Back on the road: Iseo to Garda to Verona and the Villa Ca' Vendri

My plan to go for a swim this morning was foiled. It was cold and raining quite heavily by turns.

We were down at breakfast by about 9.30, and a surprising number of others were there too. As we ate, we watched the cloud closing in across the lake towards us, and the resulting downpour as it hit. The tables nearest the edge had to abandon their positions, as the rain was coming in on a fierce wind.

We finished the packing, and went downstairs to check out. We paid the bill and packed the car in the rain. Christian had arranged to meet his friend Pete on Lake Garda, and so we considered driving between the two lakes without going south to the A4. I thought that this was risky, so Christian suggested driving around Lake Iseo before heading off to Garda. In hindsight, this wasn't the best plan either, but we did it.

We set off into the dreary day, through Sulzano and north to the top of the lake. There were a lot of tunnels, and the rain meant that we didn't have much of a view of the lake itself. I did stop once to take photos. Once past the midway point, we had to keep going, and we did take a nice road through some hills, down past a church (in Riva di Solto?) and back to the lake's shore again. We had a quick (nasty squat) toilet stop, and then it on on through Erbusco to the A4. It was a faster journey after this, and we weren't going to be as late as we thought to meet Pete.

We left the A4 and headed for Padenghe Sul Garda. Pete's directions were really not good, and after a few wrong turns, we finally found him at the car park opposite the port, and he led us to 'Porto Latino' for lunch. There we met Cinzia and Zac - we had a mixed starter of meats and fried squid/prawns, and Christian and I had salmon. My stomach was very dicey after the wedding feast, and I found I couldn't eat much of the salmon at all, though it was nice enough (apart from the oil). I did manage a gelato after that, which was fair to middling.

After lunch, we had a wander into the port, and Cinzia pointed out all the things of interest on the lake. She works in the Dept of Pathology at Cambridge, so it was nice to have that in common. She thought I seemed familiar, but she couldn't place why.

We wandered up to the car park, and Christian showed off the car to Pete and Cinzia, while Zac stayed with me, and we talked video games. The car enthusiasts came back, we said goodbye, and Christian and I set off for Verona.

We did the short hop back on the A4, and into the south of Verona, to the supercharger, which was in the car park of the rather pointy Crowne Plaza. We went inside, after seeing another British Tesla in the car park, and spoke to them about their journey (they had gone via Germany and Croatia). Christian got an iced coffee in a martini glass (very posh), and we sat for a bit to wait for the car to charge.

Once ready, we headed through the centre of Verona. Christian took a wrong turn, and we ended up on cobbles, and then going the wrong way up a one-way street. It was a little stressful. We eventually found our way out, and drove along square rural roads in the north of the city that looked like they went nowhere. The grape vines were becoming frequent now. We got to the right village, after a small ascent into the hills, and we found lots of places called Ca' Vendri. I saw a banner for a wedding venue, and decided that it was the one. We had to turn around to get the right angle to take the drive, and once in the first section, could see the villa through the gates. We took the low road through the trees and parked outside the villa as others were unloading.

The villa was every bit as good as the photos on the website. The grounds were well kept and shady. The main hall was just enormous. The columns and ceilings were like being in a stately home. The pool was unbelievable. I couldn't believe that we were lucky enough to be able to stay here. Everyone sat around for ages, wondering where we were supposed to go, and which rooms were whose. Turned out Jenni and David were waiting for the owner to give them a tour in order to decide where to put people. We found a wifi password in one of the first floor rooms, and so that kept us occupied for a while, and we explored the pool and the kitchen. The sheet that held the password asked us to look after the villa as she was over 400 years old. Just wow.

Christian and I were eventually shown to our room, and put all our stuff in the lift, as we were on the second floor. Our room had a skylight but no windows, and so was ridiculously hot. We set the electric fan going. We were also next door to Paul, Fran, and little Gregor, and we were to share a bathroom. It was absolutely no hassle. Gregor was as good as gold.

Some shopping had been acquired, and so we all found ourselves a drink and congregated in the hall, getting used to the change of pace. Someone made a jug of Aperol spritz, but misheard, and thought it was apple spritz. I got a rude shock when the drinks came around, and I didn't make that mistake again.

