September 4

September 4th (sunny and warm)
This campground at Locarno is extremely large; in fact there are 600 sites. At approx. $35 Can/site and every spot is filled for six months of the year that is ½ million/month. Take into account the store and all the other amenities; I believe owning a campground is a lucrative business. Anybody interested in a partnership?
We woke up to another beautiful day with scenery around us that doesn’t get any better. This has to be one of the most gorgeous settings in the world – a very large turquoise-colored lake surrounded by mountains all around. Locarno has a population of 14,500 and it seems there is a fair amount of money here. Everywhere are casinos, expensive restaurants, high-class hotels and stores.
There is a free boat service from various locations on the lake to Locarno centre. We began our day at 10 am and took the boat over to walk the town before riding the tram, then gondola, then chairlift up to the summit, around 2,600 meters, to enjoy our packed lunch. On the way up we noticed a lot of people wearing long jackets and pants. We found out why very quickly – it was freezing up there. The scenery overlooking the lake and the distant snow-covered Alps and surrounding mountains and valleys was extraordinary. With the aid of the binoculars we were able to hone in on some of the mountainside villages scattered throughout the region. These small villages, only accessible on foot, are the high-altitude cheese-making points.
After a fabulous afternoon walking and enjoying this most spectacular scenery, we returned to our camping spot via the bus. Georg made a comment that we reached a point where living out of 60 sq. ft. with a 2 ½ ft. ceiling in the bedroom area and a 6 ft. ceiling in the dining/kitchen area, is all we know.
We are that short of becoming perpetual `vagabonds’. I had a serendipity moment after devouring another huge plate of pasta with Van Morrison singing in the background, Georg asked me to lift up my top to see my girth. Just at that moment the Van Morrison lyrics went something like – “It gets larger all the time”. We both laughed.
We will be driving towards Chur and then Liechtenstein on to Lucerne and other points. Susi’s mileage hit 15,000 the other day and we hope she continues to be dependable.