Lago di Como

I'm in Como! It is GORGEOUS.

Let me start by saying that Delta airlines BLOWS. I get to the airport 3 hours early (7:05? 7:50? Eh, what's the difference.) I am put in a line OUTSIDE THE AIRPORT. The line had to have 300 people in it, if not more. I waited on that fucking line for 2 1\2 hours. In the street. Knitting. I couldn't believe it. Thank god for the knitting, or someone would have gotten hurt. Then after 2.5 hours, they RUSHED us to the gate. It was like waiting for a concentration camp.

Luckily, the flight was easy. No more free booze, which I'm sure most people could have used after waiting in line for that long.

Getting to Como was very easy, but I should have taken the bus to the hostel, as a 15 minute walk in the 90 degree heat with a rolly-bag on cobblestones is no picnic. I get to the hostel, tired and sweaty, and discover they have a close-out until 4 pm. So I begged the girl to drop off the huge suitcase (half-empty, leaving room for many pairs of Italian shoes, but still quite large) and knit in the adjacent park for the two hours. I met an Aussie girl named Kay and we walked around a bit, had my first gelato. Yum.

Today, I was awoken by two loud-ass Italian girls, but before I could complain, I realized it was 10 in the morning. Precisely when the lock-out starts. I jumped out of bed, got dressed, packed for the day, and made it out in 10 minutes. Turns out the alarm to my phone only works when it's set to the local time. Go figure.

I went to take the bus only to realize that you have to buy a ticket BEFORE you get on the bus. The driver yelled at me in Italian. He even took his hands off the wheel to do that thing that only Italians can do. Then he dropped me off at some station, where he waited for me to buy a ticket to give him. In true Italian form, he was more concerned about the 1 euro than making the whole bus wait. The only problem was that the bus station was not the one I wanted to go to, so I ahd to walk all the way back to town, anyway. American Stupid Tax paid today : 1 euro.
I just spent the day getting a feel for Como, considering I had a splitting headache (jet lag) and it started out raining. Had my first cappuccino. I could drink 7 of them. They're so tiny! I window shopped, got lost, and found some little store with YARN!! Oof, it's over. This gorgeous mercerized cotton for 2 euros a ball. I wish I knew how many to get, and what the hell I am going to make with it.

And by the way, I might NEED it anyway (that's right, tell yourself that.) One day, and I finished my sweater. Thank you, Delta.

I was knitting it in this cafe, and the owner and some patron )both older women) couldn't get over the pattern and the interchangable needles. I was 'talking' to them for a while... which meant that they asked me questions in Italian, and I acted out the answers. I understood what they were asking, but I can't say anything back. It was really cute. They were intimidated by the circular needle... they only use straight. It was really cute. They kept playnig with the yarn, looking at the pattern... People really like to talk here!

Will post pictures when I'm not paying $4 an hour to use this computer.

Tomorrow, I'm going to take a 2 hour boat trip to Bellagio.