Return to Paris

It was nice returning to Paris with a feeling of knowing a little where we were.  It felt good to come back to our hotel and recognize our surroundings.  This time the driver was there to meet us, and we were collected, had luggage on board and were on route to our hotel without the angst and concerns of our visit a couple of weeks ago.  It was strange to return.  Last visit I was so excited about the potential for our holiday.  Now having enjoyed the time we have spent exploring Paris, Venice and Lake Como, it is a little sad to return as we are heading home.  That said, I always love coming home.  I miss my things, my pets and my friends.  I have too a new collection of things to add as momentos of my trip, so will enjoy finding a spot at home for my new treasures.  Best of all, the furries will come home. 2.11.2012

Como township

Como itself is a mixture of old and new and in parts is quite quaint.  Reminiscent of parts of Verona.  Our driver on our trip to Lugano, Massimo, is Como born and bred and very proud of his home town.  He didn't however mention the gypsies, which were again out in force, although nowhere near the numbers we encountered in Paris. The day didn't turn out quite as we had planned though as with the walk taking nearly an hour we arrived right about the time the sops were closing for the obligatory siesta in the middle of the day.  Many shops actually close by midday, not reopening until about 3.00pm.  That said, they then remain open until about 7.00pm. We were happy to walk for a bit, just looking, then stopped for some lunch. Lunch over we decided to work out how to get ourselves back to Ville D'Este.  The ferry seemed the best option, so I negotiated purchase of two adult tickets to Cernobbio.  At a cost of €5 for two, quite reasonable.  While only two stops away, it was a great way of exploring the other end of the lake.  We sat outside, enjoying the fresh air and view. 1.11.2012

Como

The view from our balcony across the lake is beautiful and it is the first thing I look for when I wake up.  Today we decided we would explore the township of Como further. Breakfast over, yes another custom made omelette for me, we put our walking shoes on and decided to walk in to Como.  With directions from the concierge, but no map, we headed off.  The first part of the walk was along the same route as the traffic, with little by way of footpath.  Once we were ale to join the lakeside path however we were treated to beautiful scenery and an easier walk.  It seems like half of the local population were out walking too which was nice to see.  People watching is always fun.  As for my daily dog count.  The highest for this trip at 68.    1.11.2012

Lago di Como

My Italian continues to improve. There is no chance that I will ever stare in Italy as I am able to order from a menu most times unaided. Now, my geographical terminology is improving too as we explore Lake Como. The lake is actually much larger than I had expected, but mostly a couple of miles wide so both sides of the lake are visible. This makes it quite beautiful, in addition to the mountains looming across the lake. The mountains at some point become the Italian Alps, and as such are so high as to already be sporting snow on top. As for the lake, at 420 metres deep it is the deepest lake in Italy. 31.10.2012

Lakeside villas

The villas and palazzos along the lakeside really are beautiful, with some dating back to the 15th Century and 17th Century. It seems that few remain in the hands of the original families. Those with constant tenure seem to be owned by the Catholic Church. One gorgeous property was gifted to an Italian Philanthropic Foundation within the last couple of years when the gentleman who owned it passed away. It has been used in the Star Wars series and James Bond as one of the locations for filming, it really is spectacular And is located on a small peninsular so is well positioned to look effective on film. Other villas seem to have become owned by multiple families, one per floor, as a means of making them affordable. With many villas being three levels, this is a good way of sharing access to these beautiful buildings. The villa owned by Donatella Versace has recently sold for €35 million to a Russian millionaire.

A property owned by Sir Richard Branson is available to rent for €100 000 -€150 000 per week.

The property owned by George Clooney is actually three adjoining villas in a cluster, one fronts the lake, then is connected via a long and very private garden to a fourth villa used as a "guest house". I can see why celebrities like it here. Road access is difficult and privacy is ultimate. Part of the lakeshore is so remote it is accessed via the lake only and as such is mostly used as holiday accommodation for wealthy people, rather than their living there permanently. 30.10.2012

Lake Como

The only way to really get the full benefit of Lake Como is to explore it by water. This we did today, taking a boat across the lake from where we are staying, and heading up the lake, past private villas and palazzos, across to Nesso which we viewed from the water. With a Roman bridge and waterfall, it is very quaint.

We then went on to Bellagio where we spent an hour or two exploring this pretty little lakeside village.

First stop was a cafe for coffee and hot chocolate. Frank's coffee was the best since leaving home, and I finally had a real Italian hot chocolate. The consistency of chocolate mousse it is hard to decide whether to drink or spoon this....either way it was incredibly good. The entire bill, for two drinks and two extremely tasty pastries was just under €10. Then it was on to explore the hilly little side streets and shops. It really is very quaint and picturesque. Only purchase for the day was a pair of hand made leather men's shoes. At €150 less than half what you would expect to pay at home, and oh so stylish! Frank will christen them soon as we are dining at the swanky hotel restaurant one evening before we leave Italy. 30.10.2012