It's never been more excited than road trip with driving and tracking new road street with Audi. In spring 2008, I trusted my skill to drive my spring driving vacation from Ingolstadt, Germany to Como, Italy with Audi S5.
I met a few friends in Germany. Spent a quality time with friends talking, sharing, laughing, and had a great dinner. After dinner, I settled into the S5 cockpit. One of the road trip tips by driving is choosing the right car to take you safe and comfort for a long way driving. I started my engine and went forward, ready to enjoy the road to Lake Como, Italy.
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Autobahan (A96) toward Austria
The full moon brightened the rolling hills of the Bavaria along A96 towards the Austrian border. The clouds were abundant but thin and very high. It reflected the moon light to illuminate the beautiful agriculture landscape in a much better way than the green night vision goggle. The rolling hills were filled with yellow flower plants called Raps. This plant produces oil that later is processed for bio-diesel.
Bayern Drei and Antenne Bayern were two of my favorite radio stations. The timing could not be any better. The road opened up. A long stretch of empty Autobahn came to my target range. Bayern Drei played the theme song from Eddie Murphy’s Beverly Hills Cop. I dropped the gear from sixth to fourth and went so fast toward this road.
Driving to Lake Como was a joyful driving in its own class. Earlier, from the top of the mountain, I looked down this steep and lush brow and there lied hairpins that snaked towards Lake Como. Not only the hairpins got me excited, but also the zigzags between the hairpins that were shaped by the contours of the mountain. I could not ask for more. I waited at the top till the oncoming traffic from the bottom passed me.
Coming to the second hairpin, I braked hard with the right foot, I clutched in and shifted to second, I moved my left foot to the brake paddle to do the rest of the trail braking and setup my right foot for the upcoming acceleration to rotate the car again. As I neared the apex, I did left-right-left turn this time and then I was on the gas. It was almost perfect on the second one. Ninety eight more hairpins were probably still waiting for me before I would arrive at Lake Como. This was better than…uhm…I could not think of anything else. This was the only thing I had in my mind. This was ecstasy
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The car drift and rotation were communicated through the cocoon-like leather sport seat to my spine so I could perform the necessary minute adjustment on the power, the braking, and the steering. It was an amazing human-machine bio feedback system. At this moment I was the Iron Man!
In the slightly overcast balmy morning, with barely any sleep but fully energized, my date, Audi S5, and I board a ferry at Cadenabbia, a town just south of Menaggio, with the destination Bellagio. Many travel programs and books have been published about this region. It is not hard to imagine why. This is the land of Leonardo Da Vinci and Michaelangelo.
When the ferry is about at the midpoint between Cadenabbia and Bellagio, the view before me is beyond fantastic. The mountains in this region are confident mountains. They are not shy. They go straight up without any hesitation. It creates amazing backdrops for the colorful coastal towns along the shores. And these coastal towns are separated from the inland towns by these giants.
The steep brows and the meandering coast lines make it impossible for the road engineers to build the straightest roads. Because of these characteristics, the towns here have a lot more hairpins than the ten hair saloons in my neighborhood. So if you are a hairpin nut, this will be your heaven on earth.
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The steep brows and the meandering coast lines make it impossible for the road engineers to build the straightest roads. Because of these characteristics, the towns here have a lot more hairpins than the ten hair saloons in my neighborhood. So if you are a hairpin nut, this will be your heaven on earth.
Since water is the source of life after the energy of the Sun, it is very easy to see why this body of the dark, marine-blue water, originating from the Lombardy glaciers, supports the incredible vibrant atmosphere. Everything here; the colors of the Italian architecture villas, the scent of the blooming rainbow flowers, and the sound of the chirping birds seem to be more vivid. It is hard to describe in words. It is the inner feeling I experience by being here.
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Bellagio, Italy
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The city cobblestone roads add the already historical ambiance of the Italian architectures. Almost all structures here have the privilege to witness humanity since the Roman’s time. Were they able to talk to me, I would be having a time travel journey on top of my driving vacation. It would be like listening to bed time stories from my grandparent the other twenty eight grandparents before them.
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Bellagio, like many towns in this region, is built on uneven land. The narrow small streets and alleys go up and down in so many directions. Strolling through this labyrinth and not worrying about getting lost is the best way to discover the magic hidden in many nooks and crannies. Craft stores, fancy boutiques, restaurants, hotels, and bakeries provide all kind of the enjoyment of living. An old grandma sitting outside a store greeting passer by is not only a postcard moment but a day-to-day occurrence here in this town.
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Drive to Como Town
After a few hours of relaxation at Bellagio, I set the navigation system to Como, one of the biggest towns on the lake. I decline the navigation system recommendation to take the ferry route. So, I follow the street sign to Como till the navigation system picks to Como. This road hugs the coastline all the way to Como.
