For the fourth summer in a row we pointed an EV south and headed for the Italian alps. Our chariot this time being a midnight blue Polestar 2 with 82 kwh battery capacity and 299 horsepower driving the rear wheels. Approximately 400 km between charges, significantly better than the Volvo we had last year, and the previous Polestar.

Day 1 – Thursday 9th of July

Armed with freshly brewed coffee and sandwiches we left Göteborg at 7 am on Thursday the 9th of July, destination Potsdam in Germany. On this leg we were joined by Mathilda and Edde, and the two longdogs – Siri and Bibbi – in an identical Polestar, an unusual car outside Göteborg and even more rare as a matching pair.

We reached the continent by ferry from Gedser, on the Danish island of Falster south of Copenhagen, arriving in Rostock in Germany, once the most important port of former East Germany. It’s a two hour trip and we spent it in the all-you-can-eat buffet restaurant, binging on deepfried rødspætte (plaice) and avoiding the crowded deck.

Göteborg to Potsdam is about 740 km, including the ferry trip, and we manage it on two 30 minute charging stops, one in Malmö and one in Heiligengrabe, half way between Rostock and Potsdam. We arrive in Potsdam late, check in, have a drink and a snack and sum up the day before hitting the sack.

Day 2 – Friday 10th of July

The next day is a long autobahn stretch south through Germany to Austria. The autobahn is quick for the most part but every now and then it grinds to a halt in a “stau” and moves extremely slowly for many kilometers. The Germans are very serious about their autobahns. They drive fast but disciplined. No loitering in the left lane or you’ll have someone pushing you from behind. You need full attention forward and eyes in the back of your neck and it commands your full concentration all the time.

Following a charging stop it’s time for Schnitzel in Bayreuth, halfway between Potsdam and Munich. It’s very warm but we find a a shady table in nice biergarten.

Another charging stop ner Munich and we separate from Mathilda, Edde, Siri and Bibbi who head to Innsbruck for the night. Anna, Cooper and I continue on to Zillertal in the Austrian alps, and Hotel Magdalena, the dog hotel. It’s late and hot when we arrive. Dinner is included in the room booking and we get served a three course meal at 9:30 pm. Sleep is difficult with a full belly and a room with no A/C.

Day 3 – Saturday 11th of July

We start the day with a walk with Cooper outside the hotel and take in the magnificent alpine views. After a hearty breakfast it’s time to explore the hotel’s facilities. We discover that as well as a dog-pool, they also have a human-pool. It’s another very warm day so a dip in the pool before heading over the Jauffenpass to Merano feels like the right thing to do.

We skip the freeway and the A22 to the Brenner Pass and take the smaller roads through the Italian Tyrol towns. In Brenner it’s time to charge the Polestar for the steep, winding drive to the Jauffenpass. It’s chaos at the Ionity station. It’s full of Danes. Denmark is the second most electrified car fleet in the world, second only to the Norwegians, and they all seem to be heading south through the Brenner Pass. Thankfully Ionity employed guides to organise the queues and, despite the wait, it’s very civilised.

The road up to the Jauffenpass is our first taste of serpentine roads with extremely steep climbs and hairpin curves. The Polestar is a pleasure to drive. Handling is great and massive torque gives good acceleration up the hills and out of the corners. The road is very popular with Porsches and motorbikes and the parking space at the top is packed with bikers. There are also many bicyclists taking on the alpine challenge. On the way up they are fairly easy to pass, but on the way down they are just as fast as the cars and motorbikes making them nearly impossible to get past.

Merano is a beautiful old Tyrol spa town on the Passirio alpine river. We have booked into the “Europa Splendid Hotel” right in the city center and close to the river. Getting to the hotel with the car is complicated at the best of times and now roadworks has made it even more difficult. It’s stinking hot but thankfully the hotel has air-conditioning. Still, it’s a great evening for taking a stroll along the river, eat a pizza, sip a on a drink and watch the tourists and locals wander by as the sun sets in splendid colours behind the mountains.

Day 4 – Sunday 12th of July

It’s a short drive from Merano to Bolzano passing through vineyards, farms and little towns. Unfortunately it’s Sunday and the wineries are closed. Searching for some scenic stops Google reveals that there is a spectacular waterfall just off the main road. A short walk in the scorching sun and we’re rewarded with shade and the hot air cooled by a fine mist from falling water. Cooper, who is not keen on the heat, gets to cool his paws in the pools below the fall.

