Plucky Survivors See Europe Day 42: Munich to Lake Como

I’m going to keep this brief for two reasons… mostly what I did was drive and I’m now sitting on my terrace overlooking Lake Como and I’d rather enjoy it than write about it.

PluckyMobile 2 is great except I can’t get Apple Car Play to work.  I’m working around it with the Volvo system but it’s a bit of a frustration.

That melted away as soon a I got to the border of Austria and entered the Alps.  The scenery is beyond breathtaking and driving through it is something I could do every day. 

I got a little confused on where I was at.  I was in Austria for a minute and then all of the sudden I was in Switzerland.  I’m pretty sure I passed through Liechtenstein at some point but it was a blink and you’ll miss it kind of thing.  Then I noticed all the signs were in Italian and I said, “Huh… guess I’m in Italy.”

Google Maps via Apple Car Play tell you when you are entering a new country but for some reason Google Maps on the Volvo system doesn’t.  Whatever, it was pretty, nevertheless.

Most of the roads were two lane highways through the mountains and then I got routed on even smaller two-lane roads through villages around Lake Como.  Sharing them with other cars and the occasional tour bus is a bit nerve-wracking – there was one moment where I faced off with a bus and I couldn’t do anything about it because of the line of cars behind me.  The bus driver finally was able to back up a bit so I could squeeze through, but I had to fold in my mirrors to do so.

I caught a ferry across the lake to Bellagio and then a bit more driving to Borgo La Terrazze, which is perched on the hillside above the lake.  My room has a commanding view and I never want to leave.  I had planned on going down to the village, but I drove through there and it was a zoo.  The line of people to take the ferry back the way I came was 200 people long, easily and all the streets were jammed with tourists.

So, screw it.  I’m going to order room service, sit here on my terrace, and relax.  I think after 42 days of driving and walking and packing and unpacking and lugging suitcases and everything else, I deserve it!

Tomorrow, the staff will drag me kicking and screaming from the room and then I will drive on to France for a couple of days in Nice with a side trip along the French Riviera and a visit to the casinos in Monaco!