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Gardens and Galleries in Verbania: Travel Goals
Some days just exceed expectations. I woke up to a beautiful pink sunrise. The rain had washed the earth clean and the birds were singing their thanks. We had no where to be and took our time, lingering over coffee. We drove around the lake to Verbania and the Villa Taranto. I wasn’t expecting much.…
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Rainy Day In Milano: Travel Goals
Today was a washout. It rained all night and all day. Outside adventures at the Lake looked dismal. I searched the radar for anywhere dry and came up empty. So we headed to Arona, parked blocks away from the train station, and walked through the flood to buy a round trip ticket to Milan. We…
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Convents, Cable Cars, and Clothing: Travel Goals
The day was overcast as we drove around the lake to Santa Caterina del Sasso. An ancient monastery along Lake Maggiore, Santa Caterina is carved into the rock. It hangs above the lake as if suspended by magic. After parking and trying to decipher signs that seemed to suggest the monastery was is two different…
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Mottarone, the tiniest Alp: Travel Goals
The morning broke cool and cloudy. Because the forecast for the rest of the week included rain, we decided to drive up to the top of Mottarone. The smallest mountain in the Alps. The tiniest Alp. The road was surprisingly busy, and unsurprisingly winding and narrow. Gangs of cyclists clogged the road. Once we got…
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Climbing the Sacred Mountain After Sailing to the Island of Silence: Travel Goals
Saturday in Northern Italy is marked by hordes of men on bicycles taking over the roadways. These biker gangs are problematic because the roads are narrow as they curve up and down the foothills of the Alps. The general rule I’ve determined is the narrower the road and the more blind curves, the more cyclists…
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Along the Via Novara: Travel Goals
We started out with no expectations for the day. We were visiting the Italian city of Novara for no other reason that our wonderful neighbors’ family is from the area. We wanted to explore and send pictures to honor our friends. The town had about 100,000 people and we approached through farm country. Gorgonzola cheese…
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Alpine Adventure: Travel Goals
It was raining this morning. Light misty rain, but moving into an all day steady drizzle. I searched google maps and apple weather for patches of dryness to see if anywhere close was a better way to spend our day. Rain. Check again. More rain. Eventually, I found dry patches high in the Italian Alps.…
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Birthday Journey To Locarno: Travel Goals
Today I turn 58 years old. To celebrate, I am traveling to Locarno Switzerland. It sounded like a great idea, yesterday, when after an “uphill day”, the travel office in Stresa was finally able to book it. After two unsuccessful attempts to purchase seats had failed, finally getting tickets for the rail and ferry Swiss…
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Lost in Time: Travel Goals
Isola Pescatori, the island of the fishermen, was meant to be a brief stop. We sought out a quiet restaurant on a remote alley, away from the tourist boat crowds. The waiter took us up flights of chairs and seated us in a window overlooking the rooftops. The pasta was fresh and regional, accompanied by…
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Isola Bella- The Beautiful Island: Travel Goals
The day started slowly. We changed plans again and again. Finally we decided to go to Stresa to see if we could find spots on the Centovalli rail and boat excursion to Switzerland. The people at the travel agency were great and so helpful. We laughed and chatted, only to find out that the tracks…
Prisoner of Hopes: a blog about Hopeful Living and Finding Adventure in the Everyday Things of Life
Prisoner of Hopes 