Find out who you are and then be that person...

Two nights and 3 days have passed since I enjoyed the delicious breakfast in Brixen...since then I have been on a road trip to Kurtatsch, where I visited my great-uncle Karl in the nursing home. I settled in the small but nice campsite Pilzone at Lake Iseo and I am currently sitting on the shores of Lake Maggiore, where the pigeons are trying to steal my aperitivo.

But first, let me give you my conclusion about Brixen. A charming town with lots of charm, good ice cream parlors, nice shopping opportunities, a worth-seeing cathedral, and at the hip bed & breakfast "Alter Schlachthof" you can stay comfortably and relatively cheap. The rooms are cool, but not necessarily practical.

...and then I went to Kurtasch. In the tiny village on the wine route south of Bolzano lives my great-uncle Karl. He is one of the surviving brothers out of 18 siblings of my grandmother. He is deaf and mute and already 92 years old. So I can't really "talk" to him. But his surprised laughter when I entered the dining room, realizing that I was visiting him, compensates for any lack of conversation. It seems rare that someone visits him like he smiles at me (it still touches me today when I think of his joy...it moves me)...in short, I take him out of the dining room, explain to the caregiver that I'll bring him back later, and end up with Karl in the shady garden of the nursing home...I try to explain to him who I am. I'm not quite sure if he understood...my wild non-verbal gestures and mouth movements that should indicate that I am Melitta's daughter or Frieda's granddaughter. But it doesn't matter either. He was happy to be the center of attention in the nursing home that afternoon...accompanied by a casual, loud companion who only cared about him. His day was definitely enriched...and in the end, I realize...mine too.

But that wasn't all that enriched me that day. So I continued to Iseo...my mood in the air-conditioned car couldn't have been better. I had a good breakfast, done a good deed, and on my way to the lake.

ISEO - PILZONE

As I drove through the gate of the campsite, Mario, the site manager, approached me. After a quick check-in and explaining that I sleep in the car, I was assigned a semi-shady spot.

"Ah, wifi is only available at the bar"...I noticed...no problem. That's how it's supposed to be...and looking back, it's a reason why I took a break from blogging for a few days.

...but not the only reason.

So I set up my chairs and table, settled in and lost as much water as I had drunk in the last 5 days. 36 degrees and it gets hotter. That's the forecast. Well, it's best to go to the water...but first I have to ask the neighbors something...I thought I heard them speaking German and they can certainly tell me where I can get some food...

And that, my dear friends, was probably one of the most special moments of this trip...

From the question about supermarkets, a conversation about origin, culinary arts, and I was invited to spend the evening with them. I left my bathing suit in the car and from that moment on I spent the rest of my evening with Inge and Julian at their spot...we drank, ate, had fun, and for the first time I experienced what it means to meet strangers while traveling and become friends. And yes, I call them friends. I was allowed to have coffee and breakfast with them in the following mornings, and Julian cooked a delicious dinner the next evening. We all intend to stay in touch. A visit with them in Belgium (where they come from) and with me in Bregenz is already planned.

While my heart was warming up in this wonderful company, the temperatures were also rising elsewhere.

Still slept well at night, numb from enough food, alcohol, and other substances ;) (these Benelux countries, you know ;), the next day I experienced as supernaturally hot...of course, the hangover came along. But sometimes I really had circulatory problems and my face and body constantly felt as if someone had poured a bucket of water over me...filthy, without a retreat to freshen up, always toilet paper in my backpack (apparently, you have to bring your own on many campsites), constantly in wet bathing clothes (of course, I went into the water 20 times a day) and without food in my luggage (the next market was 2 km away), the camping atmosphere slowly lost its luster.

The site itself was absolutely beautiful. It was not its fault. And I'm not really vain either...meaning I can live with little comfort,...but due to the abnormal heat in combination with these circumstances and apparent lack of preparation (research), I decided that I didn't have to be too hard on myself and could just take another hotel as the next stop. How nice would it be to just walk around naked in the room after showering. To freshen up and look pretty with air conditioning, without looking like a wet dog afterwards. To be able to sit upright in bed. 

It's about solo traveling, not necessarily about living spartanly in the trunk...(and I have already proven that I can do that).

SO...FIND OUT WHO YOU ARE AND THEN BE THAT PERSON

So after the delicious dinner with the neighbors last night, I took out my phone, opened my trivago app and booked the first hotel with air conditioning, parking, by the water, and near the beach. LAGO MAGGIORE it is!!

Because yeah....I think I have found out who I am lately, during my trip as well as before, yes. And I'm pretty satisfied with that person. She is open-hearted, sociable, pleasant, adventurous, simple, uncomplicated, spartan, but also loves beauty, elegance, and style...on this trip, it was not only about pushing my limits in terms of accommodation or going against all odds, but also about taking advantage of the blessing of being alone and giving all my facets space. To do what I want. To be who I have found.

With gratitude, blissfulness, and dirty laundry in my luggage, I have now checked into Hotel San Gottardo.

I'm already enjoying my second Aperol Spritz and the shade on a terrace in front of my hotel, after the sun disappeared behind approaching clouds.

Maybe I'll end the day with a portion of pasta and gelato, strolling along the promenade...mmhhmmm...that's how I like it...too! ;)