After a night of thunderstorms on Lake Iseo, the day got off to a surprisingly pleasant start. The sun was shining, it was 17 degrees and everything could have been perfect. Actually. Because the rain from the day before had decided to come along for the ride.

Fortunately, the old lady was dry under a canopy. My technology, on the other hand, had obviously not survived the water battle quite so well. The navigation phone only wanted to charge occasionally, the iPhone was also acting up, and my intercom had gone completely. No more navigation announcements, no more speed camera warnings, just the map in front of me.

Then there were motorcycle boots that were still damp, clammy motorcycle clothes and a small towel that had barely dried out despite a hairdryer and a whole night of drying. Even the bathroom was still wet in the morning. Apparently, the humidity in the room was such that water stays there voluntarily.

The little hotel hairdryer put up a brave fight. At some point, however, the situation became too much for him and he simply switched himself off due to overheating. I thought for a moment that I had finished him off for good. After breakfast – two cappuccinos, the solid three out of five coffee cups – we finally got going.

From Pisogne, the route initially led along extremely narrow roads towards Lake Garda. At times, barely more than one car could fit through. Often it was no more than first gear and a leisurely roll.

As if that wasn’t enough, there was also a road closure. So a detour. And because the intercom was still dead, I got lost several times. Without announcements in your ear, you look at the display more often and only notice some turn-offs when they are already behind you.

My thoughts were with me the whole time. Will the intercom work again? Will the cell phones charge again later? Or did yesterday’s rain leave behind expensive souvenirs?

At some point I stopped, took advantage of the sun and simply laid everything out. Intercom, cables, technology – everything got a little spa treatment on a little wall in the sun. Success was a long time coming.

Shortly afterwards, I reached Lago d’Idro. Not Lake Garda, but already a beautiful lake, nestled between mountains and small roads. The route became increasingly winding, increasingly lonely and increasingly beautiful.

Later, the route took me through the Valvestino valley. There lies the artificial Lago di Valvestino with the Ponte Cola reservoir. I had already been impressed by the Cancano lakes yesterday. Today it became clear once again how exciting this mixture of mountain landscape and engineering can be. The reservoir was created in the early 1960s and supplies a considerable part of the region with energy via the connected hydroelectric power station.

While I was there, something unexpected happened. My prayer was answered. The intercom suddenly worked again. One push of a button. A sign of life. And a few seconds later, the navigation announcements were back.

Anyone who has never been on the road for hours without a working intercom will probably not be able to understand the relief. For me, it was a bit like someone picking up a travel companion I thought was lost.

We continued towards Lake Garda. At least in theory. In practice, I quickly realized that it felt like the whole of northern Italy had set off at the same time. Traffic, traffic jams and lots of vehicles. So there were no major stops. Lake Garda was allowed to pass by briefly, while I preferred to concentrate on the smaller roads again.

A much bigger success awaited me on the Strada della Forra. At least that’s what I thought at first. When I got there, I discovered that the restaurant was closed. Perfect. So I got a deckchair, sat down in the shade and ate the emergency rations from my saddlebag. While some people passing by looked a little irritated, others gave me an appreciative thumbs up.

I think the thumbs-up faction had understood what traveling is all about. You take what the day gives you. And sometimes that’s a deckchair, an emergency ration and a magnificent view.

Later, the route took me over the Passo Crocedomini. I had never heard of this pass before the trip. Today it is one of the positive surprises of the tour for me.

Hardly any traffic, pleasant temperatures, fantastic scenery and finally a relaxed ride. While we were sweating in the valleys below at around 25 degrees, it was pleasantly cool up here. A few cyclists, a few motorcyclists and otherwise a surprising amount of peace and quiet. Some of the roads are absurdly narrow. It often feels like they are barely wider than two meters. If you meet a car there, it gets sporty. But today I had the pass almost to myself.

It’s places like this that make a trip special. Not the names that everyone knows, but the ones you’ve never heard of before.

I finally reached Lovere on Lake Iseo in the evening. Practically on the opposite side from where I had spent the night yesterday.

The accommodation is the best of the trip so far. Large, modern, air-conditioned and at the same time furnished with beautiful old wooden elements. Exactly the kind of accommodation where you would like to spend a little more time.

Unfortunately, it was already getting late. After a shower, I went to get another pizza. However, it was clearly inferior to yesterday’s. Not every Italian can make pizza! After all, you have to set standards somewhere.

Conclusion: Sometimes you don’t need perfection. Sometimes all it takes is a stubborn intercom that suddenly starts talking again and the feeling that the journey is following its very own, wonderfully weird plan.