Goodby Como

 


I don’t profess to knowing a lot about the leading industries around the Lake Como area, but I would suggest that there may be significant collagen and silicone mines in the region.  We definitely are holidaying in the land of the beautiful people, many of whom are unashamed to augment their physical virtues with store bought enhancements.  It is rumoured that there are actually three obese people who live here, but they are not allowed outside so we have yet to see them.  Everyone else is drop dead gorgeous and slim.  We are trying not to be too conspicuous in their midst.

  You would think that I should have a reasonable level of enthusiasm over the numbers of beautiful young women who are roaming the area, but the truth is that I ‘m reaching a point of not caring if I never see another.  In this Instagram-happy world, there is no greater annoyance than a pretty girl with a lot of followers and a cellphone, unless it’s two or three pretty girls with a lot of followers and cellphones.  We’ve found it difficult to access the best picture-taking locations because of self-absorbed Gigi Hadid wannabes who required 27 different photos of themselves with the same backdrop and 27 different degrees of poutiness on their faces.  Jeez Louise!  Yesterday, on our ferry ride up the lake, there was one such prima donna a couple of seats in front of us that spent the entire trip hanging off the side of the boat like a golden retriever in a pickup truck, taking hundreds of selfies with no regard for the possibility that someone else would like to take a vacation photo without her in it.  She was on the same ferry as us coming back, and she took hundreds more.  She might single-handedly bring down the internet.

   Okay, that’s my rant.  I feel better.  Now, we must talk about Brunate.

   Brunate is a community that would be extremely close to Como Town if it didn’t exist on an entirely different astral plane.  Today, we decided to visit Brunate.  Our options for ways to get there were: 1) to rent mountain climbing equipment, 2) Spacex rocket, or 3) a very steep funicular.  We chose the latter, and were transported to an altitude over two thousand feet above Lake Como.  Because the late winds of yesterday had blown the haze away, we were treated to spectacular views.  We wandered to various vantage points before settling in at a perfect table at a perfect cliffside restaurant to enjoy an excellent pizza and a beverage, pinching ourselves because the setting was so amazing. 

   As I write this, we are preparing to leave Como for the town of Tirano, which is on Italy’s border with Switzerland.  We expect tomorrow to be a travel and laundry day.  After that and a night’s sleep, we will be boarding the Bernina Express for a scenic train ride through the Swiss Alps.  We’ll check back in once we have something to report about that.

Cheers for now!

Funicular from Como to Brunate
Line length: 1084 m (3556 ft)
Opened 1894
Spectacular views! Brunate is nicknamed 
‘The balcony of the Alps’

Village of Brunate






Lunch!


Our lunch guest

Funicular back to Como


Basilica of Sant Abbondio  (1000 AD)










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