Italy Diary: Day 2
After a frustrating start to the day trying to use our on-suite bidet and spraying the bathroom with water we rose for a buffet breakfast about 9:30.
Tik and I both slept well. Our hotel room was clean and large with an efficient air-conditioning unit. We had a good bathroom with fast-heating water and a bath. All our rooms were positioned with a lake-view which is not an especially impressive feat when you consider just how large Lake Como actually is but was nice to have a bit of scenery greeting us should we open our curtains.
We are in a very remote part of the area. The hotel rests on a chaotic main road – not especially busy but spiked with dangerous curves and speeding kamikaze drivers which discourage relaxing walks down the road.
Without the privilege of a car this place seems a little lonely. We were lucky to have the foresight to have something available to us, and also that dad is a confident driver, happy to take us through treacherous routes into the mountains with little regard for his own health.
We met some rain and cold winds as we left the hotel and headed down the road to a tourist information office and to by some umbrellas. The office was a little disheartening and it looked like there really wasn’t much to keep us awake within cycling distance of the hotel.
Our next stop was to the picturesque town of Menaggio. This was perhaps 15 minutes down the road and followed the contours of the lake with a scenic promenade. The village itlsef was colourful with the kind of buildings and plaza as I’d imagined to find here. The tourist information here was much more comprehensive and we left with a book’s worth of leaflets of places to visit by foot and by car.
Unfortunately all the shops closed for siesta at the time we intended to go shopping but it didn’t prevent us enjoying a hearty lunch at a local restaurant. I had a braised beef steak and shared some sparking white wine with the rest of the family. By the end of the meal the sun had escaped the clouds and the village looked beautiful.
Despite not doing so much we were all keen to return to the hotel to relax. We’d imagined a large swimming pool as large and accommodating as we had in Tuscany in 2003 but the pool and outdoor area was small and, as we would discover over the course of the week, comprised of water which stubbornly refused to heat up regardless of the sun’s intense rays.
As we, napped, read and bitched about how damn cold the pool was Mark and Raquel arrived. We’d seen them a few months ago in Bangkok and had a great time in their company so it was a pleasure to catch up with them. They’d had a busy day cycling from Milan to the hotel so after a few drinks we all retired to our rooms for an hour or so.
The London-cell arrived just in time for our evening meal, about 8pm. Tik and I’d met everybody 12 months ago in London with the exception of Jason whom Tik had never met and I’d not seen since Tuscany in 2003. Of all the family members I was most excited to catch up with him again.
Mum, ever the pessimist, wasn’t expecting much from the hotel’s kitchen based on some negative comments on an online hotel review site but I think we were all pleasantly surprised. We began with a mixed salad, then I chose cream of chicken soup, lamb and a refreshing raspberry sorbet.
Despite a 2-hour delay on their flight and an ordeal getting from the airport to the hotel via public transport everybody was happy to go out to a nearby bar after dinner. Most of us enjoyed a rich hot chocolate - especially Grandma and we went to bed a little after midnight.
