The (almost) Perfect Day in Paradise

It all started out as a simple road trip to Locarno and Ascona, lakeside towns on Lago Maggiore in Switzerland. Allie, Carla, and I drove Allie's car and arrived in Locarno with little incident. Then, when leaving Locarno to go to Ascona, the car died....it just stopped in the middle of the street. Carla and I had to push it into a parking space. After numerous phone calls, conversations with the tourist board, and a conversation with Jerry, our French mechanic, we managed to call TSC-basically AAA in Switzerland. As it turns out, the night before Allie had our friend Massimo fill her car with gas. Apparently it's a big deal if you put non-diesel gas in a diesel car. Our friendly Swiss mechanic had to pump all the gas out of the car and then we had to fill it up with the correct kind of gas (for 77 Swiss franc!). We missed going to an island botanical garden, but we did make it to Ascona, which is one of the most romantic places I've ever been. Enjoy the pictures!
S.

Allie and Carla on the boardwalk in Locarno

The boardwalk in Locarno is lined with beautiful flowers. Apparently the town is known in the landscape world.

A church that overlooks Lago Maggiore in Locarno

Our sad car and our cute Swiss mechanic...we managed to fix the car with a combination of Italian, French, and English.

Notice the abbreviation for the bus system...hehe :)

The grand piazza in Locarno....a picture of where we ate lunch.

Lago Maggiore from Locarno

Me and Allie

I bought a small painting from this guy in Ascona...he was from Napoli.

The town of Ascona on Lago Maggiore

There was an art exhibit with sculptures like this throughout Ascona...pretty cool!

The boardwalk in Ascona

Our view at dinner....belissima!