Category: Holidays (Page 7 of 20)

The Adventures of Chris and Terry

Trogir, Croatia, June 2017

June 15, 2017 /

Trogir  9-14 June

We caught a bus from Zadar to Trogir, an interesting experience. We booked an “Autotransport Sibenik” bus, one of several available but with the most convenient time. Fortunately, we were early so we were fairly early getting our bags stowed and finding a seat. We had to pay an extra 14HRK ($A2.80) extra for the bags, not something we have ever experienced before but logical enough because it means that travel for people without bags is cheaper. We took our seats and settled down as per normal. Then the bus started to fill, and fill, until the aisles were full. One guy pointed out that we had his booked seat. We showed him our ticket that said seats were not allocated. We had booked ours two days earlier than him so we stayed put. The bus driver came down the aisle, not an easy thing because he was built like the Hulk, and checked tickets. All those hoping to buy a ticket on board were kicked out of seats, satisfying our seat claimant and then he proceeded to sell tickets to the others. Of course, by this time there was only standing room left and the trip was a couple of hours. I don’t think they got a discount.

The trip was a good drive. On the left were the mountains and inland lakes and on the right the ocean and numerous offshore islands. Each view came and went, punctuated with the entry into a gorgeous little town or village to drop off or pick up passengers. The crowd on the bus eased as the towns went by but suddenly, at Sibenik, another dozen people got on. I am not sure why social media outrage has not sunk this bus company. Our accommodation host, Ivan, was not at all surprised. He said it is just the way things happen in Croatia.

We eventually arrived in Trogir, quite a deal later than the advertised time and were met by our host. Ivan is a charming young man who owns the apartment we have rented. He is a forestry engineer living in split who has obviously branched off into real estate rental. He showed us the way to our apartment, a mere 800m from the city centre, and settled us in. Our apartment is a one bedroom affair on the third and top floor of small block. It appears to be in a housing estate with every block the same and separated by a bit of unkept garden and parking spaces. The place looked pretty run down and very much a left-over from the communist era. Fortunately, our apartment was newly renovated and in spotless condition, with everything we needed. The big exception was a toaster, not surprising because people in Italy and Croatia don’t seem to make toast. They are available in stores but we never find a rental apartment that has one.

Trogir is like a smaller version of Zadar in many ways. The old fortress town occupies an island rather than a peninsular but there is access from two sides, with the larger island of Ciovo. A small stone bridge connects Trogir to the mainland and a small steel one to Ciovo. This route is the only land route to Ciovo, which appears to have a significant population. The little road is chocked full to a standstill during peak hours. Another bridge is under construction that will avoid the old town. It was due to open this June but the builder went broke and things have very much stopped. All the pylons appear to be in place but that is all.

Just like Zadar, the city inside the ancient walls is almost fairytale like. There are so many gorgeous alleyways, porticoes, piazzas and churches that one barely knows where to look. The city is said to be the best example of  a Romanesque-Gothic town in Central Europe and has earned a UNESCO protected status. The original design of the city is still visible and is down to the early Greek founders and the Roman influence remains strong. Unfortunately, the crowds can get a bit too heavy at times and the tiny narrow streets fill with walking tours. Another negative is the habit of filling every open space with tables and umbrellas for the restaurants. I have no objection to al fresco dining or people making a living out of tourism but when a piazza can’t be properly appreciated because the view is completely obscured by a sea of umbrellas things need to be re-evaluated.

On the northern end of the town there is a fortress built by the Venetians in the 1400s sometime. It gives excellent views of the city and is a wonderful place to spend some time just looking down at all the comings and goings of the local boats.

The old Venetian Fortress at top left.

Thankfully, food and drink prices have a little lower than Zadar, around 20% on average, and there appears to be many more low cost lunch and fast food options, although no actual Maccas is in sight. The fast food consists of interesting Croatian pastries with meat fillings and some really good stuffed pita bread type of things. There is a large fresh market right next to the bridge from the mainland that sells all manner of fruit and veg, nuts, dried fruits, honey and olive oil. It is an all bustle and hum type of place although, like all markets, care needs to be taken to avoid being had or buying stuff you don’t really want. Across the road is a fresh fish market where people bring their catches in the mornings. There are prawns, lobster, sea bream, sea bass and mullet on offer, all very fresh and quite a reasonable price. We bought a couple of good sized bream for $A10 so it is certainly on a par with Australia.

