K ride home. We took the train back to La Spezia, found our car and headed home. Gene and I both retired early that night. The next morning I could barely walk on my left knee. It was quite swollen and very sore. Linda, who is a personal trainer, arrived that day and told me it would help to get in the pool and get it moving, so that is what I have been doing. I'm moving somewhat better now but it is still painful and I think my hiking is over for this trip. Luckily we leave Italy on Tuesday.

On Monday Gene and Linda(I stayed behind) drove the Spluga Pass between Italy and Switzerland and also visited Chiavenna. They did some hiking but mostly just enjoyed the drive. Gene loves twisty mountain roads and is always looking for a new one to explore. When Gene does his post he will include his favorite photos from the Spluga Pass excursion.

Linda is heading for Mallorca on Thursday morning and Gene and I will be getting ready for our departure from Villa Wally on Saturday morning. We are then driving to Radda in Chianti for 2 nights and then back to Milano to catch our flight home on Tuesday AM.

Doug and Lori's Photos--Europe 2007

Doug and Lori, Dan and Annie were our first guests at Villa Wally. Take a look at Doug's photos.

http://web.mac.com/dx_dt/iWeb/Site/Europe%202007.html

Five weeks and counting.....

It has been a week of very warm weather in the 90s. Not hot compared to Phoenix but with more humidity. We seem to have overcome the "le zanzare" problem. No new bites to report. Last Tuesday Gene and I went to Olgiasca about 12K north of Bellano where we visited the Abbazia di Piona. It is an abbey on a headland perched over the lake. There is a church which dates to the 12th century. It is a very tranquil place, quiet and serene. The monks sell an herb liqueur which we did not buy but the setting was worth the trip.

On Wednesday Joe, Francesca and Monica arrived in the early evening. I made lasagne(using the measuring cups and spoons that Tiarra brought) and we had a pleasant meal and caught up on their European travels. (See www.brownersabroad.blogspot.com for more info.) On Thursday we walked down to Bellano to show them the market. We took them on a walk we recently discovered that goes down via steps to the road below. Very picturesque. We walked back the normal way. We toured the market, bought lunch stuff, had a coffee and walked up the hill towards LA WALLY. (We found out that Villa Wally is named after our landlord's Tizziana's mother whose name was Wally. The villa was built in the 1920s and restored by our landlords. They added a floor on the top which is their apartment.) We went to Gene's favorite pizza restaurant for dinner but his friend wasn't there so no limoncellos. On Friday, Joe and Francesca rented a motor boat in Dongo so we drove there, about 25k, and picked up the boat. It had a 40hp engine so was not too fast. We headed to Bellagio but on the way encountered a sailboat who flagged us down. Two Italian boys about 18 were stranded with no wind and had to catch a train. Could we give them a tow into Bellano? We said sure and turned around and towed them into Bellano. Their names were Marco and Luca. They spoke English very well and had a lot of questions about us. We then decided to change our destination to Varenna instead of Bellagio because the boat was so slow. We arrived in Varenna, had lunch and a gelato and returned to Dongo and turned in the boat. We returned to LA WALLY had a swim and had dinner in the garden. Francesca fixed bruschette and I fixed a pasta dish. Molte bene.

Sven and Graziella Becker and their two children, 7 year old Nicolas and 1 1/2 year old Charlotte arrived Saturday afternoon after driving down from Tubingen, Germany. Sven was an exchange student who lived with us in 1984-85 and attended Brophy with Peter. We have kept in touch over the years and were delighted to see him and his family. Sven is now a physician specializing in gynecological oncology. They did a lot of swimming and also took in a lot of the area. Graziella fixed dinner for everyone on Saturday and again we had a great dinner in the garden. Joe, Francesca and Monica had gone to Bellagio and Varenna that day but returned to swim and have dinner with everyone. On Sunday the Browners left for Venice and Sven and his family went sightseeing so Gene and I went to the grocery store and Gene had his nap. On Monday the Beckers left to return to Germany after a great visit.

