The day was spent primarily climbing to the top of one of the mini alps..to a rest area called the Rifugio Menaggio. Little did we know when we arrived that we would be served by none other than John Locke...check him out
Steve, Peggy and I took the 4 hour round trip hike during a warm, but not overly hot afternoon on Saturday the 26th. It was pretty much straight uphill for the first 2 miles, with spectacular views of lake Como around every turn: By the ay, not to mislead, I must tell you that we drove half the way up the mountain before beginning our trek
Here you can get a sense of the steepness
The views looking down on Menaggio and Bellagio, and the wild flowers along the way made the difficulty bearable, and I might even say, very enjoyable!
Once we arrived at the Rifugio (Refuge), Peg and I had a lovely lunch...while Steve continued the extra 45 minutes straight up to the very peak of Mt. Grona.... it's hard to know which option was more enjoyable
and the lunch...
we did save Steve a sandwich from this prosciutto, salami and cheese plate!
Then before watching the USA lose, (the game started at 8:30 local time), we did enjoy another blow out meal at our hotel on the water of Lake Como...we even brought a bottle of Vino Noceto to share with our new friends at the other tables: Simon and Barbara from the Cotswolds, Jeff and Alex from London...he's actually from Santa Rosa and was married in England...living in the UK now with his wife, and Andrea and his wife who are from the Aoste Valley in north west Italy, tucked up against the French Alps. The California Sangiovese fared very well against the Chianti's (same grape) of Italy...this was good to know!
Our appetizer tonight, with the theme being "Meat", was marinated quail wings...
followed by meat stuffed ravioli
The best part of the meal was the lamb shank..marinated in cherries:)))
Steve and Elva are awaiting the arrival of Aimee and Alyssa, with good spirits I might add:
A great evening of conversation continued until the game at a local pub..the fact that both the tv and the crowds were small made the pain more bearable....The first 10 minutes of the second half looked as though we would be unbeatable...until Ghana's defense showed up and our offense ran out of gas.
On Sunday we might head to the oldest Anglican church in Italy...built around 1891. and then the daughters arrive...and of course England vs Germany. With so many new English friends around it will be a joy to watch with them. Oh yeah, we might enjoy Lake Como and take a drive to Switzerland this afternoon...only time and tonight's blog entry will tell... love and miss you all...if anyone's reading this still??? ciao bella!
1 comment:
I find it strangely peculiar that just as you're about the be served by John Locke, Steve "happens" to want to continue to the summit. Steve didn't, by chance, avoid ordering the rabbit did he? Benjamin is a man of many faces and places. I"m not saying anything, just thinking out loud.
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