Trogir is so full of great atmosphere

Trogir certainly shows off its maritime links. There are boats everywhere with moorings along every bit of shoreline, small harbours in every cove and large marinas in the bigger bays. Most houses along the beach have a boat of some kind resting in the yard. Ferries and sight seeing boats make runs out to some of the nearby islands.  One of the highlights of the old town is the 15th Century Venetian fortress at the northern end of the island. Although not overly big, it is in reasonable condition and can be climbed for some outstanding vistas across the town and harbor. Getting to the top involves steep sets of steps, narrow stone stairways and a couple of steel ladders, none of which is Christine’s preferred method of travel but the result was worth the effort.

One day we decided to take a bus into Split, Croatia’s second largest city and situated about an hour’s ride to the south. We had stayed in Split in 2012 and fallen in love with it, especially the incredibly beautiful Diocletian’s Palace. Diocletian was a Roman Emperor between 284 and 305AD. He was born in Split of low parentage but grew through the ranks of the army to eventually become Emperor. The remains of his huge palace form the supporting structure for much of the central part of Split. The bus dropped us off about 800m short of the palace and we had to walk to the palace gates. Once inside, we were reminded of just how amazing the place is. It is quite surreal experience to walk the pathways and steps in the footsteps of those from nearly 2000 years ago. The place was jam packed with tourists. Two cruise ships were in port making things very difficult. However, the palace is big, bigger than the whole of Trogir, and so we eventually escaped the worst of the crowds.

A day in Split

Split is a major hub for the ferry services, both international and those that service the islands. Part of our purpose in coming to Split was to sort out our future movements through the islands to the south and we managed to buy the tickets we wanted and work out just where we needed to be. Advance planning when carrying heavy backpacks is always a good idea. Along the wharf and departure areas we found the crowds to be much greater than they were back in 2012, probably because the GFC had hit Europe in a big way and tourism was down. Things are recovering!

We caught a ferry home along the coast from Split, stopping at Slatine, a small village on the south end of Ciovo. The ferry trip took about the same time as the bus but was far more enjoyable and only a little more expensive. We got off the boat at Trogir and settled in to a little restaurant for a late lunch. Much to our delight, they had grilled sardines on the menu. Whole, crispy fried sardines were a highlight of our trip in 2012. They were cheap and really tasty, but for some reason, they are almost absent from the menus this time around. We researched “Adriatic Sardines” and did read that the EU is trying to introduce measures to combat over-exploitation by Croatia and Italy so maybe some controls are in place. The ones we were served were definitely smaller than before but very tasty and still cheap. After Trogir, we will head out to live on some of the islands for a couple of weeks so hopefully sardines will become more common.

We enjoyed a day exploring part of the Krka (pronounced Krarka) National Park, inland and north-east of Trogir. After much research, we used a tour bus to get there because the local buses looked complicated and involved a lot of sitting around waiting. The park surrounds a large deep valley carved out of the limestone ranges by the Krka River. The descent of the river through the lush forested valley produces an incredible area full of waterfalls and sparkling clear running water. Exploring the whole park, with its castles, forests and rivers, would take days or even weeks, and we just visited Stradinski Buk, which features some of the best waterfalls and some excellent walk trails. As with everywhere, it was crowded, even though we had held off going on the weekend. The weekdays mean you get smaller adult and family crowds but you run into the school excursions. The walk trails were crowded and the swimming area quite full, despite the rather cold water. However, the crowds did not detract from the sheer beauty of the place. There was running water everywhere, framed with extremely picturesque forest. Amazingly, the waterfalls are growing slightly each year, rather than being eroded away as one would expect. The water is so high in minerals that limestone (or travertine) actually settles out of the water onto the rocks, in much the same way that stalactites grow in cave systems. It creates some lovely effects around the falls.

