Yesterday was too hot (we are not yet acclimatised), but today is cold, wet and miserable, so we spent most of the day trying to understand the mysteries of Android photo galleries. (photos get the wrong date, location information sometimes appears and sometimes doesn't). We have tried umpteen different apps, and are none the wiser. Not a problem on the laptop, only on Android tablets and phones.
Tomorrow promises to be even wetter, so we are planning to move on to Italy, to see if there is any sun there. The Grand St Bernard pass is not yet open, so it will have to be the tunnel.
 |
| La Fouly - not sunshine |
 |
| Something you didn't know about orchids! |
Awoke to a cold morning, heavy rain and thick fog! And to really make the day, both wiper blades have started to fail. As we descended (from about 5500 feet) the fog lifted (low cloud, presumably), but came on again as we ascended towards the Grand St Bernard tunnel. The tunnel cost 42 Swiss Francs - about £34, and was surprisingly clear of traffic. The pass itself is still closed by snow. All the garages we passed were closed, so we couldn't replace the wipers.
We have stopped at a sosta (aire) in Aosta, in Italy, but not a huge distance from the border. The actual border is in the middle of the tunnel, but the Italian customs post is just as you enter the tunnel. Still very cold, and heavy rain, so we walked into Aosta appropriately dressed. Aosta has some interesting Roman remains. By mid afternoon the rain had stopped, and the sun was beating down, and we were way overdressed. However, I did find a garage that sold replacement wipers, so that's OK
 |
| Aosta, Roman bridge |
 |
| Aosta, Roman bridge |
Opposite us is an elderly Italian motorhome. During the afternoon a small car arrived to join them, containing, presumably, the daughter, son in law and grandson. The grandson was about 12, quite fat, and spent the afternoon kicking his heels, and smoking cigarettes quite openly in front of his parents.
About 8pm we wandered into town for a drink (or two). We like the way the Italians always serve a very nice snack with drinks, on the house. On our return to the sosta we found the Italian van opposite was running a generator - no surprise it was them, but generators are not well regarded by most motorhomers. In France some years back we watched an irate German Angela Merkel lookalike threaten to flatten someone running a generator, to everyone's annoyance.
I have discovered that the Ordnance Survey app I have on my phone, gives the lat and long, and height, of the present position, so I can say we are at N45.7363 E7.3299, height 1968 feet.
Sat 20th May
We have moved on a few miles to a mountain resort, Cogne. This has a large sosta, which costs €12 a night, including 4 hours wifi. Electricity is available. A brilliantly sunny day, but a bitterly cold wind.
 |
| the sosta at Cogne |
A small resort, that was previously an iron ore mining town. As we passed the church a very pregnant bride was about to take the plunge...
 |
| ...just in time...? |
After an early lunch we walked up one of the valleys to Valnontey, a round trip of about 5 miles, but uphill all the way. We saw (we think) an Ibex
 |
| Ibis? |
N 45.6082 E7.359 height 5206 feet (no wonder it's cold!)
Sun 21st May
A clear night and a bitterly cold morning. We headed back past Aosta, to Chatillon, said to be an interesting town. But when we got there it didn't look at all interesting. I also made the mistake of using a motorway for about 15 miles, and was shocked to be charged €14.50. We then headed towards Turin, avoiding motorways!, and turned up into a German speaking valley, climbing higher and higher, to an aire at Gressony La Trinite, at over 6,000 feet. GLT proved to be yet another boring ski resort - ski resorts are ALWAYS boring when there's no snow - and the aire costs €12 per night, so we turned round and dropped 500 feet to Waltdorf. This is much more scenic, and we are parked in a large and empty car park, beside the mountain stream.
N45.8323 E7.822 height 5600 feet, 945 miles
Mon 22nd May
Another cold morning, but we expected that. Except for us, the car park was completely empty. We are now heading for Turin (to my surprise!). It was a surprisingly long descent, with some incredibly narrow streets in some of the villages.
