Menaggio Day 3

After the concert last night we reach our last day in Menaggio. Can’t believe we have only 10 days to go! The morning is sunny and warm, but thunderstorms are expected. We check out the water taxis to get to Veranna, as we are dreading the walk to the ferry terminal with its cobblestone footpaths. The other alternative is to get taxis from the hotel to the ferry terminal. After some consideration we book a water taxi for 9am tomorrow which gives us plenty of time to push our suitcases up the hill to the train station, at least the path is smooth on that side. Our train departs at 10.30 so ample time.
The clouds are building but it is still warm and sunny. On our first day here Ross suggested hiring a boat for an hour, and we decide to do this. We head off at 11.10 and have a very pleasant time cruising the lake towards the north end. The lake covers a vast area.
We decide to have lunch after one and Ann is nervous about the Tigers. It is half time and they are only a few points ahead. We have a lovely spot looking out over the lake, the clouds are building but the weather is still warm. As we have another beer Ann heads off to find the final score, she comes back very pleased. We now need to pack for our departure tomorrow.
After packing we book a table out the front of our hotel for dinner and meet up for a last beer at 6.30 at a cafe/bar in the plaza with views out over the lake. The clouds are building up and there is the occasional thunder.
At the restaurant after speaking with the waiter we head inside. Midway through the meal the downpour begins! It pelts down for about 20 mins. After dinner it has cleared but we still have thunder and lightning appearing over the other side of the lake. Tomorrow we head to Cinque Terre. Read Burt Reynolds has died - just saying!

Menaggio Day 2

Wake again to another beautiful sunny morning. Ann and I are first down to breakfast and there is a seat for two available on the balcony. We reluctantly take the seating and are forced to sit in the early morning sun looking out over the square and lake Como while eating our breakfast and drinking cappuccinos.
After breakfast our plan is to get an all day pass for the mid lakes ferry. We head off on the ferry at 10.10 and take it to Villa Collotta. We decide not to enter the villa as it does not look as good as yesterday’s. We then walk to Tremezo and decide to get the ferry to Bellagio. Bellagio is very busy with lots of tourists. It is very pretty with narrow laneways and plenty of shops. After walking around for an hour we decide to have lunch and we find a place opposite the water where we have 5 hamburgers and one salmon burger and three beers and three rose’s.
After lunch Ann and Kaye buy some jewellery and then we catch the ferry back to Menaggio. Once again sunny all day with temps in high 20s. Back in Menaggio we decide to rest up and meet again at 5. Another guuuud day!

We head off to buy some alcohol and cheese and prosciutto and biscuits for tea. The deli we were hoping to purchase from was closed on Wednesday afternoon so we moved onto the supermarket, but they did not have cold beer so we improvised and bought bags of ice as well and set it up in the bidet!

At 6 we have drinks etc and then we decide to go for a walk after 7. When we go out of the hotel a 3 piece band has set up and are playing r&r, blues etc. in the plaza. The singer is great and the music really good. We sit around enjoying their songs for 90 mins and then head off for a walk. Back at the Johnstones we finish off the port and some baileys and the band finally finishes at 9.45.

We will have a quiet day tomorrow.

Pictures from lake como

Menaggio

We wake this morning to clear sunny skies and an expected temp of 28 degrees. Breakfast is included  and it is cereal, juice, boiled eggs, fruit, yogurt, breads, jams, croissants etc. After breakfast we head to the tourist info centre and decide to take a little road train to Lenno and visit the Villa Balbinanello.
It is a great ride around the coastline with beautiful scenery along the way. We get off and there is a 20 minute walk to the villa which sits on the tip of a promontory in the lake. At times the walk is quite steep, but the views are amazing. The gardens are amazing with spectacular views over the lake.   We take a tour of the villa and our guide gives us a run through of the ownership of the villa, the initial owner/builder being a cardinal, another was a countess, and then a US army general who took seven years to negotiate a sale with the countess and then finally the Monzino family. The last owner was the son Guido. The father when he died owned department stores all over Italy and was very wealthy. The son Guido sold everything and became an explorer/expeditionary in the 1970s. He travelled to the North Pole, Mt Everest and all round the world. He financed all his expeditions. During his travels he acquired relics and ancient artworks and other artefacts and his collection is incredible. He also restored and extended the villa, which is built on rock, so it was not an easy job. A lift was also added. The furniture and glass paintings were amazing, including the hidden staircases to be used as escape routes.
The villa was used in Star Wars attack of the clones and also in casino Royale.
 We get back to our hotel around 6 pm, it has been sunny all day with hardly a wind. We walk to a delicatessen where we know we can get some cold beers, because it is beer o,clock.
Around 7.30 pm we head off for dinner. At the first place we find they have hamburgers, but when we enquire they only have a small kitchen and can only cook three at a time! We then head to another place which looks ok but is busy. Anyway we go in and order. Kaye orders a salad, I have swordfish with fries, Karen ordered spaghetti and a side dish and Luggy, Ross and Ann order risotto and spaghetti. After 15 mins my swordfish appeared and Karen’s side dish. I started eating mine and after 15 mins some bread appeared, by now I had finished and then Kaye’s salad arrived. After another 10 mins the rest of the dishes arrived along with my fries! This was the equivalent of Fawltey  Towers!
The food was good but the service deplorable. We then finished off with gelati in the square and port back in the hotel.
Pictures will follow when I have time to catch up.

