Hotel Simplon Baveno

Lake Como photos here:
http://www.facebook.com/album. php?aid=163676&id=613699523&l=b 0c583d265

Friday caught the train out to Como for a day trip.
Wandering around Como is really nice and can imagine it would be awesome in Summer, as well as being incredibly busy and crowded.
Caught the funiculare up to Brunate and walked up the ...

When I finally found Lake Como (after a train, then a bus, then a ferry and then a very confusing walk) I was surprised that it was so empty. It was raining (I think the rain is following me around Europe) and there was no one about so I was able to do my exploring easily. Lake Como is a very small place with not too many things to ...

... and drove like hell to the main church there. I thought maybe the dad drove like that cuz we were running a little late, but I found out the next day that that's just actually how he drives. Typical crazy Italian driver. Anyway, so Meghan and I were by far the youngest people there, and it was actually an organ/flute concert, but I liked when only the organ was playing. We came back home around 11 and I was so exhausted from the trek over Milan that I fell asleep ...

... The balcony where Romeo and Juliet declare their love is a magnet to tourists and they allow people to write and pin love notes to the wall which are cleared every three months so the process can start again.

The relevance of Como for me ended up being from my childhood when Dad subscribed to a weekly series called the History of World War 2. I couldn't wait for each series to arrive and I remember one story of how ...

From Dad
To Como

After Lucerne we then had a relatively short drive through the mountains to Como. We went through the longest tunnel in the world, and passed through some very pretty mountain scenery. We stopped near Bellinzona and had a longer rest at Lugarno. These towns are both in the Italian speaking area of Switzerland.

Lugarno was another attractive lakeside town ...

Took the train from Milan to Lake Como - short 1.5 hour trip. The lake is beautiful and there was a speed boat race going on when we arrived. We took the funicular (tram) which has a charming little town at the top and a great view of the lake. We stayed on the south side of the lake (where George lives) and then took a boat north to Bellagio. Quaint town with steep streets filled with great shops. Can understand why George bought a house there!

Hello! sorry to anyone who has been trying to contact me in the last few days - my phone seems to get no reception in Italy. i thought it was just Como because of the mountains surrounding it but there is no reception here in milan (I arrived this afternoon) either. Also apologies for any missing letters in this entry. This is the worst keyoard Ive had so far so ill be keeping it short. Capital letters are also a problem, sorry!

Anyway - Como was amazing. i ...

My friend had the fabulous idea of going to Lugano this weekend and I am not one to turn down great ideas. I still had my Canadian friend staying with me as well and he was ready to move on, but I convinced him to wait until he sees Lugano before he moves on to the next country on his list.

So we made a three-day weekend out of it and had a fabulous time. Lugano is so beautiful! The winding streets, steep hills, charming shopping ...

... We went to a grocery store before getting
home for dinner. His mom cooked pasta (as requested by Sally). I
didn't eat dessert 'cause I was way too tired. I took a shower after
dinner. We discussed about the places to visit in Rome. LA showed us
some pictures of Rome. And he also said, 'if you miss home... then here're
some pictures of ...

... respected that they did not try to lecture me at all about breaking the speed limit by 25km/h either. After swiping my credit card and giving me the receipt the policeman warmly wished me a good journey and gave me two tins of lollies to take with me. Despite the fact they were by far the most expensive sweets I’ve ever bought, they tasted very nice.

Once past Disentis/Mustér we turned south, and the place names and changes in architecture immediately proclaimed ...