Lachie and Chiara are planning. We are enjoying Lake Como.
I wake up early and get croissants from our 'local'. This below is early morning 40m from our apartment.
Croissant shop (and bar).
View from outside patio of bar.
The blue sky so great for photos.
Today we go to Lenno, a 20min drive down the lake, and then take the ferry to Varenna, across the other side of the lake. Waiting for the ferry.
Anna teaching me how to do selfies - still . Spot her nails!
Here is our ferry hop ride. We begin at Lenno, then ferry to Belaggio, then off at Varenna, Then back to Lenno, where we drive back to Aquaseria.
On we get.
Mahkaila and Dan behind enjoying the cold and the views.
Anna out the back videoing for her instagram. See later in this blog. Anna does this very discreetly and her instagram is another viewpoint of the trip. For her first one, after we saw it and she came into the room, we all clapped. We all think the way she does it is amazing. It is her record of the trips she is so grateful for she says.
She has also now taught me how to take a selfie. For Julie Grace who asked and for me who might forget 😘- Put apple iPhone on camera photo mode, then press .5, next hold phone in left hand if right handed and turn phone around so the cover is facing you and up high in front . Lastly using lower button on right side of phone, click.
This was Anna's view.
Boat trip views.
From Wikipedia: The Walk of lovers is a short pedestrian path cantilevered over water in Varenna. It affords romantic views of Lake Como, the mountains, and the small village.
Waiting for the sculpture heart in Lovers walk - photographer at the ready.
Harry and Anna in the heart with their photographer in action.
Finding a lunch restaurant with a table for 8 was a bit of a mission.
We did find a pretty church on the way though.
Lachie used his magic touch. You can see the queue outside. Not many lunch places open. We lunched at Alba. We had to sit at different tables and I was pleased to sit after walking the town.
Then back on the ferry.
Spot the church high up on the hill
And Anna's take of the day (her Instagram post) -https://www.instagram.com/share/BAIPIE-D8b
The next day we are travelling from Acquaseria to the Cinque Terre, to a town called Monterosso. We say goodbye to Lachie and Chiara, who are going back to Reggio Emilia. We will see them there in a few days.
We stop first in Lenno again, to visit Villa del Balbianello. Harry particularly wants to go here as it is where they filmed some scenes in a Star Wars movie, and he is a big fan. I also had been told to go there for its gardens.
It was a 1km walk through the park to get there. The hill was a little bit challenging, but also a great thing to do before our 4 hour drive to Monterosso al Mare.
Haven't quite perfected the selfie focusing yet.
Different plants from home on the walk.
We get to the villa. Harry has bought us all tickets to get in - you have to book.
Good focus.
I thought the gutters here were amazing.
Then there is what Harry came here for - where the wedding of Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala was depicted in the 2002 film Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones, the second instalment of the Star Wars prequel trilogy.
So we all joined in.
Zoomed in.
On our way out we saw cat tourists.
We drive for ~4 hours to Monterosso. From Wikipedia: In each of the 5 towns in the Cinque Terre, colorful houses and vineyards cling to steep terraces, harbours are filled with fishing boats and trattorias turn out seafood specialties along with the Liguria region’s famous sauce, pesto. The Sentiero Azzurro cliffside hiking trail links the villages and offers sweeping sea vistas.
This is our vista.
Dan, Mahkaila, Bill and I went for a night walk through the old town to get dinner. It was lovely and we got pizza and spaghetti to share. And were all early to bed.
Anna's instagram on our day to Monterosso al Mare - https://www.instagram.com/share/BA_rv6AaiS