We're home

We got up at 5 AM Italian time and got back home about 7 PM Ohio time.  So we grabbed a Quarter Pounder and are in the process of going to bed for about a week.  Thanks for following our month long journey.  It was a blast.

Ciao!

Last two days in Italy

Our last two days in Italy were spent visiting Milan and revisiting the beautiful Lake Como.  Yesterday we were on a mission to find new luggage.  The big suitcase we brought had given up the ghost because of rough treatment on the train trip to Como.  First we checked the stores in Como and couldn’t find anything under about 200 euro.  So we were told there would be an open air market in the southern end of town.  Wow!  What a market.  It was both sides of two streets for about a mile, and solid tables.

 

We found some stuff to buy, but not any large suitcases. 

 Welcome to Milan.  A huge needle and thread greet you.  Milan is known for its fine fabrics.

Another view of the view of the of the needle.  You can see the knot in the thread on the left.

So we took the train to Milan, about an hour trip. 

We wanted to visit Milan anyway to see the sights, especially the fresco of the Last Supper.  Unfortunately, we didn’t plan far enough in advance and could not get a reservation to view the fresco.  But the trip was successful anyway because we did find a new suitcase for a decent price.  And we found a super tourist attraction—a castle dating back several centuries.  The castle has changed functions several times but is now just part of a gigantic public park.  Here are some pictures of some of the things we saw there.

 

Today we took the Funiculare (incline) to the top of the mountain overlooking the Como bay.  The views were really breathtaking.  You could see for miles and miles.  The trip up and down was fun too.  There are two trams that are attached to either end of a huge cable.  A gigantic wheel turns and pulls one tram up the incline as it allows the other to go down.  The two trams travel the same tracks except in the very center where the rails split and the two trams pass each other…cool engineering.

 

Then we spent the rest of the afternoon taking the ferry again to visit Tremezzo and Villa Carlotta...  We had lunch at the famous Red and White Restaurant in Tremezzo.  It was a great meal with a million dollar view.  Our table was almost on the road as you can see in the picture below, but it was worth it for the view of the lake and the mountains.  It would be the perfect place to live if it only had a bowling alley!

 Two pics from the Red and White.  The second pic was taken from our table which was almost on the highway!

This picture was taken in Tremezza just walking up the sidewalk.

If you want a patio and pool for your hotel and there is no land available, you simply build it into the lake like the Hotel Grand Tremezza did.

From the restaurant it was just a 10 minute walk to Villa Carlotta, a centuries old estate that has been converted to a museum.  The mansion itself contained many completely intact marble statues and plaster replicas of great works.  The garden was acres and acres of plants and flowers.  Unfortunately we didn’t give ourselves enough time to explore it very much.  (I kept thinking what a wonderful place for a golf course…I guess it’s time to go home.)

 

We get picked up at the hotel at 6:15 AM (Italian time) for a trip to the airport.  We should be back in Cleveland at about 6:30 PM (Cleveland time).

Here are some more pictures from our excursion today.  

 If it isn't motor scooters it's sea planes.

The closest thing we saw to a beach along the lake.

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