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23 August 1869 — Domodossola | |
Monday. 23rd [August 1869]. Up at 6 & started at 7 in the same carriage as yesterday for Baveno. We stopped ½ hour en route at a little village for the horses & there were passed by the German party of yesterday. Arrived at Belle Vue Hotel at Baveno abt 12 when the landlord Mr Pedretti expected us & promised us rooms over looking the Lago Maggiore. We had some lunch & someone passing thro’ the room Hy remarked the gentleman was very like Sigr Vigliani for whose wife we had done some commissions in London. While I was sitting on the terrace Hy appeared with his friend who was indeed the man. They were on the point of leaving for Stresa but put off going on our acct. We found letters here and I got one from Susan Hambro from S. Moritz. After reading it we arranged to take a row on the lake to one of the Borromean Islands in the Lago, when to our astonishment we find that the Hambros & Monty Corry are actually here! They had arrived a few hours before us and had gone to the Isola Bella. Their courier supposing they were going on to the Isola Madre we went straight there accompanied by Sigr Vigliani. When we got there we thought we descried a boat with the Hambros. Unluckily Hy had forgotten to bring the glasses so we had to wait till the boat arrived and great was our disappointment when the German party stepped on shore from Stresa. We went round the gardens which are lovely having every kind of rare & foreign plant growing—lemons—citrons—oranges—camphor trees and (in England) hot house ferns all growing in the open air. Just as we thought of returning a tremendous storm of wind arose & the boatmen did not think it safe to venture out. We waited abt ¼ hour and the men had a hard pull to get us home as there were quite large waves & one might have been sea sick. On our return we found the Hambros had returned & gone off again for a walk to the quarries. Just as we were going down to the table d’hôte they came in. We had a pleasant dinner having the end to ourselves, the Hambros & Viglianis. After dinner we sat out on the terrace till 9 had our coffee & talk. The H’s had arranged to leave tomorrow but I persuaded them to stay one day more wh they consented to do. The moonlight over the lake was delicious and the air quite warm. | |
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