First stop, not far from where we spent the night, was a castle/holiday home built by Queen Marguerite, wife of King Umberto. It was very reminiscent of Queen Marie of Romania's castle at Bran, Romania, and in fact the 2 ladies seemed to have very similar personalities. (Marie used to hold hashish parties for the local ladies, but there's no suggestion that Marguerite did likewise).
 |
| Queen Marguerite's view |
There is a particularly attractive Roman bridge at Fountainemore.
 |
| another Roman bridge! |
 |
| ...and there's always a cat... |
After our motorway toll shock yesterday, we are avoiding the autostrada, but Sally found us a reasonably long free stretch. That ended when we had to battle though 10 miles of Turin - the council must have shares in traffic lights, and the famous Italian drivers were out in force - every one a Fangio. We haven't had that elsewhere in Italy. Maybe it's because Turin is the home of FIAT. (aka Fix It Again Tony)
We are parked up in a very professional sosta - so professional that 2 nights costs €36, water and sewage extra. However, it is right on the tram line into Turin's centre. A 48 hour ticket costs €7.50. After a quick evening meal we went into town for a wander around, ice cream, and a beer.
 |
| Turin...and Garibaldi.. |
 |
| Turin at sunset |
N45.0289 E7.6402 height a measly 987 feet!
Tues 23rd May
Another fine day - and into Turin centre before 11. First stop was the cathedral - smaller and less impressive than I had expected, but it does house the Turin shroud, now dated at 13th century. It is not on display, but is in a vacuum sealed box, behind a window.
 |
| ...shrouded in controversy... |
We came across a number of very ornate arcades ("galleria"), and old and ornate cafes (like 150 years old!). We had coffee and a pastry in one, and sushi in another. (in Subalpina Galleria)We were lucky to get a table where we had lunch, as almost every table was reserved. For €23 each we had a huge selection of sushi, a bottle of water, a glass of wine, dessert and coffee. This is less than we pay in Bath for just half of the amount of sushi, never mind the extras, and in quite a posh restaurant. We did notice that almost everybody else was eating standard Italian food. Then after lunch, we spent half an hour by the Po - River Po, that is;)
 |
| one of the splendid arcades... |
Rosemary forgot the charger for her Fitbit watch. This needs to be charged every week (!), so she has been without a watch. We found a little jewellers shop - very old fashioned, and we had to ring the bell to get in. We were after a cheap watch just for the next 2 months, and found Casio at only €15. Cheap it may have been, the little old lady shopkeeper spent as long fussing over guarantee details as if it had been an Omega. Then we found a large face wall clock - we have been looking for a replacement for our 40 year old hall clock for few years, without luck, at any price. And in Turin we found just the right thing at only €29.
 |
| and the ice creams are something else! |
 |
| Bridge over the Po |
 |
| There's always something to look at in Turin... |
 |
| sunbeam... |
 |
| ...maybe |
Time for another drink, we rejected some very expensive cafes in the Piazza san Carlo, and found a very nice cafe in the San Federico Galleria, an arcade worth a visit just to see the decoration. 2 beers and a good wifi connection. Grim news from Manchester - "Allah the Merciful" indeed!
 |
| San Federico Galleria |
We have discovered that the tram line numbers are not easy to see - and returning to the sosta quite late, we managed to get on the wrong tram. Just as we were beginning to wonder where we were, and how we would get back to the van, we came into a tram stop on the other side of the sosta. Luckily we saw the vans in time to get off.
Wed 24th May
We are parked reasonably near the old FIAT factory, that has a banked test track right around the roof. It has been developed into a tourist attraction, the Lingotto, said to comprise an art gallery, and a "slow food supermarket" called "Eataly", Unfortunately, it wasn't as close as it looks on the map, so walking was a mistake, especially as we got lost.
 |
| The old FIAT banked test track on the roof |
The art gallery, costing €8 to get in, had no more than a dozen paintings - a few drab Canalettos, some Matisse paintings that looked like they had been done by a 9 year old (I must investigate why he is well regarded!) and a decent Renoir and a Picassos - a complete waste of time and money.
 |
| the only 3 paintings worth looking at, at €8 per head! |
Eataly had more types of pasta and olive oil than you can shake a stick at, and a number of "slow food" restaurants. We had 2 huge swordfish steaks, before finding a bus back - almost door to door. If you are ever tempted to visit the Lingotto - don't bother!
 |
| McDonalds comes to Turin |
Getting out of Turin proved to be a lot easier than getting in, as we didn't need to drive right across the city. We have returned to Cherasco, a pleasant hill top town we visited last year, about 40 miles from Turin, and a very relaxed atmosphere. There is a milk dispenser in the town selling draught raw (unpasteurised) milk, €1 per litre. Take your own bottle, or buy one for 20 cents. We are on the official aire - last time the town was having a beer festival on it, so we parked in a town square.
N44.6487 E7.8547, height 1,125 feet
