Where's George

An Easter Get-Away
What more beautiful place to go for Easter than Lake Como!  Lake Como is one of the most beautiful places in Italy.  We visited Lake Como 10 years ago for the first time.  We realized how close it was to Davos (4 hours by car), so we decided to rent a car and make a fun trip!

Through the Alps

Windy Road to St. Moritz

From Davos, we drove to St. Moritz.  While Davos is a ski resort, St. Moritz is a ski resort of the rich and famous.  There is no other industry, except tourism in St. Morits.  It is actually higher in the Alps than Davos, so while the ice on the Davos Lake had already melted before we left, the ice on the lake in St. Moritz was frozen over.

Driving up to St. Moritz is such an interesting ride.  The road winds up higher and higher until you find yourself above the tree line.  At that point, you feel as though you are driving on a road on the lunar surface.  Finally you reach the peak, and begin a short decent into St. Moritz.  From that point on the drive is a slow downward motion.  You cannot drive fast on these roads!

Into Italy
As you get closer and closer to Lake Como, it feels warmer and warmer.  Then you see it - this beautiful lake.

Lake Como

The Best Hotel

Hotel Olivedo

There are three towns that are easily visited by ferry, Verenna, Bellagio and Mennaggio.  We choose Varenna, the town we had visited 10 years ago and stay in the same hotel, Hotel Olivedo.  The hotel is located on the lake.  There is a ferry dock right outside the hotel door (how convenient!).  

Lake Como Walkway

Along the Lake

Lake Como is known for it's sweet beauty.  There is a walkway that leads you part way around the lake.  This walkway is famous for having wedding pictures taken on it, and it begins - where else - right at our hotel.

Into Town

The walkway leads you into the town of Varenna.  From the edge of the lake all the 'roads' are uphill.  Now mind you, in Italy they are called roads, but by my standards they are cobblestone alleys, not at all wide enough for a vehicle.  In the pic to the left, we had already walked UP and were noticing the steep grade we had to walk down!!  

Tucked into these alleyways are shops and restaurants.  We had some of the most delicious meals in these tiny restaurants, some of which only had 7 tables.

Really good beer

Ah, for the Afternoon Rest

Lake Como has many lakeside cafes where having an afternoon drink is the custom....and you know what I say: when in Rome...

Easter

Every town in Italy has a Catholic Church and Varenna is no exception.  On Easter Sunday, we went to mass at Chiesa di San Giorgio (St. George Church).  

A Ferry Ride

From Varenna, we took the ferry to Bellagio.
When you exit the ferry, you find yourself in a town square, then you climb the cobblestone stair/streets up, up, up.

Looking Down

Going UP

The streets are so beautiful.  The shops are all unique.  Can you see Lake Como from the top of the street on the right?

The Best Part

Well, you must know by now: PIZZA!  We found a restaurant hidden deep within the cobblestone streets and had two AMAZING pizzas!  Ray had a 4 cheese and I had sausage.  OMG...soooo good.  Notice the pizzas are not cut the way we do in the US.  You use a fork and knife to cut your way to pizza heaven.

One Last Stop

From Bellagio, we ferried (is that a word?) to Menaggio, where I made a small purchase...

Those Boot Were Made for Walking!

Ok, I admit it - I bought a pair of boots, Italian leather boots.  For those of you (like me) who had never had a pair of Italian leather anything, the moment I put these boots on-they-were-mine!!!  I have always had to wear a new pair of shoes to 'break them in' spending many walking moments in uncomfortableness.  Oh, no...not with these boots.  They slipped on and I did not want to take them off!  

Fit for a King
There is a castle on top of the hill behind the Hotel Olivedo.  To get to the castle is, you guessed it, an uphill climb.  No switch backs, just straight UP.  It is exhausting, but worth the trip.  At the top before you get to the castle, is a little shop filled with ceramics and jewelry.

Artists Shop

Walking up to the Castle

Then finally you get to the castle.  This is a really old structure.  And the view from so high up is amazing!

Rest in Peace

Europe has the most beautiful cemeteries. Families stay in one location for generations and are still in the same villages and towns.  When a family member dies, the generations who are still alive take care of their loved ones cemetery plot.

Real flowers are planted and taken car of.  The flowers you see not artificial.

A Hilton for the Departed
Then there are the private, family mausoleums.  These are like small, elegant hotels!  See the one with the three columns?  There is a heavy glass door and lobby where you visit your loved ones who passed.  There were fresh flowers in vases inside.  The door was locked but you can easily see inside the lobby area.





Lake Como - what can I say other than if you ever get the opportunity to visit - do so.  It is a quiet, delightful place.  You can feel the rhythms of your body slow and match the smooth pace of the Italian countryside.  I feel so lucky to be in a place where visiting other countries is so easy.  How easy is it?  Next week we are going to Greece!!!!!!

