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Published: June 14th 2017
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Geo: 46.1445, 8.72654
We had a lovely day today with Martina (Steven's cousin) and her boys. It was the Feast of Peter and Paul, so some shops were closed, and there was a holiday atmosphere! First, we went up the Valle Versasca with Martina and Daniel (who is the same age as Tom) – we were looking for some waterfalls, but didn't find them – instead, we had a lovely drive, saw the James Bond dam and the Ponte Romantico, which looked quite different now that the spring and summer have properly arrived. There were some mad teenagers swimming in the water (which is about 11 degrees!) and the water currents that rip through this narrow gorge make it extremely dangerous to swim. We also saw a young fellow leap off the bridge, probably 15 metres to plunge into the water – incredibly foolhardy!
We then rushed back down the Valle to Martina's house, to have a quick sandwich lunch before going out with Floriano (Floc) (Martina's husband) and Andrea, her 14 year old son, on their boat. It was incredible to believe that we were going to swim in the lake – when we arrived here in April, it was so cold
that the kids didn't really believe that anyone swam here!
The trip over to the mouth of the River Maggia was great fun – the kids loved being on the boat. And no sooner had we arrived then Georgia was leaping off the boat and into the water – only about 1 metre deep. It is really strange, swimming in a lake – I am constantly surprised that the water isn't salty, as we are not used to swimming in fresh water. To see ducks swimming with us is also very strange! Martina and Floc's boys are mad keen fishermen (their uncle on Floc's side is a professional fisherman and fishmonger on the Lago Maggiore). As soon as we arrived, her boys headed off out of the lovely fresh, clean water into the brackish swampy water at the back of the beach, looking for fish. They found some, too – and Daniel manages to catch fish with his bare hands!
We would have stayed for hours on the beach – we really enjoy Floc and Martina's company and the location was superb – but it was clear that a storm was coming up, and Floc was a little nervous to get all
of us home before it hit. Even these lakes get rough in a storm, and the crossing back to Porto Ronco was certainly a lot more "bouncy" – the kids thought it was a great adventure (especially when the engine stopped and Floc announced we were out of full – he really only had to swap tanks!), and we still couldn't get used to the spray hitting our faces being freshwater!
Then, quickly up the mountain to shower and dress – we were having dinner with Davide (another cousin) and Eva and their youngest, Alice, who is a few days younger than Matthew. We had a false start – the grotto we had planned to go to was closed for the Feast Day, and the storm had been threatening erupted! So, we ended up going to the bar in Ronco – always a wonderful place, and having pizzas. But the kids were exhausted, after a big day in the water, so we called it an early night – we were home before dark (i.e. Before 10pm!) Cannot believe the stamina of my kids – three months ago, they never would have lasted until 10pm at night! They have been absolute
troopers!
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