Como
Oh man... Yesterday Arie and I rode the rail up to the lake district. It was by far the most beautiful thing I have ever laid my eyes on.
1st a little history on my travel companion. Arie is a man I meet here at the hostel a couple of nights ago. He came in wearing a Oxford shirt. "ok whatever.... I could buy one of those anywhere" I told myself. Then he comes over.... sits at the computer next to me and logs into his Yale mail account. WOW. Haven't meet anyone from Yale before. So once he found out that Chris and I spoke english we all started talking. (it's amazing how you will talk to anyone if they know your language when you are in a world of uninterpuretable sounds.) So I asked what Arie is doing now and he told me that he just finished working as a law consultant on the Space Shuttle explosion report (I forgot the actual name of the report). The reason he is over in europe right now is because he is working with the UN on the Oil for Food scandal. That's a big project. Then in July he is going down to Mississippi to work on a case that is attempting to get a guy off of death row due to the introduction of DNA evidence. Now in Mississippi they have never reprieved a death sentence so this will be a landmark case.
It's totally amazing the people I have meet on this trip so far. Everything from a waitress on a boat to a lawyer working some of the most amazing cases I have ever heard of.... and everything in between.
So anyways... Arie and I went up to Como. It is on the far southern tip of the lake district, about 45 min. north of Milano. When we arrived we took a tram service up to the top of the mountain where there was a really small village It was 1010m above the lake. after we go off the tram we saw a lighthouse that was another 100-120m climb.... being the adventure freaks that we are, we went to it. Luckily when we got to the lighthouse we were able to climb up it. that was another 90ft. so we are now aprox. 1115m above the lake level. Man was that the most amazing sight I had ever seen in my life. The lake was so clear, the skys were the most beautiful blue, the rolling mountians that were directly surrounding us were covered in an amazing array of green grass and trees, and off in the distance you could see the 20-30,000ft peaks of the Swiss Alps. I Didn't want to leave. The view literally froze us in our tracks for a solid 3 min. (and you all know how hard it is to shut me up) I'll show pictures when I get back.
So as we were hiking our way back to the tram we see a small trail leading off the road... it had an even smaller sign nailed to a tree that said "como" and had a picture of a hiker. Once again, being the adventure freaks that we are, we mutually decided to try it out. 1115m elevation, a solid 5 miles of distance, 2 150+ pound St. Bernards, and a couple of water breaks later... we pop out at the Dummo in Como. Wow we did it. When we turned around and looked up at what we had just accomplished, it made us both light headed. We then proceeded to the nearest restaurant and had a Diavolo pizza. Needless to say we both passed out on the train ride home. So much so that we missed our stop at Milano Cenerale and had to get off at the next stop. Luckily we stumbled upon a bar that chris, katy, and I went to a few nights earlier so we were able to make it back to the hotel. Arie went to stay with a friend in Milano last night, I came into the hotel and again passed back out.
It is now 11am and I am prepping myself for the trainride to Florence. I'll be there for 4 nights and then I will probably head off for germany for a few days before I have to come back and pick up Tiff for the weekend. I don't think that the Hostel that I am staying in tonight will have internet but the one for tomorrow will so I will update then. Until then.... keep the comments coming and I love you all.
1st a little history on my travel companion. Arie is a man I meet here at the hostel a couple of nights ago. He came in wearing a Oxford shirt. "ok whatever.... I could buy one of those anywhere" I told myself. Then he comes over.... sits at the computer next to me and logs into his Yale mail account. WOW. Haven't meet anyone from Yale before. So once he found out that Chris and I spoke english we all started talking. (it's amazing how you will talk to anyone if they know your language when you are in a world of uninterpuretable sounds.) So I asked what Arie is doing now and he told me that he just finished working as a law consultant on the Space Shuttle explosion report (I forgot the actual name of the report). The reason he is over in europe right now is because he is working with the UN on the Oil for Food scandal. That's a big project. Then in July he is going down to Mississippi to work on a case that is attempting to get a guy off of death row due to the introduction of DNA evidence. Now in Mississippi they have never reprieved a death sentence so this will be a landmark case.
It's totally amazing the people I have meet on this trip so far. Everything from a waitress on a boat to a lawyer working some of the most amazing cases I have ever heard of.... and everything in between.
So anyways... Arie and I went up to Como. It is on the far southern tip of the lake district, about 45 min. north of Milano. When we arrived we took a tram service up to the top of the mountain where there was a really small village It was 1010m above the lake. after we go off the tram we saw a lighthouse that was another 100-120m climb.... being the adventure freaks that we are, we went to it. Luckily when we got to the lighthouse we were able to climb up it. that was another 90ft. so we are now aprox. 1115m above the lake level. Man was that the most amazing sight I had ever seen in my life. The lake was so clear, the skys were the most beautiful blue, the rolling mountians that were directly surrounding us were covered in an amazing array of green grass and trees, and off in the distance you could see the 20-30,000ft peaks of the Swiss Alps. I Didn't want to leave. The view literally froze us in our tracks for a solid 3 min. (and you all know how hard it is to shut me up) I'll show pictures when I get back.
So as we were hiking our way back to the tram we see a small trail leading off the road... it had an even smaller sign nailed to a tree that said "como" and had a picture of a hiker. Once again, being the adventure freaks that we are, we mutually decided to try it out. 1115m elevation, a solid 5 miles of distance, 2 150+ pound St. Bernards, and a couple of water breaks later... we pop out at the Dummo in Como. Wow we did it. When we turned around and looked up at what we had just accomplished, it made us both light headed. We then proceeded to the nearest restaurant and had a Diavolo pizza. Needless to say we both passed out on the train ride home. So much so that we missed our stop at Milano Cenerale and had to get off at the next stop. Luckily we stumbled upon a bar that chris, katy, and I went to a few nights earlier so we were able to make it back to the hotel. Arie went to stay with a friend in Milano last night, I came into the hotel and again passed back out.
It is now 11am and I am prepping myself for the trainride to Florence. I'll be there for 4 nights and then I will probably head off for germany for a few days before I have to come back and pick up Tiff for the weekend. I don't think that the Hostel that I am staying in tonight will have internet but the one for tomorrow will so I will update then. Until then.... keep the comments coming and I love you all.