Day 5 - Down to Tuscany

Saturday - Happy birthday to Colin as we embarked on what would be a adventure down to Tuscany.  There's been no Clooney sighting so we may as well make our way to somewhere else.  Our hotel doesn't start breakfast until the very late time of eight o'clock but agreed to accommodate us early. I was pleasantly surprised when they'd not just sat out some yogurt and three croissants but had the whole spread ready to go.

I found the news agent and stood in line with many teenagers (this early on a Saturday?), bought three bus tickets to Como and we caught the bus. The drive was uneventful, save for the poor young lady who apparently had some bad news on the ride (see previous post). Luckily an American man sitting behind us had been to the station earlier in the week and recognized the Como stop we wanted as the bus had no sign, verbal or otherwise, of which stop was which. Our time in Como proper would be brief and consisted of a stop visit to the strangest shop at train / bus station I've ever seen. The Asian lady behind the counter would be happy to sell us travelers essentials such as pain killers and umbrellas, but also souvenirs of the utmost tackiness, the ever-present British tourist scarves, cheap clothes and some of the ugliest pumps I've ever seen.  But this since this bus station is conveniently also the train station, after some debate with the ticket agent about where in Milan to change for the airporter, we're off on our first Italian train.  Let's just say that, while it got the job done, the Swiss trains were much above the Italian and leave it at that. 

Changing trains in Milan was a little taxing. We got off on platform 14 and headed upstairs and then back downstairs to go over to track 13 which was posted to be the proper track when we left Como.  When the train to Naples showed up on the same track, we were naturally perplexed. As irritations elevated, we sought help by a nice young man from Trentalia who led us BACK upstairs to watch the big board where the still blank space for "platform" would soon magically display the proper track. Which it did, about five minutes before departure, number 13... Back downstairs we head for the train to take us to the airport.

The Malsepena Express was back up to Swiss standards and the 30-45 minute ride was pleasant enough, taking us through parts of Milan which were not on our list for good reason. Unfortunately, that might be all we get to see of Milan. We had planned to spend our last night there and Sherre and Ann even have tickets bought to see The Last Supper. Might not happen. As it stands, we may be trying to find our way to Amsterdam instead.

Now at the airport, we made our way to the rental car area where every agency that you've ever heard of is represented, except Advantage, which happens to be one who is holding our car hostage. After much confusion, we figured out where to meet the shuttle bus which took us (driving way fast) to a small, cramped, stuffy office full of notebooks where the very attractive agent, completing 20 minutes of paperwork, let us drive away with an Opel station wagon, silly man.  At lest we have full coverage.  Due to various circumstances I will be the only driver. That's a good thing (I drive pretty decent in Europe + I'm a control freak) and a bad thing (drivers don't get to blog or see all the scenery).  As the airport is really no where near Milan there were little traffic or navigation issues and we start driving southeast through Parma (ham and cheese), Modena (balsamic vinegar) and Bologna (duh) with no time to stop. Darn the luck. The scenery through this area could almost be Texas. 

Speaking of Texas, I had read all about the Autogrills of Italy (think Stuckeys for the Yanks and Little Chef for the Brits) and how they had such a wonderful variety of deli meats and cheeses and paninis and pasta , etc, etc. The Autogrill kind of holds you hostage as you're on a toll road and it is that or nothing. But with the reviews I read, hey no problem! We spotted an exit for an Autogrill and excitedly took the ramp. We would figure out later that different Autogrills, in additional to the large grocery, souvenir and DVD selections, have different restaurants contained within, one of which has meats and yummy cheeses and paninis. This particular stop.... the restaurant was...you guessed it.... The Old Wild West. Humorous moment was when Sherre ordered the Navajo combo and was promptly corrected. It's pronounced "na-VAH-oh". We've apparently been taught wrong in History class all these years.

 I believe it was when we were getting close to Florence that we began to see mountains in the distance and the rolling hills started to appear. Closer to Sienna, the cypress trees appear with a vengeance and we started to see the iconic Tuscany in the picture books. 

