Blogs from Baveno, Piedmont, Italy, Europe

... nous avons fait de la route pour arriver à Baveno, toujours en Italie. Nous étions passé ici pour une nuit à l'aller, un camping bruyant par la quantité de petits enfants pleurant dans tous les coins... Nous étions mieux situés cette fois et avons pu mieux dormir... Une belle promenade aussi dans la ville de Baveno, pas bien grande et étonnante car à part un marchand de glaces et deux ou trois restaurants, pas une seule boutique... Baveno est un lieu que tous les amoureux de la beauté ne pourront oublier, et le guide du Lac Majeur écrit par Nino Bazzetta De Vemenia en 1931 le soulignait déjà à l'époque, comme en témoignent ces paroles :“Si Stresa est le paradis vert de l'amour, Baveno est l'oasis enchantée et silencieuse de la nostalgie“. Cette petite ville ... read more

16thMay – La Mer Méditerranée. After a few days in Aigues Mortes we moved down to the coast to a favoured spot at Stes-Maries-de-la-Mer in the Camargue, we have now been in France for three weeks and have managed with out any electricity, but needs must so we stopped at our first campsite and did our laundry. Unfortunately the wind which was warm and blowing from the north was a huge problem as it whipped up the dust, and soon we found the van to be full of dust. Which upset Alan as we had just spent 8 euros washing the magic bus in a fancy car wash! So having checked the weather forecast we decided to move 20-30 km along the coast on the recommendation of a lovely French man we met at a camperstop ... read more

It is hard to believe that a week has gone by since we left England. Where has that week gone? I know where I would rather be - italy in the rain or England - Italy wins hands down. Woke up to heavy rain this morning pounding on the roof of the van. I worked on the basis that it started before 7am and would be gone by 11am. First job was a shower and it was much enjoyed despite the showers being full of people. I wonder what the site would be like in the middle of the season when all the visitors were here . Over breakfast we watched one of our neighbours taking Pig his Peugeot scooter off the back of his van. Felt rather envious of his freedom with the scooter. We ... read more

Italy is no longer the only country I have visited in Europe! We made the trek to Switzerland to visit ascona and buy chocolate. The Italian region of Switzerland is like Italy's richer, more modern twin. The streets are cleaner, wider, and the buildings are newer. Seeing how I love the classical architechture in Italy, this was a let down. Also, everything in Switzerland was more expensive. I'm stingy with my money and had to spend it. Swiss chocolate is worth it. I prefer Italy but am happy to be able to say I have been to Switzerland.... read more

We went to explore the Borromeo Islands and started our trip with Isola Bella. On Isola Bella is a huge villa and amazing garden. I cant even begin to describe its beauty. Check out the pictures!!! Another interesting thing about the island is that there are white peacocks running wild everywhere. I have never seen such creatures! They are the pigeons of Isola Bella and clean up crumbs that people drop from their tables. The garden was beautiful.... read more