I love vacationing with friends and family, but...it's even more special when friends or family are serendipitously near where we are going to be, and we have the opportunity to spend time together and share the experience in some foreign place.

After we had planned the trip to the Cinque Terre with Randy and Joy, it turned out that our dear friend, Danielle was going to be in Lake Como for business (a commercial shoot), Linda would be coming along for monkey business. What are the odds?

Since Danielle was going to be busy all day each day, we decided to drive up to this beautiful part of Italy to keep Linda company. We checked out the guidebooks, got some maps, obtained info from the concierge, and off we went...Ken driving (of course), Linda in the passenger seat, and I, the monkey, crawled into the baggage area of this two-seater Smart Car. Interestingly enough, it was more comfortable than I would have imagined, as along as I kept thoughts of being rear-ended out of my head.

The scenery is magnificent. I can see why George Clooney chose this area for his villa. Lake Como glistens; the lush green mountains rise above it, and there are lovely villages nestled along the shore and up in the hills. We drove through small villages along the lake, with (once again) narrow streets which appear to be one-lane but are actually two-way, and had some close encounters, once with a double trailer truck. We climbed up hills to get better views, and visited an eighteenth century villa with the most extraordinary gardens.

Of course, it always comes down to eating. Linda checked out TripAdvisor and found a very highly rated pizzeria (Pizzeria Balognett in Tremezzo) which was, in fact, highly underrated!!!!! They have gardens alongside the restaurant in which they grow all of their own veggies. The tomatoes were out of this world and the pizza was the best we've had (even compared to some fairly elite pizzas).

In the car going back, I asked what the highlight of the day was. Ken said it was, of course, the pizza. Linda voted for the Villa Carlotta gardens. With those two options taken, I voted for the moment the young lady at the Villa questioned Linda and me as to whether we really were of age to qualify for the senior discount. YES!!!!!

Danielle did eventually get paroled.....I mean released from the shoot and we went to dinner at a lovely restaurant overlooking the lake....and I ordered an amazing ricotta ravioli with rocket pesto sauce. More carbs!!!!! YAY. We are driving back to Moonbeam who is still docked in Ostia. We hope we can still fit through the companionway.