June 14, 2014 – Bolzano – Milan – Levanto
From my journal:
We woke about 5:20 and left about 5:50. Even so we are soon lost. We ran about as much as we could (our legs were spaghetti) but got to the platform just as he 6:25 was zooming away. We got on a 6:36 to Verona, but it was the slow train and was not going be on time for our connection to Milan.
While riding to Verona, then Milan, we weighed whether we should push on to Lake Como, arrive late and get an additional night and thereby make the stay worth the effort (and knocking one night off our planned stay in Levanto/ Cinque Terra); OR: Scrap Como altogether (since they had never received our reservation anyway, and had offered us new location a bus ride way from Varenna) and stay tonight in Levanto instead. When we learned we could get the extra night , and it was costing us nothing to cancel Como, we opted for the latter plan.
Arrived Milano c. 11:00. With a 3-hour layover, we rode the Metro to the Duomo, the Piazza, and lunch. Departed Milano at 2:05 to Levanto.
Arrived Levanto 5:45 and walked to hostel. Checked in, met our Aussie dorm-mates, ate calzone and raviolis down the street, had some gelato –
Gelato Day 13: Levanto. We got 1/2 chocolate and 1/2 peanut butter. Yum. Ate it sitting on the grass in the central park/piazza.
Walked to the beach. Didn’t go on the sand. We saw a thunderstorm out over the water. We went back when we felt a drop or two. A short while later the storm hit the town suddenly and dramatically. Laura and I haven’t seen a thunderstorm like this since our Oklahoma days. Heavy downpour. Lightning very close. It’s still storming as I write 🙂
∼On this day Italy defeated England in the World Cup, 2-1. There was a celebration throughout the land, on into the night. English tears fell like rain. Whatever.
The Free Range 