Lago Di Como

We arrived in Como by train. Italian train stations can be weird. Maybe they are weird here in the States too, but since I don't use the train maybe I'm unaware of the process. We exited the train in Como, looking for a bus to take us to Bellagio. Finally, I asked someone for help on how to find this specific bus and he told me to go talk to the lady who was selling croissants and coffee. After I explained to her where I was trying to go, she gave us 2 bus tickets to Bellagio and told us to wait on the steps outside. A little while later, we boarded the bus with our suit cases in tow and were in for the ride of our lives!

First of all, we should have noticed that this bus had some serious looking seat belts at each seat. I think they are only for the novice, because during our death defying ride to Bellagio, the only people who almost fell out of their seats were myself and Eric. The bus took us around some extremely windy roads on the side of cliffs. The views were absolutely spectacular, as we were riding along the edge of Lake Como with gorgeous Italian villas lining the shore. That said, the roads were so extremely narrow that the buildings and houses had some sort of protectors on the corners of them, so that when the bus scrapes the sides of them, but building doesn't crack!

When we got off of the bus in Bellagio it reminded me of Dorthy stepping out of her fallen house into Munchkin Land. I think it was the vibrant color and perfectly shaped hedges that reminded me of this. There were these BEAUTIFUL Italian buildings of all colors set beside the mountains around Lago di Como.



Gorgeous awnings were shading lounging patrons as they drank their refreshing drinks at cafes alongside the lake. You could hear the small waves crashing on shore and it smelled like a freshwater lake - which reminded me very much of my summers in Skaneateles when I was young. We made our way to our little hotel - Hotel Centrale. Here is Eric dragging our bags up to the front door:



We were greeted by the very friendly owners and shown to our room. That night, we went out to a lovely dinner of fresh pasta e fagioli, lambrusco and veal.

The next day, we decided to take a trip on the ferry across the lake to Cadenabbia. We didn't have a plan once we got there, so we just began walking. A man who was sweeping the sidewalk of a hotel asked us where we were headed. We told him that we weren't sure, so he told us to follow the road up the hill and we could have a picnic at the church on the side of the mountain. We still didn't know what church he was talking about, so we grabbed a proscuitto baquette, some water and headed up the hill.

Here is a photo of Cadenabbia. Click on the image to make it larger and you can see the church we were about to walk to (circled to the right of the photo) up on the hill:



Along the way we passed a few small towns. These towns had no more than about 10 houses each, but they were all clumped together. The houses looked like they were built centuries ago and the narrow alley ways left a feeling that you were in someone's backyard.

Can you see the church in the distance in the photo below? Click on the photo and look for the tiny white dot on the side of the rocky mountain above the yellow house:



The walk up to the church was incredible. Just on the other side of the mountain is Switzerland and I actually felt like I was more in Switzerland than Italy. You could hear the dinging of cowbells in the pastures as they grazed on the grass. As we walked up higher, I kept hearing a Cuckoo clock. Eric had to convince me that it was an actually bird, not a clock that was making that noise! Who would have known!?

When we finally reached the top, it made the entire hike worth it. We were the only people at the church on the side of this granite cliff overlooking all of Lake Como and Bellagio. We took a few photos and sat down on the bench to enjoy the view and our lunch.






Later that evening we decided to reward ourselves from the hike with a few glasses of Italian wine. We found a little enoteca, which was actually a cave built into the rock and used in the 18th century as a wine cellar! The wines were kept at a perfect, constant temperature.



Taking a ferry into the little town of Varenna:



View of some homes from our little table on the water:



Shopping for a few Italian handbags:



We decided to stay in Lake Como one additional night because we were so relaxed and enjoyed it so much. We found the most perfect bed and breakfast type place - but it was even better than we could have expected. We ordered lunch at a restaurant one afternoon and the lady who cooked our meal and served us mentioned that she also had a room available. We decided that since her hand made pizza was so incredible, we couldn't turn down her offer for a place to stay for the evening. The next morning we met her out front of the restaurant with our luggage and she brought us up 5 flight of stairs (no elevator!) and unlocked a door on the top floor. We weren't expecting anything nice, but the room was so cute!

