With the long drive to Switzerland ahead of us, we got up for an early al fresco breakfast on another beautiful morning. We were sad to say farewell to Alexandra and Trere; they had given us such a welcoming and comfortable home, where we had the time and space to refresh. We said we would come back, meaning it but also knowing that it was probably not true. “Yes,  yes,” Alexandra said, “You must come back.” Since she had told us she would be retiring soon, Santo said, “But you won’t be here. Would you come back?” “I’ll come back to work if you will work with me,” she teased him. We all laughed. We said “Arrivederci” knowing we would probably not meet again.

From Faenza, we headed northeast, driving through Bologna and Milan on our way to the Alps, which were on Santo’s bucket list. Just beyond Milan was Lake Como. We didn’t stop, but could see the lake and the town from the road. I had imagined Lake Como to be nestled in a mountainous area with only elegant villas and resorts gracing the lakeside. But we past by only the southwestern tip of the lake at Como, a densely packed city covering the low hills surrounding the lake. At the foothills of the Alps, the mountains were lovely but not yet majestic.

We crossed into Switzerland after Como and had to stop at the border to purchase a pass allowing us to drive on Swiss roads. Forty Euros later, we continued past the lake towns of Lugano and Lucarno, our elevation gradually climbing to over 1300 meters. The Alps emerged in front of us, the peaks looking like the sharp points on an EKG. We descended again so that the mountains seemed to grow around us. We must have passed through more than twenty tunnels carved into the steep hillside as we made our way north. One tunnel was 17 km long! Some of the tunnels had a smaller side tunnel for bikers. Finally, Lake Lucerne (Luzern) came into view on our left. We were at the very southern tip of the lake near Flüelen. From Flüelen to Ingebohl, we were in and out of tunnels, catching glimpses of the deep aqua lake (similar in color to the Adriatic) on our left when we emerged from the tunnels. At Ingebohl, we veered to the east of the lake, losing the view until we reach the top of the lake and turned sharply south to Weggis.

Weggis seemed to sit in a palm of a mountainous hand, nestled safely far below the towering peaks. Our aptly named hotel, Hotel Alpenblick (Alpine View) was on our right. The several story sand stuccoed building sat atop a steep driveway. There was a garage entrance at the bottom of the driveway, but there did not seem to be any way to enter it. We drove to the top, to what look like the main entrance. We parked and walked to the covered entrance. There were sliding glass doors that looked like they should open when you stepped up to them. But they didn’t. We could see a sign inside pointing to “Rezeption” but we couldn’t get in. Now it was beginning to rain. Santo thought maybe there was another entrance further down the road, so we went back to Luzernerstrasse and continued down the hill into the village. No luck. We drove back to the hotel, parked in place along the driveway, and were walking around looking for … something! Finally, a man drove up, parked, and started walking up the hill. I asked him (in German) if he knew where the entrance was and he indicated the spot were we had been. “The doors wouldn’t open,” I said. He was surprised and accompanied us to the doors. Still locked. I told him we had reservations. He was able to let us in a side door with his room key. We walked over to reception, but there was no one there. The restaurant was closed, too. What now?

That’s when we met Michael and Carol. They had come into the reception area via the “locked” doors that had barred our entrance. Michael and I started talking in German and he was able to explain to me that they had received an email from the hotel telling them that reception closed at 6 pm. They had given him a code to get in the door and told him there would be an envelope on the counter with their room key. He found their envelope, then asked us our name and sure enough we had an envelope, too. We were in 112. They were in 113. I had not received the email because, DAMN SPECTRUM!, I had no data on my phone.

Santo parked the car closer to the top of the hill and we got our bags. Our room was two stories up. As soon as we entered, the magnificent view of the lake and mountains opened up before us through the wide double glass doors to our balcony. Ahhhh!

We had not stopped for lunch, so were very hungry. We had planned to eat in the hotel restaurant, not knowing it was closed on Sundays—and Mondays! Santo tried to find research restaurants and found a Mediterranean take-out with falafel, hummus, etc. I would have preferred a sit-down restaurant but these were either not open or very expensive. We started back down the driveway on foot.

There we met Michael and Carol again, realizing now that they were Canadian and we could all speak English! They were also in search of dinner. The light rain had let up. We decided to look for something and eat together. Santo and Michael walked ahead, Carol and I carried on a lively discussion behind. She was originally from Belfast, Michael was born in Ireland but raised in England. They live in London, Ontario, about 4 hours from Auburn. Michael found a restaurant that had been recommended to them and we went inside. Santo did not want to stay because it was so expensive, but I would have stayed in order to be with our new friends. Luckily, they thought it was too expensive, too, so we all left and found the place Santo had identified. The inside was a small take-out place, but there were 3 small tables and chairs outside on the sidewalk. We ordered our food and sat outside.

There we met Simone and Markus. They were a handsome pair. Simone was blonde with a very open face and twinkling eyes. Markus had long graying hair pulled into a bun, a slight beard. He was tall, handsome, and reserved. Simone immediately greeted us and we started talking in German but she wanted to use her English, which would also allow Santo to understand. She was from the Black Forest, had worked for a cruise line for many years, and had lived in Florida. We all joked about DeSantis and how it was good that she was no longer in Florida. Markus was from Switzerland and they both lived in Weggis now. The six of us had a lively discussion about politics (U.S., Canadian, Swiss), our personal backgrounds, travle, and more. Simone and Markus told us about a 4-hour boat trip that would take us down to the narrower southern part of the lake where steep peaks plunging into the water were reminiscent of Norwegian fjords. It would take us to Flüelen and back, and we could see the parts of the lake that had been hidden by the tunnels, but from below, not above. An idea for tomorrow.

We parted with laughter and promises. Friends are everywhere waiting to be found.

Back in our room, we enjoyed the night view of the lake and the village dotted with lights. We kept the balcony door open to let in the cool air and turned on our fan.

No air conditioning here, just wonderful air.