Day 4

We had pictured ourselves relaxing by the pool in Stresa, but on Day 4, we woke up to rain.  There are three islands in the middle of Lake Maggiore, so we hired a boat and took off.  By the time we arrived on the first island, the rain had tapered off. 

First we arrived on Isola Pescatori, which has retained its charm as a quaint fishing village. 

There are many little shops, restaurants, and residences all packed together along winding corridors -



I really like this girl's toile bubble skirt -

Although, her grandmother didn't seem to approve of my husband's antics -



We stopped by this waterfront cafe -



...and met a snuggly friend -

How can you resist that -

He may have talked us into getting a cat for our daughters.  We hated to leave this peaceful island, but our boat driver said we had to move on.  During our time there, we did purchase a necklace for each of our daughters and this ring for me -

We took a short ride to Isola Bella where Count Borremeo built a castle in 1632. 

There were peacocks wandering the grounds which added even more elegance to this ancient structure -

These waterlilies remind me of a Monet painting -



Napoleon once slept in this castle, and I can tell you that he had a fabulous view from his guest suite - 

 On Day 5, we took our favorite excursion of the whole trip...