I had planned quite the road trip for my parents' visit with Cousin Anthony -- two nights at Lake Como, two nights in Zermatt, and a night in Italian wine country on the way home. But the French Office for Integration & Immigration had other plans for Jeff and me... like a mandatory medical examination at their offices in Nice to complete our residency permit requirements, right in the middle of the week. Still we decided to forge ahead with an abbreviated version of the trip as our road warrior behind the wheel didn't mind the intensive schedule. But during the heat of a frenzied ping-pong match, Jeff tore a ligament in his foot which left yours truly as the remaining member of the group with recent stick-shift driving experience.
We left late after our (successful!) OFII appointment and drove long hours through tunnels and around twisty bends to arrive at Lake Como in the dark of night. Our reward came the next morning when we stepped onto our balconies to see where we'd arrived.
The Grand Hotel Tremezzo, just across from Bellagio, delighted us from the lavish breakfasts complete with five types of honey (Anthony and Jeff tried them all) to evening drinks enjoyed in the salon while Dad played pool with the boys. We especially appreciated the delicate bowl brought for Charlie who, of course, came along for the ride.
We took a ferry to Bellago and spent the day climbing the old steps that connect the terraced layers of the town; shopping for silk purses and trinkets made from olive wood; and walking out to La Punta, the point that divides the lower parts of the lake. Sadly, Jeff's reliance on crutches meant that he couldn't make it any further than the row of cafes along the waterfront.
And so he enjoyed what one of the lake's most famous residents calls "that indolent but agreeable condition of doing nothing." And who would that famous resident be?
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