Today we headed into Como to explore the south west arm of the lake. It was slightly foggy today but the forecast told us that it would get a little bit clearer throughout the day which is useful when you're trying to see across a lake! It was about a 1 hour drive into Como from Lecco. We parked right in the centre of Como and walked over to the tourist information centre where the lady was not the most positive about the weather conditions today saying that we could take a boat out on the lake but don't expect to see anything because of the fog, or we could take the funicular up to Brunate village but don't think you'll get any spectacular views because it's too foggy, or we could drive up to Bellagio (the village where the lake splits) but don't expect anything to be open because it's low season. This left us a little confounded as to what to do but we decided to take the funicular up to Brunate - it only cost €5.50 per person for a return trip - as it would be nice to see what little we could of the lake from on high. Europe seems to be quite fond of funiculars - this would be about the 3rd or 4th one so far on our trip. While we waited in the funicular to start climbing, an older lady sat next to Kate on our bench. We had the prime front row seats in the funicular as we had gotten on first and this lady decided that she could also squeeze on to our seat despite there being the whole rest of the funicular to sit in. This lady, originally from England, comes to Italy during the winter to escape the grey dreariness (not escaping it today, lady!) decided to strike up a conversation with Kate, which is nice - it's good to talk to people next to you. However, this lady decided to step right into the philosophical debate of life within her first breath. Topics included things like "How do you justify travelling as a selfish activity?" and "Why are the French so aggressive?", "Why religion is a terrible divisive phenomenon", "Volunteering for Mother Theresa in Calcutta was too religious" and "How her son-in-law has made her daughter give up skiing". Heavy. Once we finished those delightful conversations after the 10 minute ride to Brunate, we hopped off and quickly made for the top of the hill where we could find Faro Voltiano (Volta's Lighthouse). After initially getting lost through the old winding lanes and cobblestoned alleys, we were on the right track - and a steep track it was too! Kate, who was dealing with a cold, decided it was a little too steep to summon enough energy for, so Calvin carried on ahead alone - the intrepid traveller that he is. It was a warm climb and Calvin eventually summited the hill to the lighthouse where he could actually see a stunning view of the lake and the villages on the opposite side. The fog had lifted and it was as clear as, well, day!  It was back down the hill to the halfway point where Kate was waiting and then down to the funicular to get back into Como. The first point of call which was very important was a gelato shop. Our first gelato in Italy as a married couple - pretty sure that needs to be documented. This event was marked by flavours such as stracciatella, yoghurt, lemon and pineapple.  Then it was off to find proper lunch food which we found at El Merendero. Prices in Italy are so reasonable. Kate had a ginormous salad and Calvin had asparagus risotto. The salad was too big for Kate to finish so it was doggy-bagged (along with the free bread!).  A walk along the lake side brought us to the pier to the Life Electric sculpture before heading back to the car and driving home to Lecco. Kate decided to have a little jaunt into town to search for some items while Calvin relaxed. Dinner consisted of leftover pizza, gnocchi and salad. It was time for one more gelato for the day for Calvin - the hike up to Faro Voltiano meant he deserved it. A stroll along the lake into Lecco centre led to Grom gelateria where Calvin selected salted caramel and mandarin flavours. Kate was still too sugared up from the gelato earlier that day to have another one. Back in the apartment, Backpacker card game was brought out. Despite Kate almost cheating (but then feeling too guilty to continue), it was one all.