From Airport Drop-offs to Geocache Hunts: A Day with my Aunt Tatj

Yesterday, my aunt once again had to drop someone off at Malpensa Airport in Italy. Jokingly, I suggested she start her own "Tatj Airport Service". After we'd dropped off the holiday-goers, we discovered a virtual geocache right in the airport parking lot. Eagerly, we started searching and eventually found it. Virtual caches only require a photo of the location as proof. Admittedly, we found this a bit underwhelming.

Feeling hunger and thirst, and with my aunt being so light she might blow away without regular meals, we treated ourselves to an Americano and a croissant – mine was vegan, which is thankfully no problem in Italy. Quite different from the Italian cuisine back in Switzerland. Refreshed, we moved on to the next geocache in Volandia, the flight park and museum, just a few hundred meters away.

Of course, the direct route is often deceptive, and we had to take several detours with our car. But after brief adventures on roads and highways, including a quick visit to the Sanctuary, we managed to log three more caches. Our joy was immense!

It was already 10:30 AM and with an hour's drive ahead, my aunt reminded me with a smile that I needed to be back by 1:00 PM. Since I moved to the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland, we've been getting to know each other better. Our similarities? Sometimes they're just too many! Our shared passion for geocaching led us yesterday to seek a total of 16 caches in six hours. We found 12, two were inaccessible due to a local festival, and two remained elusive.

The day wasn't over yet: After a short break in Maccagno, where we enjoyed a drink with a view of another cache, we continued our journey. Two more caches awaited us at the border and on a bridge. We proudly logged our first Terrain 4 cache.

Back in Bellinzona, we met up at our regular pub, Rüsca, to toast our successful day. But then, a shock: the geocaches we'd placed were invalid as they were too close to each other. Over a few glasses of wine, we brainstormed a solution and later adjusted the cache positions on my aunt's laptop.

Tired but content, I headed home on my kickboard. At home, I played a round of "Dave the Diver" and reflected on the active day, during which I put everything aside to have adventures with my aunt.

Thank you for this wonderful day, dear @Tatj.