In Bolzano we check into the Meta Suites, same hotel we stayed in last year, on the edge of Piazza Walther. The heat is pressing. After a drink on the piazza we check in to the hotel early. They are as friendly and accomodating as last summer and we get a large air-conditioned room across from the one we had last year. The room is nice and cool and we have rest before going for some local cuisine at the Franziskanerstuben, a short walk along Bolzano’s narrow streets. We end the day with a spritz on the Piazza Walther in the warm evening watching the tourist take selfies by the statue.

Day 5 – Monday 13th of July

Monday is sunny and hot. We have a lovely breakfast on the terrace overlooking the piazza before strolling through the streets and markets of central Bolzano. The heat is stifling and the colours are amazing. Market stalls selling fresh fruit and vegetables, all sorts of dried fruit and berries, olive oil, and Grappa along the same streets as high end Italian fashion boutiques.

In the afternoon it’s off to visit the wineries that were closed yesterday. We spend a small fortune on quality Lagrein and Pinot Noir from Kellerie Bozen, Weingut Kornell and Cantina Terlano hoping they will survive trip back home in the heat.

Back in Bolzano we sit down at the Lisa Wineboutique and get recommended som local wines to sit back and enjoy the afternoon with. For dinner it is blueberry risotto at the Trattoria Filo d’Olio. We finish with cocktails on the hotel terrass bar.

Day 6 – Tuesday 14th of July

After two nights in Bolzano it’s time to head south to the west bank of Lago di Garda and the Village Hotel Lucia. First we drive back to Weingut Kornell and pick up the bottles we bought the dy before and instead of driving down the valley past Trento we head up the winding roads to the Mendola Pass and down the next valley along the Noce through Dermulo och Spormaggiore. At Lago di Molveno we stop hoping we can take a swim. Cooper gets to dip his paws but the shoreline is rocky and up close the water looks uninviting. There are boats out on the lake and in one is a couple with the man photographing his wife with his phone. I watch as she asks him for the phone so she can check the results. The mountains around the lake form a magnificent backdrop.

Lago di Garda is as majestic as ever, and already full of tourists. It’s still stinking hot so we head straight up to the hotel where we can take a dip in the pool. Our room at the Village Hotel Lucia is a small apartment with tiny terrace and a view over the lake and a couple of armchairs for just sitting and taking it all in. We have dinner on the restaurant terrace as storm clouds gather from the north. The heatwave over central Europe has created thunderstorms, torrential rain, and high winds but this evening the worst of it passes us to the north.

Day 7 – Wednesday 15th of July

Wednesday morning the skies have cleared and the heat is back. A breeze keeps us cool as we eat breakfast taking in the magnificent views over the lake to the mountains on the other side. We decide to have lunch in Salo and head down the narrow serpentine roads to the main road along the lake shore. There is plenty of traffic, we’re definitely not the only tourists.

Salo is beautiful, even with lots of people. The terracotta, the warm yellow and orange, the turquoise water, and the pale blue sky and and the blue mountains is like being in a postcard.

A bruschetta with fresh tomatoes and mozzarella, and melon and prusciutto crudo washed down with an ice cold beer is a perfect lunch. Cooper lays patiently by our feet as we eat. He does not like the heat. We find a place where he can cool his paws but there is no shade on the shoreline so we head in to the narrow streets and do some window shopping.

To get back to the hotel we turn off the Via della Libertà and up the Strada della Forra, an incredible winding road through tunnels and gorges from the lake to Pieve. James Bond, in his Aston Martin, is chased through the tunnels on this stretch of road in Quantum of Solace. Sorry, no photos, too busy driving and taking in the view.

Back at the hotel the next thunderstorm rolls in. This time it passes very close with strong winds, heavy rain and continuous lightning strikes with thunder claps sounding more like canon shots. Cooper is terrified and cowers on the couch as far in the room as he can get. On the news we see that we got off lightly. Flooding and hail the size of golfballs have struck cities further south. Once it’s passed the rain has cleared the air from the heatwave and the temperature drops back to pleasant. The sun sets behind us and lights up the clouds over the mountains on the other side making them look like pink fairy floss. Cooper is still paralysed and shaking from the thunder.

Day 8 – Thursday 16th of July

Thursday morning it’s time to pack the car again and start the journey home. We round the lake at the southern end, charge the car at Peschiera del Garda where the lake feeds into the Mincio River. The water is bright turquoise. Two camouflaged cars are charging at the charging station. They look like they could be BMW’s, but that might be part of the disguise. They actually look pretty ordinary.

