Lake Como

October 15, 2006

Yesterday, Ben and I woke up early and took the train to Como. It's only about 40 minutes away from us. When we arrived, it was a little cloudy, but we were immediately taken in by the sight of such a beautiful place. The town of Como is right on the lake of the same name and sports those very narrow streets with tons of stores and cafes. All the buildings are pink, orange and yellow. The Lake is surrounded by rolling hills that are dotted along the bottom with houses. We sat by the lake and had brioches and coffees and watched the town wake up.

One of the reasons we were there was to see the finish of the Giro di Lombardia, the last race in the professional tour of bike racing. So, after exploring the town, we found all the bicycle team buses and trucks. Ben was so excited and we got pictures of him with most of them, especially the Discovery Channel Bus.

Then we took a boat ride on the lake and a passed many pretty towns. We got off in Bellagio, It is a small village that is on a steep slope and has a beautiful church. We walked all around and stopped in a piazza to eat some bread and cheese and gelato. One of the things we love about these towns is their attention to detail. The landscaping and architecture is so ornate and unique. For so late in the year, all the flowers were in bloom and it was not that cold.

We took the boat, which was filled with people speaking English, back to Como and waited for the race. It was very exciting seeing the men finish. An Italian, who is the world champion as well, was the winner and the crowd was ecstatic.

It was a magical day and we hope to go back there a lot and visit more of the towns.