Les Trois Defis - and more!

When we left San Mamete Sunday morning after getting our last lake "fix" by having breakfast at a table right beside the lake, I suspected we would have three challenges ("defis") ahead of us this day.  I really try not to be much of a worrier - my mother was a champion at that and it was mostly not pretty - but I was a bit concerned about a few things that had to be accomplished between there and Milan. 

The moon over Lake Lugano from my balcony Saturday evening

The breakfast terrace at Stella d'Italia

The first challenge of the day was getting the car backed out of the garage onto the main road running through the village.  Thankfully, there was nothing coming in either direction - you had to figure this out more by listening than actually seeing the oncoming traffic given the bends in the road.  Thankfully, the road was quiet (perhaps everyone was still at church) so the first challenge went fine.  We got on the road toward Mennagio and then to Como without a problem.  For some reason “Mindy” didn’t seem to have a clue where we were (seemed to think we were on an autostrada and kept telling us to take an exit, enter a roundabout and turn left.  That would have put us in the lake!  Very strange but, thankfully, we knew how to get to Como.  The road along the lake was busy – cyclists, motorcycles, campers, etc. (often oncoming in the middle of the road) but it was still scenic and a lot easier to drive than in the dreadful weather conditions when we first arrived there. 

Getting gas was our next challenge – and it proved to be quite an experience.  First off, the gas station was closed and the pumps were automatic so you had to enter a credit card, get it authorized, enter the pump number, and then quickly start to pump the gas.  However, little did we know there was a trick to putting the nozzle into our diesel gas tank.  You had to turn it 45’ in one direction, put it in, then twist it back.  It took me a couple of tries to cotton on that and to get that done before the credit card transaction timed out.  Nawal also tried but that complicated it further because she was the one authorizing the card so lost precious seconds getting from the machine to the pump.  Finally, someone working at the station (even though it was closed) come out to help us much to the happiness of the other cars and motorcycles watching and waiting for us to be finished.  By the time we were finished both Nawal and I smelled like gas jockeys and, of course, because the station was closed, there nowhere to wash our hands.  Eau de Benzin permeated the car.  Anyway the second challenge finally behind us. 



My "evidence" of the car being dropped off.

On to the third, and the one I was most concerned about:   where and how to drop the car.  When we rented the car in Verona, we had been told the office at the train station was closed on Sundays.  However, we were instructed to just leave the car in the parking lot at the train station and drop off the keys.  I stupidly didn't ask for more details.  Besides, they gave me a phone number to call if there were any problems.  I also assumed there would be some sort of signage indicating where Hertz cars should be left and an office where the keys should be pushed through the mail slot.  Okay, that sounds logical, right?  Well, at the Como train station there is absolutely no signage for rental car return at all.  The word "Hertz" is nonexistent at the station.  There are plenty of places to park cars but they are metered.  Of course, when I called that "emergency number, there was only a recording saying the office was closed and to leave a message.  We did manage to find a nearby parking lot where I asked the attendant in my "close to non-existent" Italian where a Hertz rental car should be left.  He pointed to a spot near the cashier kiosk, moved a car to make a space for it and told me to park it there.  So, that is where I left it – but not before taking several photos to prove it.  Then the question became where to leave the key.  There was certainly no Hertz rental office inside the station and the people at the Tourist Information office didn't have a clue.  There was a kiosk for another car rental company so I just shoved the keys through the mail slot in that door and hoped it would somehow all work out.  So, the three challenges we faced were done. 

We got our train tickets to Como treating ourselves to first class tickets.  Now, that sounds like something significant, right?  Well, the difference between a second and first class ticket was only €3 so it seemed a no-brainer!  The train, unlike the station which was grotty and dirty, was clean and quiet.  About 45 minutes later we arrived in Milano Centrale, the main station in Milan.  I knew the hotel wasn’t far but, as we had luggage, we took a taxi.  The driver said we were very close but we said we didn’t care.  So, he basically just drove us around the block to our hotel in less than 5 minutes – and it would have been even quicker except for the one way street in front of the hotel!  We did give him a generous tip!  After that, things went pretty smoothly - at least until this morning.

FSS Centrale - Milan's main train station

As an aside, I did call that "emergency" number Monday morning to confirm that the car had been found.  I had a strange conversation with the woman who answered the phone - mostly because I had difficulty understanding her accent when she spoke English.  She did finally ask me if the car was a white Fiat and I said yes.  She said "you cooooda leeva the keeeysa ina the-a Hertza boxa".  I said I couldn't find one.  Then I asked "is everything okay?"  She relied "Si, si.  Everyathinga isa okay".  And so far, none of the many police officers we have seen patrolling Milano have tried to arrest me for car theft so I think it is sorted, as the Brits would say.  Whew! 

Now, I know that I am probably not getting much sympathy when I whine about the weather.  However, this morning was truly dreadful.  We decided to take a “Hop on/Hop off” bus tour which we could pick up at the Centrale station, which we already knew was within a very short walking distance of our hotel!  We bought our tickets (€25) and headed for the bus stop.  However, we were caught in a really serious thunder and lightning storm with bucketing rain and even hail.  We both got soaked even though we had umbrellas.  Imagine Nawal crouching under her umbrella-ella-ella to try to prevent the rain soaking her jeans.  I would have take a photo but a) she would probably have killed me; and, b) the rain would have killed my camera!  It was amazing how much rain accumulated in such a short time.  You had to stand back from the edge of the sidewalk or get completely drenched by the passing cars hitting the standing water.

In the next blog, I will write more about Milan but I can tell you, we were very glad to get yesterday and this morning over with.  The rest of the day had intermittent showers but, thankfully, due to the arcaded shops, that didn't hold us back!