After what seemed an age, a massive stack of pizzas arrived, and we all sat around the two big tables and ate our fill. It was about 10.30 by now, and so we turned in soon after.

The wedding of David and Jenni

We had a bit of a lie in, because we could. I sent a message to Sam, asking what she was wearing, as I still hadn't decided whether to wear the black sequins or the dull burgundy. She was going for floaty. I decided on dull.

We went down for breakfast at about 9am, and joined folks on the balcony opposite where we'd been the night before. The breakfast selection was very good - unexpectedly, they had scrambled eggs, bacon, and sausages, as well as cereals, fruit, yoghurt, and cheese and meat.

Back in the room, we had showers (it was a nasty shower) and got ready, and were downstairs in plenty of time to get marked off, get our passports, and get on the coaches. It was a hot day. The journey to the Agriturismo (down the hill from the Cantina), was uneventful, apart from our coach driver missing the turn and having to go back, just in time to follow the second coach driver up the drive.

We were dropped off, picked up some bottles of water, and we made our way to the seats laid out for the ceremony in the garden, collecting our fans (ladies), handkerchiefs (men) and bags of rice on the way. We sat with Sam and Nick again, and cast aspersions on the cheesy music being played through speakers nearby. David was very overdressed for the conditions, and required much mopping with various handkerchiefs. Jenni was late arriving (by half an hour), but she finally pulled up in a classic red Italian sports car, and made her way to the ceremony. Her dress was ivory satin, and cut and draped beautifully. It suited her perfectly. Her hair was twisted elaborately at the back.

The ceremony was brief, personal, and heartfelt, and conducted by a lovely French guy living in Italy. Both mothers gave readings that were very moving. I found the whole ceremony quite moving. We didn't get our rice open in time (as we'd double knotted the bags to stop it escaping), but there was plenty of flying rice to send the happy couple on their way.

We made our way to the house and formed queues to find glasses of franciacorta, taking seats at one of the tables. A buffet lunch was then served, which was primarily finger food, and really delicious. I ate more than I should have. The climbers decided it would be a good idea to get on a large rock in the middle of the garden for a photo opportunity. It was fun, and only one person fell off in the process.

Around 2.30, the call went up that it was time for our 'mystery excursion'. We trooped back to the coaches, and got on board. Christian had heard where we were headed, and sure enough, we were soon passing the Fenice again, and stopping in the middle of the road in Sulzano. We piled off, and boarded two waiting boats. We took seats inside, where it was extremely hot. I thought we were probably going to just hop across the lake to Monte Isola. The boats finally set off, and just cruised around the island (and each other), and midway, Jenni and David boarded our boat. It was fun, and interesting, but very hot without the breeze. As we got off, I desperately needed water but failed to get any.

We got back on the coaches, and made our way back to the Agriturismo. As we were running late, the staff were itching to begin serving dinner, so we went straight into the beautiful cool hall and took our seats. We were sitting with Suzie, Justin, and Lucien. Our menus were stickers to be applied to our passports, and we eventually managed to prise away the backing and attach them in the appropriate place. I sampled the white wine, but it was too much like chardonnay for me to enjoy it.

And then the food started. The antipasto was sliced bresaola with basil mousse, profiteroles filled with cream of artichoke (delicious), and black bread topped with steak tartare (amazingly good). The excellent staff brought around seconds of everything, and I had more steak tartare. There was a small break before the primi piatti, and the stag do guys started their drinking games (they had to produce small plastic figures or else they had to drink). Strangely, David kept losing. . .

There were then two courses of primi piatti: risotto with bacon and strawberry (yes, it worked), and pancake stuffed with burrata and asparagus - both delicious. And then it was time for speeches and sorbet. We went outside (sadly it wasn't much cooler), and got our tasty sorbets and took seats. Jenni and David began by saying their thank yous, and then Kayleigh made a really beautiful speech paying tribute to Jenni. And then it was time for Chris's speech, which David was dreading. It was actually really lovely, paying tribute to him every bit as much as Kayleigh had to Jenni (though he did manage to sneak a few escapades in).

