We got up and grabbed breakfast at the same internet cafe as yesterday. Given our communications problems yesterday I was surprised we did not get coffee to go today when we wanted to stay. I used the internet to get directions for Liz and Danna’s hostel in Genova. The hostel is located at the top of the hill made of twisted streets. Oe of the streets even intersects itself making a loop. Even with a map and directions I was sure we would get lost so we called the girls and arranged to meet them at the main train station instead.

We guessed right and got off the autostrada near the train station although it was not marked. The 3rd person we asked “dove la statione principe?” was a taxi driver who gave use good directions (in Italian) with enough hand motions that we could follow them. It is near the aquarium he told us so we followed signs for the aquarium until we finally found the station.

The drive to Lake Como was uneventful except for trouble getting on the right road in Malano which made us wonder if we could reach escape velocity for the city.

The Villa Cipresi in Varenna is the most expensive and one of the most beautiful places we stayed on this trip. It has a beautiful and large garden that goes down to the lake. Joan and I explored the garden and the town but our first impression of the town was not it was small and there did not seem to be much to it. What we had missed but Kevin and Susan found was that there is a walk along the lake with lovely cafes and views. We came back to one of these cafes for dinner. The sun was setting over the lake and a warm breeze was blowing. It was enchanting. We strolled along the lake in the twilight after dinner. Local men were fishing in the lake with long poles (more than 25 feet long) and no reel.