Not a bad view if you are having an afternoon drink like me or indeed if you are waiting for a bus (green pole on the left). The statistics for the day are as follows;
Cycling time: 4 hrs 27 mins 17 secs
Distance: 75.00 kms
Average speed: 16.8 kms/hr
Maximum speed: 44.6 kms/hr
Eurovelo 5 distance: 1,744.2 kms
The cycling this afternoon took me via Chiasso, the border town. There was no sudden change at the border; the transition between Switzerland and full-blown Italy had really started as soon as I got over the Gotthard Pass on Wednesday. It is nice, after a few days of having to try and cope with German to be in an area where I can at least have a go with the language, for better and often for worse but the element of jumping in and trying to communicate is the important thing and certainly what we as language teachers should practice as well as preaching at our interactive whiteboards.
I took one of the hotel options from The Rough Guide for tonight in Como; La Posta which is very central and very good value. I was expecting to pay much more than the 60€ charged. A single en suite room; I made a point of not slipping when getting out of the shower.
I’ll have a wander around in a few minutes; I’m sure I’ve been here before with my cousin who used to live in Milan (Richard: check your diary!) but I could be mistaken. If I have any déjà vu moments later it could be a clue.
Tomorrow I will hopefully meet up with Simone Sacchi from Pavia. Simone, if you are reading this just put a comment below telling me where to meet you and when and I’ll be there! If not in Como then somewhere en route to Pavia. My hotel is only 3 minutes from Pizza Cavour. Ciao!