Driving through Sienna and trying to get on the road to Asciano where we'd be staying could have been a real nightmare.  It should have been a real nightmare. Luckily, I'd printed step by step directions from Via Michelin which got us through the many turns and twists and roundabouts perfectly.  Out of Siena, the Crete Senesi landscape appeared as something almost from another planet.  Plowed fields of an odd grey soil on rolling hills were just breathtaking.  We passed through several villages, signposted but tiny, one with only one structure. 

We had planned on arriving in Asciano around 4:00 to meet Roberto who was, according to his email, "awaiting for us in Tuscany with joy".  We were more like 8:00. That just happens when you're traveling doesn't it? Finding the 14th century tower in the walls of the town which we'd booked was difficult, even through Ann and I had each seen it on the Google street view many times.  After driving up what was probably a no-vehicle zone, we luckily found a large, free parking lot outside the walls. 

We sat by a fountain which surely was close and Ann started texting Roberto. He never quite answered the questions that Ann was asking him and we were getting a bit frustrated. We told him, as her phone battery was on its last dying breath, we were "by the fountain", not realizing that there were multiple fountains in this small town. Miraculously, soon coming down the hill was a bouncing Roberto, so happy to see us!  He was almost, well, joyful, as we're we. We were starting to think we would be sleeping on the street or in the Opal.

Roberto walks us to Giordano’s Tower which was only about 50' away. As just about all of the buildings are made of the same stone, it's camouflaged and around the corner. The pictures on the internet make it look as though it sits a bit by itself but that's far from accurate. Our home away from home in Asciano was completed in the 1350's and consists of three floors, maybe a 16' x 16' footprint, + a rooftop terrace. The  bottom floor has a pull out sofa, a wardrobe full of cleaning supplies (why?), a baby tv and a lemon yellow vinyl and chrome 80's chair. A stone niche provided an excellent spot for my suitcase. From the size of the front door and the lack of original interior staircase, this area was for the animals back in the day. 

A tight modern spiral staircase of 23 stairs gets you to the main living area with a four top, bright plaid plastic covered table, an piece of Ikea kitchen with a gas stove, mini fridge, sink, mini dishwasher and a washing machine. There's  also a wonderful fireplace so big it has stone benches inside. 

Another 13 steps, this time stone with a step height well above ADA standard, takes you the third floor. Carefully stepping out into the floor mid-stair there are two tiny rooms, one on either side: One with a sink and the other with a toilet and the tiniest shower you've ever seen.  It's sort of a triangle with sides about 24". Thank goodness I've done lots of yoga.  It was only via muscle memory that enabled me to shave my legs. Pass the facilities and you're in a bedroom with another double bed and a large, modern wardrobe. 

 

More stone steps lead to the large terrace with a couple of tables, eight chairs and a couple of chaise lounges, one of which had lost its feet part.  There was also a clothes line, which we would use later once we figured at how to work the washing machine from another planet.  Giodarno's Tower also came with a parking space just around the corner at Roberto's house, complete with a locking gate.
 

We had parked in a relatively full parking lot and after settling in, set out to find out why this little town of less than 8,000 was hopping so, even for a Friday night. Our stomachs were also screaming a bit, as it was 9:00 by now. The tower was down the hill from the two main piazzas, but it must not have been too bad a hill as going up as Sherre and I only had to stop and look at the view (i.e. rest) once.  Low and behold our little town was in the middle of Settembre Ascianese, a month long festa!  

As tourists frequently do, we stopped into the first restaurant we saw but we're turned away "All booked" even though it was completely empty. The man looked to be the proprietor gave us his card and sent us on our way with instruction to go around the corner. We stepped in to find again completely empty but  "All booked". We handed a young gentlemen the card, thinking that it might get us in but all he did was lead us outside and try to take us back to the restaurant in the card. "No! All booked!", we said. Instead of turning us away he did an interesting thing. He lead us around the corner and down the street to another restaurant. By now, whatever event that had happened earlier had let out and the third restaurant was full. Uh oh, we thought. But the nice man handed an equally nice lady our card and she took us to a back room where we experienced a couple of treats: the first of many ultra-cheap wine experiences, fun and efficient service and some incredible food. Throughout Tuscany, and this night in the heart of Chianti country, you must just order the house wine. It will be red unless you asked for white, it comes in a carafe, and is no more than 5 euros for a liter! To translate, that's two glasses apiece for about $2 a person for some really good wine. I think in a week we had one wine that we didn't care for, but that one was only 4 euros so who really cares! 

