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.