Leaving Parma seems so long ago - it's been a long day. Had breakfast, said see ya to Mr MyShitDoesn'tStinkButManYoursDoes, walked to the station, and was over an hour early for the train. Found the bar and asked for 'cappucino forte alla tavola per favoure' and again confused the shitter out of everyone. Then the guy asked if I wanted 'cow-cow' and thinking that maybe cow-cow in Parma means milk because it comes from a cow, but no, he meant cocoa.
Went back and waited on the binario, three people stopped and asked me a question as if a) I was Italian (I already established previously that I'm definitely not Italian), b) that I knew how to speak italian fluently and c) as if I would know the answer to their questions about the trains and stops they make!
I had to get two trains this morning, one to Milano then change and get one to Como. The one to Milano was fine until the first stop when a STINKING FILTHY man sat in the seat on the other side of the isle to me and man his shit DID stink. I sat almost on top of the air con vent trying not to breath him in until we arrived in Milan. It turned out I only had about 40 minutes in Milan so I didn't leave the station, stood and watched people and nuns and more nuns. Then it was a regional train (suburban) to Como. The last 15 minutes of the trip was like riding through the Dandenongs - green, ferny, lush and cool.
I got a cab from the station in Como to my hotel which is above a ristorante-pizzeria, so as soon as I had checked in I dumped my bags, went back down stairs, had a glass of wine, vegetariana pizza, more wine and machiatto then went wandering.
This is the first town I have been in that I have been followed, by a horrible man in a red jumper on a bike. I back peddled to lose him but so did he. I went into a piazza that was surrounded by a chain because I knew he wouldn't be able to ride through there and the creep rode around it! So I found a senora reading a newspaper on a seat overlooking the lake and prego'd her and she prego'd me back so I sat there with her for half an hour and he gave up and rode off into the sunset.
This place is absolutely stunning. I don't have words to describe it, in English and definitely not in Italian. It is breathtaking with houses, big and grand, and small and modest built into and on top of the mountains. How on earth they got the building materials up the mountains to build the grand houses I don't know but I will find out because there is a funicular that goes up the mountain and I am going to have a go on that tomorrow. I'm also going to walk to the station to find out a) how far I will get into Switzerland to spend a couple of hours and b) sort out my train ticket for Bergamo. The bus terminal is across the road from my room so I could get the bus, I will see how I feel tomorrow about getting the wrong bus because that is what will undoubtedly happen.
I have the timetable for the ferries and will need my Phd to work it out but don't think I am going to be able to go all the way up to the top of the lake and back again in one day, unless I treat it as an all day boat trip. The ferry stops at the village at the top of the lake and half an hour later the last ferry leaves to come back to Como. Not to worry though because I can go to many of the villages on the lakes, so much to do, I am so glad I have five nights here.
I have everyone fussing around me right now. The wifi in my room connects but I don't have service. It happened in Parma. All they have to do is turn off the modem and turn it back on, but when I told them that they got all confused and now the boss is on the phone to vodaphone trying to work it out. I have told them that I write a travel blog (not a lie) and need to be on the wifi to be able to write it and submit it so that gets them cracking. Got the sonk in Parma cracking too, so remember that any time you are travelling and your wifi doesn't work. It also helps if you can touch type 80 works a minute, that also impresses them!
I'm about to send a quick email, take my tablet back to my room and go for a walk the opposite way to the way I went today, check things out.
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