It was perfectly outfitted with colors that complemented Bellagio with two large windows with green shutters that opened up with street, lake and mountains views.



To make it even better, the food from her restaurant was cooking below and we could smell the sauces that they were preparing for that evening. We mentioned that we had to take the ferry to the train station the next morning, so she said to come downstairs at 8am for breakfast. This is what she served us!

Baked croissants FRESH from the oven with warm jam and hot nutella inside!



She also served us fresh bacon and eggs that were the best I've ever tasted. No preservatives, no additives, completely fresh and tasty.


This was the best breakfast we had our entire time in Italy and what made it even more special is that she served us downstairs with the rest of her family. You can't buy an experience like that!

Eric thinks espressos in Italia are better than anywhere else:



A short clip of our ride from Como to Bellagio!

Planes, Trains, Pizza & Pasta

For the past 5 years, there has been one country that I've REALLY wanted to take the time to go back to explore. Each city is so different and offers something special whether it be the cuisine, the people, the wine, the views, the ancient buildings - Italy has it all. This wasn't a trip for work - just purely pleasure. Eric and I had been planning this trip for over a year. Coincidentally, as we were planning our trip, our friends who live in London announced to us that they would be getting married in Tuscany. It was perfect!

We began our trip in Rome. Eric had never seen the ancient city before and we were in for a treat! We stayed at the Rome Cavilieri, which is up on top of a hill behind Vatican City. We arrived around 9am, but our room wasn't quite ready. They brought us to the "Imperial Club" executive lounge, which offered a tasty complimentary breakfast in a luxurious large room on the 7th floor. After filling our plates with fresh, hot pastries, fresh fruit and of course proscuitto, we were shown to a table on the balcony overlooking the entire city of Rome!



It was quite the way to be introduced to the city which so much history. From our breakfast table, we sipped our cappuccinos and scanned the city to find St. Peter's Basilica, The Colosseum, The Forum, Tiber River and all of the piazzas. As we finished up our breakfast, a lady came out and handed us our room key. She smiled as she said we would be upgraded to the top floor of the hotel with a city view! This photo was taken on our balcony with the entire city behind me!



Another gorgeous view from our room of Roma during the day:



And at night with a full moon:



Since we were a bit jet lagged, we decided it might be a great day to relax next to the gorgeous pool and soak in some of the Mediterranean sunshine.





Later that evening, my cousin Fabrizio and his girlfriend Florentina took us out to a very special restaurant with typical (and of course tasty) Italian cuisine. At the Restaurante St. Michelle, we had the most amazing seafood pasta and carbonara we've ever tasted.



We found that everyone in Italy has a special way of making their favorite dishes, and each chef liked to explain what made their (pastas, soup, desserts the best). After dinner, Eric tried Italian gelato for the first time and if any indication by the smile on his face, an experience he will obviously remember for years to come.





We walked around a charming part of Rome called Trastevere. We strolled around cobblestone lanes, next to ancient stone buildings where Italians were out drinking wine and eating at beautiful restaurants.



The next few days were spent waking up early and exploring the city. The highlights were of course:

The Ancient Colosseum:





The Roman Forum:



Vatican City & The Sistine Chapel:







Inside the Pantheon where Raphael is buried:



The fountain in front of St. Peter's where my grandmother used to play as a little girl:



On the fourth day, we left Rome on a train to Tuscany for Matt and Molly's wedding. When we arrived in Chianti, I thought I was in the middle of a fairy tale. We checked into the reception for the 800 year old castle in the middle of Italian wine country, and were escorted to our room. There were only 4 rooms in the castle and we were lucky to have one of them. Our room overlooked the garden and the beautiful rolling hills and Italian cypress trees in the distance. There was no cell phone service, no TV, no central heating or air conditioning, or even a courtesy phone in the room for a wake up call. This little castle was our whole world for three whole days and I was ecstatic!





