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Published: September 17th 2010
Lake Maggiore and Zermatt
A note to to those people who wrote in saying the photos don't match the text beside them. Unfortunately that is the way the TravelBlog site works you load your text and pictures in separately and their computer decides where the photos go (We do pick the order) The people that you meet L met a girl 5 foot high carrying a backpack the same height. She was searching for the meaning of life. This young german had already been to India and worked on a goat farm, employed by a family who lived like slobs and didn't pay her, but she was returning to work for them after visiting her parents in Germany, because she thought it would help her find her way! Our first day was great weather and we returned to Italy via Locarno (only spent an hour here while waiting for our train). Locarno is at the top of Lake Maggiore and is quieter version of Lugano.
We caught a special train called the Centovalli (100 valleys) which goes slowly through spectacular gorges, past waterfalls and through great vistas on our way to Domodossola where we
15m high ceiling
Reception room Isola Bellachanged train again for Stresa on Lake Maggiore.
What a pleasant surprise Stresa is. A very pretty lakeside village. The waterfront promenade has beautiful gardens and every 100m semi circular viewing projections jut out into the lake. On the other side of the promenade are grand well kept hotels. Narrow cobbled streets go up from the lake into piazzas with shade trees and umbrella covered Ristorantes. After checking in to the hotel Elena which was quiet at the back with its own balcony we took a ferry to San Caterina island where there is a monastery built into a hillside. Inside was the mummified corpse of the 12C Blessed Alberto who gave up his worldly goods to the poor after being spared from a terrible storm on the lake. He later convinced the locals to build a monastery dedicated to St Catherine to help stop the plague. L's camera loved the monastery.
The foreign photography Many of us have handed over our camera to a passing stranger and asked him/her to take a photo. This is what Lorraine B de Mille does. She grabs the tourist by the arm forces him to stub out his cigarette and
Fresh flower arrangement
One of the rooms of Palace Isola Bella neglect the 25 yo filly hanging on his arm for a few minutes, places him on an X drawn on the ground and lists all the items that must be seen in the frame, finally a lesson in which button to press and for what duration. If the photo is not up to standard, the process is repeated. He his sent on his way with a “Grazie mille” and the satisfaction of knowing he was involved in a great photographic process.
A note on ferry crews Italian ferries have an amazing number of crew members (Sydney ferries please take note). The captain is accompanied by at least one other to steer. Up to 3 deckhands tie the boat up to wharf and possibly another two to catch ropes on shore, finally one more to supervise passengers on and off the gangplank. All are well dressed by Nina Ricci and wear little naval caps.
Day 2 on Lake Maggiore was again perfect (about 25) we decided to visit the Borromean Islands.
Isola Madre: with a mansion and 18-19C large puppet theatres in some of the rooms. White peacocks and other colourful birds roamed the gardens which were spectacular..
Isola Pescatori: Originally a fisherman's island, narrow cobbled str eets and beaches (stones!!!) a good place for lunch.
Isola Bella: The best of them. A mansion built for the Count Vitaliamo Borromeo starting in 1670, has the most incredible rooms with ceilings about 15m high, furnishings, artwork and tapestries on the walls and to top it off a totally over the top Baroque garden. The palace and terraced gardens almost cover the whole island.
The three islands are only 5 minutes by boat and can be seen very clearly from Stresa.
We topped the day with a lovely Italian meal in our hotel's piazza.
Back to Switzerland: Zermatt
Another pleasant train trip from Stresa (pronounced Stray-za) to Zermatt a town at the base of the famous Matterhorn.
On the train we found our seats were occupied by a middle aged couple we pointed at the seats, but man said “calma” (does it really matter), we agreed. It turned out that he was a senior officer of the Carabinieri (the Italian Police Force), anyway it all ended amicably. We struck up a conversation with a pretty 16yo Austrian girl who had been visiting her father in Italy. Very mature, had
learned English after spending a year with Pop in the USA.
This afternoon took the Gronergrat rack railway up to get a better view of the Matterhorn (Il Cervino) , it is a dramatic sight. We saw it all clearly from the ground , but when we went to the top it was partly covered by cloud It is 4482m high, not the highest in the area, but the most dramatic.
It was first climbed in 1865 by an expedition led by Edward Whymper and ended tragically when 4 out 7 of its members fell to their deaths on the descent. The north face was not climbed until 1931, and is amongst the three Great north faces of the Alps .
For dinner we had a bouillon consomme soup, plus a Bratwurst with potato rosti, and a green salad (lettuce with some dressing!).
On our last day in Zermatt (there are 29 peaks over 4000m surrounding the town), we walked around town and visited an interesting graveyard next to a church, where people who had died cimbing the mountains were buried. One fellow had been found 30 years after he fell.
We took a ride in the Sunnega cable car
up through a mountain up around 2200m. The views of the Matterhorn and surrounding mountains and glaciers were great. We walked around the area for a couple of hours and had a hot chocolate. At a nearby table an Englishman was reading a book on Anti Matter (atomic physics) while his wife and mother in law prattled on in loud voices talking about great shopping victories.
Finally we finished off at the excellent Matterhorn museum.
Then D settled down for a bowl of hay soup (fermented hay), it was lovely- like a cross between chicken and potato soups.
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anonymous
non-member comment
Stunning places!
These are your most stunning photos to date; some beautiful spots. We'll have to visit them ourselves now! Funny and interesting as always, nice entry.