Como, we like it! We really, really, like it!!!

Day Two in Como was a pretty quiet day for us.  After sleeping in, we did mounds of laundry.  We have mastered the art of doing laundry in our hotel sinks. (If you ever get the opportunity to try this out, I highly recommend it.)

We finally left the hotel a little bit after noon and went to the local supermarket to shop for a picnic lunch, which we ate by the lake.  We shared some of our lunch with several local ducks, who were quite happy to lend a “helping bill”.   After lunch we made our way to the Funicular, a cable car that takes you up the side of a mountain to a small town named Brunate.  On our way up the mountain, we sat across from two Italian nuns, who seemed to be enjoying the ride and looking forward to the view at the top.

Once at the top of the hill, we wandered the old town a bit before finding a good outlook from which to take pictures.  Two beautiful Russian girls were also taking photos (Eric was jealous of their camera) and took one of us as well.  We had the option of taking a bus around the top of the mountain, but decided instead to come back down and have a leisurely afternoon.

We sat next to the water for a while and looked at the passersby and the lake.  Eric also reviewed all of our journal entries so we could be ready to post them.  We again strolled through Como, this time during the day, to get a closer look at the cathedral, and to check out some of the shops.  Back at the hotel, we caught up on some paperwork and emails from home until we realized that it was 10 pm and we needed to eat!  We went to the local pizzeria, ate and left without incident to come home and post some additional photos.  Tomorrow we are on our way in to Milan for a day before flying to Paris.  Suddenly, we are present to the possibility of our trip ending.  No, no!  Italy has been fantastic, but we are excited for our week in Paris to begin.

Slowing it down in Lake Como

Eric did a heroic job of finding us reservations in Como and Milan, and we were able to have half a day in Rome to catch up on emails before taking a cab to the station and taking a 6 hour train ride to the San Giovanni station at Como. 

Lucky us!  Tuscany for a second time – this time by train!  It is so difficult to describe how stunning the scenery is here.  We have tried to take pictures but from a moving train or bus it is impossible to do the landscape or the crumbling yet highly photogenic farmhouses justice.  The train took us the same route as our bus tour, through Florence and Bologna.  We then changed trains in Milan for another train booked for Zurich, with a short stop at our station ½ an hour in. Suddenly, we no longer heard Italian, but rather Swiss German.  I could recognize that it was German, but couldn’t understand a word.

We arrived at the station at 5:45 pm, in time to help two ladies from San Diego with their luggage.  Eric was a trooper, helping both of them plus one other random passenger with their bags up two flights of stairs before carrying ours up.

Our hotel, the Park Hotel is close to the train station and just a few blocks from the lake.  Although Eric had not slept well the night before, we took a leisurely walk around the beautiful lake, watching a family feed a swan, before trying to find a restaurant for dinner.

We had walked through the main square and had taken a side street when we found It. The Restaurant.  The one we had been sent to Italy to find.  Ristorante Nerochina.  Italian-Asian fusion.  Eric’s first thought was that it sounded weird, but we figured, where better to try Italian-Asian fusion than in Italy?

Let me tell you, everyone should try this place.  To start:  appetizer with fish tartare on a seasoned rice cake, with shrimp.  Delicious, light, with complementary flavors.  Then, the piece de resistance, as Eric would say.  Antonia’s gorgonzola pasta with pears, and a hint of vanilla, served in a baked cheese bowl made out of Romano and Pecorino.  Crazy, crazy good.  Eric had the sea bass with tomatoes, potatoes and olives, which was also fantastic.  But, the gorgonzola pasta was really the best.  Eric was in ecstasy!

For dessert, Chantilly cream and strawberries in a dark chocolate bowl.  We had lovely service – a great waiter, and a brief, complementary chat with the chef.  We took two cards – one to give to the hotel for referrals, and one for us!

Check out their website here:  www.nerochinacomo.com.  If you are in Como, you must, must go here.