90% charged we head up the east side of the lake before turning on to the SP8 just after Affi. I want to see the Sanctuario Madonna della Corona, the medieval church built into a cliff face 774 meters above sea level overlooking the valley of the Adige river. We stop and park at Spazzio di Monte Baldo. The day is hot and the downhill walk to the church is long. Dogs are not allowed at the church so Cooper stayed at the top with Anna. Although many tourists and pilgrims have made their way down, the atmosphere is one of peace and tranquility. I resist the temptation to wait for the small bus that takes visitors back up to the carpark and head up the stairs. I impress myself by getting to the top without collapsing as the sweat pours, my heartbeat redlines and my lungs turn inside out.

We continue north on the SP8 and then on to the motorway and a charging stop in Trento. More Danes queueing, this time on their way back north. With the batteries charged we get on the SS612 and the winding roads through the Val di Fiemme, venue for some of the winter Olympics earlier this year. Just short of Moena we stop for the night at Flos Hotel. It’s overcast, light rain and cool. A nice change from the pressing heat earlier.

Day 9 – Friday 17th of July

The following day we cross another couple of mountain passes back over to Bolzano. We drive below the autostrada through quaint villages and towns, past Brenner and down to Innsbruck, stopping off at the Kellerie Eckerstahl to stock up with bottles of Kerner and some Grappa.

Innsbruck is always worth a visit so we find a carpark and take walk around the altstadt. It’s stinking hot and crowded with tourists. We have some lunch and get back into our air-conditioned car.

For the night we’ve booked a room in Gnadenwald 30 minutes up the side of a mountain east of Innsbruck. The hotel is grand with magnificent views, a fine restaurant and biergarten. However, I must have missed the fine print because the room we have booked is actually not in this hotel but another one 6 minutes away by car. Breakfast will be in the first hotel, sleeping in the second. The second hotel is reasonably clean but dark with heavy atmosphere that makes the heat even more stifling. A small church with a needle sharp steeple starts chiming at 6 am the next morning and we pack and drive to the other hotel for breakfast.

Day 10 – 18th of July

We head into Germany through the Bavarian mountains past lakes and crowds of German holiday makers on foot, on bicycles, on motorbikes, in cars, and in motorhomes. We leave the mountains and return to the plains.

Our destination is Landshut, east of Munich. Here we have found an interesting four storey art nouveau hotel with no elevator. Cooper charms the host and we get a room on the first floor. It feels more Tudor than Art Nouveau but it’s charming. The city center is a 15 minute walk and today is the Landshuter Altstadtsfest and the town is bustling with happy people. A brief but blustery thunderstorm clears the air and the streets for a moment but pretty soon the sun and the crowds are back.

Day 11 – 19th of July

The next day we aim for Thale, a small town between Hannover and Leipzig. It’s a long drive, partially on autobahn, and we arrive late. The hotel is small and situated on the edge of town. The reception is closed. A note on the door says to dial a number to get instructions. Thankfully they speak good English. Our key is in a box with a code lock. The hotel is clean and tidy and quite charming on the inside. We go in search of dinner and find a Greek restaurant in a barrack in the middle of quiet suburbia. It’s a pleasant evening and the food and beer is decent. We are obviously on the quiet side of town and there is not much else to do but hit the sack and charge the batteries for another long drive. I take Cooper for his evening walk on the dimly lit street outside. In the evening light the hotel looks gothic and reminds me of the Bates Motel in Psycho (see the black and white pictures). I read later that Thale has some interesting attractions, like the Harz mountains, with great scenery but we missed it this time.

Day 12 – 20th of July

Schwerin is the second largest city and the capital of the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. It is 320 km from Thale so we arrive early and spend the afternoon walking around. We have checked into the Elephant Hotel close to the city center. The hotel started as a cigar factory in the 1860’s with elephants as the motif on the cigar tins. The center piece of Schwerin is the Schwerin Castle situated on an island in the lake. We end the day with cocktails in a bar overlooking the castle with groups of local office workers having a summer AW.

Day 13 – 21st of July

The final day of our journey – a short drive to Rostock, a visit to the Border Shop to stock up on some non-essentials, and on to the ferry and into the all-you-can-eat buffet again for the 2 hour trip across the Baltic back to Scandinavia. The drive up to Copenhagen, across the Öresund bridge and up the west coast of Sweden is long but uneventful. We pull into Miragatan at around 9:30 pm tired and content from a great adventure but happy to be home.