I couldn't believe how gorgeous the castle grounds were. We spent that afternoon catching up with friends and sharing stories with family of the bride and groom. That evening, we sat down to a phenonenal Italian dinner which included homemade spinach and cheese ravioli, assorted cheese platters, the best chianti and homemade biscotti and dessert wine made only a few minutes from where we were staying.

The next day we enjoyed the pool on the castle grounds and prepared for the wedding.



Around 4pm, the bride and groom were married inside the castle in a lovely ceremony. Here Mrs. Morgan making her way down to the garden from inside the castle (Look at those Italian made shoes!):




The lovely couple:



First dance:


I couldn't leave out a photo of the food at the reception! FRESH PASTA!



Eric & I with a view of the Tuscan hills behind us:



Almost like your stepping back in time:



The experience of going to Rome and Tuscany was a bit overwhelming. There was so much to see - so much history, beauty, and culture that you couldn't help but be at a loss for words sometimes. To add to that, being able to be present for the marriage of two very special people in the midst of it all was what made it the most memorable. With all of our travels we get to see so much, but it was different getting the chance to actually spend some time enjoying everything, slowly for a change.

And just when we thought we had seen THE BEST of what Italy has to offer, we were in for another big surprise as we headed about 340km north to Lago di Como...

Paris: Part Deux

Last time I was in Paris, I refused to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower. I decided that if I was going to go to the top, I'd rather share it with someone special. A few weeks ago, Eric and I finally got that opportunity.

In November, Paris is chilly, making you want to wrap up in your warm scarves, boots and wool coat. The lights strung for the holiday season added to the beauty in the City of Lights - if it's even possible. Paris in the springtime is completely different. Everything in the city was coming alive. Flowers were blossoming, trees had already gotten their leaves back after the long winter, and the Parisians out enjoying every moment of the Saturday sunshine.

Our first stop was to grab a bite to eat. We sat down at a cute cafe across the street from Notre Dame. Eric ordered some sort of sandwich topped with a ton of cheese and a couple of espressos. The sandwich was delicious and the espresso is just what we needed to push through our jet lag.



After lunch, we walked across the bridge on the Seine River, towards the old cathedral. The river was gorgeous with boats floating down and spring blossoms dripping over the edges full of color.



The view of the detailed cathedral was enhanced by the spring flowers. It was like a photo out of a tourist book of Paris.

We walked into the gardens and enjoyed the beautiful pink flowering trees and fresh tulips surrounding the church. It was Easter weekend, so the locals and tourists were out in full force. We wanted to go to the top of Notre Dame again, but we decided that the line was too long. It was such a nice day that we decided to walk to the 2.5 miles to the Eiffel Tower.



Once we got there, we saw the longest line to get to the top. We figured we had come this far we might as well wait. 3 hours later we boarded the first elevator in the tower.




The view from the top was incredible. It's hard to imagine just how tall the structure is until you are at the top. It completely towers over the entire city. The tall black building in the background is hotel we stayed in last time in Paris - the Concorde Lafayette.



After our LONG adventure getting to the top of the Eiffel tower - we decided that it was time to grab some dinner. We were just in time to duck into a small cafe as it started to sprinkle. The cafe was just as you would imagine a cafe in Paris to look like. Quaint, cozy and someplace that would be very hard to pass up even if you weren't hungry.



The items on the menu included all of my favorites: wine, cheese, creme brulee. What else do you really need? The wine was very special not only because it was good, but because we shared it in a tiny cafe with Parisians speaking french, a great waiter and watching the rain fall outside as we sat at our cozy table enjoying every moment of it.



Our FABULOUS dessert:



And finally, a photo of the Eiffel Tower as it stood behind our cozy cafe lit up in the night sky:



Our conclusion to the short trip is to believe all of the hype. Paris really is as beautiful as the stories you have heard about. The food is even better than you could have imagined and it really is better to share it with someone special.