After a leisurely trip from Florence to Milan the pace of life has quickened such as we have not had time to blog over the last few days.

A brief summary of the last few days can be found in that old John Denver song. “Some days are diamonds and some days are stone”.

Our first days excursion to the “wonderful Lake Como” was a bloody disaster from the  get go. We chose to walk to the bus collection point in the pouring rain and did not ever dry out for the rest of the day. Our boat cruise was a joke as 44 soaked tourists got on and he turned up the heat and fogged up all the windows so we just sat there in dripping misery.

The only good thing about the trip up in the funicular was the excuse to use the hand dryer in the loo at the top to try and dry out my socks.

It had stopped raining by the time we got down so we took one more picture and then huddled in misery till the bus came for the two hour drive back.

Where are the diamonds you ask?

Well, he replied glibly, if its raining on the plains of Lombardy then it is snowing in the Swiss Alps.

Guess where day two took us. Diamonds with a capitol B.

I know, it should be D but we went up into the Swiss Alps on the Bernina Express.

Up over 2260 metres and it was just superb.

At the town of St Moritz, which was closed, we took a few pictures and boarded a bus for the trip back.

Words of caution.

Swiss Rail. Up hill.

Italian bus and driver. Down Hill.

No further explanation required.

We have survived and are off to La Scala tomorrow.

Not John Denver we hope.

Exit, stage left, pursued by a bear and humming softly.

Pete.