2022 and all that

The day dawned grey and misty. I went to see the vet at 8:30 and collected a few more stamps and signatures on Lottie’s passport. Hopefully it should satisfy the border guards now, though I’ll have to go to an Italian ASL (health authority office) on my next trip to get a new blank one.

After that I had breakfast at the hotel and sauntered down to the train station via an upmarket pet shop where I’d been hoping to stock up on dog food. Unfortunately (for Lottie) it was closed on Mondays.

I was in time to catch an earlier train to Tirano, the town on the Swiss border where the Bernina Express departs. Once in Tirano, I hung around in the station car for a while before entering the hallowed halls of the customs office.

Once inside, my appetite was whetted by a first glimpse of the familiar dinky red Rhaetian Railway trains that glide up to 2300 m and back down the other side via an amazing selection of bridges, viaducts and tunnels.

This engineering feat has earned a UNESCO heritage site listing. Even more impressive is the fact that much of the work was done over a hundred years ago using methods that were very primitive by today’s standards.

The train set off on the dot at 14.24. This was third time I’d done the trip but the first from Italy to Switzerland. I ordered a Prosecco and sat back to enjoy the amazing scenery until the train arrived in Chur three and a half hours later.

The earlier mist and clouds had melted away to leave blue skies and sparkling snow.

We didn’t get off at the highest point (a glacier) as in the past, but the guard served tea and chocolates, which was nearly as good.

I’ve become a connoisseur of station design on this trip and Chur station is one of the very best I’ve been to. It has ramps as well as stairs, which are much easier to navigate and give the place a more open feeling with attractive angles.

At this point, I realised with a sinking feeling that in my haste to get Lottie’s passport sorted I’d left my Kindle under my pillow in Colico.

I arrived in Zurich at about 8 pm, just as the Migros supermarket near my hotel was closing, so had to eke out Lottie’s remaining food.

The Montana hotel near the station is the best hotel I’ve stayed in on this trip but by far from being the most expensive. This has been my third visit and I’ve always been reluctant to leave the beautiful bed linen and duvets for another early train.

Enjoyed four nights in Lecce, but it was all too quick and the weather took a turn for the worse. My little apartment was nice and snug but it was a bit chilly for strolling round outside.

I managed to get all the important things done, like getting Lottie’s rabies booster jab and updating her Italian pet passport.

Yesterday, I did my 2-hour talk at the university and then had to race back to the apartment to translate the day’s report on a FAO meeting in Quito. The committee session kept me busy all the time I was in Lecce, but it was fun being part of the translating team and tag-translating with one of the other translators/interpreters who was in Quito for the week.

Last night I had a nostalgic dinner with David, Patti Jan and Wenche, who’ve just sold the masseria where I normally stay every summer. It’s the end of an era.

This morning I got up early and stocked up on supplies for the day-long journey to Milan and Lake Como. In typical Pugliese style, the station bar had better homemade cakes and panini than any other station bar I’ve ever visited.

My train carriage on the Freccia Rossa was practically empty until Rimini. It was no hardship at all to sit back and watch the scenery go by.

I’m in an Area Silenzio carriage, but in my experience people actively seek out these carriages to have very loud, prolonged phone conversations. It’s a bit annoying when you’re trying to read your Kindle.

Today’s trip is longer than most of the others I’ve done, but I should be at Lake Como In time for dinner

The contract signing at the notary’s tomorrow has been shifted to an earlier time so I decided to play safe and spend the night in Rome.

The house is totally empty except for the kitchen appliances and five sofas. Everything else now has a new home. I’m really proud to say that absolutely nothing went to Capena’s recycling centre or had to be dumped or otherwise disposed of.

This morning I had the final meeting with the buyers and estate agent for a bit of horse-trading before the official signing tomorrow. In a fittingly piratical spirit, the buyers brought their parrot.