Oh, and what has this got to do with George?  Who knows?  Do you?

Tschuss!

Marybeth

Planes, Trains & Automobiles (and other things) Part III

Off on an Adventure

Leaving Davos - headed to Train Station

On December 28, Ray, Christine and I packed our bags departed for an Italian Adventure!

Davos Train Station

We took the train from Davos to Zurich where we caught a plane to Rome.


We love to travel.  One of the aspects of visiting other cultures that we look forward to is their cuisine, so I'm giving you a heads up now...there will be pictures of food.  Not only do we love to eat it, we enjoy every aspect of it - how different it is from what we are accustom to, how it looks and smells and most of all--how delicious it is. Soooo...our first stop after we landed in Rome was....a favorite restaurant!

First Meal in Rome

What you see to the left are the remains of our first dinner.  The empty bowl had mussels - the most delicious mussels ever cooked in a garlicky broth that you soaked your break in.  Yum.  After the mussels, I had a pasta dish called Carbonara.  Carbonara is a pasta dish that has a slightly cooked egg placed on top of the pasta.  When the dish is delivered to the table, you break the yolk and allow the yellow creaminess to drench the pasta.  I have ordered Carbonara in the States, it arrives looking and tasting dry-with no yolk to break.  When my Roman Carbonara came to the table, I knew it would be great.  There was the yolk.  This is what Carbonara is all about. It was creamy and delicious and I savored every bite.

The Pope speaking to the people at St. Peter's Square

More than Food
But Rome has so much else to offer, so the next day-a Sunday, we ventured to St. Peters Square and the home of the Pope.

Each Sunday, Il Papa (the Pope) delivers a message to the people who gather in St. Peters Square.  There he is!  Do you see him?  The little man dressed in white in the window with the banner of the papacy draped on the window ledge.  On this Sunday, he spoke about the importance of family.

MB & Christine holding up St Peters Basilica

Did you know that St. Peter's Square holds 100,000 people on any given Sunday?  Yep.  The Square was completely full for the Pope's Sunday message.   Christine and I paused for a moment to pray, and then have some fun!

Lunch in Rome
After our holy time at St. Peter's Square we headed to a part of Rome called Trastevere. OMG...the best pizza ever!

The one on the right is a 3 meat pizza and the one below is a sausage.  Delish!

Walking through Trastevere After Pizza!

After our great pizza, we went for a walk through Trastevere and headed toward the Pantheon.

Ray at the Pantheon

Ancient Structures
The Pantheon in one of the ancient structures in Rome.  See Ray standing in front of the door?  These buildings are so big, it's hard to appreciate how huge they are from photos.  The Pantheon was build in 126 A.D. as a temple to ancient gods.  Now it is a Roman Catholic Church!!!  There is an altar inside the round building with pews.

Pantheon at night

Rome Streets at Night

Christmas Lights in Rome

While Rome is a 'modern' city, many of the streets were constructed for Roman chariots so they are very narrow!  Cars are permitted to drive on most of the streets, but large vehicles have a hard time navigating the narrow (I mean really narrow) streets.  During the Christmas holidays, the streets are lined with lights.  Each street has a different lighting decoration.

Italian Hospitality

Morolo

Morolo

We were invited to stay at one of Ray's colleagues while we were in Rome, so we rented a car, and traveled an hour and a half to Morolo to visit Elisa and her family!  There we were treated to an authentic Italian family meal!!  What does that mean?  Well, the first course was homemade lasagne.  It was delicious and I thought we were finished, but no, then came crepes, then when that was cleared, there was sliced pork with peas and a salad, then a cheese platter and finally dessert.  The food kept coming and interestingly enough, we kept eating it!  

Facade of the Church at Monte Cassino

Monte Cassino
After lunch, Elisa and her Mom and Dad took us to visit a monastery, Monte Cassino about 45 minutes from their home.  Monte Cassino was built in 529.  Because it is located on top of a mountain, it has been raided over the centuries in times of war as it was wanted as a strategic observation point.

Polish Cemetery at Monte Cassino

WWII
The monastery was bombed by allied planes during WWII as it was thought there were Germans hiding there.  Unfortunately the only people seeking refuge were people from the villages below.  Monte Cassino was completely destroyed during those bombing and then became a good location for the Germans to hide!  Monte Cassino was liberated by the New Zealanders, British Indian division and Polish corps.  The Polish flag was raised indicating Monte Cassino's liberation.  In honor of the Poles who lost their lives liberating Monte Cassino a cemetery dedicated to the Polish soldiers who lost their lives was created.


Returning to ROME
We spent one delightful night with Elisa family and on New Years Eve headed back to Rome for a Roman Celebration!

BOOM!