Then it was time for the secondi piatti: beef carpaccio, and fillet steack served with fig sauce and mustard. Seconds of the carpaccio came round, and I actually declined because I was seriously worried about getting full. I shared my steak with Lucien. It was delicious, but I just couldn't finish it.

Then it was back outside again, and Jenni and David cut the enormous cake and opened a bottle of bubbly (messily). The firepits were lit. Then we took seats again for the impossibly huge range of desserts and fruit. There were pots of chocolate mousse, strawberry cheesecake, and everything else you could possible imagine that's tasty. I went back for tiramisu, and it was definitely worth the wait. I had no room for wedding cake.

By this time, Christian and I were full and exhausted, and ready for bed. We had to wait for the coaches, though. We had a little wander up the stairs that Jenni and David had appeared from (not that interesting), blew a few bubbles, and finally went to the coaches when invited. We sat for about 20 minutes while everyone else was rounded up.

Back in Iseo, the coach driver reversed up the road all the way from the level crossing to the hotel (quite impressively). Most people kicked on in the bar, and many jumped in the lake from the sounds, but we turned in for the night. It was about midnight.

The road to Italy: Sausheim to Iseo and franciacorta tasting

We set the alarm for 7am, packed up, and got on the road before 8, planning to have breakfast in Basel. Christian had done his homework, so knew that we had to buy a toll pass for Switzerland. After a pleasant drive, we reached the border, and paid our 40 francs toll (they didn't want to see our passports) and got a sticker on the windscreen.

We decided to bypass Basel in the end, and ate our last flapjacks instead. Switzerland immediately felt different. It was more industrial, and the drivers seemed more sensible (probably not really true). There was a real mix of nations represented on the roads: French, Swiss, Belgian, Dutch, and the odd Romanian.

We didn't need charging, but we stopped at the Egerkingen supercharger just to check it out. It happened to be up the hill from a (closed) McDonald's, in the car park of a Movenpick hotel. We went in in search of coffee, and found some, paying by card as we had no francs. The view was great.

We drove on through Switzerland, with tunnels and mountains increasing in number. We'd roughly planned a stop in Lucerne to have a look, but we opted for pushing on. The next stop was the Beckenried charger. It was on Lake Lucerne, and in a truly beautiful location. While stopped, I realised we had effectively gone under Mt Pilatus. We had a wander onto a jetty and took in the view. After a toilet stop, we were again ready to move on.

The road took us onto a high road, which promised amazing views of the lake, but the traffic barriers got in the way. Here's where the tunnels got crazy. At the Gotthard tunnel, the traffic slowed, and we realised that traffic was being managed by traffic lights due to a break down. We were stopped for quite some time here, and began to worry that we wouldn't get to Italy in time for the wine tasting. We got moving again, and found it wasn't so bad.

We kept driving on through a long valley, and signs began appearing in Italian. Our next stop was at the charger at Monte Ceneri (not far from Lake Maggiore). It was a services, with a cheap and cheerful cafe. We opted for lemon squash and ham and cheese toasted sandwiches, and used our limited Italian language skills. Of interest here was a large trailer truck that blocked much of the car park, and a branded Tesla doing a European tour.

We crossed over Lake Lugano, and then we were at the Italian border (which was very close to Como). Soon after this, the driving became flat motorways, and I was a bit nervous about the standard of driving. I soon got used to it.

We turned off the A4, and headed up into the hills, through more tunnels, to Lake Iseo, and our hotel. It was in a small village, and we had to cross over a minor railway line to get to the Araba Fenice (though we could see it clearly from the road). The hotel looked very grand. We found the parking spot reserved for us, and moved the car into it. It was extremely warm. We checked in (to room 208, just like the Ibis in Mulhouse), and were asked to wait to sort out the car charging.


We got the bags from the car and found the room. And the view. Wow. It wasn't the grandest of rooms, but it had a pretty amazing view. We unpacked a little, Christian sorted out the car charging, and we got ready for the wine tasting. There was a taxi going to the Cantina Solive, but which had limited space. We went downstairs around 3.30, only to find the full taxi leaving. We found other wedding guests who had no transport, though, and waited a bit to see who was sorted and who wasn't. In the end, Christian opted to drive, and took Kate, Sam, and Nick with us. The only person apart from David and Jenni that Sam and Nick knew was one of the ushers, Matt, and he was in hospital in Bern after a nasty accident sustained while mountain biking on David's stag do. Oops.

