We have settled into this life - we lie in waiting until the urge takes us to rise for breakfast - the urge arrives around 8:30 - we stroll to a less populated square than we encountered yesterday - the Italian day trippers have been confined by their weekday obligations to their home environs in Milan and Monza - Menaggio now has just its locals and the tourists who have been blessed by choosing their accommodation here - they both will be joined later in the day by the tourists who will ferry across the lake from Bellagio and Verenna.
We breakfast in another of the cafes that surround the square - a little different - this time jam filled croissants, toasted sandwichs and coffee.
We sit amused by the group of local women who have met at the café - like their french sisters they smoke and smoke but unlike the french women they support the café owner by disposing of adequate quantities of produce - this difference in habit between the international sisters appears to result in a significant difference in the shape of the two sisterhoods.
We watch also with amusement the old man who arrived on his scooter to sit at the next table reading reading paper and sipping coffee - he smokes and smokes but they are sourced not from his pocket but from the pocket of any of his fellow locals who have the misfortune to be walking by when his previous cigarette is no longer delivering the requisite quantity of nicotine - every request is greeted in the affirmative and in good cheer.
Bernie takes the camera - she is determined to capture the image of the lake that defines for her the magnificence of this place - she complains that the blog does not do it justice
We make our way to the ferry - joined by others - some day tripping across the lake like us - some wheeling their cases and moving on.
The smaller of the three towns on the confluence of the lake - Verenna is a relaxed place - it seeks not to compete but to complement its lakeside neighbours - the shops of Bellagio are absent
This place is about relaxing and the tourists seem to sense it - everyone wanders slowly and quietly -
They pause for extended periods in the waterfront cafes
At least in this part of the tourist cycle it is hard to imagine a better place to calm the soul.
We return to Menaggio - how do you know you have reached that age? - you know when you pay money to ride on an immitation train - we take the train / tractor / vehicle - feel free to call it what you will from Menaggio to Lenno - the driver - a young Italian girl has talents that exceed those of the great Fangio - Fangio could only drive fast - this girl could not only drive fast she could simultaneously send text messages and remonstrate with misbehaving passengers - in her more relaxed mode she simply drove fast and held her phone to her ear as the trailing carriages rocked and jumped over every bump in the road - like Fangio she had her pre race procedure but unlike Fangio who would spend his time visualising the race circuit, her procedure involved a complex combination of make up application, hair styling and clothing adjustment - we survive and take what we believe to be a will deserved nap
We rise and return to our favourite Trattoria - Bernie has Pork and Polenta that she suggests she might consider dying for - as is now our practice we finish with a visit to the gelato vendor in the square.
We depart tomorrow on our way to Venice - we will recommend a visit to Menaggio in early June to anyone that will listen - we both rank these few days on Lake Como amongst the best of our travelling days.
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