Ann should have joined the Navy. She was not bothered at all by the rocking of the ship all night. Good for her.

This is the one bad day of the trip and we knew it before we left the US. As we continued our march across middle Europe today we drove from 8:30 until 4:00 mostly on the autostrada (costing $30 total but going 85 mph except when we were stopped for construction). We also made a side trip to the country of San Marino. We drove all the way up to the city on top of the mountain but just drove back down again saying we made it to San Marino. We had been hill town-ed to death so no stopping.

After all those hours of driving, the most difficult part was the last 10 km to the Alla Mirandola B&B in Brunate, a town sitting on top of the mountain 2500 feet straight up over Lake Como on the Italian-Swiss border. Ann was driving since I had the direction maps on the computer. She drove up a mountain road after leaving Como (single track) with over 15 complete extremely tight hairpin turns. Hairpin turns are fun on a two lane road. Hairpin turns are treacherous and scary with only one lane when on each completely blind turn you could be facing another car or worse yet, bus IN THE ONE LANE. It was a harrowing experience for her but she made it to the village of Brunate.

Our accommodation is another five hairpin turns above the village and the roads were, believe it or not, narrower. We layed down on our bed after arriving and tried to get that harrowing experience out of our minds. After five minutes we laughed – until we realized we have to get down off this mountain tomorrow morning. Oh, and dinner tonight.

Tonight I had a surprise for Ann. Instead of driving down to the town of Como with its 127 hairpin turns I took her to the funicular in the village of Brunate (population: 26, I think). In eight minutes it descends at 55% for 2100 feet to the level of the lake, right to the lake. Besides the wonderful panorama of the lake and environs, it allowed us to have some wine for dinner, and did we need it. We ate inside the restaurant since the October cool had hit the foothills of the Alps. The restaurant was in an old great hotel on the lake. The 1930s style waiters were straight out of a Cary Grant movie but very nice. Back after a dinner on the lake, we rode the funicular up watching the lights of the city become tiny as we scaled the mountain.

I like Como and I like where we are staying. We are the only guests tonight in Paula’s three guest rooms. Breakfast is included. Tomorrow we are off to Geneva and we give up the car. Into bed by ten. The dinner was more expensive than our room.

Lesson for Day 43: Sometimes a flyer on a room in the middle of nowhere pays off big time. This one I did not know if it would be good or bad. It was a great experience!