Lecco /Lake Como

Dinner Lake Como
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Monday 12th May (continued)

The drive around Lausanne was not without incident. Yet again we found ourselves taking a wrong turn and incurring the wrath of the GPS navigator (Jane). This is what putzing is really about though and we set forth undeterred to find the longest way back to the motorway. Jane was horrified at some of the turns we made but we wound around some very narrow streets in a residential area of Lausanne. The area was very, very hilly and a twisty onr car wide two road led us up a 22˚ incline. It was wet and the front wheel drive slipped several times. The street was lined with houses and imagine the challenge of getting to and from home in the winter (it snows heaps here). Amazingly we found terraced fields of hope or grapes interspersed with the houses in the ‘vertical’ suburbs of Lausanne.

An Italian National Road
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Home to our last dinner with the green fields and sonds of cowbells at Chateau St Dennis. I won’t give you all the details as you would be correct in expecting the entrée’ and the girls excelled themselves with meatloaf cooked in the ever versatile crock pot.

Tuesday 13^th May

Today was to be our longest ‘jump’ between camps. The trip from Chateau St Dennis to Lecco in Italy was 360km. It took us 7 ½ hours including morning tea and lunch.

We went via the St Bernard tunnel between Switzerland and Italy. To get there we followed a very windy switchback national road that ascended high into the Alps. It was a national road, one lane in either direction with a white line safely separating traffic but it had blind curves and heavy trucks. It simply was not possible to pass a truck on some of the corners and in other places roadwork had closed one side of the road completely. This was OK except it happened on one notable occasion around several blind curves, there were no lights or stop/go engineers. We were nearly at the end on the closed lane section and came around a corner to find oncoming cars just about to enter the one lane. They stopped we stopped, hand gestures indicated what the cars should do as well as other enhancements and physical acts of contortion. The lady in the first car eventually backed up and as we went past she mad the mistake of winding down her window to give the driver of our car a piece of her mind. Being a right hand drive (in a left hand drive country) she did not realise it was my wife she would be talking to. Anne got her window down and let fly with some very appropriate words on driver etiquette along with some gesticulated driving tips. I heartily added my vocal support from the distant drivers seat.

St Bernard Tunnel
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The St Bernard tunnel was about 6 or 7 km long, two lanes (one in either direction), Dark and full of fumes. It must have been built by the NSW labour government. The drive had fantastic alpine scenery and there were houses in the most incredible places on cliffs and remote places that would be almost impossible to access in winter. We went through many tunnels and snow tunnels.

On the windy road up to the tunnel we got stuck behind a low loader with a bull dozer that was travelling 20km/hr for about 20km. It was the windy ascent and descent and the low loader that was responsible for the long travel time.

More National Road (with Trucks)
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The second exciting part of the trip was on the motorway in towards Milano (which we bypassed). It was 3 lanes, heavy trucks in the right lane, us passing in the middle lane and fast cars, vans and trucks passing in the left (inside) lane. We were doing about 90km (a bit more at times of passing) and we found how courteous the Italian drivers were. We were very disappointed and somewhat stressed from the experience. Even though all the traffic was moving well together the trucks could not keep in their lane and came into the middle lane frequently. Even when we and others were overtaking them. This was not really all that exhilarating when the vans needed nearly all of the lane and there were cars and trucks passing on our left. The wind from the trucks was also very noticeable but its affect was not as bad as it felt. We were very happy to get on the Milano bypass road.

Lake Como
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Jane, our GPS was having a tizzy and we were following the E car as their GPS (Nigel) was till on duty. This was not a problem, we had radios and directions and conversation between cars was happening constantly. About 10km from the Milano bypass road the E radio would not transmit for more than a few seconds. So much for advance directions! Uor route to the bypass road and negotiation to the Lecco road had its very messy moments. At one point we had to FORCE our way onto an exit road but we ended up ahead of Sue and Rob. Italian drivers seem to have a thing about GB number plates. We were not sure of the roundabout turns and exits and it was not very practical following someone who was behind you. Exits often do 360ÌŠ turns and if you get the wrong exit on a roundabout you could end up anywhere and be out of radio range before you know it.

Lake Como
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As you have already worked out it all ended happily, we arrived at the Lecco campground on the banks of Lake Como.

For lunch we got out our tables and chairs and had a cheese, bread and pate’ at a roadside stop. A very nice campervan pulled up next to us and I approached the Irish driver to see if we could look in his van. We had a great chat with he and his wife and told them we were going to Lecco They turned up at the campground just after us and we chatted further till 11.00pm. A very nice couple and it was really interesting to compare notes on how similar family experiences are even between Ireland and Australia.

Lake Como
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Jane got some attention to see what was wrong and repairs were made to a sticky front boot catch on our van.

The girls found a super market and we had a great take-away chicken, potatoes and salad for tea.

Wednesday 14^th May

Relaxing day today. We putzed off to Varenna on Lake Como. Avoided the motorway where possible but went through lots of tunnels, some up to 3km just around the lake. We went past where George Cluney lives at Lierna, with his pet pig, but did not recognise the house so not sure if he was home.

Bellagio
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From Varenna we caught the ferry and crossed the lake to Bellagio for lunch and then to Menaggio before going back to Varenna. It was a balmy day and the lake and surrounding villages and mountains looked terrific.

Tea was simple and very nice. Barbequed French sausages, chicken, mash potato, mushrooms and salad. The ambiance was very acceptable. Our tables and chairs were on a lawn about 7ft from the waters edge of Lake Como. Our vans are 100metres back from the edge under some trees. The left over bread was thrown to the ducks and two large swans walked up the lawn to a German guy nearby to try to snatch bread from his hand.

Bellagio
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After yesterday, which was a bit stressful and not what we intend, today was very relaxing. It was full of ‘passive enjoyment’ according to Sue. We were not the initiators and things were done to/for us instead. Very much appreciated by all.