Happy Anniversary to us!

For our anniversary we headed up to the beautiful Lake Como. First we stopped at Villa del Bilbianello and took a tour of the gardens and the villa, both of which are absolutely amazing. (It is one that we saw from the boat earlier and where my favorite parts of Star Wars Episode II were filmed.) It’s way out on a point by itself, and is quite a walk to get there, through lots of trees and hills. Actually it looked pretty much like northern Minnesota, minus the mosquitoes. The garden itself is very unique and very beautiful. And there is this huge 150 year old tree that they prune in an umbrella shape. We got a guided tour of the inside of the villa and got to learn the history of it, which was pretty interesting. It was last owned by an Italian guy named Guido Monzini (good Italian name too) who loved to climb and went on tons of expeditions including to the North Pole and Mt Everest. He collected all kinds of artifacts and maps that are on display in the villa.

We stayed overnight in a little town called Cadenabbia in a little hotel room. (The picture is the whole room, minus the bathroom.) We discovered what 84 euros will get you; it was nice even though it was tiny. And when you have a view directly of the lake (and the breeze from it), who’s complaining?

The next day we went to Villa Carlotta, which is an enormous villa that is now a museum with some pretty famous art in it, surrounded by an even more enormous garden. It was also very beautiful and a fun relaxing way to spend the day. We shopped a little bit in Bellagio and then were ready to head back, via boat, then train, then subway, then bus. We are able to get around on our own pretty well now and appreciating public transportation!

I would like to add that marriage is awesome and we loved our first year and are looking forward to many more!!