Lake Como

After arriving back from a short stay in New York celebrating Scott and Kylie's upcoming Birthdays and spending some time with the McMaster family, we returned to Lenno on the shores of Lake Como. Paul joined us on our first day before heading off for the Tour de France. When we were lead to our apartment we were a bit surprised that it was across the main road and up the hill instead of being down beside the lake as we thought. So I told them it wasn't what we expected and they gave us the option of a large hotel room or a 2 bedroom 2 story apartment on the lake by the pool. Easy to guess what option we accepted (at no additional cost). Mum joined us the next day and had her own spacious room right on the lake. She was sure to pop in first thing for a tea or coffee before breakfast and witness the sometimes stressful start to Ruby's school day with protests and arguments; I'm sure it was a spectacle for her. But then Ruby's normal self would appear and we'd enjoy our breakfast and adventures for the day. We enjoyed day visits to Bellagio, Menaggio & Varenna and loved daily strolls along the waterfront around the cove of Lenno. We had daily visits to one of the best gelaterias in Italy that had long cues every day at around 4pm. I took Mum and Ruby on the greenways walk which meanders lakeside for 11km up and down through villages. I also completed hikes to nearby monasteries and variations of the greenways that took me into historical villages where little old ladies still hand wash clothes in communal concrete troughs using running spring water from the mountains. The food supply in Lenno was solely from the local small supermarket and the weekly market so I was a little disappointed with the choice. Ruby also tripped down the stairs by the pool half way into our stay so this minimized our options for activities. Thankfully, I was able to rise before 6am to be back by 8 to wake up Ruby for school so I could explore some hikes. It was wonderful sharing a few days with Mum in such a beautiful setting. 

We unfortunately left early to race to Paris to help Paul gain a new passport and medication after his tour van was robbed. It was a point in time our family really needed to be together.