Our food choices that night would stretch our normal safe bets but did not disappoint. We started with fried artichokes, not my fav but the other girls enjoyed them. Ann, who doesn't eat red meat, got the tuna, onion and mozzarella pizza (E6.5) that she had been wanted since we set foot on Italian soil. Sherre and I agreed that is was, well, tuna pizza but Ann really enjoyed it. She enjoyed it so much that she packed up the leftovers in another pretty pizza box and put them in our tiny fridge, were they would happily reside for the next four days. 

Sherre had Tagliatelle al ragu d'Anatra (tagliatte pasta with duck ragout - E8) which appeared to be tasty but neither Ann nor I can vouch for that since we wouldn't dare try it. I had the Capocollo alla griglia con salsa di cipolle (translated on the menu into Engrish as "Meat porc of grilled with onion sauce" - E8.5). For some reason I visualized some sort of pork tenderloin with an oniony brown gravy. No. Don't visualize here in Italy - you will always be surprised and sometimes confused and occasionally disappointed. This was more like a thin but giant pork chop (like an grilled unbreaded schnitzel) accompanied by a new taste sensation which I, unusually, could not quite decipher. Think caramelized onions to which you've added maybe cream cheese + something slightly tangy. It was delish and if anyone reading this has a clue, please fill me in. 

The restaurant was starting the thin out and tablecloths were being removed by the time we finished our meal so we asked if we could take what was left of our very yummy and  cheap wine outside to watch the world go by. Chick talk, wine and cool weather was the perfect end to a long day. That and the fire dancers that were performing on the church steps. We walked back down the Tower and made bed assignments. Sherre and I would take the fold away on the bottom floor since we wanted to be lazy and Ann would take the bedroom. The bed assignments would change two other times in our four nights.... 

Day 4 - Varenna and Bellagio

Ferry to Varenna. That's
Menaggio in the background.

Up early for breakfast, we were going to find the bi-weekly Friday market and grab some provisions for a picnic lunch. We nixed that when we were told that it was very, very small and no really went there.  Darn the luck. We tried to picnic on our trip ten years ago and never seemed to make it happen. Maybe in Varenna...

We caught the ferry for Varenna, directly across the lake from Menaggio.  It seems inexpensive at 4.6E, but when I remember that a bus ride lasting an hour is only 5E, the 15 minute boat ride seems a bit pricy.  This particular boat also holds cars and the grumpy young guys running the thing will not put up with much dilly dallying around. The ferry leaves the dock and bumbles its way across the lake.  It's only calmed down a little bit from last night when there were some serious whitecaps, some a foot tall.  The wind coming down the valley out of the Alps can be severe and it's pretty nippy this morning.  

Once we docked, we made our way into Varenna proper. Guessing the way to go, we chose the shady lake promenade,  very pretty but very cold. Varenna has not woken up yet, and the town is quiet except for a cat or two and an old man carrying what appears to be an extremely large chianti bottle on his shoulder.  The path is lined with the gardens of villas and interesting statuary. There is a peaceful solitude here. 

We find the main piazza with its requisite church and go in. Like the town, it's very quiet and I find myself putting some coins in the box and lighting a candle, I think for the first time. I say a prayer for a safe trip and an easy way home. We're going to need all the help we can get. 

As the shops are still closed, we wind our way in Villa Monastero at the southern end of town. The house itself is closed but 5E gets you in the medium sized gardens. As it's practically early fall, the flowers are down to begonias, salvia, coleus and a few I don't recognize. But the varieties of palms was enormous and they had some of the biggest, believe it or not, magnolias any of us had ever seen. Like the town, the gardens were quiet. We were the only souls there for the longest time, save several gardeners.

