After Tuscany, the Soane River and Paris we made our way by rental car to Lake Como. The road to our apartment was long and windy. We travelled higher and higher from the village of Tremezzo. Our apartment was located above a restaurant which unfortunately had closed the week prior to our arrival. The seasonal nature of the area dictated opening and closing times; especially for winter.As snaked our way up narrow roads we could see snow capped alps perched behind the last of the houses of the village. It was a bleak sky and the air was cool but not yet 
too cold to be outdoors. Low cloud hung gently from the apartment down into the valley almost to the lake far below. From the apartment's balcony it was still possible to glimpse the lake and its mountainous surrounds.
too cold to be outdoors. Low cloud hung gently from the apartment down into the valley almost to the lake far below. From the apartment's balcony it was still possible to glimpse the lake and its mountainous surrounds.We had the entire apartment to ourselves and it seemed like we'd found absolute serenity in its environs. Every feature of the apartment was of the highest standard and it had so many interesting buttons to operate the numerous gadgets. Why did the front door keep opening? Stephen was in the shower and I in the lounge. Answer. In the shower was a cord to open the front door while washing oneself. Stephen kept pulling the cord. I kept closing the door blissfully unaware that it was him pulling the cord. Finally, I went in and said that the front door keeps opening by itself and he made the connection so to speak. I laughed as I was always pushing buttons to uncover their purpose and he had repeatedly told to to refrain from such behaviour since the car telephone incident and the rotating ceiling window. Mounted on the entry way wall of the bathroom was a button for music, to open and rotate the skylight style window and the airconditioning. Word of caution to fellow travellers, skylight style window button should not be pressed as one is about to use the loo.Lesson learnt. I was too scared to press the other three buttons to discover their function followig the toilet episode. Showering and settling complete we were determine to find a restaurant or cafe for lunch. The kitchen in the apartment was well equipped as you can imagine for it had been established by the chef from the restaurant below. However, new vistas awaited in the village nestled below. Back into the car and retrace the 
corkscrew road to the lake's edge.
corkscrew road to the lake's edge.Car parking was easy for the first time since arriving in Europe. Across the road from a traditional cafe we parked in search of some delicious local flavours. Despite the coolish day we sat to eat outside in order to soak in the view of the lake and the village in the distance. At that time we were unaware that we were looking across the lake towards Bellagio. The image of the interior of the cafe was a step back in time. The staff were friendly and welcoming so much so that we ate most of our meals here for the food was so good and the local conversation entertaining. More coffee too, to steel ourselves against the now cold wind.
As we sat and ate it was agreed that we'd take the ferry one day later in the week to explore the village across from our table. That village too was surrounded by rising alps tipped with caps of white snow. Bellagio beckoned but as we chatted Stephen asked had I noted the signs stating that Switzerland was a mere twenty-five kilometres by road from where we sat. Perhaps a brief excursion into Lake Lugarno was possible during our stay.
Apartment l
ife allowed us to really relax from all of our travels and unwind before returning home. Even the music so graciously provided in the apartment met our eclectic tastes. We only cooked one evening just so we could use the fine kitchen. It would have been a waste not to use it al least once. Whilst relaxing on the balcony that evening I located another bank of buttons and decided to ascertain their purpose. I managed to make the blind in the large glass balcony door rise and lower between the fixed glass panels. Simple things, simple minds some might say. That night we cooked together and dined with a red that we'd purchased. Casual and happy diners. Lake Como refreshed our spirit. We'd been away for a month and we were tired.
As we sat and ate it was agreed that we'd take the ferry one day later in the week to explore the village across from our table. That village too was surrounded by rising alps tipped with caps of white snow. Bellagio beckoned but as we chatted Stephen asked had I noted the signs stating that Switzerland was a mere twenty-five kilometres by road from where we sat. Perhaps a brief excursion into Lake Lugarno was possible during our stay. Apartment l
ife allowed us to really relax from all of our travels and unwind before returning home. Even the music so graciously provided in the apartment met our eclectic tastes. We only cooked one evening just so we could use the fine kitchen. It would have been a waste not to use it al least once. Whilst relaxing on the balcony that evening I located another bank of buttons and decided to ascertain their purpose. I managed to make the blind in the large glass balcony door rise and lower between the fixed glass panels. Simple things, simple minds some might say. That night we cooked together and dined with a red that we'd purchased. Casual and happy diners. Lake Como refreshed our spirit. We'd been away for a month and we were tired.
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