Lago Maggiore: Our First Excursion

At last, we've got access to internet!  Due to the nightmare that inevitably ensues whenever trying to get anything accomplished through the Italian bureaucracy, it's been a little more of a hassle than originally anticipated to get connected in our flat.  Consequently, today has officially been "Bring Your Wife to Work Day" for Luke so that I can get some school work done and be connected to the world again (if only for a day).  Thankfully, it also gives me a long awaited opportunity to update our blog.
Upon our arrival to Italy, we dropped our luggage off at our hotel (our room wasn't quite ready as it was 9 a.m.), spent some hazy, jet-lagged time at Luke's office, and finally returned to the hotel for a much-needed 4.5 hour nap.  Some of Luke's co-workers kindly gave us some suggestions for things to do during our first weekend in Italy, the most wonderful of which being Lago Maggiore.  Ironically we're living in the region of Italy that is known throughout Europe for its beautiful lakes (coincidence? we think not).  Our first adventure was to explore the one closest to us, Lago Maggiore.  We were given directions to Arona, a city along the lake's shore where we could catch a ferry that would take us around to the different Isolas (Islands) or ports around the lake (which stretches up into Switzerland at its northernmost point).
Buying our tickets was our first taste of the huge language barrier we're facing over here.  It probably didn't help that Luke and I couldn't really understand the various options that were posted and therefore approached the ticket desk simply asking for two tickets.  For what?  The ferry, of course!  After the woman behind the counter impatiently tried to explain to us in very limited English and lots of Italian that the ferry was a public service and we needed to know where we wanted to go, Luke looked at me with a look that desperately said, "Do something!"  We managed to convey that we wanted to visit the islands (as it was the one option we understood), hand over some money, and get tickets in return.  We were finally off!  The day ended up being filled with some of the most beautiful places and picturesque scenery either of us had ever seen, impressing upon us that even though it's a little bit of a rough start, we are so lucky to be able to experience this beautiful country together.

Luke enjoying the ferry ride with Arona in the background

Luke and Steph in front of the castle that occupies Isola Bella (Beautiful Island), the first island we visited.  The island used to be privately owned and while there is now a small town on one end, the vast majority of the island is taken up by the castle gardens, which we were able to tour.

Luke's first taste of Italian pizza - in case you can't tell, the reaction was very, very audible.

The average street in town.  We climbed through mazes of these passageways all over the islands.  It seems like you've traveled back in time or are in a movie.  It was very, very beautiful and little shops and restaurants seemed to hide around every corner.

 Hanging out on Isola Bella's docks in front of the castle

Luke checking out one of the entry rooms in the castle.  Everything was so detailed and ornate; it was unbelievable to think that one family used to live there.

From the castle, we moved into the garden, which took up approximately 60% of the entire island.  The views, the plants, and the solid white peacocks that walked around it all were incredibly surreal.  Sadly, it put our vegetable patch to shame (yes, it was that spectacular).

 The "centerpiece" of the gardens

From Isola Bella, we went to Isola Superior, which was a little smaller and more populated.  After enjoying some wine at a little cafe, we made our way back to Arona and witnessed absolutely beautiful skies on our ride home.