Milan, Lago Magiore and Lago Como. Internet Cafe not working well- pictures coming

Rome was my first school trip and this one was my second and last of the semester. I didnt really know what to expect and I didnt know that we were going to stop in Milan until the bus left but I knew that It would be beautiful. One of my roommates, Mario, also signed up for the trip so we headed off to the trains station together, getting there right at 7AM. We had to wait a few minutes for the late people and we headed out around 7:20. The bus was nice, same as the one we took to Rome. Luckily we werent going by train as their was a transportation strike throughout Italy. We reached Milan at about 11, getting off the bus right next to their Duomo. The Milan Duomo is the second largest gothic cathedral in the world and very different from our Florentine Duomo. An uncountable number of spires reaches towards the clouds, each with a saint perched on top. Like our Duomo ever inch of the exterior was covered in art or schulpture. The inside was not nearly as filled as St.Peters in Rome but still had its share of statues and art. It was know for its stained glass that covered the huge windows. There was also an interesting statue of San Bartalomeo wearing his own skin as a robe.We exited the Duomo and were faced by Italians in full riot gear, large guns, helmets, shields and all. In the piazza in front of the Duomo there was a mass of people in red. From what I could read it was either a union or communist rally. There was not rowdiness, the police were relaxed and the rally peaceful. The group disbanded, to meet again in a few hours. Mario and I checked out the famous shopping are then started wandering. We came upon a national geographic exhibit in the stree that was a series of beautiful photographs of wildlife and people. Near that we stopped at a pastry cart and had Milans version of a cannoli. From there we walked towards the tower that was dominating the skyline. When we came into the piazza we discovered that the tower was connected to a castle. Called Castello Sforzesco its deep red brick contrasted with the dull gray of the street. The wind started blowing like crazy, throwing leaves and debris into the air. Walking through mini tornadoes we entered through the main gate. The ground was depressed around the front where the moat used to be. We were able to walk all through the old castle which was amazing. Everything was still in good condition and very well made. From the holes for archers to shoot out of to the old garden everything seemed just ast it would have been hundreds of years ago. We were getting close to the time we had to go so we left a different way we came and tried to explore some more of Milan before we left. We all met up near the Cathedral and walked to our bus. The ride to the lake took about an hour and a half, which was spent playing Scopa, an Italian card game played with Italian cards. When we reached the hotel it was already dark but immediately we could tell that we were in for a treat. The covered valet area was well decorated and the doors were automatic and completely made of glass. Grand hotel Dino was written in gold above the door. We pulled our luggage out of the bus and moved inside. The interior was even more amazing. Directly infront was a huge oval going into the ceiling made out of stained glass. Huge chandeliers lined the ceiling around the stained glass. Every direction was a beauty that I was unaccustomed to. I was used to beautiful scenery, cassic paintings, amazing architecture but not modern man made art. We got our room keys and headed up the elavator that had a large LCD screen displaying weather, stocks and lots of other information. Our room was very classy with a tiled bathroom and a large balcony. We each took our showers then headed down to explore as we had a couple hours before we were to meet for dinner. The place was huge. You'll have to google the hotel to get an accurate picture but I'll try. It was a 5 star hotel and I think it lived up to its name. The hallways were elegantly furnished and stretched on forever. There were about 5 dining rooms, each watched over by about 8 of the huge crystal chandeliers. Past the dining area a long blue hallway lead to the spa area, which contained saunas, turkish baths, two jacuzzi, a large gym, large indoor pool, outdoor pool, massage area and a large game room with billiard ping pong a tv area and moor. When we were wandering the spa area we bumped into Francesco, one of our chaperones/ guides. Francesco is the kind of older man who is like an encyclopedia. He really knows EVERYTHING especially about Italian art. He has amazing stories, including some about being arrested for leading resistance against fascism. He also is the ind of older man who does as he feels and expects to be listened too. He said "come this way" so we did. We explored with him for a while until we came to the sauna area. He asked if we would like to sauna and we said that we would, not expecting his next move. He then stated that we would be taking a sauna at that exact moment. Although we had no swimwear and werent planning