Beautiful Krka National Park

The lush forest was such a contrast from the drive to the park, across open and bare mountain sides covered in rock rubble and low scrub. It is amazing just how barren looking the whole inland region is with almost no top soil of any kind visible, save in the odd isolated shallow valley. Areas of rocky surface have been painstakingly cleared of rocks over the centuries, the rocks stacked into an extensive series of drywalls. A few areas had vines or apricots planted but olives are the main crop, mostly small gnarly trees by Italian standards. A bit of research reveals that the bareness of the hills results from a combination of factors. The natural harshness of the limestone karst system means that topsoil has not built up over the years. Where forests did flourish, heavy milling by the Venetians in the Middle ages as their naval power grew denuded the coastline, adding to erosion problems. Whatever the reason, the effect is harsh and it is certainly not the type of place I would ever want to do any gardening. Along the way we passed a number of marble quarries, with steps of perfectly smooth blocks cut into the hillside. The marble from this part of the World is famous and said to be top quality.

We thoroughly loved Trogir. Although not quite as big or spectacular as Zadar, it is a very easy place to live in. In fact, I think it is a much better choice of somewhere to stay than Split, even though everyone goes to Split. The international airport is far closer to Trogir than Split, accommodation cheaper and the crowds are not as bad. A few cruise ships do come to Trogir but they are much smaller than the huge ones that go to Split. Split can be accessed as a day trip by ferry, with the one main attraction there being Diocletian’s Palace.

Another ferry trip took us back to Split to catch a connecting ferry on to our next stop, Supertar on Brac Island.

PHOTO GALLERIES:

Trogir

Krka

Split

 

 

 

Zadar, Croatia, June 2017

June 11, 2017 /

Zadar  4-9 June 2017

We woke on board the ferry after a good night’s sleep and had a breakfast while the ship docked. Unfortunately for us, the docking point has changed from its old location in the old town, which would have made for an easy walk to our accommodation, to a new complex still under construction a little way south at Gazenica. This meant a two bus transfer into the old town and a bit of a walk to actually reach the bus stop. The facility is so new that there is a n almost complete lack of signage so it took a bit of doing to work out just where to catch the bus. We finally located a timetable and found we had missed a bus by 10 minutes and had a 90 minute wait for the next one, due to the fact that it was a Sunday. Why do so often get somewhere on a Sunday? Australian Governments will have us believe that the rest of the World works 24/7 but it simply isn’t true. The only things that work on Sunday in Europe are church bells.

Eventually, we made it into Old Zadar and walked into the central Plaza called People’s Square, a gorgeous little square surrounded by medieval buildings. Our accommodation is right on the edge of the square but we were early and still had a few hours to kill before we could check in. A hot chocolate and a spot of crowd gazing soaked up an hour then we wandered off in search of a spot to sit. A couple of hundred metres along we entered the old Roman Forum area, chock full of broken columns and arch ways. The layout of the forum was easily visible and the whole place just reeked of history. As we sat and looked at the buildings around us we saw that most had incorporated pieces of ancient Roman stonework into their facades. There were magnificent porticoes, gracious stone columns and strangely carved gargoyles in abundance. It was an introduction to our home of the next six days that held a lot of promise.

View over Zadar, Our ferry, Our accommodation and the People’s Square

By noon, we had access to our little apartment and met Mate, our host. The apartment is hidden away through several sets of doors, up a flight of stairs and overlooking a tiny courtyard. It is old, full of mis-matched bits of furniture and plumbing but the location is to die for and the whole thing works for us. We live right in the middle of one of the World’s top tourist destinations with everything in walking distance (there are no vehicles allowed in the old town) all for less than $A60 a night. We are in heaven!

