Como, Italy

I swore I'd never take another over night train without a couchette. But when I reserved my ticket from Rome to Como it was too late: I was stuck with a seat.

I didn't sleep much. I changed in Genoa, then again in Milan and reached Como at noon. Como is a beautiful lake town situated in the Italian Alps only several kilometers from the Swiss boarder.

As I stepped out of the station I was greeted by Sari! "Hello African." He said, "Tenemos al santa de carra." It was an inside joke. I felt at home.

We walked to a bar and had a coffee. He was skipping school to hang out with me. At 2 we went to the school and met Ilaria and Bubu and two other dogs!

Then Ilaria took me to her house, which she calls "the ship." It is a perfect writers retreat set back in the woods. Her parents live in a much grander house next door. I met her mother.

Then we took a 7 mile hike. We were so used to walking together. At 6 Ilaria had a meeting, so I sat in a field with the dogs for an hour. It was wonderful. I hadn't a care in the world.

I stayed at a wonderful bed and breakfast that gave me a discount because I was Ilaria's friend.

The next day I went with Ilaria to school. She said that her class really wanted to see me and that I would give the lesson. I wasn't that nervous because of teaching in India, I was curious.

There they were: about 20 boys all studying to be plumbers and taking Ilaria's class only because they were required to. It was bedlam. They were playing games in their phones, sleeping, playing with lighters and hanging out the windows. I don't know how she keeps her sanity.

But the boys and I had fun. They asked me many questions. I avoided the ones about sex and drugs (there were many) but I kept grasping for something that would interest them. For some reason I mentioned that I had brewed beer. THAT got their attention. Next thing I knew I was explaining (and diagraming on the board) the process of fermentation to a class of boys (my age) in Italy. It was weird. They wanted exact amounts and everything.

I "taught" for two hours. Then it was PE and the guys asked me to come. Of course PE in Italy is synonymous with football. Today there were tests. We juggled the ball as many times as we could and did as many pushups as we could in 30 seconds. It was a good workout. And I got the best grade in the class with pushups!

At 1 I said goodbye to the guys and went to the B and B where I collapsed for several hours and recovered. Then I met Sari and Ilaria for what Ilaria called a "celebration reunion dinner." I brought my certificate from the Vatican as the centerpiece. We had a blast. Ilaria gave me a signed copy of one of her books and a carved pendant that she got im Jerusalem. It is the Green Tou--the symbol of Christian salvation. Then we all called Luca, our pilgrim friend from Lucca and told him how much we wished he was there. He said he was with us in spirit.

After a dinner we walked the streets of the old town. Como has a beautiful cathedral and many ancient buildings. Suddenly, at one of the oldest buildings, Ilaria said, "This is my house!"

"But I thought the other house was your house." I said.

"This is mine too. My grandparents bought it during WWII." We entered a beautiful courtyard. The house huge. It actually has 5 different flats, each large enough for a family. 3 are occupied by Ilarias siblings and their families, and two are bed and breakfasts. Ilarias sister and nephews are so great.

The next day I met Sari at 8:15: he was skipping school again but after what I had seen of his class I was pretty sure that he'd learn more practicing English with me anyway.

Our plan was to take an incline railway to the top of a nearby mountain but we couldn't find it. So we climbed the mountain. It sure was hard but the view was almost worth it.

My train was leaving for Geneva at 11:17 so we had to rush back down again.

It was hard to say goodbye to Sari. My tine in Como was too short (because it wasn't part of my planned itinerary), and I hope I can come back some day.