Jason and Griffin are up, and I tell Jason about the mosquito wars. That explains it! He couldn’t figure out why it sounded like someone was dribbling a basketball.

I’m in the gym when Kayla drops in. We’d planned to drive over to Lugano, Switzerland, but BW said maybe wait a day as she’d drive JR’s family into Como for the train to Venice. This decision is now, it seems, in my hands. I say if she’s up for it, I’m up for it.

She’s up for it.

I’m done with weights and cardio, switching to a stretch when I hear our departing companions heading up. Hugs and well wishes to the Vanos. (We’re keeping JR!) It’s been a short visit, but a happy one.

I go down, hit the caffeine. Kat preps for this morning’s Zentangle. Inspiration of the day is family love. We’ve gotten our start when Kayla and JR return and join in. I’m continually surprised that you—meaning me—can make a lot of sort of repetitive shapes to create something that doesn’t suck.

Time to clean up and gear up and head  across the border.

Now a brief pause in the blogging as I move inside. Thunder’s rumbling over the mountains.

Kat’s done a search for a parking garage near the shopping area, so our two cars drive off with one destination in mind. Back into Como on the skinny, winding roads, through the tunnels, into the town and out again. Not too much farther really to the Swiss border, where they wave us through without checking passports. When BW and I were here years ago, same thing. Just go on through, have a good time.

As JR points out, the architecture changes. Now you have straight lines, a more modern feel. And we’re on a highway. We’re climbing, and the mountains rise higher as we’re in them. MacDonald’s and IKEA are spotted.

In about 50 minutes from start, we’re pulling into the parking garage. And winding our way up the levels on a hunt for a space. It’s a challenge for our driver, but Kayla squeezes around the tight turns up, up, up to level seven where we find spaces at last.

Down the elevator, with communication from Kat’s car they’ve also arrived.

The air’s cooler, making it a very pleasant day. Colt, JR and Kayla spot a toy store where they have clever crocheted dolls of Pokémon figures, Marvel characters and more. Kat’s group’s here, just not here-here as it’s a really big garage. But we find each other.

A little souvenir shop. Some of us want post cards, Kayla wants a cute little fridge magnet. I discover it’s not Euros here. It’s Francs. That blew past me.

First order of business is lunch, which we hope to find near the lake. Much shopping potential here. It’s a big open air plaza, restaurants, shops galore. We find a place to eat that can manage all ten of us. A pretty spot with views of the lake, the plaza, the people—a little carousel, the Alps.

Kayla is saving herself for MacDonald’s—which offers a large variety of vegetarian choices. Griffin wants MacD’s, but eats a good portion of fish and chips anyway. While we eat, another search is on for watch stores. BW wants a watch for our anniversary which was earlier this month. Apparently some of them are closed on Mondays, but there are more to choose from.

Then it’s down to the lake for pictures, for looking. Lugano’s another big, beautiful lake, and the breezes are welcome. Boats glide along on blue water. Many pictures, much appreciation.

A second pause now as the storm passed, and I’m going back out.

While Kat leads all the youngers for a second lunch at MacDonald’s, Jason, BW and I wander off for a watch hunt. It’s a really big plaza. Swiss chocolate, watches, bags, clothes, toys, jewelry. We window shop here, there, and there and here until he sees a maybe. So in we go to Omega. It’s a small shop, very clean and bright. The watch he’s looking at is, of course, very nice, efficiently Swiss, but it’s really heavy.

I imagine after an hour your watch arm would be significantly lower than the other. She shows us three more. I like the second one better than the first, the third. But I lean heavy toward the last. Fortunately, so does BW.

Happy Anniversary!

She gives us very clear instructions on getting the Tax Back deal—we’ll stop at the border for a stamp—and off we go to find the rest of our gang. Jason has tracking on his phone, but some locations aren’t updating. Still, here’s Lauren and Logan, then Kat and Griffin, then Kayla, JR and Colt.

Some scattering again. Jason buys his mom a gelato. And I look for my half of the anniversary. I’d figured earrings since you can never have too many, but don’t really see any that grab me. I do see a bag—I say you can never have too many bags either. Consider, and decide, yes, I’d like a bag from Switzerland. Inside the very nice—clean and bright again—shop BW buys me a lovely bag, and I spot another gift to tuck away for Christmas.

Meanwhile, Kat’s taken Griffin to the carousel, and for yet more ice cream—they all had some at MacDonald’s, but it seems Griffin feels you can never have too much ice cream. Especially when one is an Oreo ice cream sandwich. The rest of us study the window display offering many Swiss Army knives (I keep my little one in whatever bag I’m using), bigger knifes, pistols, handcuffs and katonas. JR would love to have a katana (me, too, actually), for decor, he claims (yeah, I’d claim that, too). Kayla strongly disagrees.

Wander back to the parking garage, up a very steep road. Kayla and JR go into pay, and when the rest catch up, we separate to our cars for the trip back.

The GPS decides to change its mind—first telling us turn left, then at the last minute right. Too late! Kayla may be annoyed with technology, but she manages. More traffic now as it’s pretty much rush hour. A U-Turn is necessary, but then we’re back in the right direction and heading onto the highway.

We stop at the border, but without the signage, we’re at the Italian check point. We’re told just go around, back to the Swiss. No problem. Turn around, pull off. Not much signage here, but JR goes with me to where you get your stamp.

There’s a young couple in front of us, and they have two little kittens in a cat cage. All the talk is in Italian, but I imagine there’s a process to carry pets from one side to the other. Very cute kitties!

Get my stamp, and back to the car. Kayla’s sleepy, so Jason’s taking the wheel. I think my girl’s dehydrated, so suggest she pull out her always handy water bottle. Jason drive from Switzerland to Italy and continues.

The water did the trick.

He, too, handles it all. Before long we’re in Como again where there is much traffic. Here as elsewhere, people on bikes risk life and limb very casually, zipping and winding through cars. And finally we’re through it.

Skinny roads, blind curves. More bikes risking all. Cars parked on the side of tiny roads, people walking along them. Jason points out some of this as he drives, and then, around the curve comes a very big truck carrying a very full load of very large logs. Or, Jason says, there’s Final Destination.

At least I got a laugh out of the momentary oh shit.

Home again, and I definitely want that Bellini. Since we have plenty here to forage, we leave it to find whatever you want and eat it for dinner. Why not pjs, I think, and a sit out as the sun’s eased behind the peaks.

Some of the gang’s out there as there’s much excitement on the lake. What we first took for a police boat is talking to another boat. There’s a whole bunch of kayaks near the dock in Torno, and a crowd of people on the dock, a lot of what we ID as yellow floaties. (We have binoculars.)

What is happening???

Now and then, there are cheers from Torno. More boats arrive. There’s a two-woman scull out there, and what they’ve deemed the refuge boat as it’s overflowing with people.

We speculate—a race? We cheer along.

Marlo texts Jason—they’re watching from their house way above us—it’s an annual event for charity. The people on the dock will swim a mile across the lake to the finish line where another big crowd waits to cheer them.

After the last ferry departs, people jump in the lake. It’s full of people and yellow floaties, with the kayaks and boats forming a kind of line to guide them across. Cheers and whistles! Much support from our group. And cheers from across the lake as the lead swimmers approach.

A mile swim!

BW, Logan, Lauren, JR and I decide on a quick game of Hearts, then it’s bedtime.

Cloudy this morning, and that thunder rumbled. But someone else got the storm as it’s blue and clear again. Quiet on the lake, especially after last evening’s excitement. The ferry’s on its way. And I’m for the gym. I expect a stay-at-home day for our gang.

Nora