A Complete Change of Venue and . . .

Well, as I mentioned in the last post, Thursday saw a complete change of venue for me.  I traded the big city of Milano for the village of Feldmeilen, only a 15 minute train ride from Zürich.  The journey from Milano Centrale to the Zürich Hauptbahnhof took four hours and the route retraced some of the places I'd seen over the last couple of weeks as the train went through Como, along Lake Lugano and then stopped at the city of the same name before heading north through Bellinzona (we had accidentally gone there when we were heading for Cannero Riviera).  Next, we went through the San Gotthard tunnel - not the one used by cars, obviously - before heading further north and east along Vierwaldstattersee (Four Canton Lake, the one Luzern is on) stopping at Zug before reaching Zürich.  Along the way, I tried to capture some of the spectacular scenery as we travelled through the Alpine countryside but it was a bit difficult to do from the fast-moving train and the less than pristine windows.  Hopefully, some of the photos will give you an idea of the journey.

Solders on the train platform in the Milano Centrale Station



Lago Lugano from the train

Looking over Bellinzona

On the north side of San Gottard tunnel

Somewhere along Vierwaldstattersee

The trip itself was relatively uneventful.  I bought my ticket in advance (a good thing to do if you can "lock in" a date and time as you save a ton of money).  My First Class ticket cost about 43CHF back in March;  when I checked the price for the same ticket on Wednesday, it was 135CHF!  The open compartment I was in didn't have a lot of seats and only three of them were occupied when we started out.  Three young Middle Eastern guys who spoke only Arabic although I think they understood English were in them.  They offered me a cookie so my impression of them being potential terrorists (how is that for being paranoid!!!) was erased.  The only strange thing that happened was when we were in Lugano, a very large woman dressed in an Santa suit (hat, pants and jacket) came on the train muttering and shouting.  Bear in mind that it was 28' so her outfit was both seasonally and weatherise inappropriate.  It was pretty obvious she had "mental issues".  She sat down in the row behind us and continued to rant and mutter.  I thought to myself at least when the conductor comes along he will sort her out and move her along to her proper seat.  Well, stupid me!  He came along, checked her ticket and I guess she was in First Class along with the rest of us because she stayed there.  I felt a bit sorry for her as she clearly had problems.  Other than that, nothing happened on the journey.

I arrived in Zürich on time - we are no longer in Italy where schedules seemed to be more like guidelines or suggestions - and within 10 minutes had transferred to the regional train for the short ride to Herrliberg/Feldmeilen.  It was great to see Kathrin again and settle into her and Roger's home.  After all the traveling the last four weeks, being with a family doing "normal" things was a nice change - not that I didn't love every minute of the other.  We sat outside for dinner sipping a lovely Valpolicella wine; I guess I haven't left Italy completely behind!

Roger and Kathrin's Townhouse

Friday evening, I met some other friends, Andrea and Oliver Axnick (a Swiss gal and her German husband) for dinner.  He curled for the German national curling team at several Olympic Games, including in Torino and Vancouver where I was lucky enough to be able to cheer for them in both places.  Andrea's brother, Ralph Stockli, skipped CH to the bronze medal in Vancouver.  So, in a way, I have switched from the arts (and the Oscar winner I coincidentally met in Lago Como) to sports celebrities (at least in some circles).  It was great to see Oli and Andrea again.  I have only seen them once or twice since I went to their wedding 11 years ago.  We went to an Italian restaurant nearby.  I didn't have the heart to tell them Italian food was the very last thing I wanted!  The restaurant was on Lake Zürich and, while we were having dinner, we could hear thunder and see lightning.  As we left the restaurant, we could see the storm quickly moving across the lake toward us.  We almost, but not quite, made it back to Roger and Kathrin's before it hit in full force.  We got totally soaked as we ran to their entrance but at least we missed the hail that came shortly afterward!

Evidence of the storm - above the rain and below the hail. 

We spent the rest of the evening inside with all the kids having a great time together.  Both couples have a boy and a girl and the boys and the girls are around the same age so they all played happily together while the adults had a great visit.  It worked out so much better than spending a lot of time in the restaurant.  All in all, in spite of being soaked in the storm, it was a great evening.