Varenna Local

Knowing we had to catch a ferry to Bellagio by noon, we headed back through the town to check out the stores who were now open.  The aforementioned scarfs were bought and we were now poised and ready to spring into action should we for some reason need to pretend to be British. Still no luck finding picnic provisions.

From Villa Monastero

Varenna is supposed to be more touristy than our little town on Managgio but, on this weekend, anyway,  I disagree.  Maybe it was because the town was still sleeping but I'm not so sure... I ended up in a two sentence conversation with an young American man who said, "Good luck finding anything opened after two as well". Maybe he doesn't know about siesta time, from about 1 to 3, when just about everything closes up. What a beautiful custom. 

(As I write this, now in Asciano, it's seven pm and there are dogs everywhere going absolutely NUTS, some barking and some howling. I think they must be hunting as we've seen several local men with shotguns and Sherre heard shots early this morning).

Bellagio

Approaching Bellagio (the third town in the "golden triangle" of Lake Como) from the water, I find it has the least attractive overall appearance of the three and is certainly the biggest Mecca for the tourists. Shopping here seems to be much higher end. The place is packed to the gills and I can't imagine being here in August.  Crowds, yes, but then add the heat on top of that? Our weather for today as calmed down. The winds have calmed down and it's starting to heat up, here in mid-September to probably 85.  Just warm enough. But even with the crowds, the streets seem to be more  quaint here for some reason. Maybe they're more narrow and there are more flowers. 

An epic fail in the picnic provision search, we each grab a slice of pizza and sit on a bench outside of one of the lesser churches and watch the crowd go by. We're sitting toward the end of town so it's not near as crowded, the simply fantastic classical guitar playing of a busker in front of the church to serenade our otherwise basic lunch. 

Bellagio Water Taxis

Time's a wasting and we'd better get a move on down to the pier to meet Lucca and his Australian wife Jennie at Bellagio Boat Tours for our pre-booked tour of the lake and the Villa Balbianello. I find Jennie and she's talking on the phone to a child with threats about how he best better have everything ready for school. Some things are universal and we discuss the numerous times  we had to make a poster last minute (me) or find a track suit (Jennie).

My name is Lucca...

Lucca, just about as cute as we imagined, almost a stereotype, with his sun kissed, tousled hair and blue and white striped shirt, gives us a bit of lecture on boat etiquette: standing is ok but not bracelets scratching the wooden rail, no knees on the seats and no rocks in your shoes.  It's no wonder. The boat is absolutely beautiful, immaculate polished wood, leather bench seating in perfect shape.

We set off with about 14 in the boat. I thought it'd be crowded but the other passengers (a couple of English couples, two older American women and a small group of Europeans) are pleasant enough.  We do a short tour on a small part of the lake. Didn't see a huge area but Lucca does a nice commentary and his English is understandable.  The boat drops us at the villa and we join Monica for a tour of the house and see the gardens on our own. The most interesting thing about it was that the owner, an Italian man who never married, had a keen interest in traveling and the much of the house was filled with his memorabilia from his travels all over the world. The collection includes a sled from a trip to the north pole made in the traditional way and his gear from a Mt. Everest expedition.  

Villa Balbianello

Lucca picks us up and takes back to Bellagio where we commence some serious shopping. Acquisitions include cruets, hand painted bowls and the requisite t-shirts, cap, magnets. My only purchase was oil and vinegar stoppers. We also have our second gellatos of the day, the first being in Varenna.

Enoteca Cava Turacciolo

Belaggio is complete with a visit to Enoteca Cava Turacciolo, a wonderful find (thank you Trip Advisor and Doug's friend Sarah who lives in Varenna). It's a tiny little place where I discover that cheese is fantastic with honey on top. Who knew?!