To Lake Como

We had dinner Inn the hotel and walked over to see the bridge at night - very pretty.
In the morning we have a walk around and buy some lunch for our train trip. Check out at 11.15 and head over to the train station. Lucerne is a lovely city and we easily could have spent another day here. It is a city we could return to if  the opportunity arises.
We board our train and it departs on time at 12.17. There is a scramble for luggage space, but Luggy and Ross rearrange the luggage rack to fit all ours in. It is a delightful train trip, very quite and smooth. The scenery is fantastic with craggy mountains, lush green valleys and beautiful lakes. We spend at least 20 minutes going through one tunnel. We get off at Monza  where we have to change trains for Varenna. The sun is out and it is quite warm, around 27 degrees. We have a 50 minute wait between trains. We find our platform and then spend the next 40 mins trying to understand Italian announcements to see whether they have changed our platform number. Everything is okay and we board our train. Unfortunately this is crowded and we are forced to stand in the doorway again for the next 50 mins.
We arrive at Varenna and now we have to wheel our luggage down to the ferry terminal. It is downhill which is fine, but that means it will be uphill for the return. We pay the ferry man and head across to Menaggio. It takes about 15 minutes. We have checked Mr Google and it should be a 6 walk to our hotel. It is but it is over cobble stones! We arrive with our bags still intact, but we might grab a taxi back when we leave. The hotel is in a great place, on the edge of a plaza area which looks directly across the lake. We check in and agree to meet up at 7. The rooms are neat and tidy, lovely shower area. We have a short walk but all shops are closed, so we have something to eat and drink at a cafe in the plaza. Six beers and six lasagnes! We are outside and have great views across the lake to Varenna. After dinner we head back to the Johnstones room, because they have extra room and chairs! After a couple of ports we retire and are looking forward to tomorrow with an expected temp
of 27.

Lucerne Day 2

We all had a great nights sleep after the long day yesterday travelling. We wake to cloudy and overcast skies. Rain is forecast in the afternoon and a top temp of 16 is expected. We have a lovely breakfast in the hotel and then head out. Our first stop is the Chapel bridge a wooden covered bridge built in the14th century. The sides of the bridge are covered in flowers, it is a beautiful sight. The lake is awesome. We head across and move on to find the Lion monument. The dying lion is carved out of rock and commemorates the heroism of Swiss soldiers who died protecting the Tulleries palace in Paris during the French Revolution. It is very moving!
We then head on to the city wall which forms part of the city’s fortifications, apart from
Karen and Kaye we climb the steps and walk along the top of the wall. There are some fantastic views over the city and lake.  After that we come to the oldest wooden bridge in Switzerland. Built in 1408.  It is then time for a rest. We grab some lunch and rest up. In the afternoon we check out the railway station, do some shopping and we agree to meet up again at 4 for beer o’clock.

Lucerne

Lucerne 

Trivia was not good yesterday! The afternoon was lovely, calm seas and warm sunshine. We say farewell to our head waiter Arthur and his assistant Olena. We head off to bed early as we are meeting up for breakfast at 6.45. The morning is bright with a clear sunny day. After breakfast we prepare to disembark only to be told there could be a 20 min delay. We are not too concerned as our flight to Zurich is not until 1.45. We are all off by 8.15 and waiting for our booked transport. He turns up and we are on our way. Our driver tells us we should be there by 9.45 and we arrive before 10. We progress through booking in and paying for our luggage. We are told we should have done it on line as it is cheaper and the attendant was surprised when we said it was not available from Australia. She thought that was very unusual. Will need to let Kirk know when we get back. After passing through boarding control we have 3.5 hours to wait. Decide to pick up some baileys and port at duty free!

We board our flight on time and head off for Zürich. We have a cheese roll and some Swiss chocolate - yeah! As we land it is raining! We pass through immigration and pick up our bags and head off to find the train station. We find the signs and head off and end up on platform 3 which happens to be the correct platform. We find out the next train is 5.47 and we have just over 30 minutes to wait. The train has limited luggage room and we are forced to stand in the doorway with our luggage for the entire journey which takes just over an hour. It is dark, overcast and light rain as we emerge from the station. The ride was very smooth. We get our bearings and head off to find the hotel. It is a short walk and we arrive. As we book in the girl says that the mini bar is complimentary- yahoo! However there is no alcohol in the mini bar, but there is chips, chocolate and soft drink. It is now after 7.30 and we are feeling tired. The hotel and rooms are great. Ann and I have a walk around the area and Lucerne looks like a lovely place. We will all have a good look around tomorrow.