7/6-7/7: Bellagio for the Boring

Our two full days in Bellagio were uneventful. We were already apathetic and unmotivated after the previous evening's news, so we didn't feel much like exploring as we had in other areas. I don't think there was too much we missed, though; we saw the lovely villages across the water during our epic bus ride to Bellagio, and we'd walked the perimeter of the town before dinner the night before, so we were content to just chill for a while.

ABOVE: View from our balcony.

The hotel, however, would not chill. The temperature did not dip below 78 degrees overnight, despite my tinkering on the thermostat several times. When I called the front desk in the morning, I learned that they operated our AC by computer--information we could've used YESTERDAY. I requested much cooler air, and the temperature magically dropped...by one degree...before going back up an hour later.

I called twice more throughout the day with the same request, to little avail. Finally, I went downstairs and spoke to the father, who spoke very little English. I tried to convey by signs and gestures how hot we were, and he disappeared upstairs for a time before returning and claiming all was well.

The temperature dropped to a frigid 76.5 degrees.

The day's one highlight was our discovery of a supermarket that didn't charge exorbitant prices for common items. For 14€, we got: two loaves of French bread, a quarter wheel of Brie, a 2-liter bottle of coke, three half-liter bottles of beer, a bag of cream-filled croissants, a bag of breadsticks, two bottles of water, and two packs of tic-tacs.

ABOVE: This was a feast to us.

For lunch we dined on bread and Brie, washing it down with a coke and a beer--we felt like kings! It was like we'd finally beaten the system, since two liters of coke at restaurant prices would've cost nearly 50€ alone.

Our feeling of victory was short-lived, because as the afternoon waned I started feeling sick. We began to suspect the sketchy hard-boiled egg that I recklessly ate for breakfast may have given me slight food poisoning.

I thought it was mild, so we ventured out for a pasta dinner at a nearby restaurant with great views of the lake. I hope Annie enjoyed it, because I was trying too hard not to double over in pain and anguish. We barely got through the meal so I could stumble home crushed into the fetal position, green in the face, my insides shredded by some intestinal gremlin.

The following day started stormy, and remained overcast the entire day. We used the time to sleep in, to ruminate on God's mysterious plan, and to try booking the remainder of our trip because the last-minute thing hadn't worked since Florence.

I think the only time we ventured outdoors was for me to pick up more cheese for lunch, and to grab two carry-out pizzas for dinner. The good news was that the storms cooled our room down an entire degree!

Needless to say, we were ready to depart our beloved Hotel Fioroni in the morning.

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Location:Bellagio, Lago di Como, Italy