Wednesday 7th October Lugano

We have a beautiful sunny day for our trip to Lugano today. For a change of scenery I drive around the southern part of the lake and up the eastern side which is not as spectacular as the western side but very interesting nonetheless.
We reach Laveno where the car ferry takes vehicles back across to Verbania and I have a short stop by the ferry terminal to ask if they take coaches. They do and the price I am quoted is €96. A bit dear but it will save and hours drive and on a day like today will be very enjoyable. We take advantage of the toilets here before moving off towards Luino and the road to the Swiss border. As we leave the town I am confronted by a sign forbidding coaches and lorries from using this road. I turn around and drive back into the cntre of Laveno and pick up the other route for large vehicles which is about 6km longer. It is probably a faster way as the road is very good and wide.
On reaching Luino we take a very pretty road alongside a river to Switzerland. I travelled on this road many years ago and remember a short tunnel with a low height restriction. We do not see any signs until we reach the tunnel and there is a sign at the tunnel entrance saying nothing higher than 3.5m. We are 3.65m! The clearance is much higher than the sign says and we have no trouble driving through.
We cross the border and are immediatley at the shores of Lake Lugano, all I have to do now is negotiate to the town of Lugano and the lakeside promenade. It is a bit slow with a lot of traffic about. As I've said earlier I haven't been here for a while, probably since the mid nineties, and do not remember to much of the route.
By hook or by crook we reach the lakeside without losing our way and after driving around the block to be on the right side of the road I drop the group off. We are staying here for three hours and I must say the scenery is out of this world. What a gorgeous spot to spend a sunny lunchtime. I go away and park on the edge of the centre and after unsuccessfully trying to buy a parking ticket from the machine go for some lunch. A bowl of pasta and bottle of water later I am ready for a little snooze. It must be the sun!
Departing Lugano at 15:15 we drive back towards Laveno with a lot less traffic than the way in and I make one more three point turn near Luino before reaching Laveno at 16:30. We shall catch the 16:50 ferry. I pay while the group pee (!) and am charged €69. Bargain!
I get all of the passengers back on the coach as we are about to be loaded onto the ferry only to be told they have to walk on! Off they all get and I drive on and we are soon away. The twenty minute crossing is lovely with the sun still out and the breeze very cooling.
Landing at Verbania I drive off empty as the passengers walk off to meet me on the quayside.
We are back at the hotel just after five and I think all have enjoyed today including myself.
I am in the process of producing my next summer holiday brochure and the next proof is ready when I return to my room. I have brought my printer with me so printing shouldn't be a problem. I download the brochure and press print only for nothing to happen! One of the colour cartridges has run out and the black and cyan cartridges are very low so the printer won't work until I replace them. Bum!
I go down to reception where they have a computer and go into my e-mails to download the brochure again and then print it. The printer works here but only prints in black and white! At least I can read the text.
To be able to read and concentrate I have decided to go out for dinner where I can sit uniterrupted and read through the brochure. I do this over a pint and a pizza and manage to read most of it. I will finish it in the morning.