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@GideonPARANOID
On the second day we were heading into Switzerland for Chiggiogna, the pronunciation of which still escapes me. We started off going from the campsite up through Porlezza, following the road along the north side of lake into Lugano. At this point, we hadn't quite figured out the roads & the fact that roads simply disappear on my Wahoo's map when they go into a tunnel, so we ended up in a tunnel for about two miles - not ideal as we missed out on some lovely views, but generally fine.
Crossing the border was easy peasy. Stopped to stick a sticker for LSF (Leeds Fixed Gear/Singlespeed) on the border sign & then heading into Lugano where we stopped at a Migros which we'd become very familiar with (being based in Porlezza later on). Took some time to find a bike shop & a guy managed to find some bolt which worked, thank goodness! First impressions of Switzerland were that everyone wears full Assos & owns a Colnago & that every car is a BMW or Porsche. We cycled past a speedboat fair on the waterfront!
We rode north out of town via Passo Monte Cenari - a slow drag with a very fast mainroad descent. Hit 42mph with full touring kit - a best (for then). Had another pizza (twice the price of the Italian pizza) at the bottom & continued up the valley. Was a bit of a mainroady day, but as we went along it got a bit quieter. Passed loads of really impressive road & railway infrastructure, including what we later realised was the head of the Gottard Base Tunnel - the longest & deepest railway tunnel in the world. Above that, the train line spiralled up the valley inside the mountain (which seems crazy to me).
Campsite seemed expensive at 32CHF, but that turned out to be about the going rate. Views of the valley, a clear blue swimming pool, good showers & a place to eat your own food under an awning of grape vines - we couldn't complain too much.
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