Old Zadar is on a peninsular, making it a near impregnable fortress throughout history. A solid wall surrounds the town, broken in places by gateways. Each gateway is an individual masterpiece of old World charm, most incorporate sections of Roman ruins with one, the Seagate, even using an old triumphal arch. The whole of the old town is very walkable and there is an easily accessible walk bridge across the water divide to the newer area. Most of the bigger hotels are on the newer side so the walkway is filled throughout the day and much of the night with a steady stream of tourists crossing over to soak up the atmosphere. We just walk outside anytime we feel like a dose of ancient Zadar. However, there is a price to pay for the location. Things are quite a bit more expensive than we experienced in Split back in 2012. Part of this would be because the Aussie Dollar is not as generous now as it was then but it is also because we are living right in the heart of touristville. You go to one eatery and the drinks are cheap but the food expensive then the next one goes for the opposite approach. Nowhere is cheap. We have cooking facilities so we hit the supermarkets and planned a program of cooking and eating in. Meat is cheaper than in Italy but otherwise things seem to be somewhat on the dear side. Maybe it settles down once you get outside the old city area.

The history of Zadar is so much a part of the place that we put aside our usual reluctance to visit museums and went to the Zadar Museum of Archaeology. It proved to be a wonderful display of artifacts dating down from Neolithic times to the Medieval Period, with a whole floor devoted to the Roman times. The sheer size and scope of the collection is amazing, with a great number of pieces collected from the immediate vicinity of the town and the nearby areas. What struck us most was the relatively short period of time it took for humans to come out of the stone age and into the sophistication of the bronze age and just how clever they were once they had discovered working with metals. The second floor was devoted to the Roman era and immersed us in a time of incredible organization and civic development. Once again, the display of artifacts far outweighed anything we had seen before and with a Roman Forum laid out before us right outside the door of the museum we were almost transported back to another age. Well worth the visit.

The North Gate, Roman Forum, St Anastasia’s Cathedral

One evening after dinner we walked to the tip of the peninsula to the famous sea organ pipes, a simple yet fascinating structure along the sea wall. A series of holes and caverns have been formed in the steps leading down to the seawall, allowing the waves from the ocean to become trapped underneath and force air through carefully constructed holes. Each one resonates with a slightly different pitch, producing a beautiful church organ type of sound as the sea moves in and out. The stairs extend for about 70 meters along the coast with 35 pipes of different length, diameter and tilts. The pipes play 7 chords of 5 tones. It is a very soulful and restful sound and many people come down to watch the sun set and listen to the calming sounds of the sea organ.

A bit further along is a 22 metre circular light display, powered by solar power generated and stored during the day. By night, the huge display turns on a myriad small lights, arranged to simulate the size and position of the planets. Huge crowds congregate to watch the display come to life as the sun sets.

The highest point in Zadar is the church spire of St Anastasia’s Cathedral so we climbed the 190 steps to take in the views of the city. Narrow spiral stairways usually send Christine into a fit of the heebie-jeebies but she was very well controlled, showing that all this exposure to medieval history is starting to pay off. The views were quite breathtaking, all though we kept a very wary eye on the time lest the damn church bells started peeling while we were next to them. They are deafening from our apartment and that is about half a kilometre away.

Besides the walk bridge over the water there was a tiny little rowed ferry boat that operated from 6am to 11pm. It has been owned by the same family for years and different members take turns to do the rowing. It costs 5HRK ($A1) a trip and they seem to be continually on the move with between 2 and 8 passengers so they must pay their way. We used the service a few times. A charming way to go.

The little rowed ferry boat.

By far the highlight of our time in Zadar, and even of the trip to date, was a day trip on a boat out to some of the nearby islands. We went on the Zvida Mora (www.zvidamora.hr) a small traditional wooden boat, with its wonderfully entertaining and knowledgeable skipper Milan. What helped make the day a highlight was the terrific mix of fellow passengers, which included a family of Brits/Aussies, a lovely couple of girls from Hungary and Norway, and a fun group of young Germans. We all got on really well and tried hard to rid the boat of all alcohol as we went. We snorkeled (some SCUBA dived) in wonderfully clear but icy cold water, we stopped for a beer (which we didn’t need) in a gorgeous little village and we trekked around Osljak, the smallest inhabited island in the Adriatic Sea. Besides handling the boat all by himself and providing a wonderful running commentary of the sights and history, Milan showed off his culinary skills by cooking a magnificent fish lunch. We each got a perfectly cooked whole fish on the bone with some excellent potatoes fried with a herb mixture. The fish was local Seabream, similar to an Australian Bream, full of flavor and firm of texture. The tour followed along the inside of Uglijan Island, passing by numerous gorgeous little secluded coves, usually with a couple of cruising yachts anchored up. I would love to hire a yacht for a week from Zadar and spend some time exploring the huge expanse of water available to cruisers. We had an absolutely amazing day, one that will remain a highlight for a long time.

