I am cozily lying under a thick blanket, I can feel the soft movements floating on top of lake Como, Italy. I am spending the weekend on a houseboat. And I love it!
Recently, we have seen a Netflix documentary about a houseboat that was totally refurbished. It looked great and I wondered how it would be to live on a houseboat. Immediately, I started searching on AirBnB and found it: our home for a weekend on Lake Como in the North of Italy, just around the corner of the Swiss border. And here we are, «house owners» of a little blue-white boat including an almost fully equipped kitchen, a tiny bathroom with a toilet and a water tap that can be transformed into a showerhead within seconds, a little sitting area, a cozy bed, a little balcony and even a roof deck literally on top of it all.
Houseboat adventure: inside and out
Our hosts are obviously big fans of the nautical life. Tattoos, jewellery with anchors and waves, mermaid’s tails etc. They tell us a couple of rules, how to «use» the houseboat correctly. We are not allowed to drive it of course, this is why we ask them to take us on a little tour the next day. Deal!
They arrive on time with a basket of goodies in it. They create a comfortable sitting area on top of the boat, so to say our own roof deck, with a couple of thick pillows. They bring us water and prosecco and we slowly «sail» out of the harbor. They show us the big villas surrounding the lake, the fountain that marks the border of the city of Como, celebrities› houses (among them George Clooney’s) and a famous villa used as a location for the shoot of the Nespresso clip («What else?»). We learn how the wind is behaving at what time of the day and that foreigners keep buying old villas, renovating and reselling them again. Big business.
Posh snack: Bruschetta and homemade Pasta Arrabbiata
We are spoiled with fresh Bruschetta with tomatoes, garlic and olive oil and anchor at a beautiful spot. Usually, guests take a bath in the lake there, but it is too cold for us at the end of September, even though the sun is strong and colors our faces slightly red.
«How about homemade Pasta Arrabbiata?» – «Si, certo!» What a surprise! We each get a big portion of pasta arrabbiata still on our roof deck enjoying the view of the lake and the surrounding area. I feel a little decadent, even though we’re eating of plastic plates … the other boats host at least 20 people, we have our own private home with us.
Slowly, we go back to the harbor and witness how hard it is to park a houseboat in a tiny parking slot. We wave our hosts good bye and have the boat for ourselves again.
Overnight floating
As we lie down in the little bed at the end of the room, I feel the boat floating. Of course, we are literally on the lake, no solid ground underneath us. It feels nice though. The soft floating movements are so gentle, we get used to it quickly – and fall asleep.
The next morning starts with the sound of tiny waves and the cries of the seagulls. Still the boat is slightly moving from one side to the other, but it is hard to notice. We are now used to it and enjoy it.
We are sad when we have to leave our tiny home for a weekend and … oh oh … we still feel the movement, even when back on solid ground … but it doesn’t last long 🙂