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It is about as wide as the 18-wheeler truck, but it is a two-lane road without the middle lane marking. It would not make sense I guess to put the middle marking because the two halves would be so narrow that only Smart cars would fit. Even more interesting this road literally cuts through old towns. From time to time, I see similar color and architecture on two opposing houses. I just get the impression that I am actually snaking through what used to be their living room.
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I thought that after three Audi Driving Experience programs, one go kart intensive instruction program, and driving vacations in some of the most treacherous mountains near Cusco-Peru, Las Alpujarras-Spain, and Tibet, I would be ready for any kind of non-off-road roads. Well, I am proven wrong once again. This time, I am tested and challenged by impatient Italian drivers.
Skinny Fiats and Renaults, tiny milk trucks, motorcycles, and bicycles rule this road! They rampage this road at a very high speed and they take aggressive maneuvers. I apply all skills I have learned, at the end, I still have to pull to the side because grandpas and grandmas on rustic Italian outdoor cafes are flagging me with the blue with yellow diagonal stripe handkerchiefs.
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Skinny Fiats and Renaults, tiny milk trucks, motorcycles, and bicycles rule this road! They rampage this road at a very high speed and they take aggressive maneuvers. I apply all skills I have learned, at the end, I still have to pull to the side because grandpas and grandmas on rustic Italian outdoor cafes are flagging me with the blue with yellow diagonal stripe handkerchiefs.
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Every lesson I was taught to smooth my driving to get the best line, I apply it today to no avail. My heartbeat goes higher and higher and finally, I have to succumb and let the white milk truck to pass me.
My Audi S5 is similar to Le Mans track where there are multiple classes of vehicles competing; the skinny cars, the tiny trucks, the motorcycles, the bicycles, and the regular cars. No wonder they are so many Italian names in the Grand Prix history. They are born racers. Even grandpas and grandmas drive at blistering speed on this winding road. Someday I will understand how the most serene and content people of Bellagio turn into aggressive drivers once they are behind the Fiats and the Renaults.
For the moment, since my ego cannot handle the defeat easily, I blame the narrow road. It turns out the Italian drivers are the ones with the unfair advantage. They don’t have to slow down when there is oncoming traffic. They just keep their rapid speed constant through the zigzags, and switch backs.
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All in all, it is a very fine driving adventure, especially after I take time to bring my heart beats to normal by enjoying the postcard perfect sceneries from the various vista points along with my car.
Como
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Driving this wide S5 on the narrow cobblestone street creates some scene when there is oncoming traffic. Some Italians noticed the “D” Euro license plate and greeted, “Guten Morgen.” Others are probably just wondering; who is this ridiculous tourist who jams his large car onto this narrow street? Fortunately, looking at the parked Porsche Cayenne, BMW 5 series, and Mercedes E class cars, I take comfort from the fact that they are many ridiculous Italians too.
There is nothing special going on here. This is the typical weekend day when locals enjoy the beautiful day with friends and families. With the beauty this place offers, it doesn’t require any special event for this place to give away its extraordinary charms.
“Entro prego, vi renderò un pranzo squisito,” restaurant hosts and hostesses along this road are fishing for customers. I settle on a restaurant that still has the best outdoor table for one. The row of blooming cherry trees add contrast to the picture perfect lake view. A small amphibious plane is taking off from the middle of the lake. Several ferry boats are shuttling the cars and people between ports. A flock of pigeons is feasting on bread crumbs offered by little kids.
I pick one dish out of the standard five-dish Italian meal. I have many hours of driving ahead of me and probably eight hundreds more hairpins to do. So, I can’t eat too much. When the local baked fish topped with homemade tomato sauce arrives on my table, I am unimpressed. It looks very plain compared to how the French chefs decorate their chef-d'oeuvre. But when I put the small slice of the fish on my mouth, this local chef authenticates his magic. The soft texture of the fish slowly melts and the tasty juice combined with the homemade tomato sauce create a seductive culinary ensemble. What a perfect day in Como!
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It is after midnight and I am staring at the ceiling the four-person sleeper cabin of City Night Line train bound for Amsterdam from Munich. I am sharing this cabin with a German business man traveling to Brussels, a Netherlands grandpa coming home after visiting his son and his family in Innsbruck, and a young Australian backpacker who is on his 9th month on the road. Each of us has stories from our life journeys. But tonight our journeys cross path on this train, maybe only for this only one time, but then again maybe not.
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Drifting asleep, I promise myself to go back to Lake Como again and again till one day I finally find harmony in my own life.
-Andreas
More update and detail of journey see: driving-vacation.com
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