We take the ferry back to Menaggio and have dinner at a place we'd previously spotted just around the corner from our hotel. The name escapes me but the service does not.... It was absolutely horrible.  Granted they're busy, but I just can't get use to the Italian way of completely ignoring you until they have time to give you service. Once you get it, it's generally good but the wait can be mind blowing.  The stand out of the dinner was probably Ann's gnocchi with Gorgonzola sauce. Sherre had macaroni type pasta with a simple ragu. I had an insalda mista (mix salad, as opposed to plain lettuce) and a strange thing described as a "typical cake with potato and cheese". It was like a German potato pancake only thicker and slightly less greasy. So so. 

The best thing I ate today?  Ann's gorgonzola gnocchi. Hands down. And I hate Gorgonzola. Oh wait, maybe it was the cheese with the honey.

We take turns the bathroom with the toilet that sounds like either a cat whining or a small toot (I can't figure it out) and go to bed.  

Day 3 - Lugano to Menaggio

We're on a bus as I type to catch you up, on the way from Menaggio to Como where we catch a train to Milan and rent a car.  Then the scary part will really begin.  A young local girl just got some bad news via a phone call. From what we can make out, we think perhaps her mother has had an accident or worse. She is wailing painfully and I say a quick prayer as she exits the bus prematurely. 

Lago di Lugano

As mentioned in the last entry, the train from Zurich was lovely and just about worth the 61CF. Just. We arrived in Lugano to spend just a few hours.  There's a luggage storage at the central train station which fit our 3 carry-on suitcases for only 9CF. 

Traveler's Tip: There's a large luggage  storage in the underground floor, which is were we headed.  But there's a smaller one upstairs, trackside. Use that one to prevent having to tote the luggage downstairs and back up again - no escalator. 

In case you need a translation:
Giant Spaghetti, like 4' giant

For the bargain price of 1.1CF we rode a funicular down to the lake level. A funicular is a little car on tracks, similar to a train but on a steep grade. This one held maybe 14 people. Lugano is, as expected, touristy and full of Swatch shops and Swiss army knife stores.  Ann was in the market for a Swatch for her son so we went into to couple of the stores were we found one pretty cool one for 50CF with a skinny band that wrapped around the wrist twice. Not quite masculine enough for Declan. After that, prices jumped to 120CF and went from there. 

Just the cutest pizza box ever

Meandering down to the lake, we found a pizza margarita that was perfect at 14E.  (They take both francs and euros here but give all change in francs - Completely understandable bit of a pain when you're leaving Switzerland in an hour. We had lunch by the lake, watching some folks try to figure out how to drive the paddle boat they'd just rented. Really? It's a paddle boat.... Pedal and steer.

Paddle boats for rent
on Lago di Lugano

Traveler tip: If leaving Lugano for Menaggio, you must leave the train station and go about 2 km down to a bus stop.  It's not very walkable due to the large descent but there is no need to take a taxi per everyone on Trip Adviser.  Just catch the bus right in front of the train station.  After disembarking, continue forward (northeast?) to a little sage green hut where you buy the tickets. Then head catty cornered across the parking lot to the bus stop. 

Can you see how
the passenger side
is over the edge?

The bus to Menaggio was just about as scary as warned. Sherri and  I headed for the seat just behind the driver so we'd get our money's worth. At only about 5E per ticket, I think we were successful.  Imagine gong 20-30 miles and hour in a gigantic bus on a road with no inches to spare, while to bus driver meets traffic by reaching down in the side pocket for something while turning around carrying on a conversation. Very cool.  He knows his stuff.  He honks at many of the corners, warning oncoming drivers of his presence. Cars meeting the bus frequent start backing up very quickly, in order to get out of the way.  I'm making a mental note of this procedure in case I need it later in the trip, God forbid.

Hotel Garni Corona

Our room in Menaggio

The view from the balcony
in the bathroom. Seriously.

The view from our room.

