On through the Swiss Alps via the Bernina Pass

It was time to move on from Lake Como, and as we had decided not to travel east to Prague and Budapest (due to the flooding) we decided to head north and on through the east of Switzerland and to have a stop in St Moritz and then onto Zurich.

Leaving Lake Como by regional train, we travelled the length of Lake Como and then headed west along the Italian/Swiss border to the border town of Tirano. The trip along the lake gave us a really good look at the whole area from the window of the train.  We hopped off the regional train at the Italian station of Tirano and walked across the square to the Swiss railway office and purchased tickets for the next train leaving for St Moritz going via the Bernina Pass.

There is the choice of two types of train, the tourist train with large glass windows and roof for viewing.  Going by most of the recommendations, we opted for the regional train with no glass roof but normal opening windows which actually gives a better view and the opportunity for taking photos with the windows open.  

Tirano railway station on the Italian border to one side of the square

On the station of the Swiss railway about to board the train to St Moritz

A few minutes after leaving the station the train began to climb for the journey across the Alps and through the Bernina Pass.  This train journey has recently been put on the list for Unesco world heritage.

As soon as we left and began to climb our jaws were dropping and we ran back and forth from side to side of the carriage everytime we went around another bend. 

The start of the climb.

There are a lot of shots to choose of the journey over the pass but I will try not to get too carried away, suffice to say it was a very pleasant way to spend a few hours.

Climbing up to the height of the snow still on the peaks.

A few of the many tunnels.

Passing trains going in the other direction.

The lakes and waterfalls.

Cute stations.

The highest railway station in Europe on a regional line.

A glimpse of the lower part of the town of St Moritz 

The side view of the hostel with it's sunny courtyard we stayed in at St Moritz.  

After our beautiful trip through the Alps and a one night stop in St Moritz, it was time to head back to the station for the train journey further on through Switzerland and onto Zurich.  

Will fill you in on our stay in Zurich soon.

Cheers

Lake Como, Northern Italy

On from Milano on the train to Lake Como.  With a change of trains on route and using the regional trains with many stops, the trip took about 2 hours.  We made a last minute decision to go to Lake Como a day earlier than originally planned.  Our 3 night accommodation guesthouse was fully booked so we found a night at a B'n'B, two train stations from the lake.

It was a great find with a really lovely lady running the B'n'B.

We had the use of her garden and lots of attention from her really nice old dog.

At the B'n'B we had use of the small kitchen, so took opportunity to pick up some supplies and made a home cooked dinner there which we enjoyed in the garden.

 That afternoon we made the trip on the train the two stations to have our first look at the lake and the surrounding area.  Had our first swim in the lake later that afternoon as by late afternoon it was getting really hot.  The water in the lake was fresh and quite cold, but very enjoyable. 

Next morning we were off to check in to the guesthouse which was just 200 metres from the promenade and the lake.  A great location for enjoying the area.

 The first activity was to take the boat ride to the half way point of the lake.  That trip takes 2 hours one way.  The village of Bellagio is at the tip of  the 'Y' shape of the lake. Bellagio is a maze of tiny cute lane ways with many shops and cafe's to keep the huge amount of tourists which visit there happy.

We took the local bus back to Como which gave a different view of the lake as the road hugs the edge of the cliff looking down onto the lake.

We kept a look out for George Clooney's house while we travelled the lake but not sure if we knew what we were looking for.  He was at his home on Lake Como at the same time we were there, but we didn't get a call to come over for a coffee with him, but never mind. 

I will include a few pics of the houses on the shore but it was a hazy day so the outlook was not very clear.

On our third day we took the funicular train up the mountain overlooking Lake Como.  The station for the funicular was only 100 meters from our accommodation.  From the top of the mountain there were great views of the lake although on that day it was still quite hazy.

This shows the funicular track going up the mountain, taken from the other side of the lake.

It was a very relaxing 4 days we enjoyed at the lake,  we didn't venture very far from the lake,  just enjoyed taking walks and having a swim in the afternoons.  Lots of walking to see the old town and the usual massive church which dominates even the smallest community.  

The haze finally lifted by our last day and I got this nice shot of the sunset over the lake on our last evening.

We had met a couple from New Zealand a week earlier on our crazy train day  trying to get out of Nice'.  They were to be in Como on the same days as us so we had quickly made plans to look them up and they gave us the name of the hotel they were to be staying in.  It turned out to be the wrong hotel name Diane had given us so we just thought that we would not get to meet up.  Walking through the town square on our second last evening, we heard our names being called out from across the square and there they were, sitting having dinner at a cafe right on the square. We had a really nice evening having a few drinks and sharing some travel tales.

And so on from Lake Como with plans to travel through the Swiss Alps and to travel through the eastern side of Switzerland.

Will bring some photos of that trip soon.

Bye until next time.

Milano

We had a smooth trip from the Cinque Terre to Milano.  None of the dramas of the previous train trip.
Took the train at 1pm arriving in Milano around 3pm.  Enormous train station building in Milano as it is a major transit centre for many places around Europe.

We had only booked for 3 nights so we knew we would only have a limited time to see the best of the sights. Milano has great transport systems with the trams, buses and the metro.  There is an all day transport ticket which is very handy for crossing the city effectively.

We decided on our top few things we wanted to see.  The first was The Duomo.  The central cathedral.

At the doorway to the right of the main entry was this amazing cooper door with the most intricate pictures depicting the stations of the cross.  One of the lower left sections depicting Jesus has been rubbed by so many hands it has been polished back to bright brass.

The square is massive with shopping arcades lining the sides of the square.

We took some time to stroll in the gardens in the centre of the city and enjoyed a few tram rides to some of the residential areas of the city with these beautiful tree lined streets.

One of the highlights for us was to go to see the painting by Leonard da Vinci of the Last Supper painted between 1495 and 1497.  He painted the picture directly onto the wall of a Dominican monastery refectory next to Santa Maria Delle Grazie.  There were no photos allowed inside the refectory where the painting is, but the church itself is really lovely.

On our first afternoon in Milano we discovered that the only way to purchase tickets to view the Last Supper painting was online, so we got straight onto booking our entry.  We were only in Milano for 2 days so we were very excited to see that there were still 3 remaining tickets in only one session available during the entire 2 days we were 

there.  We quickly booked 2 of those available tickets even though it was for the second viewing of the day at 8.30am.  We had to be there 20 minutes before, so the afternoon before we made the trip across Milano to gauge how long we needed to allow to be there on time at that hour of the day and to make sure we were confident we wouldn't get lost finding the church.

Each session is only 15 minutes. The entry is kept to that length of time to help preserve the painting.  You go through a series of 2 waiting rooms before proceeding into the refectory to view the painting. This procedure is done to help minimise the amount of moisture and dust that is brought into the room. 

It was well worth all the effort.  It was amazing, and learning about the history of the painting and how close it has come many times in it's 500 year history to being destroyed is incredible.

This is just a photo of the poster on the brochure we were given with our tickets.

On our last afternoon in Milano after spending some time in the park we took the metro and a tram to the area of Milano which has canal waterways.

It is an area that has been claimed by lots of artists and their workshops and galleries line the canals.

So that was the end of our time in Milano.  It was back home to pack up our gear once again and be ready to move on in the morning to Lake Como for a four night stay.

So bye again for now.  Lake Como post will be on it's way soon.  Cheers.