We left. Ft. Lauderdale at 12.23 pm on Delta. We then flew on to JFK and took a connecting flight to Milan, Italy, arriving on Sept. 16th at 7:45 am. We stayed at the Milan Hilton, which was nicely situated and close to the Piazza del Duomo.
We met the other travelers that evening and had a nice meal, before retiring for the evening.
Sept. 17, 2014 Wednesday
We began the day by walking to the Piazza del Duomo. We noticed that Fashion Week was starting and wondered if we would see any stars, but that did not happen. We had a nice stroll and came upon some beautiful shops. The weather was very nice and we saw some interesting people along the way. We finally arrived at the Piazza del Duomo's main square, where thousands of people were enjoying the day. We had visited here before in 1980, so it was nice to return. The large 5 story Galleria, with beautiful shops inside, is defined by a large arch in front, pictured here. Here is a picture of the beautiful cathedral (Duomo)
It was a lot of fun feeding the pigeons. It reminded me of when we were in San Marco Square, in Venice. We also took a video. So, that was it for the day and we headed back to the hotel.
September 18, 2014 Thursday
We departed the Hilton and were on our way to Lake Garda (Riva del Garda). Along the way, we stopped at a little town called Bergamo. We took a funicular ride to the top of the hill, where there was a beautiful town. We roamed around the town and took some nice pics. The pizza was also very good. The woman in the window made for a terrific picture and then we met Luna. Luna is an Old English Sheepdog and is from Switzerland. We had a lot of fun with her and then stopped, as Anita had her picture taken with a street mime. Afterwards, we had a bite to eat and left Bergamo, on our way to Lake Garda.
We arrived in Lake Garda late in the afternoon. We were going to stay in the Hotel Du Lac et Du Parc. It was very nice and bordered Lake Garda. The grounds were immaculate, and, as luck would have it, there was going to be a vintage car rally during the next few days. Many of the cars were registering and I took a few pics.
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| 1953 Mercedes |
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| 1934 Bentley |
Here are some of the vintage cars, as well as beautiful scenery from Lake Garda.
September 21, 2014 SundayToday we departed our hotel and our destination was Lugano, Switzerland. We stopped along the way at a beautiful town called Sirmione. We really enjoyed the small streets and shops.
Sirmone was lots of fun and we were looking forward to
Lake Como. Everyone wanted to know where George Clooney
lived, but no one was giving any hints. The landscape was
gorgeous and the tourists were having fun.
This amazing Newfoundland was having some water.
We arrived at our Hotel Eden, Lake Lugano, late in
the afternoon. It was a long day, but we had a nice
meal at the hotel.
September 22, 2014 Monday
We left early for a fun boat ride on Lake Lugano.
The weather was ideal, sunny, and mild. Here are some pics.
Late in the day, we took the Funicular to San Salvadore
mountain, where we the alps met the Lake. It
was all the more exhilarating, because the sky was clear.
September 23, 2014 Tuesday
We checked out of our hotel and were on our way to
Zermatt, Switzerland. Our first stop was in Bellinzona, a
UNESCO World Heritage site. Three large castles were built to protect northern Italy
from invasion, with Castlegrande the largest. It has a very interesting history, so google for more.
We continued on to Simplon, approx. 6,000 feet above sea level. The temp. was in the 50's and dropping. We stayed for a quick bite, as we headed to Zermatt.
We stopped in a little town called Tasch. We had to take a train
the final 15 minutes to arrive in Zermatt. No gasoline engine vehicles are
permitted in Zermatt, only electric vehicles.
We stayed in Hotel Alex and had a delicious meal when we arrived.
September 24, 2014 Wednesday
It was brisk this morning, but clear. We wanted to take a walking tour
around the town. It was quite unique to say the least. The Matterhorn was in
full view and we were really lucky. Their summer was rainy.
As you can see, the interior of Hotel Alex is
amazing. The skiers love to come here in the Winter.
It had all the comforts of home and we enjoyed it.
It was absolutely astounding that it was this clear and
we were able to get this magical photo.
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| Notice the hang glider! We had a terrific time in Zermatt, mostly due to the fabulous weather. September 25, 2014 Thursday We checked in early and were now headed to the Hotel Palma in Stresa, Italy. We arrived late in the afternoon and a great meal that evening. The chocolate mousse was the best ever. 
September 26, 2014 Friday
More incredible weather today, so we strolled into
the City Centre (each town has one) and just saw the sights.
We took a cable car to Montarone mountain and had a great view,
especially of the three Borromean islands in Lake Maggiore. This
Chow Chow was a sight to behold. He/She was so regal.
    
September 27, 2014
Today we traveled by boat and visited each of the three
Borromean Islands. The first island we stopped at was Isola Madre, the
largest of the three islands. It is noted for its beautiful gardens.
The palace is furnished with 16th-19th century Italian masterpieces and paintings.
  
The next island we visited was Isola Bella, named for Isabella, Countess Borromeo.
It was orginally a large barren rock, but was improved upon between 1629 and 1652 by
Count Carlo III.
The third island is called Isola del Pescatori. It was very beautiful
and we had lunch there. It is the only inhabited island.
A little friend we met in Stresa.
The tour was amazing and the weather had a big part in making it so.
We had a great time, but it is always nice to come home.
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