Unlike the bus ride, arrival in Menaggio was uneventful. We found great hotel #2, Hotel Garni Corona. Man, what a view from the window, looking out over the beautiful Lago di Como. And the cute albeit tiny, balcony in the bathroom - one direction has a lake view, the other has a view of the main piazza.  And once again, a really large room with a Doyle bed and a twin bed, dresser, desk and large closet. No free house slippers like in Zurich, but then again, we're getting two nights for the price of one. We end up asking the front desk gals for information many times and they are all more than pleasant, even making a phone call for us to confirm a reservation.  Breakfast is again typical, although this time the eggs are hard boiled instead of half boiled, making me very happy.  I'm getting into the habit of having ham rolled up with cheese in the mornings... A habit I hope to keep. 

We began our short Como visit with a one hour walking tour of Menaggio, using a map provided at the hotel.  Like most of the towns we'll be visiting, there's a quite an elevation change. Luckily, this tour has only a 50m gain but none-the-less, Sherre and I find plenty to stop and look at while Ann the mountain goat presses on. There's not a lot of historic sites here but it's still a nice walk, ending by walking the promenade on the lake for about the last 20% past a really beautiful monument to the women of the silk trade. Silk was a huge business all over Lake Como back in the day. It's still the place to buy silk scarfs, pashminas and men's ties. 

First Gelatto!
Pictured: Stracciatella & Limone

We figured we earned our gelatto and had our first at Gelateria Edo in the main square. Strawberry for me, limone for Sherre, stracciatella that's everywhere for Ann.  Yummy.  Menaggio is a pretty small town, with one real shopping area (that we found anyway) off the main piazza. There are mostly clothing and shoe shops but also a take away food store with pastas and salads and some interesting mixes for things like arribiata sauce.  I made a mental note to come back for that but would sadly never make it. 

We immediately noticed the British presence on the lake, probably 80% of the tourists are British, the remaining being American with a spattering of Australians. You can tell us Yanks and our cousins from across the pond from the locals because we're all wearing the same scarfs around our necks.  (I'm not knocking it, she says while riding a train with a scarf on and sitting next Sherre with also the same scarf on - different color - thank goodness). It's no matter, I'll never see these people again.

Side note - I'm now riding an Italian train from Como to Milan. The difference between this and the Swiss train is remarkable.  This Swiss train was so quiet, you'd think it wasn't moving. This Trentalia train sounds like we did this morning, grunting, groaning and generally sounding as if it's in pain. 

A wee appetizer at "Chicken Freak"

We had asked for "three forks"!

We had planned on dinner at the well recommended (and cheap) Pizzeria Lugano, followed by drinks of some sort at this place called Chic n Freak. Because you've just got to go to a place if its called Chic n Freak. Passing by Chicken Freak (easier to say), we noted that is was not more a of bar, as expected, but a restaurant. Checked out the menu and decided that was the dinner place for the evening.  Caprese salad (which completely deserves a "medium" size photo instead of "small"), lasagna, spaghetti carbonara, risotto with cheese and something that we never figured out - it seemed like maybe black beans - a half liter of wine and a shared dessert of some sort of pastry layered with marmalade for 42E.  At least half of what it would have cost on Zurich.  The food was plenty good enough, not anything to write home about except maybe the reddest, prettiest, tastiest tomatoes you've ever seen.  Tucked in bed, reading our three books at nine o'clock, completely exhausted. 

Day 2 - Zurich to Lugano

Waiting on train to Lugano

We three babes are now sitting on a train at the Zurich Hauptbahnhof waiting  to go to Lugano via the Gotthard pass, which I believe is the highest train pass in Europe. Don't quote me on that but I think I remember hearing that. 

Stone Kitty

Rule #1 - pack light. Rule # 2 - be prepared. These are conflicting statements, obviously.  My first shortfall has been socks.  I brought two pairs you see. One pair is fluffy, bi-colored green stripes and suitable for in-hotel lounging only. The other pair is black and fluffy and suitable for wearing under sandals, at least in Europe, acceptable fashion running the gamut here. I didn't realize I owned a pair of socks with a hole in the toe, but gosh I do and that's the black ones I brought.  The rain ended up being not too bad, it sure wasn't the predicted half inch. But it was a bit brisk, especially with no socks. I went on a search for socks and came away completely buying the fact that Zurich is the fifth most expensive city in the world.  Oh and people must not wear socks here... After much searching I finally found some nice thick wool ones for 29CF!  I'll just be cold, thank you.

