By George....

The last few days have been exciting.  I'll cut to the chase.  I was at Lake Como and it's weird because unlike Salzburg with the "Walk Maria's Footsteps Tour", Lake Como does not have the "Walk the Footsteps of George Clooney Tour".  Weird, no?  So I had to do some recon and I had to find him myself.  

Luckily he WAS in residence when I was there and luckily I FOUND HIM!  It was amazing.  So apparently he and his girlfriend were sailing the lake and I got a link from Lindsay and Kristin.  I missed him because when I was on the lake the only sailboats I saw were kids learning to sail.  However, I went to dinner at this place that was pretty fancy.  In the tour book it lists is as the place, "Heads of State and the Rollingstones" have dined.  Of course I went there to have my last meal in Como.  I was sitting at my table and who walks in?  GEORGE CLOONEY!  I sh*t you not.  Wow is that man gorgeous.  He walks into a room and you know that someone has arrived.  It was a small place so I was able to watch/stare the entire time.  He is gorgeous.  I'm totally lying right now, but wouldn't that have been cool if I wasn't?  Yeah, so no GC sighting for me.  Bummer!

Lake Como is charming.  It is set in the valleys of mountains which sets the lake up to be a really unique place.  The actual city of Como has all of these hidden piazzas with cafes on them and people just sitting outside enjoying life.  Really, much like in the States when I’m on a school day off, I wonder, what DO these people do for a living?  I ventured off on a boat taxi, the only way really to see Lake Como, and saw many of the different towns.  I stopped off in Bellagio, the town that the hotel in Vegas is designed after.  You get off the boat and pretty much the tourist part of town is about a ¼ mile long or even shorter.  It is basically stone staircases(about 4 or 5 of them spread out) with little shops, bars, restaurants, etc.  You just walk up and down the staircases.  Off each of them are also doors for apartments.  Having been in the Bellagio in Vegas, I can see how it is modeled after this small town on Lake Como. 

While I was on the boat I wondered why people would come to Lake Como, besides George stalking I guess, which is pretty much me being an American(and I didn’t come for that reason alone-I promise).  If you want a beach vacation, you wouldn’t come here.  Hardly a person was in the lake and the beaches are stony, like many parts of Europe.  But some of the towns have fancy hotels and there is a charm about this place and it can be sort of romantic in that kind of way that being by yourself can be romantic.  Fine, I have an imagination and believe me, this place could be romantic.  Take for instance my dinner last night. I was at the Villa Geno where Heads of State and the Rollingstones have dined.  It was set out on the grassy knoll overlooking the lake, candles all around, and me.  See, totally romantic.

Anyway, I would recommend Como and maybe staying at different little towns along the lake. 

I’m now on a train en route to Rome where I will meet up with the traveling Willbury’s(my family).  My cousin Kristen is a brave woman to be responsible for my parents, Aunt Karen, and Nyle.  I hope they are ready because I’m going to work them to the bone in Rome.  We only have 3 days and a lot to see.  No, no, I’ve already been warned that I can’t work them too hard.  Lots of coffee breaks and wine for me. 

Caio!