Arriving Lake Como

Next it was to Lake Como for only several nights but we pulled the pin after 2!!! The Hotel Aurora was loverly but our room it was a bit hmmmmm, not wanting to sound like a prat but it was just a stop over so I could go and do some kayaking. We had searched high and low at Lake Garda to go kayaking  and none was to be found. You could hire any amount of motor boats and a 30min trip from one side to the other in a water taxi was 400€ each way, I looked at the man and said I don't want to buy the boat I just want you to take me to the other side!!!  A water taxi here is dearer than Venice. Sure they had the typical paddle wheel boats but no  kayaking and Sandy wanted to make sure that it was not all about the cooking and for me to get in some kayaking, she is so sweet xx

But I'm sorry I didn't need to kayak that badly. Our room was just a bed and thats fine but the bathroom that was supposed to be next door was up the hall and then up a flight of stair and with our special key " the detachable door handle " to gain access well..... We had to leave suit cases down stairs in the managers office cause that just would fit in the room. The road in was 17 km of hell, worse than the mountain at Garda cooking school. No where to park and it wasn't safe to leave anything in the car. They wanted me to put the car into a underground car park built in the 1st century and at that point I said with pleading smile " sorry sweet heart" handing her the keys " I got the car this far now it's your problem " and we went to the bar!!!!

The bar was a undercover platform on the bottom side of the road that the hotel was way above with a narrow racetrack between the two. With the boating deck terraced further below.  You couldn't walk the street safely as the roads were so narrow and we do love to walk and explore but this was not the place for that. The hotel was family run and had staff to direct traffic and get people from the hotel  into the restaurant below.

The kayaking was great I went out for a few hours the first morning and and explored the waters edge, the waves off the water jet boats added to the excitement. The restaurant was excellent they went to extra special effort to make me a soft pasta in a consume and Sandy had the best steaks she has ever had. We ended up having dinner then the next night both having the steak and pepper sauce.

It was a aged local beef and honestly you could cut it with a butter knife which was good for me also.

But no amount of good food was worth staying in that room and the sounds from the race track that went all night long below.

We hopped a boat and zig zagged our way and headed up the lake to Bellagio 6 km away. I was not going to drive back that road again and when we leave we will be heading around the top of the lake as the roads are slightly wider.

Now this is where we start to see the big money people with the grandest Italian  villas on the lake edges. Huge terraced private villa the size of small hotels,these villas had beautiful gardens that were centuries old with huge cypress pine towering up 30m clipped to the mm.. The only way  you could do this is have your own cherry picker as the villas were only accessible by boat or helicopter. The place that many a James Bond movie was made.

Our trip to Bellagio was to find some italian Ceramics plates and dishes and we weren't disappointed so now with shipment heading home  we can tick that one off the list. We also found some of the glass shops inspirational and  real artisan and we meet some arty people. This little lake towns streets are all cobbled and are on a grid system. The streets running parallel with the lake are wider and take some cars where as the streets running at right angles to the lake are all as cobble stairs running 100's of stairs up the hills and with small retail shop and cafe all terraced to either side.

 We went into a bag shop and there were 3 sweet old ladies all dressed very refined with very practical shoes for the stairs but as soon as you got in the door they circled like a pack of starving animals and aren't going to let you out alive unless you spend money. But sir look at the italian workman's ship they are an investment " no a condo is an investment " These bags were a bit on the x-ee side about the same price as a condo so we both saw a break in the circling and made a run for it. We got out alive with my wallet undamaged.

What looked like sweet old grannies were sharp business women.

So we had to catch the bus back, yep thats right a bus! on the same narrow roads that we came in on the other day, this should be interesting, and it was.

How we got back to the hotel I really  have no idea. But with one hand casually on the wheel and the other waving at the oncoming traffic for them to pull over into drive ways where possible. But then up front a panteck is coming the other way and we are on the tightest  bends and a small bridge so with a bit of back and forward manoeuvre with mm's to spare we finally pass and the bus of people also start to breath again and start back up communications.

So we get back to the hotel and find out what time the next bus goes through town and we think we should follow it to the top of the lake. But nope not till later so let's hit the roads and risk it once more. Once we get out of the lakes district the roads should be wider again so here hoping.