Spring Break Part 6 (Days 18,19,20)

Day 18

Leaving paradise may have been harder, had it not been for the next destination of our journey. One of the biggest things on my Bucket List from before I can remember has always been to go to Lake Como in Italy. As we hopped on the train, Eurail passes in hand, we waved goodbye to the tropical beauty of the Cinque Terre and tried to contain our excitement. Much like Red wonders if the ocean would be as blue as he always imagined in the closing moments of Shawshank Redemption, I wondered what the place would look like. Were my expectations too high? Was it even worth spending 3 days at? No and yes, respectively.

Lake Como, a magnificent body of water surrounded by the Alps, has numerous towns littered along its shores. Our home base was Varenna, a quiet town with nothing to do but enjoy the view. Lucking out again, we were treated to a room with a magnificent view of the lake. Nothing spectacular by most peoples' opinions, but to us, it was gorgeous.

Walking from the train station to the hotel to lake, my heart began to race. I was prepared for heartbreak but experienced overwhelming jubilation. It was better than in the movies. It was prettier than the post cards. It was spectacular. I wanted to freeze the image in my head. But I knew I couldn't and that video and photos would have to suffice. Disparagingly trying to duplicate intangible beauty left us frustrated and hopeless. For once, we decided we would hog the true beauty. Our families back home could be content with pictures that didn't capture the beauty and video that paled in comparison to real life. But we were there. At last.

The rest of the night was spent with our jaws on the ground and eyes to the horizon. It may have been too cold to eat outside, but we each got a delicious cheese pizza and ate it outside overlooking the lake. Our teeth chattered as we ate the pizza, but we couldn't pass up the luxurious feeling of eating on a posh terrace overlooking a picturesque scene. Totally worth it, minus the ducks nipping our feet trying to get some food. Unfortunately for them, however, the pizza was too good to share.


Day 19:

First thing in the morning, we hopped a ferry to the other side of the lake in order to go to Bellagio. A much more substantial town, Bellagio offered a full day of picnicking, gazing, and shopping. Surprisingly for two poor college kids, we didn't feel out of place in the posh streets of Bellagio. We soaked in all the sights and enjoyed our careless wandering with gelato in hand. For the first time, I tried the popular Italian gelato flavor of Pistachio. Taken aback at first, I grew to LOVE it. Who knew nut-flavored gelato could be so good? The dull green color didn't help its appeal, but the taste made it completely worth it. For dinner, we went to a pizza place and got a "Family size" pizza intended to feed 4-5. The workers laughed until we brought back the empty box. Some of the best pizza we had all trip, we couldn't help but eat like it was our final meal. Which, in a sense, it almost was. Our days in Italy were numbered and we knew that there was not much time left.

Day 20:

Sticking with our plans from the previous 5 days, we did nothing. Relaxed and enjoyed the beautiful weather. The only thing on the schedule was to try and find a TV that was playing the Manchester United vs. Bayern Munich Champions League game that night. Until then, we fed the ducks. Hoping for a cherry on the top of our wonderful Varenna stay, we went down to the bar below our hotel to watch the game in a room full of local Italians that night. Jubilation set in when we went up 3-0. Disappointment took over when the game ended 3-2 (confusingly knocking our team, Manchester, out of the competition). After the week we'd been having however, we didn't care. Soccer could cease to exist if it meant we could stay near Lake Como.

It was a surreal experience spending 3 nights in a place I have dreamed about my whole life. My mind ran on overdrive wondering if it was living up to my expectations. I was worried that something would happen; I would wake up; realize it was a dream. But it wasn't. It was really there and Steph and I weren't ready to leave. The bakery in our hotel, however, had her favorite donut the morning of our departure. Suddenly, Steph was being pulled to the train quicker than ever. Man, that girl and her baked goods. My vice? Gelato. Hers? Delicious pastries. Together? Awful diets.