Oli (left) and Roger (right)



Ciao, Italia; Next Up: Switzerland

Well, it is hard to believe that my nearly four weeks in Italy are coming to an end.  This morning, before Nawal left, we took the metro to another part of Milano, a neighbourhood we hadn't explored yet but had heard about.  The Brera area turned out to be charming - which makes me think I might need to give this city another chance to discover some of its magic (assuming there is some).  The following are some photos of the Brera neighbourhood, including the jewellery store and my morning "lampone e mangue" (raspberry and mango) sorbet cornetto (very yummy and scooped to look like a flower).

The Brera neighbourhood is filled with little pedestrian streets, unique and independent shops, and pretty little restaurants, bars and gelaterias.  We went there because of an ad in Where magazine Nawal saw for a jewellery designer.  As I say, it is too bad we didn't discover this area earlier as it would have been a great place have dinner (most of the restaurants around the train station leave a lot to be desired - although we found one good one where I am going back to this evening).  Aside from the shopping Nawal did there, we did stop for a gelato, as it was her last chance before she headed to the airport midday for her flight to Amsterdam. 

Ciao, Nawal.  It was a wonderful time and a lot of fun!

This weekend, I think I have mentioned, the UEFA Cup final is being held here so tomorrow is probably a good time to leave.  Andrea Bocelli is teaming up on stage here this evening with Javier Zanetti (don't know who he is) for a charity event featuring a line-up of big names in the world of music and football.  Next, I will take a train to Zürich and start the next part of my trip - this will involve less sightseeing, shopping and probably less blogging and will focus more on spending time with good friends.  I am sure, however, there will still be some stories to write about! 

We spotted this sign at the cashier in a small alimentari (grocery store) back in Lago di Garda and I thought it was an appropriate way to end the Italy part of the blog.  In hindsight, I now wish I had taken photos of the menus we saw that had "interesting" spellings for food items or strange translations.  Ciao, Italia!

   

Milano and a Bit of Culture

We have now spent 2 days in this city and I am trying to figure out why it isn't captivating me.  I've come to the conclusion that it might be because there are no iconic sights here like in London, Paris, Berlin and Rome.  Aside from the Duomo and La Scala, I haven't recognized a single famous building - now maybe that is just me.  What we have recognized are the famous and no so famous names of fashion:  Prada, Versace, Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana, Giorgio Armani, Jimmy Choo, Chanel, Dior and on and on it goes.  Sunday, we walked down a pedestrian street where they all were - closed but there.  Yesterday in the rain and occasional hail, we did two of the three Hop On/Hop Off bus tours.  Even with good weather, I doubt I would have taken many photos.  Here are some I've taken as we've walked and bus-toured around the city:
 

The famous Duomo

Statue of Garibaldi - every northern Italian town, city or village seems to have one

Milan Headquarters for Michael Kors

 

Inside the Galleria

A "not so anonymous" but ardent shopper!

After doing some shopping this morning along the Via Buenos Aires, we decided to take a tour of La Scala which included the theater itself and the museum.  When we visited the boxes, we were lucky enough to see a rehearsal underway.  I think it was of Der Rosenkavalier.  It seemed strange to see everyone singing opera in jeans and running shoes.  The museum contained an interesting collection of pianos (or similar instruments) as well as lots of portraits.  Not being student of classical music, I am afraid much of it was a bit lost on me but I did recognize the portraits of Maria Callas and Rudolf Nureyev.  After our tour, the heat (what a change from yesterday!) had pretty much done us in so we took the metro back to our hotel.

Lunch at il Salotto di Milano in Galleria Victoria Emanuele II

Even dogs get served drinks in restaurants here!

