Fri 3 Oct- final shopping in Milan, then on to Lake Como and Bellagio 'Hotel Metropole'

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Fri 3 Oct- final shopping in Milan, then on to Lake Como and Bellagio 'Hotel Metropole'
Fri 3 Oct- we had a fruit and vegetable breakfast, then Kiyomi headed out for more shopping, trying to decide whether to buy the coat she tried on yesterday. Stan stayed at the hotel room, working on this blog. She decided to buy it, and it is a beautiful reversible very soft leather/suede coat with classic simple style.
For lunch we ate at Caffe Panzera: a draft beer, spaghetti pomodore, pizza al funghi and 2 espresso for E30. It was pretty good, but I would not say $45 worth of good. Milan is expensive! Our half-board at Hotel Metropole will be an extra E30 for both of us, that's breakfast and 4-course dinner.
At 2 pm we departed by taxi for Bellagio. Le Meridien helped Kiyomi arrange a special taxi to take us directly to the hotel so we don't have to worry about our luggage on the train, and then from Como to Bellagio; but it's pretty expensive at E200. When we left Milan it was sunny and warm; along the way the sky got very dark, there was lightening and thunder, and then rain, sleet and snow! It got so bad we and other vehicles parked for a while under overpasses to get out of the storm. Then as we turned down the narrow road to Bellagio and went through a tunnel, it got suddenly brighter, the rain tapered off, and by the time we arrived at our Hotel Metropole (http://www.albergometropole.it), it was getting sunny, though still quite windy-there were actual whitecaps on Lake Como.
We have a nice room, with a newly-renovated bathroom, complete with bidet and tub. It's not large, but is nicely done and easy to use, with a heated towel rack where we can dry our clothes. The view from our room is really fantastic. We overlook the lake with a view from our window up and down the lake, to the Italian Alps on the other side of the lake, and to the Swiss Alps in the distance, all from our balcony. We can watch the ferries and boats come and go to the docks on each side of the hotel. We took a short walk around town, and were surprised at the number and variety of shops. Kiyomi is determined to investigate all of them (while Stan is doing something else).
Dinner was a nice surprise, exceeding our expectation. First, a welcome glass of champagne, then a tomato & mozzarella cheese salad appetizer. We decided to have the house red wine and each order a different dish and share, so we could taste a greater variety. The first course was Bicatini Pasta Ametriciana (spaghetti with tomato sauce and ham) and Risotto Milanese style (a creamy rice dish). The second course was Lavaret filets with aromatic herbs (a fresh-water fish) and Escalope Aosta-Valley style (veal with a cheese topping). Then lemon cake and warm chocolate muffin (YUM!) were served for dessert.