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Bon Giorno ItalyMay 27, 2009
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| Up early this morning so we could make the 7am cable car down to Lauterbrunnen, for the start of our train ride to Italy. Lucky for us, the ticket office isn't open that early so for the 2nd time, we scored a free cable car ride! We started chatting with an American, Eric, who was also on his way to Como, which was where we got off the train and onto the boat for Bellagio, so we ended up travelling most of the way with him. He was very friendly – backpacking around for 3 weeks – 2 in Switzerland and 1 in Italy. He made us look like we really overpacked, as he had managed to cram all his stuff into a bag about the size of our day-packs! He says he has to wash every couple of days – we can probably go a week without having to wash. Speaking of backpacks, we seem to be getting the hang of ours – they've found their happy place on our backs, or our hips really, as that is where most of the weight sits and makes them quite manageable. Back to our train ride... As usual, “the Swiss don't miss” and every time we had a change of train/bus/cable car we'd stroll over to the next platform and sure enough, just like clockwork, our next train would turn up. The Swiss have got their public transport down-pat – it is just fantastic. I was a little sad to leave Switzerland. Everybody speaks English and is very friendly and helpful. We never once locked the door to our B&B or our day-packs and felt safe for our entire stay. This is in complete contrast to Paris, where I always felt a slight unease about things. The train ride to Bellagio was gorgeous – through and around the Alps and some of the most breathtaking scenery you'll ever see. Bluer than blue lakes, greener than green mountains, picture post-card chalets and even more waterfalls! A local Swiss girl came and sat with us and chatted – she was interested in what we thought of her country. Seems we Aussies are well thought of here in Europe – the guys who serves food on the train asked if we were British – when we said Australians he gave us the thumbs up and a big smile! We got off the train in Como to find no maps or tourist information office, so we got a taxi down to the ferry and hopped on our 2-hour ride to Bellagio. What a gorgeous boat ride. There are far more little towns sitting on Lake Como than we thought there would be but it doesn't detract from the overall attractiveness of the area. We dumped our bags in our hotel room (which is very nice – view of the lake and the mountains) and set about finding a laundromat, which we found, because it is where I'm doing this entry from! Bellagio is, in one word, beautiful. I had big expectations, because it is purported to be Europe's most beautiful town and we have not been disappointed. Bellagio sits at the foot of the Alps on pristine Lake Como – what more could you ask for! (George Clooney's phone number maybe). As Bellagio is on the side of a hill, we have been walking up stairs and around narrow, cobble-stoned streets that are filled with the mouth watering aroma of good Italian food and also of flowers. I have no idea where we will have dinner – everything smells good and best of all, all the restaurants actually seem to have reasonably priced food! It is a nice change from the expense of Paris and Switzerland. Well, the tumble dryer is finished... Ciao for now! |
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