Lago di Como

After 1,431 posts, I suppose you have to expect a certain amount of duplication.  Certain repeated themes whose posts all sound a bit the same.  One such theme is the "Soon I leave on my trip" theme.

You know what, though?  It's my blog, and I'll repeat if I want to.  Sometimes I just want to note an occasion to prompt future memories, not entertain you, my faithful readers.

So, yeah.  Wednesday, finally, I leave for Italy.  My flight to Dallas-Fort Worth leaves at 7:30 a.m., meaning I pretty much have to Uber myself to the airport at about 4 a.m.  Three hours in advance has always been recommended for international flights, but especially now when so many requirements for the flight have to be documented and verified.

Yes, I have had my vaccinations, and here is my white CDC card.  Yes, I've had my COVID-19 test (today, in fact), and it was negative; here is the lab report.  Yes, I have submitted my Passenger Locator Form, and here is the computer print-out acknowledging receipt by the Italian government. 

There are bound to be folks ahead of me in line at check-in who are horrified to discover that they are missing one or more of these documents -- as sure as there are folks ahead of you at Starbucks who can't decide whether to add caramel to their Frappuccino.   Hence, the three-hour lead time.

I haven't begun to pack, but I have drawn up a packing list.  Apparently, the list suggests, I'm moving to Italy for a year or so.  My sister advises me she is taking a dress (probably unneeded) and a pair of jeans.  My cousin is bringing a small carry-on bag, and all her clothes will be black.  We do have a washer and dryer in our rental -- I really don't need to bring a fresh ensemble for every day of the trip.  I recall my days of backpacking throughout Europe lugging a mammoth backpack; I should have learned my lesson.

My flight to DFW lasts four hours.  I have slightly over an hour to regain my poise in the airport, before leaving for Rome, a ten-hour flight.  I arrive in Rome bright and early in the morning, at 8 a.m.  Which of course is 11 p.m. and time for bed in Seattle.  My hotel has a check-in time of 2 p.m., which means a few hours of walking around the Eternal City in something of a sleep-deprived daze, melting in the Roman late-summer heat.  But I've done all that before -- and fortunately, hotels always allow early arrivals to check their bags until check-in time.

So I have most of Thursday and all of Friday to re-acquaint myself with the wonders and beauties of Rome -- I was last there two summers ago -- before taking an early morning three-hour train ride from Rome to Milan on Saturday.  My sister and cousin will have left San Francisco at about the same time I left Seattle, and will have been familiarizing themselves with the sights of Milan.  We will meet at their Milan hotel, a block from the train station, after which I'll secure my rental car, and the fun begins.

The initial fun will be trying to get out of Milan's crowded maze of streets, aided by my iPhone's GPS.  But the more substantive fun will be the drive to Menaggio on the western shore of Lake Como (henceforth, Lago di Como), and then proceeding three miles farther to the small village of Rezzonico.  Rezzonico, where our rental house awaits us --  three stories high, and overlooking the lake.

But I can say no more.  Once we arrive at our rented house, there is no further advance itinerary.  The itinerary will evolve over the coming seven days as our moods and interests dictate.  Hint -- for my own part, my moods and interests will dictate a couple days of lake exploration by the excellent village-to-village ferry system and at least one day hiking into the hills above the lake.  Our plans will be determined partly, however, by the weather: at present, there is a 50 to 60 percent chance of rain for at least four of the days we'll have our rental.  

Seven days of playing countless games of "Sorry!" as the rain pounds on the window panes?  Hopefully not.   

But all will be made clear, grasshoppers, upon my return.  Maybe even with some cool photos.  

Ciao, e fate i bravi!