Our overnight flight landed in Munich. I enjoyed Munich so much in 2010 that I really wish we could have stopped over here for a few days, but since we only had a few hours, we just headed for our gate upon arrival. Because we were arriving from the States, we had to go through passport control, so our passports have another German stamp in them now! It was surprisingly easy - no customs forms to fill out or anything.
Our final flight was probably the easiest, or maybe it just seemed that way since it was the shortest (only an hour). When we landed in Milan, we grabbed our bags and made our way to the rental car company (apparently flights within Europe are not "international enough" to require a passport check - so no Italian stamps for us). Hubby's company had booked a car for him, but the rental company would not allow us to take it as we did not have a credit card (only credit-card branded debit cards). Hubby called a coworker here who suggested we try Avis. They were happy to accept our debit card, and we were on our way (well, after installing the car seats for the kids and struggling to cram all of our luggage in the car - another note to self: pack the minimum you think you need and then take half of that out - it's not worth it to mess with multiple bags to have a large variety of wardrobe options - just plan to stop at the laundry mat a couple of times and bring half what you think you'll need).
A couple of wrong turns and backtracking maneuvers later and we were headed toward Arona. It was a beautiful drive as far as I can remember, but I was so sleep deprived that I struggled to stay awake to keep hubby company. We finally reached Arona and saw the tourist office on the way to our hotel. We tried to stop but could not find an open parking spot, so we continued to the hotel where we were given a hard time about our booking (hubby's company booked a single room). After a bit of discussion and explaining on both ends, they agreed to let us stay and brought an extra bed for our preschooler (at a premium rate, I might add). He was so excited that his bed matches ours with the same comforter!
Our room has a balcony with an incredible view of Lago Maggiore. Little man went to use the restroom. I did not think much of him going alone, as he is able to go and wash his hands (using a stepstool) by himself at home. When I heard water running, I figured he had either found a step or something to climb on or had climbed up onto the counter. He returned quickly, quite satisfied, saying, "I used the little sink!" Um, there is not a little sink in the bathroom, honey, so maybe not use that "little sink" anymore. I forgot that bidets are commonplace in Europe. Ha! Kids are so funny!
After unloading our luggage and settling in a little, we loaded back into the car to drive to the tourist office. We finally secured a parking spot only to find that the tourist office had closed ten minutes earlier. We decided to try to find a place to eat and walked around for a while before settling on Osteria con Pizza, where we had lasagna and pizza and discovered "il coperto" firsthand. (In Italy, the restaurants charge a "cover charge" for dining in the restaurant and bringing a basket of bread and/or crackers.) I had also forgotten that water is not served complimentary in Europe - if one wants a glass of water with a meal, a bottle of water must be purchased. Dining here was going to cost much more than at home! The meal was unremarkable, the children cranky, and the walk back to the parked car long. We were happy to return to the hotel to call this VERY LONG day (recall that we hadn't slept the past two evenings) a night!
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