Milan to Lake Como

After another one of our 'included' breakfasts we caught the metro in to Cardorna Station and then a regional train to Como Nord (on Wednesday). The hour trip went quickly with a game of eye spy. We walked around the corner to the lake, enquired about ferry tickets and then walked back to the base of the funicular. The Cities to Go app on my phone has been fantastic - we have even been able to avoid buying sim cards - and without access to google maps, the app has enabled us to avoid a lot of walking in the wrong directions. The hill up to Butane was steep and views were good - but party obscured by some trees and hedges that have got out of control recently. There were a few craft/souvenir shops at the top, including one selling handmade lace. Sophie and Will played with the spikey chestnut pods on the way back down. We then bought ferry tickets and with only 3/4 hour to spare to grab lunch Sophie, Will and I had McDonalds. John still refuses to eat it (having avoided it for about 10 years now) and grabbed himself a cookie at a nearby shop. The ferry cruise was very enjoyable. We sat on the top deck and as the seats were only indoors, I spent a lot of time standing near the boarding area downstairs to take photos. We only had a short time at Bellagio, rather than risking a much later ferry and very late return to Milan. We picked up some ice creams and with only 20 mins of spare time, I picked up a 10 euro plain silk scarf - which is probably 'made in China' with a Bellagio shop sticker over the top. We arrived back at Como and arrived back at the station just as the doors closed on a train to Milan. Will wasn't happy with Sophie and I taking our time walking back to the station - but there was another train half an hour later. After swapping back onto the Metro we went back to our hotel and had dinner at the Ibis nearby,

Cardorna Station to swap onto the regional line

Views to the alps on the way to Lake Como

Arrived at Lake Como

The funicular ticket office

Views over Lake Como and the Italian alps

Pulleys to operate the funicular

Bobbins for lace making

The Italian alps

The impressive city of Como

Chestnuts on the walk down from the funicular

Spiky but not as bad as the Japanese stinging nettles

Walking down from Brunate to Como

On Lake Como

Mountains above Lake Como

On Lake Como

On Lake Como

On Lake Como

Australian flag at Bellagio

Letting off steam in the streets of Bellagio

Glass shop in Bellagio

Ice creams - mango, chestnut, coconut

Ice creams

Sophie's dream vespa in Como

Back through the ticket machine

Over priced hamburgers at the Ibis next door