Lake Como- Lynda hasnt got a Clueny (or is that Clooney)

            We definitely found a room with a view.

The drive down from Salzburg yesterday to the edge of Lake Como, was done in torrential rain in the morning through Austria and parts of Germany, and included a 1 Hour accident delay -- at a standstill for most of that while they pulled an articulated truck out of the mud on the verge and lifted up the crushed car onto a transporter -- the changing scenery was another great example of where you are going to travel so many Kilometers at any given day , then there will always be things to see.

There we many examples of the changing nature of the days travel , not least the change in heights either at or above sea level and none more so than when we came through St. Moritz in Switzerland and dropped down into Italy -- and with the twists and turns of the road on this pretty shear drop -- concentration is most definitely the order of the day. In the end it seamed higher but around 3000 Metres , it is no wonder why there is still snow around.

The drop down from up near St Moritz was pretty impressive and it is pretty much sheer and when you are stuck behind a couple of lorries and buses it gets a little tiresome.

Also plenty of signs that the snow was melting somewhere and the waterfalls and runoffs where everywhere and meant for a pretty fearce river flow -- they use it well here as we saw at least 3 hydroelectric power stations along this particular river.

There are still some amazing views along the way , even while it is drizzling but the closer we got to Como the brighter it got. Still lots of castles and Churches but they do tend to stand out.

The Hotel Regina is a great choice and the balcony and view from our room are pretty spectacular. We walked in to Gevendona in the evening on the hunt for food and after seeing what was on offer in the way of eateries but as luck and Lynda's perseverance , we found a really top restaurant in the back streets where the service was great and the food was even better.

This was an new experience for me -- I have driven many many times in germany - but not in 4 countries in a day and the real change as we have got closer to our destination is the driving and the size of the roads -- Italian drivers appear completely oblivious to other drivers or the gap that they are aiming the car to get through. Speed signs count for nothing and of course the obligatory horn blowing is always going to happen , especially being behind a car that clearly comes from another country and which should not be on their roads.

 

We did a drive along the coast yesterday -- 21/05/2019 -- stopped off in Menaggio and had a stroll around -- then onward to the land of the Clooney _ some of these mansions/ villas are magnificent and then back to the Hotel.

 

 Typical Northern Italian architecture and everyway you turn there is a shot of something worth capturing -- except the legs below - well it was warm yesterday so they kind of had to come out again , especially when we went walk about.

Lots of Piazza's and fountains and the occasional pipe laying in water with the engineer in a wetsuit in the water while a digger is excavating in front of him -- well you would wouldn't you. 

Got ourselves some amazing tasting Lavender Honey off this stall and some little bags of lavender scented rocks for in the drawers or wardrobes-- see that's the thing with Mrs A, always thinking of the practical life at home while I muse about the Elf & Safety of some Italian pipelayer.

Now I don't know about many who might see the boat picture below but for me it screamed out -- David Niven or George Peppard

 

 

A very nice young lady took this picture of us -- not sure if we will ever come back to Lake Como but if not then here is the proof that we did-- nice picture to.

 

 

You do wonder sometimes when you don't understand , why people adorn buildings with things like this below but sometimes they are just so incredibly pretty--

In every town that we stopped in , it has a myriad of alley ways and little arches adjoin the structures

Gotta love the character--

I am - and I think Lynda is too -- a sucker for ornate wrought iron work , particularly when you see a set of gates like this -- and they are everywhere along this coast line

 Gotta love an arch as well-- well you need to as they are also everywhere

And in every direction you see a village or town on the side of the hills surrounding the Lake -- just so picturesque.

 
 

So we did get to Laglio , where George Clooney has his 2 Lake fronting Villas, but from the road they could have been any one of the mansions behind high secure , discreet walls and gates.

 

So here , straight off of Pinterest is what we were unable to see---

 

 

The one above is the villa that he bounded down the steps to the launch on his way to his wedding --- or so I am reliably informed.

 

So after that busy day we both felt like rounding it off with a real Italian Pizza and while I always recognise the high standard that the Economou Restaurant of Gregori in Aegina has maintained since we first ate in his restaurant some 35 years ago, last nights offering was quite superb.

 

 

So today is planned as a lazy day in the hotel in preparation for a really long drive tomorrow into France and Reims. I daresay that we will capture something tonight as we are  planning to go to a truly organic restaurant, so looking forward to see what local produce is on offer.

 

Always a chance I suppose that we might bump in to GC on our walk around but if not before we go -- well I gotta say George -- it's your loss not ours.

 

Arrivederci