We are becoming accustomed to unusual things happening this trip. Today - with the rowing not starting until Wednesday, with a practice day the day before - we all decided to visit Lake Como. If it has proved to be a sought after spot for the rich and famous, then there was no reason why it shouldn't play host to a bedraggled bunch of Bunbury rowers. So we got into our trusty Giullietta Alpha Romeo's once more and hit the highway for a trip of an hour and three quarters north-east on the Autostrada to our destination. It is indeed a very picturesque location, with magnificent views and expensive and exclusive real estate.Unfortunately our visit to the Olympia side coincided with a triathlon event, which meant parking was extremely hard to come by. Our quest eventually led us to a promising road which unfortunately, once on it, led to the top of a mountain with a dozen 180 degree hairpin bends on a narrow road with no opportunity to turn round at all. Despite a few anxious meetings with oncoming traffic we eventually reached the top where a convenient parking area gave us the opportunity to turn around and make our way back down again through all the bends again. After a bit more driving we eventually found a spot that was allowed with the coming triathlon restrictions and we finally enjoyed a nice walk along the lake. For those in Australia, I must point out that the weather here currently is is very hot with temperatures in the mid thirties, so it is a bit different to what we had at home. We managed to find a nice pizzeria for lunch and enjoyed a very nice meal of assorted local dishes - my lunch of seafood pasta was really good. Our lunch was prolonged by the start of the bike leg of the triathlon passing the restaurant, which continued up past our parking spot with a consequent closure of the road. Faced with no chance of leaving we opted for desserts and then coffees and had a very long and plesant lunch. We eventually got back to the car and returned to Chivazzo by late afternoon, and then found a local bar where our numbers swelled from just Carmel and I to eventually 24 rowers from Bunbury and Perth. We all then had an enjoyable meal at the local restaurante washed down with bottles of the local Nebbiolo wine. So all in all a good day, some nice scenery and a bit more familiarity with the local roads.
We are becoming accustomed to unusual things happening this trip. Today - with the rowing not starting until Wednesday, with a practice day the day before - we all decided to visit Lake Como. If it has proved to be a sought after spot for the rich and famous, then there was no reason why it shouldn't play host to a bedraggled bunch of Bunbury rowers. So we got into our trusty Giullietta Alpha Romeo's once more and hit the highway for a trip of an hour and three quarters north-east on the Autostrada to our destination. It is indeed a very picturesque location, with magnificent views and expensive and exclusive real estate.Unfortunately our visit to the Olympia side coincided with a triathlon event, which meant parking was extremely hard to come by. Our quest eventually led us to a promising road which unfortunately, once on it, led to the top of a mountain with a dozen 180 degree hairpin bends on a narrow road with no opportunity to turn round at all. Despite a few anxious meetings with oncoming traffic we eventually reached the top where a convenient parking area gave us the opportunity to turn around and make our way back down again through all the bends again. After a bit more driving we eventually found a spot that was allowed with the coming triathlon restrictions and we finally enjoyed a nice walk along the lake. For those in Australia, I must point out that the weather here currently is is very hot with temperatures in the mid thirties, so it is a bit different to what we had at home. We managed to find a nice pizzeria for lunch and enjoyed a very nice meal of assorted local dishes - my lunch of seafood pasta was really good. Our lunch was prolonged by the start of the bike leg of the triathlon passing the restaurant, which continued up past our parking spot with a consequent closure of the road. Faced with no chance of leaving we opted for desserts and then coffees and had a very long and plesant lunch. We eventually got back to the car and returned to Chivazzo by late afternoon, and then found a local bar where our numbers swelled from just Carmel and I to eventually 24 rowers from Bunbury and Perth. We all then had an enjoyable meal at the local restaurante washed down with bottles of the local Nebbiolo wine. So all in all a good day, some nice scenery and a bit more familiarity with the local roads.
*ristorante :P Sounds delightful though! Are you getting good use of our crash course in Italian pronunciation?
ReplyDeleteDon't you sass me girl :-) After all the birra and vino its surprising there aren't more mistakes. Pronunciation working well in my head but not my mouth.
Deleteall the best places on holidays are found when you get lost! Your holiday sounds like an adventure....until next blog
ReplyDelete