Ferry's, Gelato and Give Me Twenty!

Saturday's full schedule took a toll on us, so we had a bit of sleep in on Sunday. Actually it turned in to more of a sleep-in then we had anticipated as Europe moved forward an hour for day light savings time this weekend. While the kids and Stacey slept a little longer I walked around Varenna looking for some groceries. There are two stores in town, and they are not big. I would say that they are both about the size of our dining room. BUT, they are packed with goodness. I would bet that one of the stores has a better selection of olive oils and balsamic vinegars than any store in Calgary. If you like wine, you will be happy to hear that you can get a bottle starting at Euro 3.60 ($4.76)! That is not a typo.

The view from our apartment door to the water.

After a homemade Italian lunch (Come on, what else did you expect? There isn't a big Asian section in the stores), we walked all the way down from our house to the water (about 30 meters). Thank god there was a gelato shop there.

The yellow wall at the top of the stairs is our place, Casa Varenna. Bronwyn is smiling because the gelato shop is to her right. Steps like this are everywhere in Varenna.

A much needed gelato break after the long walk down from Casa Varenna.

Today we explored Varenna and two other villages on Lake Como, Menaggio and Bellaggio. To access the towns we had to take a ferry. The ferry's run quite regularly and the process is super simple.

While waiting for the ferry Fintan instituted a new rule. Every time he punches Bronwyn he has to drop down and do 20 push ups. This 20 received a "bellissimo!" from an Italian jewellery vendor.

Two happy ferry passengers on their way to Menaggio.

First stop was Menaggio. It takes about 15 minutes to get there from Varenna. No word of a lie, as soon as we got there Fintan asked if we could have gelato. The core of the village is much flatter then Varenna and features a long boardwalk. The town was packed with weekend tourists, mostly all leathered up in motorcycle gear. We were able to negotiate with Fintan down to a cappuccino and hot chocolate, so we found a spot in the town square to sit outside in the sun. Within a few minutes it got super wind and cloudy which kinda killed the setting. The cooler temps only lasted about a half an hour and the rest of the day was brilliant. Menaggio was nice, but the quaint charm, and hills of Varenna is more to my liking.

Menaggio from the ferry.

The boardwalk in Menaggio.

Menaggio make out artists.

After a few hours we hoped on the ferry and made our way to Bellaggio. I am not sure what happened when we got on the ferry, but when I turned around Fintan had hit the deck.

Nice form. At this rate he will be ripped by the time we leave Italy.

Post punch up and push up. She doesn't look as pleased with the results as he does.

The view of Bellaggio as we pulled into port.

Bellaggio is much more like Veranna with the long steep stairways, and tight narrow streets. The main difference is that Bellaggio's streets are lined with shops. It is a beautiful little village with a lot going on.

Shop lined street in Bellaggio.

Finally! We found a gelato shop! If it looks to you like they are in heaven, they are. This gelato was voted number one in Italy so far. Go Bellaggio!