on taking one until later, we went with it. He signed us up for one and we headed into the sauna room. It was a very nice wooden room with showers on one side with the sauna and beautiful beach chairs to the other. He said that it was time to change so we undressed and grabbed towels and got in the sauna. The temperature read 90 C which if you do the conversion is about 190 degrees. Very hot. But it was very relaxing, especially after the long bus ride. After about 10 or 15 minutes Francesco said it was time to go outside to cool off. We followed him outside and stood near the outdoor pool cooling off for a few minutes. After we had cooled down we headed inside. Francesco saw the jacuzzi and decided that it was time to go in the hot tub. Mario and I gave each other a look as we realized that the guy wanted to go sit in the hotel hot tubs naked. We shrugged and followed him. When in Rome right? So we placed our towels strategically close to the part of the hot tub we were sitting in incase the rest of the group came into the pool room we would be able to make an exit. The hot tub was great, with many many jets and a mosaic of Poseidon behind us. Although Francesco had been keeping an eye out for people he hadnt done a great job. Francesca and her two friends showed up and got in the hot tub next to us. After a minute of feeling uncomfortable we went with it and hung out for a while. It seemed like they would be there for a while so eventually we grabbed the towels and headed out. I might have accidentally kicked Marios a few feet towards the ladies. We went back to the sauna and changed, feeling refreshed and relaxed. It was a great story to have and very funny to us afterwords but there were times where we gave each other looks like "what is going on". After the spa we had a few more minutes to explore before we met in one of the dining rooms. The menu was fixed with two choices for pimmit piati and two choices for secondi piatti. Since we were on a lake I chose the seafood risotto and the trout with potatoes and fennel. The food wasnt spectacular as it was prepared for a large group of people. Reminded me of the princess hotel that I used to work at. After desert most of the group of about 25 headed to the hotel bar for caffe` and drinks. We had a good time getting to know each other as most of the kids were from FUA (Florence university of the Arts) and only a few were from my school. After hanging out at the bar for a while some of us went outside and sat on the deck over looking the lake. We shared a large Romeo and Juliet Cuban cigar and enjoyed the night. This trip was billed as the most relaxing trip of all the ones offered with no running around trying to see every sight possible. So far it was definitely relaxing. Sitting on the deck of a beautiful hotel with a good friend was great. It was a good place to talk or just sit in silence thinking about my future or to not think at all and just absorb my surroundings. Eventually we went back into the hotel where Francesca challenged me to a game of ping pong. She convinced the hotel to let us in the game room even though it was after hours and we headed down. After a close game where I came out victorious we all headed to bed. Breakfast was at 8:30
After showering and getting dressed we headed down stairs to the massive spread that awaited us. In the same beautiful dining room we ate in last night we found sliced meats, cheeses, breads, fruits, cereals, pastry, yogurt, eggs, bacon an assortment of drinks and of course caffe`. Of each there was at least 5 different kinds and I made sure to eat as much as possible. The bread was especially good with a strong crust and soft inside. We all met out on the deck and for the first time saw lago Magiore in daylight. It was a beautiful lake, huge with hills on everyside. Although the water was not as busy as I thought it would be there was a few boats moving around. We enjoyed the view for a few moments then walked down to the dock where we split up into two groups and each got into a boat. We enjoyed a smooth ride around islands to a little city that was having a market and that we would get a chance to explore. It was very sunny out and at the dock where we deboarded there were kids playing and lots of ducks and large swans swimming around. The water was full of large fish which I think someone said were catfish. We established a meeting point and headed off to explore the little town. We wandered the market for a while before stopping into a cafe to try a local speciality which was the hot chocolate. Not like American hot chocolate this was thick like pudding and came in about 35 different flavors. I chose white chocolate with hazelnut which was excellent. they came in large cups placed into little wooden bowls. We met back up at the dock and departed. We boated around the island for a while before stopping on an island that held a private castle like villa that was owned by a prince and had a private garden that is open only one month out of the year. Unfortunately for us it wasnt that month. We landed on the side opposite the villa and walked to the place we would be having lunch. One