Time to hike our bootys off in Lago de Como, and inevitably end up lost in George Clooney's backyard who will no doubt welcome us inside with open arms for a cookout...him and Kelly are both Kentuckians so obviously they will become fast friends, while Jenny will remain a little skeptical that he is probably an asshole but enjoy her Clooney cooked hamburger nonetheless. Let's just say our day didn't go exactly as we had planned.
We wanted to leave Bert and Dewey (our backpacks not our new boyfriends, duh) at our hostel and take a 3-4 hour hike up into the hills and mountains surrounding lago de como to get a better glimpse of the beautiful scenery. This was a no go since there was no good place at our bogus hostel to leave our luggage (Menaggio Youth Hostel = not so helpful) and because we wanted to go to switzerland, but the train there was going to take some serious time. We decided that due to our lack of hiking time dilemma we should compromise. We stashed Bert and Dewey in an outdoor shed (they are tough and dirty, they were okay with it) and went for a semi-hike up a steep hill to take in Lago de Como's epic scenery. Now this is a place to revisit with some mula. We would kill weeks enjoying fine dining on a five star hotel balcony here. Instead we settled for carrot sticks and granola bars on our hostel deck playing a seriously competitive game of Egyptian ratscrew (which Jenny dominated in, obviously). We got on our 55 minute bus to Como train station, which was one hell of an experience as the roads are crazy narrow and our bus driver was clearly an angry looney or seriously hopped up on stimulants - slow and steady was out the window for crazy turns, lots of honking, and serious pumping of the brakes. The scenery was gorgeous (ask Kelly, Jenny was power napping as usual like a damn cat) and there were huge beautiful villas lining the clear water. We can understand why George wants to live here...but can't be as understanding about why he didn't invite us over for a barbecue. We decided that Italy has some of the most incredible natural scenery (Cinque Terre & The Almafi Coast in addition to Lake Como) as well as an enchanting charm, bold pride, and unfussed feel. Italy is amazing because it is what it is without hesitation or apology. We like that about it and it's a good lesson for us to take away. Be happy with yourself and proud of yourself, flaws and imperfections included (not that there isn't always room for a little improvement :))
From Como we took a train to Arth- Goldau sitting across from an Australian lady originally from Hungary who had been looking at property on lake Como during her visit to her daughter living in Switzerland. Next we got on a train to Luzern and from there to Meiringen. As evening crept up we both stared out the window of our train totally amazed by the most brilliant scenery we have encountered. We passed storybook villages in valleys of snow covered mountains where the houses are nestled into the rich vegetation. The villages are tiny and houses look randomly sprinkled around, like monopoly houses that have been strewn across the lush green grass. There is literally no concrete to be seen as we whizz by tiny village after tiny village. This is the place where nursery rhymes were born, we decided. Hansel and Gretel must have been in a Swiss house, wizarding families must be living in these dimly lit wooden cabins. We arrived at Interlaken, a city we know nothing about but had a hostel recommendation for. As we walk to Bamer's Herbage in the dark we are amazed by how silent it is here. Even in the dark we can make out that every lawn is perfectly manicured, trees are pruned and flowers grow in organized patches along pretty fences. There is not a twig out of place or a person in sight. It is literally dead silent. Kelly speculated that we were probably surrounded by mountains, although the opaque darkness prevented us from making a conclusion about this. It was both beautiful and picturesque and slightly ominous at the same time. We decided this place, and the villages we had seen during our day of trains, were like the beginning of a novel where everything is depicted as extremely perfect...too perfect. The books you read and think "somethings got to go wrong any minute." The beauty of Switzerland is that it hasn't. They have remained in a state of neutrality since 18...? refusing to join the UN and holding on to their own currency in favor of the euro. The people are nice and helpful. The economy is thriving and adults here have the most wealth of any country in the world. Even the water that came out of the sink at our hostel was ice cold and better than Evian. We could definitely stay a while...if it wasn't so damn expensive!
We wanted to leave Bert and Dewey (our backpacks not our new boyfriends, duh) at our hostel and take a 3-4 hour hike up into the hills and mountains surrounding lago de como to get a better glimpse of the beautiful scenery. This was a no go since there was no good place at our bogus hostel to leave our luggage (Menaggio Youth Hostel = not so helpful) and because we wanted to go to switzerland, but the train there was going to take some serious time. We decided that due to our lack of hiking time dilemma we should compromise. We stashed Bert and Dewey in an outdoor shed (they are tough and dirty, they were okay with it) and went for a semi-hike up a steep hill to take in Lago de Como's epic scenery. Now this is a place to revisit with some mula. We would kill weeks enjoying fine dining on a five star hotel balcony here. Instead we settled for carrot sticks and granola bars on our hostel deck playing a seriously competitive game of Egyptian ratscrew (which Jenny dominated in, obviously). We got on our 55 minute bus to Como train station, which was one hell of an experience as the roads are crazy narrow and our bus driver was clearly an angry looney or seriously hopped up on stimulants - slow and steady was out the window for crazy turns, lots of honking, and serious pumping of the brakes. The scenery was gorgeous (ask Kelly, Jenny was power napping as usual like a damn cat) and there were huge beautiful villas lining the clear water. We can understand why George wants to live here...but can't be as understanding about why he didn't invite us over for a barbecue. We decided that Italy has some of the most incredible natural scenery (Cinque Terre & The Almafi Coast in addition to Lake Como) as well as an enchanting charm, bold pride, and unfussed feel. Italy is amazing because it is what it is without hesitation or apology. We like that about it and it's a good lesson for us to take away. Be happy with yourself and proud of yourself, flaws and imperfections included (not that there isn't always room for a little improvement :))
From Como we took a train to Arth- Goldau sitting across from an Australian lady originally from Hungary who had been looking at property on lake Como during her visit to her daughter living in Switzerland. Next we got on a train to Luzern and from there to Meiringen. As evening crept up we both stared out the window of our train totally amazed by the most brilliant scenery we have encountered. We passed storybook villages in valleys of snow covered mountains where the houses are nestled into the rich vegetation. The villages are tiny and houses look randomly sprinkled around, like monopoly houses that have been strewn across the lush green grass. There is literally no concrete to be seen as we whizz by tiny village after tiny village. This is the place where nursery rhymes were born, we decided. Hansel and Gretel must have been in a Swiss house, wizarding families must be living in these dimly lit wooden cabins. We arrived at Interlaken, a city we know nothing about but had a hostel recommendation for. As we walk to Bamer's Herbage in the dark we are amazed by how silent it is here. Even in the dark we can make out that every lawn is perfectly manicured, trees are pruned and flowers grow in organized patches along pretty fences. There is not a twig out of place or a person in sight. It is literally dead silent. Kelly speculated that we were probably surrounded by mountains, although the opaque darkness prevented us from making a conclusion about this. It was both beautiful and picturesque and slightly ominous at the same time. We decided this place, and the villages we had seen during our day of trains, were like the beginning of a novel where everything is depicted as extremely perfect...too perfect. The books you read and think "somethings got to go wrong any minute." The beauty of Switzerland is that it hasn't. They have remained in a state of neutrality since 18...? refusing to join the UN and holding on to their own currency in favor of the euro. The people are nice and helpful. The economy is thriving and adults here have the most wealth of any country in the world. Even the water that came out of the sink at our hostel was ice cold and better than Evian. We could definitely stay a while...if it wasn't so damn expensive!
Cloudy but beautiful day in Lago de Como
Interlaken, Switzerland
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