Stress free Stressa

Experience 12. Seven k's on the concourse. Stresa 9th June.
The trip to date had included a fair amount of walking, but to be fair the balance for the first week had been with the food and drink. As we had a late start today I decided it was time for the first (of few) runs for the tour. Stresa has a concourse that runs along the lake for about 4km. What could be better?
There were some problems though. Whilst there weren't many other runners up and moving at 6:15 in the a.m. The ones that were wanted to take their right hand side of the track, which was my left hand side of the track.....which is where I am used to going. The cars kept coming from unexpected places as well.....were they on coming on this side of the road or that. It is surprising how something so simple can get so confusing when you start puffing a bit.
But the real problem was with my G.P.S. I was flying along but the stupid thing was constantly down playing my efforts....I was doing 5 minute K's easy but the G.P.S, obviously built for the southern hemisphere, kept calling them 6 minute+ K's, which was obviously wrong and really annoying!
Experience 13. In the footsteps of Napoleon (again). Isola Bella on Lago Maggiore. 9 June.
Just a 5 minute private boat ride away was Isola Bella. The entire island was taken up by a palatial villa with impressive gardens owned by one of the wealthiest families in Italy, the Borromeos. With decorative styles ranging from baroque, to neoclassical to a grotto inspired lower level of chambers. The villa was filled with grand Murano glass chandeliers, massive tapestries, suits of armour, marionettes, family portraits and water views from every window. An eerie feeling came over us as we stepped into the guest bedroom where Napoleon had spent one night. Outside the tiered gardens were filled with blooming roses, flowing fountains, statues and pure white peacocks. From Isola Bella, which was designed to look like a boat from afar, another 5 minute boat ride and we were on Isola Pescatore, the fishermans island. We had lunch of local fish from the lake overlooking the water then a wander through the quaint cobblestone alleyways which seem to be a very common trait in Italian villages that I just never get tired of.
Experience 14. Weddings, Rain and Chianti. Stresa. 9 June.
Saturday afternoon/evening was free time from the tour. The option that appealed to Chez and I was a stroll through town and a light dinner. All of the big water frontage hotels, including our own, were holding wedding receptions. Lots of people gussied up, brides and grooms, music and dancing. The wedding party at our hotel had some remote connection with the Scots, so all the Italian boys in the wedding party were dressed in kilts! Most peculiar indeed.
Aldo, our tour guide, suggested it was going to start raining some time between 3 and 4 in the arvo and he was spot on. The rain started very lightly at 3:10pm but settled in over the course of the afternoon.This was a bit annoying because it meant the sky bar at our hotel would be closed as there is no shelter. Every shop in town was suddenly selling umbrellas...we purchased one.
At dinner we shared a pizza and Chianti in the Piazza. The rain was falling constantly by this time and the drip line to my right was becoming more of a torrent by the minute. The waiters assisted in moving our table but only after more than one of them had walked through it and copped a bit of a soaking.
We leave Stresa in the morning, we would happily stay a while longer.
Worth a mention: Stresa is a really pretty town adorned with brightly coloured flowers in manicured garden beds and balcony flower boxes everywhere. In particular there were numerous varieties of roses, petunias and begonias in almost irridescent reds, pinks and whites. The Isola Bella was also no exception with its adornment of flowering plants. It must truly be amazing in the spring when the azalea bushes which were about 2 meters tall by about 4 meters wide were in bloom.