We are heading north again

After four days of healing Mike's lag in Orvieto, we woke up this morning and decided to head north rather than south. Who is to explain the whims of travel? It was one of those magical fall days in which the air is clear and crisp and the colors of the sunshine are warm and inviting. We had been toying with a visit to the Amalfi coast, but the descriptions of stairs and hills were too much for the freshly rehabilitated leg, so we instead headed north to spend more time in some of our favorite places. So, southern Italy waits for another trip.

The first train out of Orvieto (the 10:33) was a local that took us back to Florence, where we put aside a big urge to call and check on Caitie and instead caught the 13:14 to Milano. In Milan, with a few minutes to spare, we caught the next train to Como. Dare-devils that we are, we arrived in Como at 5:30 PM with no hotel reservations and started phoning. We had been on the road since leaving our hotel at 9:00 for the walk to the Orvieto train station, so the resounding "completo" (Italian for full up) calls we heard was disheartening. finally, we decided to hop the next northbound train (6:30 PM bound for Zurich) and ride the half hour back to Lugano, where we were able to get a single night at the wonderful Dante hotel which we enjoyed so much the last time through Lugano. So, here we sit enjoying our free internet at the hotel. We are in Switzerland again, although it is a bit further than we expected. We had anticipated a few days in Como and then on to the Italian Dolomites, but instead we are in Switzerland. It feels comforting to be in such a nice hotel (this was our overall favorite for the entire trip) in a city and country that we enjoyed.

We had dinner at the same restaurant beside our hotel and relaxed for the first time today. Overall pleasure. Running out of time, so I am off. I will write again soon.
Love, Deanne
P.S. I am having some difficulties with photos that I have not figured out yet, but they will be coming shortly.