So…Billie called and said; “I’m going to tour the Alps. Wanna come? Well Duh! This is our first Grand Circle Tour starting in Stresa Italy then proceeding to Interlaken Switzerland and Seefeld Austria before ending in Munich. Along the way we’ll visit Zermatt, Lichtenstein, Oberammergau, and (a favorite from trips past) Mittenwald. We’ll check out lakes, islands, and castles. We’ll also leave the tour one day to visit Fraunfeld – Billie’s ancestral home. Should be a great trip!
This was an optional (extra cost) tour but it sounded interesting and it looked like we’d learn something.Lake Orta is another feature in the Lake District of northern Italy. It has a long history of religious presence and has served as a pilgrimage site since the 4th century. We started our tour (after an hour […]
Up and out at the usual time.Walk across the street to the pier and onto the boat to take us into lake Maggiore and to the first of our Borromean Islands; Isola Bella (Beautiful Island). In 1632 Carlo III began construction of a palazzo dedicated to his wife Isabella. The associated gardens were not completed
Following breakfast we met in the lobby where Antoine counted heads and then led us across the way to the hotel’s annex for the intro session.The session included her introduction of herself, then each of us introducing ourselves. Then a slide show with important information – basically all the normal stuff you’d expect in that
The day started – early – with us packing up and getting ready to leave. But first we decided that a bite to eat was in order.So we headed out, only to discover that 7:00 on Sunday morning was not the time to find anything resembling breakfast. So it was back to the apartment after
It was a pretty uneventful trip.Our Boing 767 was showing its age. The automagic dimming windows didn’t really workSo I had to do some weird color adjusting to this photo.Not the snow covered Alp in the distance poking its head above the clouds. Arriving in Milan we cleared passport control and walked about 2 miles
It was a reasonably relaxed morning – Steve and Billie arrived to schlep us to the airport shortly after 10:00.This gave us time to review the temperature and rainfall forecasts and make some last minute adjustments to the luggage. At the airport check-in was quick and easy (much easier than yesterday’s futile attempts to load
The rest of us started the actual packing process at 2:00 this afternoon. And yes, I did follow the “you have to open your suitcase 3 times before you leave” standard.