Our next visitors are Pat and Leanne. They arrive tomorrow and will be here for a day or two before leaving for more adventure in Italy. Linda arrives on Thursday for a few days and then our 7 weeks are done. We have truly loved our stay so far and don't want it to end.
Ciao, from Joan

The Serpent has been banished

Insalada Caprese con salami e uova a la Pat e Kate

Command center travels with Gene

Basil from the grocery store

The weather is still warm and sunny and we didn't do much today. We drove to Lecco to shop at the big supermarket to look for mosquito repellent and other stuff. As we were leaving we ran into Tizziana, our landlord and asked her advice. "Zanzara" we said. We had spent some time this AM looking up mosquito related words in the Italian dictionary. She understood perfectly and told us she would get us some devices that plug into the outlets and get rid of the mosquitoes. Gene obligingly showed her his thigh with about 10 bites on it. He refused to take a photo for the blog though. We had also spent quite a bit of time looking for coffee pods for the espresso machine and we inquired where we could get them. "Oh you can't get them, I'll give you some" she said. Okay another problem solved. Off we went counting all the tunnels we drove through(12 in all) in order to give precise instructions to some guests arriving by car later in the week. We got our groceries and just in case bought our own repellent and zappers. We counted the tunnels on the way back just to make sure we had it right. 12 it was. Tizziana greeted us as we drove up with a bag full of zappers, repellent and citronella candles. Also a spray to use if we eat in the garden. Hopefully our problem is solved. Gene went to the Farmacia this afternoon and got some anti itch cream, another word we had looked up(anti-prurito) and we think order has been restored in Paradise.

The Serpent in Paradise

Today we went to Varenna, a medieval city south of Bellano. We have been there several times before, parking and using it as a ferry stop. Doug and Lori had ventured there a few weeks ago and suggested that we take a more in depth look. They were right. The place is beautiful. We walked along the lake towards the Villa Monastero, an ancient female Cistercian convent probably founded before 1200. In the 1500s the ownership passed in to private hands. There were several owners up to the present and it now belongs to the National Council of Research. They have restored it and now operate it as a conference center. The gardens extend along the lake with many varied plants and trees. We stopped for lunch at one of the cafes along the lake and Gene ordered a grande birra rosso (a big dark beer) along with his sandwich. He usually has a media birra but it was a pretty warm day and he was thirsty. I ended up driving back to La Wally. He is now taking a nap.

Lake Como is beautiful, the weather has been splendid, the cities charming. What could be wrong with this paradise? Mosquitoes! Thats what. We never see the things, rarely hear the whine of their wings but each morning we wake up with new bites. Or we will be sitting on the balcony and we come inside and there they are, more bites. We have taken to burning a citronella candle in our bedroom at night. Our guests have been bothered a bit but not to the extent that Gene and I have. And Gene never gets bites! You can imagine how outraged he is. We are going to try another insect repellent and see if we have better results.

Ciao, from Joan

Gene's Photos

St. Bernards in Zermatt


Snow in July


Bellano Gorge


A beautiful day

DON'T FORGET TO STAMP YOUR TICKET

Today is Saturday July 14^th and Joan and I have passed the half way mark of our stay at Villa Wally in Bellano, Italy. We have had such a great time here we want the clock to stop ticking. I was just out on the veranda reading in the morning shade thinking about how fortunate we are. Thank God the populace of Arizona liked good ice cream over the years!!

Yesterday was a fun adventure as we decided to take the train to Milano for the day. We caught the 10:08 and settled in for the ride through the countryside to Milan’s Stazione Centrale. This is the main train station in Milan and is housed in one of the most stunning and beautiful buildings in the city. The ceilings are at least thirty five feet tall and are very elaborate with glass and steel. It is incredibly busy with hoards of people scurrying in every direction, long lines at the ticket counters, vending machines and food stands. I watched one in particular and couldn’t help but try to calculate his profits. If he isn’t living next door to George Clooney on Lake Como I’d be surprised. On our ride in we passed through the city of Monza, world famous in racing circles for its annual hosting of the Italian Grand Prix. My brother Mark and his son, Jon, have tickets for this year’s race in September and I’m sure they will have an exciting time.

After exiting the train station Joan and I started walking towards the massive central square that contains Milan’s Duomo, the beautiful cathedral which took over 430 years to build. We had been in it years ago and the lines were long so this time we only admired it from the outside. It is the third largest church in the world!! Our walk was most enjoyable as the weather was mild and the scenery entertaining. We passed many retail stores that got more and more expensive as we got closer to the Duomo. We finally stopped for lunch at a small café and had a modest meal. The diet Coke, called Coke light in Europe, cost four Euros, about $5.50!! Wow, Safeway sells a twelve pack for $2.99. I refer to this as the “Milano Bump”, a phrase we use a little too often!!

