Cable Cars

Today my adventure was to hop on the cable car and venture up 1385 meters to Mottarone, at the top of the mountain overlooking Stresa. I took a lot of pictures that probably look repetitive, but that's because I could never get a shot that I thought gave the view justice. The ride up wasn't so bad--even for those of you afraid of heights, just stand in the middle. I only lost my stomach once. When you pass the cable poles there is a swinging motion that occurs. There were two kids in with me on the ride up who kept yelling "whoooaaaa" every time we passed one. Pretty funny. If anyone makes it here and goes for the cable ride, I suggest bringing a blanket and packing a picnic lunch. When you get to the top of the mountain, you can walk/hike (I did it in flip flops, it's not that bad), to the very top and there is plenty of room to cop a squat and enjoy the view. It's beautiful, and again, the pictures don't do it justice. I stopped in Alpino, the halfway point, on the way down. They have a beautiful botanical garden, with scenic lookout points as well. Unfortunately, by that point my allergies were torturing me, so I enjoyed the view and headed for sea level. I did make a pit stop in the "toilet" and had to laugh because, as is common, it's just a hole in the ground; but, to make it entertaining (at least to me) there was a sign in four languages asking you to "please hit your mark." Maybe they could elevate the hole just a tad for the ladies so it's not an aerobic exercise to stand back up. Just a thought. Tomorrow I head for the Italian Riviera, San Remo, I have decided to leave, although definitely plan to come back at some point, as this place is worth visiting over and over again. Ciao.

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