Urlaub in Italien — Day 2 (Lake Como)
20日環義日記（科莫湖）
18/5/2022
Day 2 — Bellagio & Lake Como
隨性的行程安排讓這趟旅程充滿驚奇和冒險。我們總是在地圖上比手畫腳，只要歐洲人點頭說「聽說這個很讚」，我們就會付諸行動查交通路線直接出發。
第二天就這樣來到 Lake Como上游的 Bellagio冒險，令人非常興奮，尤其看到異鄉的湖光山色，大家都活力充沛，像小孩子開心地在小鎮上跑跑跳跳。
The casual itinerary made this trip full of surprises and adventures. We often just pointed at the map and went wherever the locals recommended, just like our adventure in Bellagio the next day. The beautiful scenery of town by the lake really cheered us up. We ran around the small town like little kids.
We bumped into European travelers, especially young families and elderly couples in shirts and sandals, creating a warm and peaceful scene without the hustle and bustle of popular tourist spots.
我猜相比更靠近米蘭的 Como，Bellagio更像是歐洲旅客的私房景點，街上只見白人遊客，尤其是襯衫配涼鞋的老夫妻，還有帶著小孩的年輕家庭，畫面十分溫馨，也少了熱門景點的喧囂。
天氣宜人，走著走著也漸漸暖和起來。小鎮大致探索完畢，也吃過午餐，心想是不是差不多該前往下一個景點時，歐洲朋友問了附近店家哪裡可以下水，結果還真的換上泳衣出發了！他們真的很喜歡親近大自然呢！
The weather was pleasant and it gradually warmed us up after exploring the town. Just when I was wondering if we should move on to the next destination, my European friends asked a nearby shop owner where they could go for a swim and ended up changing into swimsuits! They really do love getting close to nature!
看著這麼好的天氣，我也入境隨俗跟著他們下水游泳，才發現被這陽光和比基尼騙了。五月的湖水仍是冰冷刺骨，加上少了鹽分的湖水浮力跟海水相差甚遠，我簡直像一個旱鴨子，根本抬不起頭來，在冰冷的湖裡動彈不得，還不時被船隻掀起的浪給淹沒。倒是歐洲朋友一邊自在的水裡玩傳接球，一邊看我笑話。
奮力地回到岸邊後不知道過了多久，大家享受完日光浴後才離開美麗的湖畔。
I followed them for a swim, only to realize that I was fooled by the sunshine and bikinis. The water in May was still bone-chillingly cold. What’s worse, the buoyancy of lake water was far different from that of seawater. I swam like a rock, unable to lift my head in the cold lake, and occasionally overwhelmed by waves caused by passing boats. Meanwhile, my European friends was playing volleyball and laughing at my predicament.
After struggling to return to shore, for I don’t know how long it took, we all enjoyed sunbathing by the lake before leaving the beautiful Lake Como.
九彎十八拐 — Winding Road & Car Race
開往五漁村的路段驚險又驚奇，尤其坐在副駕的我，完整體驗了山路賽車的刺激。義大利山地丘陵發達，大部分交通要道都有完善的隧道或是高架道路系統，唯獨我們開的「九彎十八拐」這一段沒有。
出了隧道之後，映入眼簾的是連綿山巒，讚嘆驚喜的同時，也看見前方無窮無盡、蜿蜒的高速公路。謹慎地、慢慢地開是完全沒有問題，德國室友也很快的熟習這種路況。但緊接著，旁邊的線道衝出了義大利拓海，看似不起眼的舊車在過彎處來回切換兩個線道，速度之快。德國室友將他視為挑戰，催了油門才勉強追上他，熱血的主題曲已經響起，義大利版的飛車追逐再現。然而，看他熟稔的閃過前方的車，加上抄近路的過彎方式，不用多久，他已經遠遠甩開我們一行人。
大家讚嘆不已，也笑說不愧是沒在理會交通規矩的義大利人。
The road to Cinque Terre was thrilling and amazing, especially for me in the passenger seat who fully experienced the excitement of a mountain race. Mountainous hills in Italy werewell-developed. Most routes were well-equipped with tunnels or overhead road systems, except for the section we were driving on.
After exiting the tunnel, we were greeted by the endless winding highway and mountain ranges. Driving slowly and cautiously was no problem at all. My German roommate quickly became accustomed to the road condition. All of a sudden, an Italian version of Max Verstappen emerged onto the adjacent lane. A seemingly inconspicuous old car began switching between two twisting lanes at a very high speed. My German roommate viewed this as a challenge and accelerated to barely catch up with the old car. The theme song of a hot-blooded car chase began to play, and the Italian car race was reproduced.
However, with his familiarity in avoidance oncoming traffic and his shortcuts to the curves, it didn’t take long for him to leave us far behind.
義大利夏季的白天很長，開了幾小時路還是趕上了 Sestri Levante的黃昏。晚上九點，我們趕緊放下行李，沿著海岸線找上了一間在戶外搭著陽傘的餐廳。欣賞著漸層天空的同時，海邊徐徐微風迎面而來，環顧四周，小鎮風情搭配晚霞真是美得不像話，消除了我們一天舟車勞頓的疲勞。
天曉得過了多久餐點才慢慢上齊，但似乎大家也不以為意，聊著天，待夜幕漸漸低垂。
The summer days in Italy are long, even after a few hours drive, we arrived at Sestri Levante at dusk. At 9 pm, we quickly dropped off our luggage and found a restaurant along the coast. As we admired the gradient sky, a gentle sea breeze blew in. The scenic town combined with the sunset relieved our fatigue from the traffic.
God knows how long it took for the food to arrive, but no one seemed to mind as we chatted away, waiting for the night to slowly fall.
這幾天悠閒的步伐、隨性和爛漫，我好像開始了解何謂歌詞中的 Urlaub in Italien — 何謂歐洲人口中的義式假期。
With a carefree and relaxed pace these past few days, I feel like I’m starting to understand what the lyrics mean by “Urlaub in Italien” — what Europeans refer to as an Italian-style vacation.
To be continued… Day 3 in the Cinque Terre area (San Fruttuoso and Portofino)
