Vet Judy

It took a full day for transportation from Santa Margherita Ligure to Lake Maggiore and a town called Stresa.

Now the walk to the hotel was no easy feat either. It had to be a mere 1 ½ miles from the train station, the only blessing was that most of that was level or downhill. I must say my backpack must be getting heavier as I go along, as this flat walk seemed like a life time. The other interesting thing I have noticed is you will find a big sign saying B&B such and such with an arrow. So you follow the arrow and then there are no more signs? What is with that? Not like there is no choice of roads to take either. As luck would have it some gentleman walking his little dog was next to me on a corner and my gosh he spoke broken English. I must have looked a little dense or confused or both so he directed me, or should I say walked in front of me most of the way, until he was sure I would find the place.

What a treasure this little B&B was. Albergo Luina. The best part was great home cooked meals and clean beds and Renata the proprietress speaks several languages and acts very well for directions, recommendations, tours etc. I think her husband is the quiet type or he only speaks Italian. I think the only two phrases I heard him say in Italian were good morning and bye.

The only downside was the middle of my bed had a bit of a sag in it, probably due to years of travelers, but I managed to fix that by propping two tour books underneath the mattress and all was well. They even turned the heat on in the room at night which was great, as the extra blankets were not quite cutting it in the previous locations.

I met another veterinarian from Australia while at dinner one night. It turns out he and his wife both know a lot of the same people I have crossed paths with at one time or another in our careers! What a small world. After several glasses of wine, Renata looked liked she would prefer if we closed up shop, so we quit talking and everyone went to their rooms. This whole seen reminded me of when you have sleep over and your mother says “Ok, it is time for bed, enough playing around.”

There are three islands off the shore of Lake Maggiore called Isola Bella, Isola Madre, and Isola Superiore Pescatori owned by the Borromeo family. They own not only the islands but the majority of the land around the lake. But as Renata put it, they are normal rich people not stuck up rich people. The locals like the family and the Islands.

I also managed to hop the ferry over to see a monastery called Santa Caterina del Sasso, and here is a place that looks like it was literally dropped into the sharp rocks at the edge of a cliff. You get there by boat and yes there are lots of stairs to get up to the main chapel. It is a fantastic little Church though and the whole island is quiet and peaceful. I was wondering what would possess someone to build in this location. If your main intent was privacy or protection this location would be ideal. Tomorrow, I am on the trek to Venice. This is another full day of travelling. I am taking the intercity train and still the trip is almost 6 hours long not including transfers etc.

There was a tram up to the highest point above Lake Maggiore. I went up here on the rainiest cold day I could have picked. The temperature difference between the top and the bottom was notable. Luckily for me, the restaurant at the top was still open and even had the heat on. I could see from the posters on the wall, that there was serious rock climbing options and downhill skiing on the winter. I also had more than 5 serious looking mountain bikes take the trip up on the tram. I noticed the breaking and suspension systems were nothing like I have ever seen. When I was in Lucca, renting a bike to go around the wall, the shop had a few of these bikes in there for sale. I didn’t see one price tag under 5000 Euro, so these bikers are serious about the sport.