It was a relatively easy drive, into nice rural countryside. We found the Cantina after one wrong turn, and parked up. At this point, Sam realised that she'd been in a Tesla, and got quite excited. We congregated on the first-floor balcony (which was, strangely, grassed), and chatted - me mostly with Sam and Nick. We then began our tour with the guy from the winery. He took us to show us the fermentation vats, the resting/turning racks, and the bottling room, and told us all about how to make franciacorta (same method as champagne). It was very interesting.

After that, it was back to the main room to taste the brut and the rose. They were both incredibly smooth, tasty, and easy to drink. There were olives, crisps, and breads to have with our wine (which was essentially unlimited, despite having been advertised at €6 per glass). Sam and I chatted about Italy and Japan and all sorts of things. Christian went off to buy some wine, and discovered the existence of a version made without the sugar syrup, which would be good as a gift for Sandie. It was tasty as well. We bought three brut, three rose, and two sugar-free.

We drove back to the hotel with Sam and Nick (Kate had gone back with the friend she'd been waiting for), and headed to the bar for another bottle of franciacorta. And that turned into a second bottle. It was idyllic, and the view and sunset were stunning. We watched the ducks and coots, and the fish in the lake. Christian and I had intended to eat in the hotel, but around 8.30, we decided to get a cheap pizza up the road with the others. It was a bit of a silly meal, and it was soon apparent that Sam had had too much to drink. We called it a nice, after paying for the meal, and wandered back to the hotel. Time for bed.

The road to Italy: Home to Sausheim

The alarm went off at 5.30, and we skipped breakfast so we could get on the quiet roads just after 6am. We'd had a message from Eurotunnel to say that services were disrupted, and to arrive at the scheduled time. We got there at around 8am and joined the considerable queue.

We eventually got through check in and passport control, and stopped for a quick charge and tea/coffee before going to queue for the train. Our advertised time was 8.40, but due to a cancelled train, we boarded and set off at 9.20. Many people commented on the car on the way through.

The Tesla got confused about how much charge it needed to travel while stationary inside a train, but the journey was efficient and uneventful. We disembarked, and headed for Lille. It was a direction I hadn't driven in before.

The supercharger was in the car park of the Holiday Inn, and we parked up, plugged in, and went in search of lunch.

They had a nice restaurant, and Christian had a salad, and I had baked salmon. There was a Tesla rep in the hotel, and we asked him if the Nancy supercharger was operational (as the map showed that it was unavailable). It was, and shortly after, the map changed to reflect this.

We headed off again, towards Reims. It was easy driving. We stopped to charge at services just outside Chalons-en-Champagne, buying some tasty French raspberry Jaffa cakes and some iced coffee, and waving to the red Tesla owner who left as we arrived. It was a short stop, and we were soon on our way again.

We got to Nancy at around 5pm, after missing the exit and going around the houses. The supercharger was in an Ibis car park, and they were working on four of the charge points. We parked up and went to investigate our surroundings while the car had a long charge. There was a giant supermarket with other retail outlets attached - we wandered, looking at patisseries and the shoes.

It was too early for dinner, so we headed off again. Christian decided that Baccarat was a good detour to find dinner, and he was right. We found a nice creperie, and sat down to tasty (wholemeal) crepes. It was a nice little town, with pretty flowers everywhere.

That was our last stop before our hotel, and so we pushed on for Sausheim. The Tesla nav suggested a crazy mountain road, and Christian took it. It was nice wood, and windy road. The descent took us through the most beautiful bit of the Alsace region, and particularly the village of Bergheim. We tried to stop to take photos, but couldn't find anywhere to stop. It's on the list of places to go back to. Just stunning.

We made our way back to the main roads and all the towns ending with -heim, and found our hotel along a nondescript road as it started to get dark. We got luggage out, checked in, and Christian took the car next door to charge. I unpacked, trying to ignore the barking dog, had a shower, and went to bed at about 11pm.