
My friend Andrea came to stay last Thursday night, and of course after months of glorious weather it decided to chuck it down all day Friday and most of Saturday. We went to Como anyway (sensing a pattern here?), and spent the day wandering the shops and shocking ourselves by staring at the stock. You know you're in Italy when all the things in the shop window are gold, silver, and white, and match. Oh my god. They are not kidding. Look at these - the jackets are golden-sheened leather, the boots and shoes ostentatiously blinged beyond anything I've ever seen - and it's all ridiculously expensive! Who wears this stuff?!! We did manage to take the boat to Bellagio and wander the slightly classier boutiques there, along with treating ourselves to cocktails with free happy hour food (which happens often in Italy). We found an amazing restaurant - finally, as I have been waiting to find an exceptional place in Como for years - called Il Solito Posto. Great find. Creative, fresh menu and great wine list. Sunday we went up the funicular to Burante, a tiny village overlooking Como, and found ourselves lunching in a creepy hotel restaurant with an amazing view, a waiter who looked like he'd spent the past 25 years living a rough life, and a large table of Sunday lunchers who all looked like the waiter. He wagged his finger when I asked for balsamic vinegar for my Caprese salad, and told Andrea she couldn't eat her pasta with her fork - !! We wandered the town after and it was a bizarre mix of sleepy village and tat-filled garage sale. And that was enough of that - we ran for the funicular and back down to civilization. But beforehand, here's a view from the top (Monte Rosa and the Matterhorn are barely visible behind the mountains!):
My parents join the party on Wednesday for nearly two weeks! Only 14 more days of teaching and a month left of the school year - and for the first time in my life, time ain't flying. This is kind of a good thing. Here's to sunshine, safe travels, and enjoying the time while I have it.
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