La Scala

Inside the Theatre Reception Area

This and the following are photos of some of the musical instruments in the museum

Portrait of Maria Callas

Portrait of Rudolf Nureyev

A few observations of Milan:  I would estimate that more than 50% of the Italians here smoke.  It is really astounding and such a change from back home and even in other parts of Europe.  Also, there is currently a huge police presence.  I'm not sure if it is because the UEFA Cup final is being held here on Saturday or if there is something else going on but I can tell you they are everywhere - on the streets, at the subway entrances and on the platforms, and wandering through the galleria and arcades.  At least one feels safe with them around.  Lastly, I have seen more "beautiful" people in this city than anywhere, including the Cote d'Azur.  Both young and old are dressed "to the nines" (whatever that means) and I never knew how skinny really skinny jeans could be - both on men and women!  The tourists are pretty easy to spot, especially North Americans, schlepping around in capris and trainers.  It has been in interesting visit and I am glad I saw a bit of this city but, as I said earlier, I am still waiting for this city to captivate me.  The question is whether or not I will give it another chance.  We did eat at a lovely restaurant last evening and I am going to go back there tomorrow on my own for my last evening here.  Nawal heads home via Amsterdam tomorrow midday.  Next up for me:  Switzerland and visits with my friends there.



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!   

Lugano

For our last day in the lake region, we decided to visit Lugano in Switzerland.  As we had gotten lost there several times in the car, in spite of having GPS, we decided it would be a whole lot easier to take the bus which only cost 3.10 Euros.  In 20 minutes, we were walking along the lakeshore which has a lovely promenade lined with plane trees and palms.  We walked around the old town which has transformed from the last time I was here about 20 years ago  It now contains high-end shops like Versace, Prada, Louis Vuitton, etc.  I have to confess that I did buy a few things - but in the Coop department store (a cosmetic bag and some "readers").  At least I can say I purchased some stuff on Via Nasso (just not in those designer shops)!  After stopping for a light lunch at a champagne bar on the lake called Luce, we took the ferry back as it was such a fabulous day.  We stopped briefly in Gandria before returning to our hotel around 3:30.  The weather was sunny and warm which made the scenic ferry ride even better.  Now, we have to think about packing up and moving on to Milan tomorrow.

Walking toward the old town in Lugano

Paddleboarder with San Salvatore in the background

The lakeside village of Gandria

Our hotel conveniently next to the little ferry terminal

 

The Last of the Lakes

Well, wouldn't you know it, for our last day in Cannero Riviera we woke up to absolutely perfect weather!  We had our breakfast sitting outside on the terrace for the first time.  However, as our next destination, Lago Lugano, is not far away, it was a pretty safe bet the weather would be good there was well. 


Some of the table across from the hotel's terrace

We checked out - and checked out the Ferrari parked near our car in the garage - and then headed south on the west side of the lake to Intra where we caught the car ferry to Lavenno on the east side.  We drove north through Luino and then turned our backs on Lake Maggiore and headed for Ponte Tresa on Lake Lugano crossing back into Switzerland on the way.  Once again, we got lost in Lugano ("Mindy" got us sorted out) and eventually got on the road toward Gandria along the lake and back into Italy where we had booked a hotel, the Stella d'Italia in San Mamete in Valsolda. 

The Ferrari (German plates) parked by our little Fiat

 

View of Lake Maggiore just south of Luino

Looking down on Lugano (lake and city)

View of Lago Lugano from the road above Gandria (CH)

Back in Italy, one of the views from our hotel balconies in San Memete, Valsolda

If we thought Cannero Riviera was small, then this place is miniscule.  As we were checking in, Nawal asked the man on the front desk which way the centre of town was.  He told her she was standing in it!  That being said, the views from our balconies are beautiful and, as a venue for our last stop in the Italian lakes, it is perfect.  There just aren't any shops!  Our plan for tomorrow is to take the bus into Lugano and maybe take the ferry back.  Then, Sunday we drop the car in Como and take the train to Milan - AND the shops there!!  I can imagine Nawal smiling already.

 

The Borromean Islands of Lago Maggiore

This from the "Italia" Website about the Borromean Islands:

The Borromean Islands are jaw-dropping beautiful.  Loved by Ernest Hemingway and, in more recent times, by the English Royals, this Archipelago is made up of the monumental Isola Bella, with its 17th-Century Palazzo Borromeo, surrounded by beautiful gardens, the picturesque Isola dei Pescatori (Fishermen’s Island), Isola Madre, noted for its botanical garden, rich in rare plants, the little Island of San Giovanni that faces Pallanza, and the Rock of Marghera.  Lake Maggiore was a favorite resort locality for the noble families of Lombardy (e.g. the Borromeos and the Viscontis) that also constructed sumptuous villas here, beginning in the 1700s.

