Memorable Daze: 3 flights, 5 trains, 4 ferries, 1 bus, 1 taxi...

... and we made it!

Buongiorno from Asolo, the breath-taking village we are so blessed to call home for the next four weeks. Before we get to our village, though, we have to back-track and fill you in on our incredible weekend!

After three long flights and a five hour layover, we made it to Milan/Malpensa airport Friday morning (Italy time, which is central time + 7 hours). We were so thankful that all of our flights were smooth, there were no delays, no screaming babies or otherwise loud passengers, and our luggage made it there! Speaking of luggage, we got everything that we need for five weeks in two travel backpacks!! Are we good or what?! Anyways, back to Milan...

From there we decided to take a train to Lake Como, which actually involved taking a train to one small station and then hopping onto a different one to get the rest of the way. When we got to Como it was rainy and chilly, and we were exhausted, cold, and hungry, not to mention we were hit hard with the realization that we knew no Italian and they knew very little English!!

We decided to recharge and grab lunch, which was also overwhelming because there were pizzerias and ristorantes galore! How to decide?! We finally got in out of the rain, got the load off our backs, and had our first authentic Italian meal - five-cheese pizza and lasanga. I know, I know, how adventurous of us, right? Well at this point we were so hungy we wanted something we knew we'd like! And boy was it good!

After lunch we hopped on a ferry from Como to Menaggio, where we'd be staying the next two nights. The ferry ride was unbelievable (this is according to Brad; I was out even though I tried so hard to stay awake!)... the towns along the lake there are so picturesque and really unlike anything we've ever seen. The pictures we have don't come close to doing it justice, it was just so amazing.

We were so happy to finally get to our hotel. It's location was absolutely perfect- it overlooked a little square that had gelaterias and cafes with lots of outdoor seating. So picturesque! Now some of you may be wondering what a gelateria is- ooooh are you missing out! It is a little shop full of different flavors of gelato, Italy's version of ice cream I guess is the best way to describe it. You all know how much Brad and I love ice cream!! One scoop on a cone is only one euro- it's pretty much the cheapest thing you can buy there! (which of course is how we justified eating so much of it!) Anyways, for now, back to our hotel- the location was perfect, but the hotel itself was pretty interesting. The check-in desk is actually in a different sister hotel, and to get to our rooms you had to walk through a little alley, use a key to unlock a wrought-iron gate that opens up to the back of a little Italian flower/decor shop, turn the corner to go up a flight of winding stairs that then led you outside this tiny square you walked around
until you reached yet another flight of winding stairs that led to the main door of our hotel's rooms (there were only 5 total!). Our room was pretty basic- everything we needed without any frills, and we shared a bathroom in the hall with another room. Once we figured out how to flush the toilet and lock our door (we had on old-fashioned skeleton key!) we were good. We were way too exhausted at the moment to get out and do anything, so we thought we'd take a short nap. haha... five hours later (8pm there) we managed to get up and see the town. We treated ourself to our first scoops of gelato for dinner and walked around for awhile. It was a wonderful ending to our long travels!!

Saturday morning we got up and searched for breakfast. We didn't want to get a big meal at a restaurant, so we found a local market and bought some fresh fruit and a carton of milk. Yum! We decided to go and check out the other little towns along the lake so we bought a day ferry pass and hopped on to Tremezzo. There we toured this beautiful mansion that was full of old artwork and sculptures and was well-known for its immaculate gardens. After the gardens we grabbed a burger, chips, and lemon slushie thing from a snack stand next door to split for a late lunch. We sat on a bench and enjoyed the sunshine and beautiful views! We then walked around the town for awhile and then caught another ferry to Bellagio, one of the most perfect little towns we've ever seen! It was full of narrow streets lined with shops that climbed the hills and weaved all around. Again, there were so many gelaterias I just had to stop for some! I think it was at this time that I decided that every travel day we'd have to have gelato!

Not being quite sure of when the last ferry left, we headed back to Menaggio for the evening. We went on another stroll of the town, and we just relaxed - Brad sat on a bench and read while I went around taking pictures. It was so neat because there were people all over doing the same thing- just relaxing. The next morning we set out for another day of travel to Asolo, but considering how long this blog is, that'll just have to wait until next time.

This calm weekend was definitely what we needed after the crazy end to our semester and our long travels! Thanks for all of your prayers for our safety and travels. We wish you were here with us now!

It was easiest for us to put all of our pics on Picasa, so if you click on the picture below it will take you to them. If that doesn't work, the link is below.