Adjacent to the Cathedral is the massive Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, a shopping mall to end all shopping malls. A glassed in ceiling to only be appreciated by standing underneath it and gawking up in wonderment. We were only window shopping (thank God) but it was fun checking out the goods and the people. I can assure you there is only one of these in the world! After walking at least three miles we grabbed a quick cab ride back to the train station for the ride back to Bellano. The cab ride cost less than the Coke Light!! We thought we had plenty of time but after purchasing our tickets and trying and failing to purchase a couple of bottles of water (the line was too long at George Clooney’s neighbors little food stand) we barely made the train. Joan and I could not find two seats in the same car so we were separated for the one hour and fifteen minute ride back.

We found out the hard way how the ticketing process worked. Over the years when we had occasion to ride European trains it always amazed me how often the conductors never collected our tickets. Since we always had our tickets it really never made any difference to us. I often thought that many riders just got on and never bothered paying and got away with it. Well we finally found out how they counteracted that little ploy. As we were pulling into Bellano (I finally found a seat in the car Joan was riding) the conductor asked for our tickets. We handed them to him and immediately he started talking to Joan in an animated half English and half Italian way. I’m thinking what’s this? We have valid tickets. It turns out that after you purchase your ticket you must validate it! Now Joan noticed in the morning at the Bellano station that everyone was stamping their ticket at a small box before the train arrived. She said maybe we should be doing the same with our tickets we just purchased. I said why should we? We just got them five minutes ago. Anyway the conductor going to Milan looked at our tickets a little quizzically, initialed them and went on without comment. Anyway our short little Italian sh** conductor whipped out his violation book and wrote us a twenty five (could have been fifty) euro fine! There was no talking him out of it! I was afraid he wouldn’t let us off the train. This is the train systems way of not letting you use an unpunched ticket in case you got to your stop before the conductor got to you to punch the ticket. Oh well, we learned a valuable lesson and maybe they can use the 25 Euro to clean off the graffiti which is quite prevalent in all stations and on the buildings along the tracks!! We were very happy to get back to the friendly confines of Villa Wally.

It was actually a fun day (other than the fine) and we had a “leftovers” meal for dinner and another fine beer!!

Winding Down at the Villa (Tuesday evening)

Posted by guest blogger Denis

Departure time is in less than 12 hours, and I will be leaving the idyllic setting of Villa Wally (aka la Wally) overlooking the small picturesque village of Bellano on the northern shores of Lake Como. To say the least, the 10 plus days I have been here have been thoroughly enjoyable.

Visiting writers to this Blog have already spoken about the charm and beauty of the Villa and its surroundings, and I can certainly second their views. It took me only a few minutes to feel the magical effect of the place. While standing on the balcony over looking the lake and its shores, I very quickly became calm and relaxed, and that feeling has stayed with me the whole visit.

Some other highlights:

Let's start with the food. No one does Italian food better than the Italians. The anti-pastas, the pastas, the salads, the main courses, and the gelatos have been outstanding. I am treating Joan and Gene to a final meal at a local restaurant where I know they speak German. That should really help in ordering. Not to worry though, we ate there once and it was great. A number of times we ate at the Villa and enjoyed tasty Italian dishes prepared by Joan. I have never had a poor meal prepared by Joan. In fact, I have even learned some cooking tips that I plan to employ when I venture back into the kitchen. Finally, we ate a few meals in Switzerland during our visits to St. Moritz and Zermatt. Sorry, Swiss cooking in no way measures up to Italian.

So, after pushing myself away from the table, I managed several sight seeing ventures with Joan and Gene and with Tiarra and Kelli while they were visiting. The boat rides to Menaggio, Bellagio, and Como were most enjoyable. Again, food was at the top followed by shopping. I am hardly one to spend a lot of time shopping; but I did enjoy browsing through the pottery and silk shops. Heck, I even picked out a few items (with some help) as gifts for family and friends back home.

