Yesterday, I arrived in Magreglio, Como, Lombardia. Without a car, getting here is no easy task. I don't think too many travelers turn up without a car, but public transport is amazing here (despite that you can always count on it running a bit late). The bus dropped me off nealy in front of the hotel so luckily walking with the bike bag and my ever-growing luggage was kept to a minimum. Also, people are very helpful here. Multiple times, people helped me get my bags onto the train, through the turnstile, etc. Even at one point, I was walking down the street (in Firenze) and there was a large puddle. The driver behind me stopped, allowing me to walk around the puddle. In Firenze, everyone (except maybe tourists) walks down the streets, even if there is a sidewalk. No one get's mad about it, people aren't constantly getting run over by tiny cars. Could you image that in Philly?!
So, after hours of travel, I arrived at my hotel. I knew that the towns up here would be quiet since the "off-season" has just begun, but I would have never expected it to be this deserted. The hotel, which was only expecting three guests, was unstaffed during the middle of the afternoon. They left a note and said, if you arrive, just call this mobile number and we'll let you in. Luckily, the hotel owner (family) is very nice and helpful. I do feel a bit like I'm staying at Fawlty Towers though. There seems to be plenty of confusion, lots of excessive stairs and platforms, but luckily no comical high-jinks. However, in failing to realize that the "off-season" starts immediately here, especially up on the mountain away from Lago di Como, I failed to realize that the hotel restaurant would be closed. Not just closed on Monday, closed until next summer. I've essentially come to a town about the size of Seargentsville, with no car, on top of a mountain (2500ft, not that big of a mountain) that has basically shut down for the impending winter. Without a car, and with the bus only running until, 6:00 or so, I was without food. The restaurant down the street, which is supposed to be excellent and open all year is of course closed this week. And to make matters worse, it was so dark and foggy (actually not fog, but clouds) that it was like an Alfred Hitchcock movie out there.
With that as a determining factor in me not walking along the Ghisallo mountain pass road to the next town, I was without dinner. The bar down the street was open and I got a bag of chips. The woman downstairs sold me two bottles of frizzante water and I had some leftover nuts and fennel to call dinner. I was thinking, if everything is closed, how am I going to stay here? I was already thinking about bailing on Lombardia and either heading to Milano (which mean shopping and accumulating more stuff that don't have space or weight for, spending even more money) or back to "home", Firenze. I'd have to abandon at the very least some sort of deposit at this hotel plus spend more on another last minute booking.
Luckily, when I got up this morning, some of the fog rolled away (I don't think I'm going to see the sun for the entirety of my stay here), and I found a great little grocery store, that although tiny, was well stocked, cheap enough, and staffed by two very helpful women. Despite our language barrier, we worked it out. The hotel, since the restaurant is closed and there is not one here, is letting me store my perishables in the refrigerator. I even asked if I could use the kitchen, and they said that was fine. So at some point this week, I'm getting to hijack a legit restaurant kitchen. Of course, I'll only make some simple pasta and salad but, it's better than potato chips!
Today, I decided to try to go for a shorter ride, since I feel like I have a slight sniffle and probably am at a bit of a caloric deficit due to not eating a proper meal last night. My short ride turned out to be only 30 miles, but there was an 8 mi at 6.6% climb in there, a HC climb according to Strava, bringing the ride total to 4,300ft. The climb really went on forever and got steeper closer to the top. I took it at a steady tempo, which was hard enough, since I had no idea what to expect around every turn. I can't recall how many switchbacks there were, but when I finally got to the top in Sormano, I was greeted by a spray-painted finish line and a bicycle statue at the top of the Muro di Sormano (no I didn't climb it). I think Thursday I will tackle the Ghisallo and the Muro if I can make it up the thing (1700m, avg 17%, min 5%, max 25%) The climb that bypasses it, which I descended today is hard enough. The Muro must be the most ridiculous stretch of road. The Muro amateur hill climb race is Saturday. If it's not raining, I've got to go watch that.
Well, that's it for now. I'm happy to be eating and surviving here. Despite the mythical fog, the chilly descents and the general grayness, my stay in Magreglio should be a good one, at the very least interesting. If I wanted something the polar opposite of touristy (yet lovely) Firenze, I've got it. This is my week at Walden, except the pond is a tad bit bigger here.
A final photo from Firenze, on my street Via Guelfa, a building that looks to be no longer in use, covered in US $1 bills. You'll notice that some of the lower ones were stolen by some either fearless or inventive "petty thieves". I'm not sure what statement the artist is trying to make, but that's a lot of $1 bills (it covered the other side of the building too). Maybe that Firenze is being run on the money of American tourists and students? There are a lot of them! Who know's?! Regardless, it attracted a lot of attention.
No comments:
Post a Comment