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Stresa, Italy

Retardo in Italian means delay – a useful word to know at train stations as the Italian rail is known for being delayed often. We have had a good run really for all the rail travel so one incident is not something to complain about, and we are thankful that our delay today did not link in with any flights or other connections.

We were only about 15 minutes out of Venice on the high speed train when it stopped at a station and the staff came around with an announcement that something had been hit further up the line and we would be delayed for about an hour. As time progressed we got an update and translation from an Italian passenger who spoke English that a person had jumped in front of another train and committed suicide so the delay was for police and consequent clearing the scene.

Sad to think of the ones having to deal with the incident, the family and especially the driver. Two hours later we started moving again! Just as well we had packed snacks and could take a later train to Stresa at our connection in Milan where we had to change lines and trains.

Milan is a big city but its train station was not that well set out and there were loads of irate travellers who had missed connections and only 3 people on a tiny help desk. It was bedlam with waving arms and animated Italians everywhere – not to mention other confused tourists. The notice boards were few and far between and our second ticket did not indicate a train number or platform (thus the reason it was ok re connections its was an open style ticket). Finally when I was nearly at the front of the info queue Vern came and signalled that he had found our platform. Awesome, we had time for a quick coffee which we felt the need of after 4hrs delayed travel.

Five minutes before our train left we were about to board and I checked with a conductor against our tickets and he said, no not this train – yours is on platform 1 or 2 – its a regional. OK, we raced to find those platforms and saw a train nearly ready to leave with people boarding but we were not sure if we should hop on platform 1 or 2 and no signs that had Stresa showing or any other indication. Vernons info was correct, it was that it did not show all the options for Stresa and we had no train number on the ticket to match to.

Panic, we tried to ask people who were going on but no success till an Aussie couple who had missed two trains assured us we were on the right platform. The husband had shot off to validate his ticket – darn, I had forgotten to (normally do) so off I literally sprinted down the long platform leaving Vernon with the bags outside a fast filling train with clear instructions not to hop on until I got back. Got to the machine and the dam thing would not work on my ticket. Another person tried to help but it would not work – it clicked on hers but no pink print so we both shrugged and started out respective sprints back up the platform where the doors on the train were closing one by one.

It was a long train and we had no idea when the next one would depart being a regional it could have been an hour. I just kept running and when I was about three carriages short of Vernon I indicated to him to jump on with the bags and I would jump on where I was (if the door didn’t shut rapidly as they were) and catch him up internally. We double checked signals whilst I was still running and did the jump – JUST in time.

I am proud to say that despite my age and creaks and cracks and 6 weeks of eating I can still run and quite well for a little womble sprint too! To speed up the story we did ask some other passengers and yes we were on the right train. Whew. We got conductor checked and she was ok with our unvalidated ticket as we signalled it was broken. More relief.

An hour later we arrived in Stresa and prepared with google map on ipad had a pleasant walk down a gentle slope to our hotel. Stresa is on Lake Maggiore which is one of the 3 lakes in the northern Italian lakes district. Around the fringes of the lake you can see the Swiss and French Alps – currently with snow on them, and Switzerland borders the lake at one end. These lakes are very popular with other Europeans and Italians.

Our first impressions are that it is very different from any other part of Italy we have seen – and somehow does not feel Italian at all – not sure exactly what it feels like though LOL. It is lush, tidy and clean and there is lots of green soft grass everywhere. The landscaping in the gardens and around the promenade is very English – lovely old fashioned roses in bloom, maples, begonia, conifers and oaks, star jasmine, citrus – gosh all sorts that look lovely and familiar to nice areas say like Ponsonby in Auckland.

Gone are the charming ramshackle pastel peeling old houses which are replaced with more alpine or european house style. There are some grand hotels lining the street by the promenade dating back to 1850, lovely lamps and iron work everywhere. The lake is greeny colour and hills rise on all sides with mountains behind.

Despite it being cooler than usual it has a lovely micro climate and the air has a hint of balmy to it. Our hotel is about a 15 minute walk along the lake front promenade to town and after checking in we went for a stroll and found a Pizzeria for dinner. It was lively and ok -simple and tasty with a host as round as he was tall with not much English but very friendly and a real local character.

A long day but as mentioned above we were only inconvenienced a little compared to others having to really deal with it.

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