Hotel Walhalla

Our Zurich itinerary was not completely followed due to the weather.  Our hotel Walhalla ended up being very nice. Ann  did well.  Very convenient, across the street from the main train station and tram stop and decently priced (here in the city of $30 socks) at $285 for a triple. We nixed going up the Uetilberg Hill as the weather would prohibit any view of the city. Walking around the Altstadt (once we found it) was very pleasant and quaint, cobbled vehicle-less narrow lanes lined with shops typical of a touristy area. The Fraumunster and Grossmunster churches were both pretty in a simple way but each has very unique stained glass. Grossmunster was the standout. The small string orchestra practicing with some vocalists was a bonus but the coolest were the windows made of thin slices of multi-colored agates. Very unique and simple beautiful. None of the windows, mostly modern, were typical of the traditional glass in Christian churches. No photos allowed unfortunately.  Fraumunster also had standout windows, the most famous being the five in the choir by Marc Chagall. 

Hot Chocolate at Conditorei Schober

 "Annie's Swiss alpine all things chocolate tasting tour" ended up being only one cup of hot chocolate a place called Conditorei Schober. Can a cup of to chocolate actually be worth the equivalent of  about $9?  Indeed it can. Especially when topped with about a third cup of freshly whipped, heavy cream.  The cream surprisingly did not have sugar added which initially was almost disappointing.  But once it was mixed with the sweet, strong chocolate it was just perfect. 

I have no idea what this sign
means. But how hilarious.
And a cool composition to boot.

We skipped the boat ride in order to, yes, find a pub. If you've read past entries, you will know that I WILL find an English or Irish pub and have a Guinness. This Guinness (or two, but who's counting) was at the Bonnie Prince in the Altstadt and was just about worth it at about $8.  While there, It turns out that I made a very wise move in asking the bartender where we should eat. He suggested the Johanitter and goodness were we please with it.  In this very expensive  city, this one was fairly priced with locals sitting alongside the tourists.  Ann got her Rachlette, a typical Swiss dish of melted cheese on a plate that you scrape up with bread, boiled potatoes, pickled onions and cucumbers and bread. Sherre had pan sautéed chicken with a pepper cream sauce that was absolutely divine. A & S reminded me of our last trip, where I had steak au poivre for just about every meal in Paris. I love the crap out of pepper cream sauce. I cook with the mixes very often (must make my own very soon) but typically put it on beef or pork tenderloin. I've never had it on chicken.  OMG.  The dish was accompanied by spatzel. (Sherre, now sitting beside me, says, "Boy, that was sehr gut").  

Goulash Soup! Yum.

I had goulash soup, a new fav which I absolutely must try to make at home, along with a salad.  The green salad was listed as a entree of 7CF. I forgot that green salad over here is exactly that, lettuce. But this was very nice lettuce with a fantastic dressing of, we're guessing, yogurt and dill.  Total price for salad and a cup of soup, including the $5.50 bottle of water, was about $21, cheap in Zurich.

My only complaint: a glass of Montepulchiano was listed at 4.5CF. When Sherre and I both ordered the same wine the waiter, otherwise quite good, suggested that we get the half-carafe.  We somehow got about four good glasses out of it but we were not happy with the 24CF bill for it later. 

We stopped back by the HB to buy tickets for that train  we're on now and were surprised again when the they were 61 CF. We thought they were going to be 23 - 24. The cute, young Swiss ticket agent told us that's because the train's website quotes the cheapest price for seniors.  You've got to actually let it that you're not a senior.  Ok. Interesting. Duly noted for next time.  We rounded out the night drinking a bottle of Bordeaux that Delta very nicely gave us while having great quantities of girl chat.  (The bottle of wine and the bottle of champagne would be drunk later).

I like the typical European breakfast buffet.  This morning, the Walhalla provided he usual  complimentary cereals, oatmeal, various breads, soft boiled eggs (yuk), fruit and yogurt along with several types of cheeses and cold cuts.  I think all breakfast should have cheese and cold cuts. It's got to be better for you than bacon, right?

