The Great Lakes

Living in Paris is a joy. Evening strolls by the river, lolling in the park on the weekends, the architecture, the history. But an even greater joy is getting out of the city. There are a myriad of places to go with trains that transport you across international borders in the time it takes to eat a sandwich and catch a quick nap. The Nederlands, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, Italy and more are yours for the taking, you only have to choose! The choice this weekend: Lugano and Lake Como. Lugano is in Switzerland, just on the border with Italy and was our first destination. The first leg from Paris to Zurich began early, it was to be a long 7 hour day by train. The dining car was full of businessmen chatting and drinking their tiny little cups of coffee, and after a croissant and a cup of tea we settled in with our books and ipods until the motion of the train rocked us back to sleep. I was dreaming happily of an intended rendez vous with the very handsome and debonair George Clooney when I was rudely awakened by my traveling companion-we were pulling into Zurich station and we had exactly 8 minutes to catch our connecting train to Lugano! Of course our car was at the far end of the platform.....luckily my friend knew right where to go and soon we were on the second leg of our journey. The ride from Zurich to Lugano was stunning. High mountains and lush green valleys, crystal blue rivers that cut through the landscape, waterfalls and wild goats snacking on tender flowers as they balance precariously on the granite hillside a few feet from the train. It was everything one imagines Switzerland to be, without the snow. The sheer beauty of the landscape made the next three hours pass easily. We arrived in Lugano ready for a good meal and a nice long walk. In Lugano the predominant language spoken is Italian, even though it is still Switzerland. It is a charming town, terraced into the hills that surround the lake, a common theme this trip. The water is the most unusual colour of aquamarine I have ever seen! I am at a loss to describe it, and even my camera could not capture it. We strolled through town windowshopping as we made our way to the lakefront, then lazily through a little park. A swan was enjoying an afternoon swim and a mama duck watched over her brood protectively as they fished for dinner. Children played on the grass and it seemed that everyone came equipped with gelato! (The gelato in Italy is the simply the best I have ever had anywhere) On the far end of the park hugging the lake was a restaurant recommended to us by some lovely local residents and we had a lovely meal al fresco. This was living! But it was to get better. After a good night's sleep and a really good breakfast we rented a car and set the GPS for Lake Como - and my intended rendez vous with George Clooney. Even with a GPS we had our challenges with roads that lead to nowhere and one way streets "Jill" couldn't possibly detect from outer space. I think we circled Lugano three times before we got it right and I was getting impatient. I had a hot date waiting! Once we made it out of the rat maze we were in Como before we knew it. Lake Como was founded 56 years before Christ walked the earth. It's ancient streets are a labyrinth of shops, restaurants, apartments and piazzas. It is warm and sunny and everyone lives outdoors. The shops offer stylish and beautiful clothing for sale, and Italian women are fierce in their 6 inch stilletos. They are gorgeous, tanned, and exude an air of casual confidance. The men look like Roman gods with their classic profiles and bright white smiles, and they flirt joyously and unabashedly with everything in a skirt. There is something so engaging and merry about the language. French is very elegant and civilized, but Italian is so - fun! We had a great time getting lost in the sidestreets, people watching, and flirting with cute boys. All of this had given us a good appetite and the sun had sapped our energy, so after a big plate of pasta and a pizza pie we took one last midnight stroll and bathed in the cool night air before returning to our little oven of a room. Being a very old structure, our hotel was charming but lacked air conditioning - or even the luxury of a ceiling fan. To sleep comfortably, we opened the windows, which faced the piazza below. A very busy piazza. A piazza that boasted no fewer than six restaurants. Did you know that Italians dine at 2:00 in the morning? Boisterously and joyously (God bless their crazy Italian hearts)....somehow all the chatter became like white noise and I eventually fell to sleep, unaware that I had done so until for some reason I awoke to total silence. I reflected in amazement how suddenly it seemed everyone had disappeared as if in a dream, but only for a moment. I stretched and turned over and fell back into blissful slumber. Dawn broke early with the startling sound of the kitchen staff below dropping a hundred pieces of cutlery into a metal receptacle from 5 feet above, one piece at a time. This seemed to be either directly outside our window, or perhaps inside the room.....this didn't appear to bother George however, who continued to snore gently, his face like that of an angel at rest. I made use of this quiet time to draw a nice hot bath, sipping orange juice and reflecting on the trip thus far. Then suddenly it hit me - I had forgotten to charge the battery for my camera! Merde! I heard movement in the next room and knew I wouldn't have a chance to fully charge it before we left for the day. We were heading for Bellagio and some excellent photo ops. (Note to self: buy an extra battery.) The drive to Bellagio was an adventure in and of itself. The ancient road between the Roman settlements of Como and Bellagio is carved into the mountain and flanked by houses old and new. There is barely enough room for two small cars to pass side by side, not counting the bicyclists in full race gear, motorcyclists passing at breakneck speeds on hairpin curves, and the occasional pedestrian out for a morning stroll to the tobacco shop. Homes are crowded in every conceivable space up and down the mountains, all the way to the edge of the road. You are literally inches away from the front doors of homes built in a time long before motorized vehicles were imagined. In some areas the land is too "sauvage" to build, and one has an unfettered view of the lake below. The colours of the day are terra cotta and mustard, pale pink and azure. And bright yellow sunshine. Bellagio is a popular tourist destination, and a stream of cars was pouring into the sleepy little village early in the morning. Parking is at a premium, and you will surely be thankful once you have secured a spot. Be ready to walk, but it is a pleasant walk that winds around the hills into town. Despite the tourists, it has a very calm and peaceful ambience. The more ancient heart of the old city is paved with the original cobblestone - real little river rocks all cemented down to form the first paved streets. Mysterious alleyways wind up and down the terraced maze of homes built in the time of Christ that are being occupied today. Occasionaly the crowd makes way for an automobile to squeeze through, allowed to drive there only because they are residents. The locals have a charming habit of stenciling in elaborate fashion the outside of their buildings. Window trim, faux columns and stone block, curly queues and greek goddesses...an idea I will definately put to use one day. We had a lovely lunch at a very posh hotel overlooking the lake served by beautiful Italian boys in white gloves and epilets. It was peaceful and elegant and simply perfect. We strolled and shopped, had a gelato when it got too hot, and decided to beat the rush out of town. We had an early morning and a long day of travel home ahead. When we got back to Como we were done for the day. We went to our room, stripped off our clothes, and munched on leftover pizza while watching two crazy Italians on television arguing about futbol. I have to say it was the most entertaining thing I have seen on t.v. in quite some time! Arms flailing, everyone talking -nay yelling at once in this really fun language. Fabulous. I am head over heels in love with Italy. We were up before the kitchen staff moday morning and on our way early in an attempt to beat rush hour traffic into Lugano. We had been warned it could take as long as it does on the Hollywood freeway at 7:30 a.m. and we had a train to catch. The always accommodating and diction impaired "Jill" led us to the car rental agency with only a few minor recalculations, and we even had time for a hot chocolate! We had a brief layover in Zurich, and a nice walkabout before the 4 hours back to Paris. Zurich is a busy city of commerce rich in capital and on the move. There is a beautiful lakefront park not far from the station, and a wonderful National Museum. I visited an abbey built in the 7th century painted with the most beautiful tableaus of a sacred histoire, on the outside! Time passed quickly, and we were loath to leave so soon, but leave we did with memories of a wonderful adventure we won't soon forget. As for George, he gave me his address and an open invitation.