Thunderstorms and Baking Sunshine in Lago Maggiore

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Sunday 29th June
An early start as we said goodbye to Glenn who was off to get his early train to the airport back to the UK. We were pretty much ready to go, and had warned the campsite that we would be leaving at 8.30am BUT when we looked into the carpark it was rammed with cars and there was going to be no chance that we were going to get out. Freddie reckoned we needed at least 10 cars moved, then decided he might be able to do it with 4 cars moved. With a couple of announcements over the tannoy, 3 of them had been moved but the last was not coming, so we tried on some other cars! 2 hours later, and plenty of rides in the campsite buggy, and we managed to get enough cars moved in order to get out! Thankfully we weren't stuck there all day, and we were also there when Glenn got back to the campsite as no trains/buses appeared to be running today. Everyone chipped in for a taxi to the airport and we heard he made it!

With bad weather setting in, we got to the campsite around 4pm, where it took them some time to check us in. Thankfully, we were able also to get the coach onto the plot, and then looked for the quickest way to get the tents up as the rain poured down. Probably not the most successful tent putting up we'd ever done - probably would have been easier to leave people to it. Sheltered outside the toilets to eat, and had the meeting on the bus. Everyone was just happy to get to bed tonight!

Monday 30th June
Woke up to beautiful weather this morning - not sure where the rainstorm had gone, but thankful it had. Drove into Pallanza where we found our boat cruise to the Borromean Islands. We decided to buy a return ticket to Isola Bella, and also purchased tickets into the Palace. Everyone was a bit doubtful about attending yet another Palace/Castle, but this was something else from everything else we'd already seen, especially the grottoes underneath the Palace. The gardens also were amazing (with several white peacocks), with plenty of statuary (providing photo ops). Really beautiful, and the best part of 3 hours means that it's a relaxed look around, rather than a rushed glimpse. There's also a small village outside the Palace where there were options to relax with ice-cream/coffee, etc. Another relaxed journey back on the boat, and about an hour in Pallanza to relax with an ice-cream, buy snacks for bus journeys, and I found a pharmacy which gave me antibiotics over the counter... I thought she'd said I had to go to the Dr, but then she gave them to me, so here goes nothing - definitely need something as still can't speak properly and this morning it has clearly turned into a chest infection.

Back at the campsite most of the guests jumped into the Lake whilst I went on the internet briefly. Pool looks great, but shortly before dinner decided needed a few minutes out and jumped into the Lake to test it out - interesting temperature, but nice! Good dinner, and able to have the meeting outside - after the last 4-5 days where guests have been doing the worship sessions, I'm now doing the prep and they're reading it out! A few of them hung out playing guitar, whilst others of us crashed out!

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