Lake Maggiore

we=128:2-on the way

The adventurous journey begins with a purely electric car. We are on the way to LAGO MAGGIORE. A reward for pulling the strings today.

Things became adventurous due to the various failures at some charging stations on the A5, the motorway heading south. This not only cost nerves, but also time. In Switzerland it became incredibly easy to charge up with electricity, as almost all parking spaces on the motorway and every rest stop had charging stations that were not only well marked - they worked without exception.

Driving along the lake would have given me too much adrenaline; The love of my life obviously had no problems with it. In Brissago (still Ticino) there was still the sign of the cigar manufacturer Brissago - in Friedrich Glauser's novels, Wachmeister Studer also smokes these cigarrillos. Just like my father, by the way. The border is in the middle of town on the main street. The customs officer stood on the side of the road chatting happily and no one was asked for ID or anything like that. The Swiss are obviously relaxed, as there were a lot of commuters on the road.

Then we did it: VERBANIA. To be on the safe side, the car was plugged in near the ESSELUNGA supermarket. To pass the time, there was something else to buy at the market. The much-praised sat nav got the right address, but didn't lead us to VILLA AZALEA but to the associated VILLA QUERCIA. And because we haven't been here for so many years, I didn't even notice it. The owner Enrico found us in front of the right gate.

These houses ( www.albergovillaazalea.com/de ) are beautifully located and in Villa Quercia we again moved into our familiar room with a balcony and a view of the Lake. The trees in the villa's park have grown naturally and the view of STRESA is no longer unobstructed. It doesn't matter - as soon as the lights shine on the other side of the lake, everything is fine.

We immediately made our way down to the lake. The feet found the way almost alone, even after many years of absence. Many new restaurants have set up shop on the lake; some have been rearranged and others are still as we remembered them.

A GINTORIA is new and offers lots of fun things. Among other things, a SOUR-GIN WITH LICORICE. A little too sweet for me. It wasn't really my cup of tea, but I definitely tried it. Just like in the good old days, a small snack was served. Also very tasty. Then walked a few more streets and looked for tomorrow's bus timetable. Didn't find what we were looking for. Let's just ask Enrico tomorrow. Back at the lake, we had another drink in the former ice cream parlor - which is now called CURCUMA BAR and CURCUMAR PIZZERIA. Then the day was long enough and we walked up the familiar streets to the hotel. Now just sleep.

See you soon