Love this picture of Ann

From the train

The train ride is proving to be worth the price.  It's lovely and green and so, well, Alpine. And the Swiss trains are so clean, smooth and on time.

Day 1 - To Zurich

So I've turned on my iPhone to listen to some music and what came on but Nanci Griffith, I Can't Help But Wonder Where I'm Bound. How appropriate!  Seems we've made it on the Zurich flight with no problem but the scary bit will begin about September 20th when we start trying to figure out how to get home two days later, Lord willin' and the creek don't rise. We must face the fact that our Milan flight has filled up. It's still a remote possibility, but we're googling the price of Easy Jet to Barcelona, contemplating an overnight train to Amsterdam and feeling the pain of having to shell out $180 to change a $200 ATL-DFW flight.    But you know, I'll think about that another day. The 20th to be exact.

I've  also turned on my iPad to read the first novel I've ever paid to download. At my travel mates suggestion, I'm reading "Playing for Pizza" by John Grisham.  You might be surprised to know that there's someone who's not read John Grisham but that would be me. I'd generally would rather read a book on welding than a piece of fiction.  Unless of course, it's about Italy or France or some other fanciful place. This is the story of a has-been NFL quarterback, or more truthfully, a never-was, who goes to Parma to play for the Italian league.  ( I must google this to see if this league actually exists).  I'm in Chapter 4 and finding it most enjoyable.   The coach, knowing that this new QB job is a complete bummer- a switch from the NFL to a shared rugby field, a tiny fraction of the pay and no cheerleaders(?!) tries to make his first day in Parma of the most enjoyable sort so the loser will stick around. The Parma Panthers are desperate.  The coach takes him to the local trattoria and a wonderful two to three hour meal is had by the new QB, the coach and several of the local players.   Kinda wish I was going to Parma...

Dinner - and a word to the new international traveler - Always get the vegetarian pasta dish offered.  First, it's usually still available when you're in row 26 (unlike the cold chicken salad on this flight). It's also not too dry (standard chicken with some sort of rice) and it's not tiny and bloody (beef).  Tonight was a spiral pasta with a basic tomato sauce. I think it included one token black olive slice. But yeah for me! I don't like black olives.  And even better? Not a mushroom in sight, usually a player on any vegetarian airline meal. Then the usual baby salad with some decent (for pre-packed)  Italian herbed vinaigrette, cheese and Club crackers, white chocolate brownie.  I'm no gourmand, but I like good food and can even cook a bit of it. Truthfully, this was almost on the pretty tasty end of the stick.   I realize that airplane food can't be what restaurant food is but it's frequently crap. I hear that Michael Chiarello is now working for them as a consultant of some sort. Maybe that helps. 

Apple: Please add the most glorious "Mono Audio" option available on the iPhone to the iPad so I don't have to be running both devices and looking like some kind of ugly American with too many gadgets. Deaf people listen to music on iPads too. 

New feature will be "The best thing I ate today".  

Today's best thing? The chicken salad pita at almost healthy place at ATL E concourse.  Yes, it's airport food but pretty well done with very little mayonnaise, a bit of lettuce and a wee small bit of tomato. Pita was a bit dried would have been better toasted. The side of fruit salad and no strange dressing, just tons of a nice variety of fresh fruit. 

So the plan after checking in at our Zurich hotel included Uetilberg Hill (great view of the city, hiking if you want through a scale model of the solar system), walking around the Altstadt (old town), a couple of churches, hour and a half boat turn around Lake Zurich and "Annie's Swiss alpine all things chocolate tasting tour" (Annie really being Ann, one of my travel partners).

Here's the only problem... A front has come in and there's a high today of 57 and a 90% chance of rain with rainfalls up to half an inch.  But you, know on our first birthday trip ten years ago, Sherre, Ann and I spent the first three days in the rain in Paris. I don't know that it ever stopped for more than an hour. We survived. We shall survive again.  The adventures begin.