George, How Como You Weren't at the Lake?

My friend Michael described Lake Como as the perfect meeting of nature and man , with their buildings. He came close in that description but not quite perfect. Now if Clooney had been standing on the end of his dock tanned, shirtless and wearing biking shorts......now, that would have been been perfection. Sigh, it was not to be.

Took a day long boat ride up and down Lake Como. At first I was nonplussed on the lake... from the southern end at the city of Lake Como, its pretty but not spectacular. However, as you make your way north, it starts to get spectacular, as you can see.


The farther north you go, the more dramatic the mountains in the background. The northern tip is spitting distance from Switzerland and the Alps.

Hotels and villas line the lake... here is a hotel with a pool. The lake itself is rarely used for swimming....... too murky.

I am reading F. Scott Fitzgeralds "Tender is the Night".... picked it up in Split not realizing its about expat Americans living in Europe after WWI. They mention many of the cities I will go to, including Como. I loved this quote.

" After lunch they were both overwhelmed by the sudden flatness that comes over American travellers in quiet foreign places. No stimuli worked upon them, no voices called them from without, no fragments of their own thoughts came from the minds of others, and missing the clamour of Empire they felt that life was not continuing here. "

I think it hit on part of the reason I came on this journey... not to be entertained like a child by tourist-focused Europeans. Another great modern author, Rick Steves, hit the same point.

"If your trip is low on magic moments, kick yourself and make things happen. Seek the truth. Give a culture the benefit of your open mind."

Pretty pretty Veronna.

Lots of watercraft and kiteflying.

This gent helped me take some pics of George and myself in from of George's spread, which , alas, didn't turn out well. His brother in law came over and wanted to take a pic with George, too. Here they are ...... the dark forested area on shore is Clooney's property, very private.

This is how close I got to the hot tub that Kirsten and Karin and George and I will share someday. His land is the forested part of the end of that point in the middle distance. What do you say, is this the pic I submit to the San Jose Merc travel section?

This is the real live town of Bellagio.....look anything like the casino? Its very fancy pants.

So the boat took 4 hours and about 10 stops to run the length of the lake, then it reversed to return to Como. It was quite lulling. Here is a shot of one end of the boat. People would claim a plastic chair and when the boat started changed which end was the front of the boat, half this crowd would get up, drag their chair to the other end of the boat, and start over. The ladies standing to the right were on all day and had a great time amongst 10 of them... total Girls Weekend, from the looks of it.

Got this shot sitting at dinner. Lots of bicycles in Como. I saw business men in pinstriped suits and briefcases riding around, as well as beautiful woman in impossibly short skirts and high heels riding bikes.

Of course I found a Golden, have you no faith? Took a walk around the promenade and came upon this German guy and his golden.... sticks already in the water and the pup is shortly to follow.

On the way back to town, stopped by a very stirring memorial against Facism. It had quotes from people all over Europe, this one especially resonated with me.

" My death will testify that an intense love of life is not incompatible with the acceptance of a necessary death". Marguerite Berveets, School teacher and poet, decapitated 9.8.1944, Belgium

Evening sun on the spire of the town's cathedral.