end of the island jutted out like a miniature version of the homer spit and was lined with trees that displayed beautiful fall leaves. We walked through the small island city with only a couple feet on each side separating us from the buildings. There were also many fat cats hanging out, probably well fed from the fisherman. We found our restaurant where we would be eating for free, courtesy of Francesco. Everyone would be served the same thing: a seafood risotto and fried fish with mixed veggies and a veggie pastry that was like an empanada. Everything was very well cooked and tasted excellent. The restaurant itself was wall to wall with windows that allowed us to enjoy a great lake view. After lunch we headed back to the mainland. When we got there Francesco said he would be walking around the island and we could join him if we wanted. I was one of the about 10 that joined him, the rest going back to the hotel. He led us through the city to an old church where he explained the architecture and the art. Very informative. We wandered around for about an hour, even seeing a banana tree which I thought was pretty cool. Back at the hotel I wrote in the journal that Meadow and Bill got for me (so my thoughts would be fresh for my blog!) and relaxed for a while. When It started getting dark I went outside and took some slow capture photos and photographed some of the hotel, as well as exploring the less seen parts of the hotel. Dinner was pretty much the same affair as the night before but with different food. Once again not anything too impressive but tasty and satisfying. After dinner we all decided to go to a local pub for drinks and dancing. Francesco and Francesca joined us and we all danced for a while. We went back to the hotel for a while and hung out in the tower room for a while. After we all went our separate ways I showered and went to bed. In the morning we would be going to Lago Como.
In the morning we woke up a little late and after packing and getting everything out of the room we went down to breakfast and ate some more good food. My sister and Bill called and I talked to them for a while, which was good. I miss everybody! The bus to Como took about an hour and a half. Como was a decent sized city and we slowly made our way to the docks. We got off the bus and waited while Francesco haggles with a boat captain. We were only scheduled to take a land tour but he thought we would be able to experience it better by boat. Paying for it himself he booked a charter boat for a tour of the lake. The lake was surrounded by hills and stretched for miles in the shape of the letter Y. To buy a medium sized house on Como costs minimun 10 million Euro. So imagine how beautiful the homes were. There were villas owned by hollywood actors like George Clooney and Sylvester Stallone, Villas owned by princes and dukes, a villa that was built for Napolean the 3rd. Saudi princes had villas as well as Steve jobs, the owner of apple. It is illegal to build new home on Como without hard to get special permits so almost every villa is in classic style and beautiful. Comos waters were much busier with sailboats and other watercrafts criss crossing the lake. After about two hours on the water we went back to land where we began our tour. The bus took us out of the city center and near villa estes. (google that) We wandered around for a while and had lunch. For those who met at the meeting point on time we got to take a tour of the extremely private villa estes, a hotel that rents the cheapest rooms for over 1,000 euro a night. They have a large, beautiful garden and runis of a cliff side fortress on their property. Francesco said something to the man at the gate, who called someone who talked to Francesco. Francesco again worked his majic and got them to let a group of American students wander around this exclusive, high end estate. The gardens were beautiful, especially with the multicolored leaves in the trees. Massive trees and a pool IN the lake were also highlights of Villa Estes. We made our way back to the bus and began our journey home. It was a great, beautiful and relaxing trip. The homes were amazing and the natural beauty great as well. The hotel was an experience in itself. I enjoyed the feeling of being royalty after a few years as a poor college student! Thanks Dad and Jackie for paying for the trip!
The ride home was pretty smooth. At the rest station we saw a beautiful Lamborghini. We watched a movie and played cards to pass the time and we got to Florence at about 8. I love that I feel like Im home when I come back to Florence.
P.S. I wanted to say a special thanks to my Mom, Ellen pennell for helping me with money to travel or rent a place over Christmas break. Youre always there when I need you and it takes alot of stress off me and lets me enjoy this chance of a life time that much more. My dad and Jackie also deserve another thank you for the computer that you sent me (even though Italian customs is impossible) and your continued support. Thanks also to everyone else that reads my blog and helps me feel connected to everyone. Ciao. Recipes from the last week coming also.