A day by the icy lake

The title sums it up really, it got to 34 deg but we had shade from the trees along the lake side.

We spent the day at a spring fed lake. The water was crystal clear and you could see the birds diving to get food off the bottom.

photo link

We stood in it but could only last a few seconds as it was like standing in a bucket of melted ice.

We went up to a hill top village and walked to the church which had a great view of the valley and lake.

Apart from reading 300 pages of a novel that was the day really.  A nice man in a bar made us huge rolls with mozzarella and tomato for lunch and we had cold drinks there but other wise just a really lazy day.

 Tonight's highlight will be the local laundromat and a cold drink in town watching the world go by.

Oh and I bought a pillow as the one at the B and B is huge thick and hard. I figure as we have the cAr it can travel with us all the way home after helping me have lovely sleeps along the way. It was fun at the bedding shop explaining I didn't want the €40 one as I was on holiday and that I wanted a soft one ( morbido) such a lovely Italian word for soft.

Sora, Italy

We made it, not such a long day, still 30+ degrees so quite toasty in the car.

We hardly stopped this time as we drove through the lovely Tuscan countryside, past Florence, past Rome and here we are in Sora.

We stay here for four nights. Perry is doing some photo matches for an article on the war but is only for a part of the time and the rest we will relax and explore.

We have Italian friends we need to catch up with and pizza, gelato and wine to consume.

We sat outside in the garden and read for a while then headed into the main piazza.

We had a beer, Aperol and snacks then chose our pizza place by the fact that a man with an All Black shirt was sitting there. P asked  - he doesn't play rugby and has never been to NZ, just liked the black shirt.

 

On the way back from town we passed  a street festival so got a seat and watched some fitness demos and then a band started.

The snacks were really skinny bits of meat on skewers, peanuts in their shells, chips and slices of a huge watermelon.. An interesting mix.

The music was load and thumped. I don't think they had the levels right  and we gave up at 10:30 and walked home.
This room has really good air con so we are finally comfortable...

No gelato yet but maybe tomorrow.
I have updated the Photos on the link in last page

Switzerland to Italy

Great view of the fireworks

Last night we heard a noise through the triple glazing , pulled back the curtains and a fireworks display had just started.
It is national Swiss day today
From our window ( where the window opened fully so we had the best view)
It was the longest I have seen almost 40 mins long .
They were playing music which seemed to have no connection with the display.
    It was a fabulous sight  with huge star shells .

Then this morning we awoke to thunder... Opened the curtain to rain.
Almost forgot what it looks like. Should make the first part of the trip a lot easier

Swiss farming

Had breakfast, p made a waffle on a big waffle press ( see the photo on the link) and is trying to eat his money's worth.

Well the rain only lasted 15 minutes then it got back up to the high twenties.

Some fabulous scenery, Alps, mountain houses, lakes , cable cars

photo link

I have said before when we are in Switzerland that we should come back for a mountain walking holiday but we haven't yet.

They seem to farm some amazingly high meadows and a lot of the farm houses look like Heidi should live there.
More driving and wWe are now in Bologna.

Day 2 Epernay to Switzerland , Rothrist

Not too bad a sleep and we headed off.

We went to a lovely french village cafe for a pain au chocolat and coffee then hit the road.

The French roads/ motorways are great, so empty most of the time. we did hit a traffic jam when there had been an accident but it didnt slow us down too much.

My view ..

We had a lunch by a the great east canal

then headed into Germany.

then into Switzerland we we are staying tonight.


there is a photo link on the next blog.

The great Chunnel debarcle

we headed away from Claire at 8 am for an easy trip to Folkstone. I had a text from the Eurochunnel people that there was a one hour delay so we didnt rush.

arrived there at 11.00 and started queuing, the first one to get the hanger for the car to show which train we would be on.
after an hour of that we got to the terminal and went in where the delay was now 3 hours.
we luckily got a seat and a table so read and chatted and ate.

finally they called our number 4 hours late and we entered another queue.
this one was for another hour but they gave us water and we chatted to the fellow travelers
and just wandered about and read out books. finally at 6.30 we boarded the train and 30 mins later were in France.

by this stage the hotel had rung to see what time we would  arrive.

We drove and drove and drove  until 11.00 so a 15 hour daywhen we found the hotel and heaed for a cold shower and a sleep.






We had forgotten that the air con had failed in this car and we hadnt fixed it, the temperature outside reached 39 degrees I hate to think what we were.

so night one Epernay France.

Before we go

We are on holiday

We have booked all the hotels and planned where we are staying

Day one is with Claire ( Blair is in Amalfi on holiday with an old school friend)

then we head through the Chunnel.  Seems a weird ides sitting in your car on a train in a tunnel.


Below is when and where we will be. I will update the blog with photos etc as we go.

summer hols 2018
25-Jul	London	C & b
	chunnel leaves 12.39 Folkestone
26-Jul	Champenoises	comfort suites
27-Jul	Rothnist Nr Lucerne	IBIS Rothrist Olten
28-Jul	Bologna	Ramada Encore Hotel
29-Jul	Sora	Nonna Saveria
30-Jul	Sora	Nonna Saveria
31-Jul	Sora	Nonna Saveria
01-Aug	Sora	Nonna Saveria
02-Aug	Sora	Nonna Saveria
03-Aug	Anzio	air bnb
04-Aug	Anzio	air bnb
05-Aug	Anzio	air bnb
06-Aug	Anzio	air bnb
07-Aug	Anzio	air bnb
08-Aug	Perugia	Ilogo Hotel
09-Aug	Pistoia	Hotel Villa Cappugi
10-Aug	Turin	Hotel Amadeus e Tetro
11-Aug	Chamin Mt Blanc	Chamin Lodge
12-Aug	Vuissens, switz	b and b Bellafontaine
13-Aug	Verdun sur meuse	la Dragee hotel habitant
14-Aug	Waterloo	le 1815
15-Aug	chunnel at 12 20 leaves calais