Como, Italy

Our last adventure was a train trip to Como, Italy. The original train we booked was canceled, which was a problem since we had set up a boat tour starting at 9 a.m. After some panicked work at Milan's central train station, we had an alternate train that just barely made it. We took a taxi from the Como train station over to the docks, where we started our boat tour.

A view of the city from the water

The Black Pearl and driver

More of the city on the lake

The driver pointed out the Volta Museum, dedicated to Allesandro Volta, the inventor of the battery and Como citizen. The kids were happy because we visited on a Monday and the museum was closed. On the other side of the picture below is the town's World War II memorial. 

Volta and WWII honored

Leaving the city behind

The view north

Hotels along the lake

Construction still going on, a sign of vitality

More villas

Us on the boat

The guide pointed out a lot of the villas that are owned privately or are civic buildings that get used for weddings and film locations. 

Romantic view of the area

A little town with its church

The Mandarin Oriental Hotel is a high-end property that has its own dock, a pool in the lake, and an area for guests to sun themselves.

Mandarin Oriental Hotel

This house was originally built by a Russian aristocrat. It's only accessible by water or the elevator in the upper left of the photo. It's now owned by the head of Apple in France.

Russian Villa

More of the lake

Back by Como

More of the town

We really enjoyed the boat tour of the lake. Keeping up a vacation theme, we rode the funicular train up from Como to Brunate. It is a very popular attraction, though we did not have to wait too long to ride up.

Funicular Station in Como

The train

View from the Brunate station

View on the other side of the mountain

Enjoying the view

Not far from the station is the church of St. Andrew the Apostle. All the buildings up there are on the hillside, so there's always some stairs to climb or ramps to go up.

St. Andrew's

Nave

Main altar

Back of the church

Like most every other old church in Italy, the art is fantastic.

An unidentified saint

Trinity dome

Symbol of John the Evangelist over St. Joseph and toddler Jesus

Nativity fresco

Fake statue!

Saint in chains

We thought about going out to the lighthouse, but it was a half-hour hike and we were out of water. A jeep takes people over in ten minutes but the line was long to get on (and it was a little pricey). We headed back down the mountain.

Happy riders

View of Como

More of Como

Back in Como, we found a small beach and enjoyed the water a tiny bit.

Checking water temps

A swan nearby

The swan getting close

Back by the harbor

A last view of the lake

Como is a great place to visit.

Random Bits of Quebec City 2023

Quebec City has a lot of charm. The old town is laid out like an ancient European city with twisty streets and old buildings. The city has developed, so there are new buildings and lights. Old shops and homes are blended with new architecture, giving surprises around every corner.

One corner in the city

Le Chateau Frontenac is the most famous building there, possible the most famous in all of Canada. We went for a quick visit. The amazing view of the St. Lawrence River was not so amazing since it started snowing with a strong wind. We approached from the side.

Le Chateau Frontenac

While named after New France's seventeenth-century governor Louis de Baud, Count of Frontenac, the building was constructed in 1893 as a luxury hotel on the Canadian Pacific Railroad. 

The courtyard of the castle

The inside is as fabulously appointed as the outside, with beautiful staircases and many fine restaurants and shops (and also a Starbucks).

Ready for spring

Downstairs are several exhibits about the history of the area, including items from previous buildings discovered at the site.

Tea time info

An old silver service set

The square nearby has one of the monuments to one of the many Quebecois.

Not sure who this is

The snow started to pick up during our visit.

Getting a little worse

An important warning

The city is the only city in North America north of Mexico that still has its walls. In the old days, a city could have a wall and keep out the undesirables, human or otherwise. The snow and ice made it too treacherous to walk on the wall.

Old-style city gate, part of the wall

The snow getting worse

We had lunch at Cochon Dingue, a restaurant specializing in French and Quebec dishes. I ordered the breakfast poutine. Poutine is a famous dish, usually french fries covered in cheese and gravy. This version had hash browns instead of french fries, cheese curds, gravy, sausages, eggs, and some other delightful bits. It was delicious but very filling.

Breakfast poutine

Later, after wandering around in the snow, we stopped at Baguette & Chocolat for some hot chocolate to keep us going. I could not resist the Chocolate Brownie Cake with White Chocolate. It was very delicious and even more filling. I shared with the rest of the family.

Best dessert ever?