FUN TIME DURING THE SPIRITUAL HOLIDAY WEEK

Sitting on the terrace overlooking the stunning scenery ofLakeComoand for the first time, I do not have a glass in my hand!. The incredible backdrop of the green granite snow capped mountains and the refection of the glassy mirrored lake is truly picture postcard scenery. One could even think we were in the spirit world.  As they say, it's out of this world.

Yesterday we chartered a luxury boat and weaved in between the intrepid windsurfers to reach the other side of the lake where we visited a remote monastery. The building originated from the 16 century and as we sat in the cool cloisters admiring both  ancient frescoes and modern glass painting, it was no surprise that many of us were able to reach out and communicate with the devout holy men of previous times working towards their  Holy Orders. The monastery remains a working place for the Benedictine monks who supplement their self sufficiency with the sale of health improving tisanes and honey and a special range of liqueurs, both restorative and alcoholic. Monasteries have a history of producing such liqueurs such as Fra Angelica and Amaretto and the Monastery in Piano continued the tradition in a wonderful way. The serenity of the Monks way of life and living quarters brought even more calmness to an already quite chilled Group.

On returning to the boat, many of us could not miss the opportunity to take a dip in the lake and I too exposed  my 43 years of blubber to enjoy the  restorative powers of the cool pure lake water. Even my bare torso didn't spoil such a magical afternoon!