Bellagio Saturday

Saturday
Late night last night…and probably too much wine calorie wise at least! Dropped back to a little bar called 27M(squared)…because the place is only 27 meters sq in size! Standing bar only (Sharon you would love it). The owners name is Daniel and has fabulous English because he worked at Epcot Center for a year in Orlando! Lots of people came and went during the course of an hour and a half…ran into Walter from Austria and a few of his friends who came to mountain bike…unfortunately when they got here it was of course raining and hence they had been at the bar since 2:15 in the afternoon, it was now 10pm! Chatted with them, especially Walter who liked to talk and talk about America…they like Arnold (of course) and don’t like Hillary but they don’t like Bush either. They like speaking English and Walter was actually quite good at it even thought he thought he was not. He loved taking pictures too…so I have his email to get them when I have a minute.

Got in late but again had trouble sleeping…argh….woke up early to get the ferry to Bellagio. Still, cold, rainy and no sun! But can see more than the day before…the huge mountains across the lake can now be seen…even their snow covered tips! The little towns too are now visible and are spattered on the lake, perched on the side of the mountains. Only a 15 minute boat ride to Bellagio. Shops open at 9, we got there around 9:45. Not a big shopper but the streets are quaint and pebbled…a lot of stair climbing…still raining! Most of the streets are walking but a few are walking and cars…when cars come by the pedestrians slam themselves against a wall or into an alley…even more humorous to watch with umbrellas as part of the equation. Pretty expensive but not to out of range if you get a little off the beaten path. I imagine in the summer it is quite packed with tourist and more hotels and Terrizmos (terraces?) are open. Wisteria and tulips are just blooming now and again; I can imagine it is even quainter in about another 3 weeks. All shop owners are very nice and help with Italian. Gelato shops spot the small town, although too cold for me to partake this day.
Stop and have a light lunch and then catch the ferry back to Varenna since all the shops close up til 3:30. The rain has let up a bit but now it is a bit chillier.
End 3:20pm