The Borromeos, a prestigious family of Florentine origins, became the Islands’ owners in the 14th Century when they began to transform them by building residences with elaborate gardens.
Still today Isola Bella and Isola Madre remain in the family’s possession, as do the two rocks, or little islands, of Castelli di Cannero, that bear the ruins of two Medieval fortifications.

Isola Madre and Isola Bella, also known as the “sisters,” are highly-frequented by tourists seeking out the splended palazzos and their gardens, famous throughout the world for their landscaping and for the attention to detail, care, and variety of the plant “architecture,” which is composed of over 2,000 different species.  On Isola Bella - from the name of the wife of Carlo III Borromeo, Isabella d'Adda - visitors delight in seeing Palazzo Borromeo with its halls and rooms on the piano nobile, coi saloni e le camere del piano nobile, realized from the 17th to the 19th Centuries, and with the lower portion of the house, boasting stone- and shell-covered grottoes.  Not to be left out is the garden featuring multi-colored flowers year-round, as well as a multitude of exotic plants. The salons, music and arms rooms, the gardens with their ten superimposed terraces were inhabited by both Napoleon Bonaparte (1797), to whom a room is dedicated, and Mussolini who made the residence the seat of representation during a 1935 international conference.

Knowing a little about these islands from previous visits, yesterday, in spite of the cool and cloudy weather (still!), I set off to visit the three main islands on this lake.  What was great was there was a very convenient boat schedule which enabled me to spend time on each of them with a late afternoon return to Cannero.  Nawal was having none of that because of the weather and decided to stay put!  Anyway, the fast ferry (a hydrofoil) left at 9:50 and about 1/2 hour later I was deposited on the first island, Isola Madre.  The main, and perhaps only reason, for visiting it is to tour one of the Borromeo family's villas.  The villa is very pretty but, unfortunately, I have no photos of the interiors to prove it because photography was not permitted inside.  The gardens as well are stunning and contain many rare plants including a Himalayan cypress which was damaged in a recent storm and is being restored. 

View from a loggia at the villa

The restoration of the ancient Himalayan cypress tree



View of the villa from the ferry

 

The Palazzo wall near the ferry dock

After leaving Isola Madre, I went to Isola dei Pescatori where I wandered around a bit and had lunch.  There are no dogs allowed on this island - not sure why - but that clearly delights the many cats wandering around, I'm sure!  The island has lots of little alleyways filled mostly with pizzerias and plenty of tourist shops and restaurants line the lakefront. 

At the ferry dock on "Fishermen's Island"

One of the alleyways

View of the villa at Isola Bella from Isola dei Pescatori

View of Isola dei Pescatori from the ferry

Next stop after my tasty and inexpensive lunch (a quattro of vino bianco and tortellini with ham in a cream sauce for about 10 Euros), I caught the ferry to Isola Bella, the one island I had visited before.  Once again, photography inside the villa wasn't permitted - although that didn't seem to stop the German woman near me from taking all sorts of photos, even when she was told not to!.  The rooms here are stunning and I am sure can be viewed somewhere on the Internet.  Especially impressive are the entrance room, the ballroom and the grottoes.  The gardens are spectacular and, like last time, the weather was not particularly cooperative.  However, hopefully some of the following photos will give some idea of the gardens.  At least the white peacocks, famous for roaming the gardens, were cooperating and had their tails fanned out.

The White Peacock

After visiting the villa, I had a couple of hours to spare before the ferry was scheduled to take me back to Cannero so, I did what has become a bit of a "habit", I went to a bar on the lakeside and had an Aperol Spritz.  Back in Cannero about 1 1/2 hours later, Nawal and I met up.  She had had a good day wandering up and down the hills of this town and was pleased with the extra exercise.  The restaurant we chose for dinner, Il Cortile, had been recommended by some Swiss friends and rated on Trip Advisor as the #1 restaurant in Cannero.  It did not disappoint and we had a great time.  The Spanish (and probably gay) waiter was so much fun, the food was great and we had a complimentary shot of chocolate-caramel grappa to finish our visit there.  What a great way to finish up our time on Lago Maggiore.

Nawal's impressive "chocolate cube" dessert