The last two weeks in Europe have exceeded our expectations. We have had lots of laughs along the way and for the most part, getting around has been pretty easy. Every location has been different but fabulous. Having said that, I think that last Thursday was our best day so far!
I wouldn’t have thought that was going to be the case at 6am that morning, though…We arrived in Milan on an overnight train from Paris. We were hungry because we had missed dinner the night before in our rush to get to the train. And it wasn’t the most restful night for me (I was paranoid of being robbed on the train based on friends’ horror stories from 10 years earlier and I didn’t like that the conductor collected everyone’s passports overnight with the promise of returning them in the morning). So I was pretty cranky when we arrived in Milan.
It didn’t help that when we walked outside, the first thing we saw was a bunch of men taking “showers” outside the train station in the fountain – yep, washing their faces, hair, armpits. We crossed the street to get coffee at the only café open at the time. Scott went to use the bathroom and discovered that it was nothing more than a hole – albeit tiled – in the floor. Literally. This led immediately to flashbacks of camping at Kilimanjaro. Was this for real?? How could Italy’s fashion capital have holes for toilets right outside the central train station in the city??
But the day took a major turn for the better when we left the city and arrived at Lago D’Orta in the Italian Lakes region. The area is stunning - pretty lakes surrounded by lush mountains, not to mention gorgeous Italian villas and churches perched atop steep, rocky cliffs.
Unlike most of our other days so far (which have been packed with hours of walking and sightseeing), the main item on the agenda here was to relax. And that we did!
We spent the day lounging in total solitude by the fab pool at our hotel; exploring the lakeside towns by boat (and even taking a dip in the lake because it was still scorching hot at 7:00 in the evening!); and walking through the picturesque streets of Orta. To top it off, we happened upon a terrific little restaurant called Jazz Cafe (don’t be misled by the unfortunate name) and had the creamiest ice cream ever. Truly a day for the memory books!
I wouldn’t have thought that was going to be the case at 6am that morning, though…We arrived in Milan on an overnight train from Paris. We were hungry because we had missed dinner the night before in our rush to get to the train. And it wasn’t the most restful night for me (I was paranoid of being robbed on the train based on friends’ horror stories from 10 years earlier and I didn’t like that the conductor collected everyone’s passports overnight with the promise of returning them in the morning). So I was pretty cranky when we arrived in Milan.
It didn’t help that when we walked outside, the first thing we saw was a bunch of men taking “showers” outside the train station in the fountain – yep, washing their faces, hair, armpits. We crossed the street to get coffee at the only café open at the time. Scott went to use the bathroom and discovered that it was nothing more than a hole – albeit tiled – in the floor. Literally. This led immediately to flashbacks of camping at Kilimanjaro. Was this for real?? How could Italy’s fashion capital have holes for toilets right outside the central train station in the city??
But the day took a major turn for the better when we left the city and arrived at Lago D’Orta in the Italian Lakes region. The area is stunning - pretty lakes surrounded by lush mountains, not to mention gorgeous Italian villas and churches perched atop steep, rocky cliffs.
Unlike most of our other days so far (which have been packed with hours of walking and sightseeing), the main item on the agenda here was to relax. And that we did!
We spent the day lounging in total solitude by the fab pool at our hotel; exploring the lakeside towns by boat (and even taking a dip in the lake because it was still scorching hot at 7:00 in the evening!); and walking through the picturesque streets of Orta. To top it off, we happened upon a terrific little restaurant called Jazz Cafe (don’t be misled by the unfortunate name) and had the creamiest ice cream ever. Truly a day for the memory books!
1 comment:
It sounds like you and Helen are having a great time in Europe. The photo of the Eiffel tower in Paris was really good. Keep having fun and sharing the details of the trip with us. Tahoe misses both of you! Best, BJordan
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