Sunday, July 03, 2011

I Remember ... a Lake Maggiore Afternoon

As soon as we returned to our hotel, we changed in to our swimsuits and headed out to relax by the pool. It was a nice time to read and cool off in the water. Dinner was scheduled at 7:30 p.m. so Walt decided to walk to the nearby town and pick up something for lunch. I dozed in the pool lounger while trying to read my book. I was starting to feel a little fatigued and having an afternoon to rest had been wonderful. Walt was gone quite sometime and I was starting to worry a bit. When he arrived at a local sandwich shop it was filled with soccer fans watching the World Cup game ... Germany was playing. No one took his order or made the sandwich until half-time. Also, during our stay at this resort Walt stopped in a nearby store, the Supermercati Savoini. The staff did not speak English. He was able to describe a few things he was looking for, such as hand cream (Crema Mani) by "playing charades" and using hand gestures. I think he enjoyed his shopping experience there!
Dinner was served at 7:30 p.m. and while we were dining a big thunderstorm moved in. We had front row seats to watch the wind, rain and hear the loud, rolling thunder. Quite an entertaining evening. I remember looking over the menu thinking we were getting scallops ... so looking forward to it -- my favorite. BUT when our server brought it to our table it looked like pork or veal. I guess what we translated as "scallop" was in fact, meat cooked in a sauce. When we asked about this our server rolled her eyes and said, "Mama-mia, Americanos!!!" It made everyone at our table laugh. A little "lost in translation" experience.

We had been looking for another late-night walk but it was still too wet to go out. We were able to buy an internet connection that we could only access from the lobby so I spent the evening posting pictures and emailing family and friends. Walt had an opportunity to watch a soccer game on a big-screen TV and Spain won. Tomorrow morning we leave for Florence.

No comments: