Friday 9 August 2013 - Ivrea

We were up early after a late night.  Terry went off to the rowing and Sharney and I went with Chris Brown and some of the other ladies for a beautiful drive, initially to Aosta.  The toll roads in Italy are well worth the money as the highways are the easiest and quickest way to reach your destination.  We travelled through green countryside and saw the Alps in the distance.  The scenery was spectacular.   

We stopped in Aosta and ambled through the touristy shopping area of the old town.  It was similar to Constanz with old shops which lots of people were enjoying.  There was a Roman bridge which was being restored and we could see the  stages of the restoration.  The picturesque streets were lined with the usual beautiful window boxes displaying flowers of many different colours.  We could see the snow-capped mountains in the background which added to the sense of wonder at being in this place.  We had lunch in a covered outdoor area of a restaurant and then did some more exploring.  Again, the cobblestone walkways did prove difficult at times.  For the first time, we encountered a romantic Italian custom.  Lovers secure a padlock to the railing of a bridge then throw the keys in to the water below.  Terry read about this phenomenon in a crime novel set in Italy and we saw it a number of times on bridges in Italy.

We left Aosta and Chris drove us to Mont Blanc.  Again the scenery on the drive there was spectacular, especially as we approached the mountains.  We saw green slopes, vineyards, castles and snow capped mountains.  We also passed through a number of tunnels through the mountains.  We didn’t drive in to the tunnel beneath Mont Blanc but stopped at a good viewing point to take in the peak and its magnificent surroundings.  It was a very memorable day.