Romans love fireworks!  They are sold on street corners all over Rome in preparation for the New Years Eve celebrations.  There are open area called piazzas throughout the city.  Restaurants line the piazzas, most with outdoor seating.  After we ate dinner, we began to walk around looking for a piazza where we would find a restaurant and have a glass of wine while we waited for the count-down to 2014.  Then, as we got closer to midnight, people began throwing firecrackers into the center of the piazza!!!  This would be totally illegal in the states.  There was no official organization controlling the fireworks, oh no.  You could see them being tossed and people scurrying away.  Soon the perimeter of the piazza was lined with people as the firecrackers were being tossed and exploding in every direction!!!  We are sitting at a cafe, behind a glass wall.  There movable walls are used to keep the heat of the propane heaters around the patrons.  So, can you imagine - propane, right there where they are throwing firecrackers. 

A selfie Happy New Year!

Florence

The next morning we headed to one of our favorite cities, Florence.  This was my third visit to Florence and it is the city that Christine came to live and learn Italian 3 years ago.

Everything made of leather!

Leather, Food, Art & Gold

The outdoor leather market in Florence is world known.  There are streets and streets lined with leather vendors selling everything you can think of that could be made from leather.

The 'Florence Market' is an indoor food extravaganza.  You can find any vegetable or meat you can imagine.  Everything is from small farmers.  They do not believe in corporate farming.  We were told that the reason Americans have so many varieties of salad dressings is to hide the bland flavor of our veggies.  Yikes, that could be true!

The meat is very fresh and when you buy a chicken-you buy the entire bird, including the head and feet!

David

The amount of historical art is amazing.  This is the home of Michelangelo's David.  Michelangelo studied human anatomy in order to be able to sculpt the muscles and veins of David.  We learned that studying human anatomy was banned by the Church.  Michelangelo had to sneak into morgues to study dead bodies.  What one does for their passion!   Davids hands are huge.  There is speculation as to whether David is contemplating his attack on Goliath or he has just finished his attack.  Any ideas?

Il Duomo di Firenza
The Cathedral in Florence is called Il Duomo di Firenza.  It is huge!  Construction began in 1296, and was completed in 1436 - no small undertaking.

The details on the outside are amazing.  It is all Italian marble and hand carved.  Do you see me standing in front of the door?  There is just no way to be able to appreciate how huge this building is without standing there.

Gnocchi

Florence Cuisine
Did I mention food?  OMG...there is a restaurant that
Christine found when she lived there that made the most amazing gnocchi dish, so we had to find it and enjoy this dish.  It was the best, creamiest and tastiest gnocchi I have ever had.

Chocolate Dessert

Did I say 'Dessert'?  This chocolate molten dessert was soooo good.

Ponte Vecchio from the outside

That Shiny Stuff
There is a magical place in Florence:  Ponte Vecchio.  What is so special about Ponte Vecchio?  Gold.  Yes, gold.  Ponte Vecchio is a bridge over the Arno River.  When you walk across this 'bridge' you don't realize you are over water as both sides of the bridge are lined with stores that sell only one thing-jewelry-gold jewelry that is.

All that Glitters here IS Gold!

On the left is the bridge!  See all the windows lit?  Those are gold shops.  And yes, there are three stories.  Above the stores (remember this is an ancient bridge) was originally a private walkway for the Medici Family who ruled Florence beginning in 1296.  There were private walkways all over Florence for the Medici Family as they weren't liked very much and people wanted to 'take them out!'  Now they are offices.

Ponte Vecchio at Night

Superstitions In Italy?

There is a story in Florence.  It goes like this:  if you rub the nose of the statue of the boar at the leather market you will return to Florence.  Well, I'm up for whatever it takes to help me return to this amazing city!!

There are so many more pictures I could share.  They are all amazing.  We took a high speed train to Bologna for a day-trip.  Did you know that the University of Bologna is the oldest the world?  We never stop learning things.  Well at the University of Bologna they performed the first 'approved' human dissections.   It was thought to be against the will of God to perform human dissections b/c people had souls and they would leak out so, a priest watched from a balcony window to make sure nothing 'weird' happened (?)  The first human dissections were on criminals and actors b/c it was believed they didn't have a soul!!!!!  Yep, criminals and actors.  Did you know that Shakespeare is not buried in a church cemetery because it was believed he didn't have a soul!!!  Now we worship actors!!  The world has certainly 'come around'!

Makes me wonder: what strongly held beliefs, that don't look like beliefs-they look like appropriate customs do we partake in today that future generations will giggle or out right laugh at?

Ok, my friends. gotta go!  Now remember the question: what does one do with a Christmas Tree when you are ready to dispose of it and you live on the 9th floor of an apartment building???

Bis folgendes Mal!

Marybeth

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