Let’s go cycling

31st August, Domodossa, Italy!
Our intro to Italia was, well, loud! It’s certainly an “in your face” country. Drivers are just that little bit too close to the bikes, and always seem to be in a hurry.
We booked a hotel in Domodossia, thought we’d need it after crossing the Simplon Pass, and it was more affordable than anything we had seen for the last couple of weeks.

So here, they speak Italian.  Not that it should be surprising, we are in Italy after all. But in two days we have gone from French to German to Italian and it is a little bit of a culture shock to find that we are now in a spot where English is rare and our Italian is, ummm, non existent 🙂

We found a delightful authentic little restaurant for dinner- and quickly learnt that not only do we not have any language skills but we have no idea about the etiquette for eating out in Italy! It seems the norm is to order at least two courses, so naturally we did. No fear of weight loss in this country!

And oh boy, the food is good. Probably better than France, but different. Such love and care seems to go into every meal.

31 Aug, Domodossa to Ghiffa, 51km

Escaped the madness of Domodossa and headed to Lake Maggiore. Here we had a couple of nights in a B&B to catch up on some work and have a little rest. What a perfect spot!
Gorgeous view overlooking the lake, and a host who was, apart from being a lovely guy, a baker in a past life! So the breakfast goodies were hot out of the oven and delicioso. If that’s a word.

2nd September Ghiffa to Lake Lugano, 45km
Back into Switzerland!  A ferry across Maggiore then a somewhat nervewracking ride, through very built up areas.   You can often tell the nationality of the drivers by the way they treat cyclists.   Huge generalisation here of course.  French and German drivers are super courteous and careful.  Swiss don’t give us much room.  Italians drive little cars but there’s a mighty lot of “vrooming” and speeding by with little room to spare.

Anyhow, another day, another lovely Lake.  Camping tonight, on the Lake’s edge, for around $85AU to pitch our little tent if you can believe that!!

Checked out the Aldi supermarket across the road and were pleased to find it quite cheap and reasonable.  No Lindt chocolate to be seen but plenty of other Swiss choccy options at a sensible price.  Oh yeah, and the staples were well priced too! (Priorities…)

So it seems that the Italian/Swiss bit of Switzerland is much more affordable than the French/Swiss bit, unless you want to camp.

3rd September, Back into Italy- Lugano to Lake Como, 62km
Well, Lago Como is certainly as beautiful as all the hype says it is. But that means it also has a trillion people wanting to stay on its shores, so our campsite options were few and far between. We eventually managed a very dodgy (but not cheap!) campsite at the northern end of the lake.

4th Sept, Como to, well, not very far at all…
Today we set off to cross the Alps again (I know, how did I let myself get talked into that???). But we were less than 30km up the road when we stopped for coffee at a charming little town, Chiavenna, on the way to the Swiss border. Many photos later we decided to stay just one more night in Italy before heading north. Why not!

5th Sept. The Maloja Pass. 48km, Thunder, Lightning, Rain, Hail and a relentless 31km of UP.
Which all in all makes for a very tired Rachael…

We’ve again been treated to the beauty of the Swiss Alps- it really is a jaw droppingly beautiful part of the world.
Just a note though- if Neil mentions cycling the Himalayas anytime, can you all please remind me that I don’t really need do any more of this mountain cycling. It’s just a tad too much effort for me…

6th September, 69 km, St Moritz to Scuol
Another day of spectacular Swiss scenery, just everywhere we looked. Despite a nett gradual descent there seemed to be quite a lot of “up” to contend with today as well. I guess that’s what happens when you’re in the Alps 🤷‍♀️

Our last day in Switzerland and it certainly didn’t disappoint. Finished the day at another campsite, with another view: This was the cost record breaker so far – the equivalent of $90 AUD to pitch our tent on a patch of grass! But the amenities are oh, so swish. Lovely warm, modern buildings to shelter and cook.

Neil’s Notes!
Italy, fantastic food reasonably priced,  impossibly beautiful villages nestled in steep alpine valleys.

Crazy drivers, thankfully in tiny cars and limited cycle infrasructure compared to France. To cross the road at a pedestrian crossing usually involved waiting for a German or French driver as gaps in the traffic were few.

Switzerland, unbelievably expensive for everything, except beer from supermarkets which is possibly even cheaper than Cambodia.

Beautiful landscapes, some picturesque villages, while others were somewhat dominated by concrete architecture.

The car drivers also pass nearly as close as Italy, but in larger BMW’s and Audi’s. The cycling infrastructure might be a little better than Italy but has a tendency to abandon you in towns and  busy intersections, much like Australia and the UK.

And one last note from both of us…Happy Fathers’ Day to all the Dads, but most especially ours!!! 😘