Locarno, Switzerland - 18 April 2024

18.04 - Locarno and Ascona

We found out why the area of the carpark had been barricaded off. At 7am it was incessant noise - they were shredding all the piles of logs. It’s a full hour before workman are allowed to make noise at home!

Had our cat fix this morning 😊. The people in the van next door to us have their 5 year old male cat with them - they’re from Berlin - and off to Spain seeking warmer weather. A very friendly cat, bit spooked by all the noise. 

And - a picture of Millie which Max kindly sent me this morning 😊

Tintin driving today - should have been about 50 minutes to another paid carpark, this time in Locarno. Traffic was about the busiest yet, plus I don’t think we’ve driven yet without any road works happening somewhere - the Swiss seem an industrious lot! Not the prettiest of journeys!

Luckily, there were still lots of parking spaces. However, we either needed to find CHF/EUR 24 in coins!  - or download the Easypark app to pay. Tintin did so - was easy - but they charged an extra CHF 3.44!

We set off walking towards Laggio Maggoire - and yes - we’re still in Switzerland. 

I’m glad they’ve saved the huge trees - right in the middle of a pedestrian walkway - but wow - wonderful big trees. 

We have a picture of a duck like bird - but struggling to know what it is - possibly a Common Merganser? If anyone knows - please advise!

Saw another small Fiat 500, this time with a newer car for size comparison. 

The gelato looked fluffy and inviting - but it was lunch time - and we had Aperol Spritz and pizza in mind!

All very good too. Not too sure about CHF 21 for the two drinks. Maybe it’s a way to ensure tourists don’t get drunk 😉

In my little world I thought Ascona wasn’t far away, and that we should walk there - was about 45 minutes. 

Walked through a market in Locarno. The backdrop sound of everyday since Lauterbrunnen has been helicopters. They are so noisy, and seem to be used more than cranes!

Mum - thought of you when I saw the nougat - I’m sure you would have loved it…

The river we crossed is the Maggia. I like to see graffiti in places!

In my humble opinion, Ascona has a much nicer feel about it than Locarno. We just walked around, then walked back to Dave for a well deserved cuppa. More than 16,000 steps today. 

The carpark here is just functional - no exceptional views (blasé now about snow topped mountains in the background!) but we’re very grateful that these places for mohos exist - otherwise it would be quite hard to visit popular places without having to use lots of public transport. 

So, briefly into Italy tomorrow. Not sure we’ll really notice any difference - language will be the same. Do wonder whether the roads will deteriorate! (based on previous experience) 😉