And then there were the simple walks around Bellano and through the town. Even the treks back up the hills weren't all that bad as long as no one was racing. There was only one exception and that was the walk that Gene and I took into Dervio, a town three miles north. The walk into town wasn't too bad as it was mostly downhill. However, as the downhill steps became more pronounced, I started to think more and more about the return trip. I quickly concluded: in no way am I going to walk back up the trail. While in Dervio, Gene and I were studying the train schedule to see if it went back to Bellano. Even with the help of a young man who was waiting for a train, we were not sure what we were doing. Finally, Gene said: let me call Joan and ask her to come and pick us up. She graciously did (thank God). While we were waiting for Joan, we sat and enjoyed a coffee. At the same time at a nearby table, four men were playing hearts, and six or seven others were watching. Without a doubt they played just like Americans – hollering if they got stuck with the queen, challenging their neighbor if they led with the wrong card, and reliving every hand "if only he did this or he did that." Gene and I could only laugh and smile.

Let's not forget Switzerland either. Twice I ventured there with Gene and Joan - a day trip to St. Moritz and an overnight to Zermatt. Switzerland is a beautiful country. The Alps are magnificent. I marveled at the engineering feats of the highway construction. The Swiss, as well as the Italians, know how to design and build attractive tunnels and bridges. Now, I can't say the same about the weather. Both times it was terrible – rain, wind, and even snow. However, this did not cause us concern since we knew that both places are destinations for the beautiful people. We fit right in.

Now all that I need to do is pack up and say good-by. I certainly have enough to pack since I will be bringing a great deal back with me thanks to United Airlines. The "lost and then found" luggage saga is a story for another time.

Arrivederci

Grazie Joan and Gene!

(photos to follow at a later date)

A DAY OF REST

Tiarra left for the U.S. this morning, Kelli left for Rome yesterday by train so it is just Gene, Denis and I. I should mention that Tiarra brought us some much desired wash cloths. None were provided here and I couldn't find any in Bellano or any where else so she came to my rescue. She also brought some measuring cups and spoons.
We had a busy week. When Tiarra and Kelly went to Venice on Monday, Gene, Denis and I drove to St. Moritz in Switzerland. We left Bellano in the pouring rain which continued the whole ride. Gene had said the trip would take a little over an hour. More than 2 hours later we were there. It was a beautiful ride through the Alps and we saw many waterfalls. It was raining so hard in St. Moritz that we just ate lunch there, then turned around and went back to Bellano. On Wednesday we (all 5 of us) took the ferry to Menaggio where we walked around then took a ferry to Bellagio. We had lunch there (Pizza as usual. I didn't think I could get tired of pizza but I am.) and spent several hours wandering around. On Thursday we walked down to Bellano for the market, purchased a few things and walked back up the hills for lunch. That evening we drove to Lierna (about 15K) for dinner at Sottovento, a restaurant recommended by our landlords. The setting was beautiful overlooking the lake and the food was pretty good. This was our first dinner in the leisurely Italian style. We were there for almost 3 hours. At the various restaurants in Bellano service has been much swifter. We have a favorite called Orrido(waterfall in Italian) which serves rustic Italian food. We have also been regulars at a local pizzeria. They know us now and last time gave us a complimentary limoncello at the end of the meal. On Friday, 4 of us minus Kelli took the Rapido to Como. We had lunch there(pizza, what else?) and spent some time shopping. Como is know for its silk so we all purchased several silk scarves. The weather was beautiful as it has been for most of our stay at Lake Como. We took the Rapido back to Bellano but discovered when we boarded that we had only purchased one way tickets. The ticket collector reluctantly sold us the return portion and we were on our way.
Today I slept in. Gene got up early to take Tiarra to Milan to the airport and Denis was up very early following the Dodger game on his computer. Gene and Denis decided to walk into Dervio and I chose to stay home and putter around. An hour or so later I got a call to come and pick them up in Dervio. They didn't want to walk back. I picked them up after driving for the first time since we have been here. I was dreading meeting a truck on the road because I didn't want to back up. Luckily I didn't have to although I had a girl on a motorscooter on my tail the entire way down. They just don't follow closely. They seem to be inches from your bumper. We had lunch and now Denis and Gene are taking long siestas.
We plan to leave tomorrow for Zermatt, Switzerland and spend the night there. Denis leaves on Wednesday so Gene and I will be alone for a few days. We have enjoyed all our guests and I hope we will not be too bored with some quiet.

DOUG'S PHOTOS

The first three photos are taken near Chamonix in the French-Italian Alps. The last photo is of Dan and Annie relaxing in the pool at LA WALLY.