I reach altitude again from Lake Lugano and Lake Como. Picturesque churches sit on mountain peaks and look down on idyllic small towns.

It’s the end of September, but there’s no sign of winter yet. The trees are already turning brownish, but an outside temperature of 25 degrees suggests a hot late summer in the high mountains.

However, the traffic is very dense. I reach Lago di Como near Menaggio via narrow serpentines. These serpentines are blocked by huge coaches, which, due to their size, want to claim both lanes for themselves.

This traffic only dies down when I leave Lake Como. I find out that the Splügen Pass is closed due to construction work.

I actually wanted to drive along there to get back to Switzerland.

But now I have to take a detour and continue east towards St. Moritz. As I head up the incline I am finally on my own again. Shortly afterwards I’m back in Switzerland.