Our day out on Zvida Mora

For the last five years we have been singing the praises of Split as a top place to visit and stay for a while. Zadar has probably taken the crown away from Split. It is so easy and laid back yet so packed full of charm. Is it the best of Croatia? Only time will tell.

PHOTO GALLERY:

Zadar

Bologna, Rimini, San Marino and Ancona, Italy 2017

June 5, 2017 /

Bologna  28-31 May 2017

We left Nova Levante with Rob and Yvette driving us down to Bolzano to catch a Flixbus to Bologna. The trip was up to the standard we have come to expect from this company and we even find it more convenient than the train. The trip took us through Trento and Modena, strangely by-passing Verona. The bus terminal is in central Bologna not far from the rail station.

As we got organized and loaded our packs ready for the walk to our accommodation, we began to realize just how warm it was. At 32°C, the temperature was a bit warmer than we had been used to up in the mountains and by the time we reached our accommodation we were feeling it.

We stayed at the “We Bologna”, a student hostel that caters for the large university population in Bologna. At around 45€ a night it has to be some of the best value around. We have a large comfortable room with great facilities, access to a well equipped kitchen and laundry and free fast Wifi Internet. We get stared at a bit by the youngsters but then we watch them too. The only real down side is that it is a bit of a walk to the central city, not too hard but the heat can sap ones energy.

The most obvious thing about Bologna is that it is very grubby. After the almost sterile cleanliness of Nova Levante and even Bolzano, this place reeks of “dirt”. Graffiti seems to be the scourge of Italy but it is worse here than any place we have seen. The sidewalks are dotted with all manner of droppings and every crack in the pavement is home to a weed. There are rubbish bins everywhere and although they are well utilized, they are really dirty things to look at. Sorry Bologna, your city is dirty.

It is also extremely noisy, mostly caused by the large number of diesel buses on the narrow streets. There is no subway or tram system. There is an electric trolley bus system running throughout the city but in our three days we would not have seen more than five electric buses. At times it was impossible to have a conversation on the street so bad was the noise.

Now I have had my rant, I can say how incredibly interesting the city is. It is generally much older than other Italian cities, with much of it dating back past the Renaissance to the 11th and 12th Centuries. It also looks very different because there is a lack of marble around the place. The nearest marble deposits are well away from Bologna and so the predominant material is clay brick with terracotta adornments. Many of the grander buildings were have a very rough brick finish, it being the intention to clad them in marble when money and circumstance permitted. It never did, it seems, with buildings well over the five hundred years old mark still sitting awaiting the final finish. This creates a very medieval effect indeed.

Another interesting feature is the use of colonaded buildings. Almost every building older than World War II has a magnificent colonnade on its frontage, making for cool and comfortable walking along the streets. They all stem from a time long past when one or other of the Popes decreed that all buildings must have a portico. Originally, they were commonly built of wood, and a few of these still remain, some nearly 1000 years old. Indeed, Bologna has the World’s longest colonnade, Il Santuario di San Luca with 666 arches creating a covered walkway.

We took a cycle tour of the city with “Bike in Bo”. There was only us and a couple of women from Sicily (although one was an American living and working in Sicily). We cycled through the busy cobbled streets and found it very easy going. There are no hills in the city centre and the traffic is not manic, as it is in some Italian cities. We found the cars and buses to be very considerate, no doubt picking us as foreign fools and worthy of a wide berth. From the English speaking guide we learnt much about the history of Bologna and were surprised at just how important it was as a hub of science and learning during the Renaissance. The city holds many secrets, including the amazing series of canals, once the lifeblood of commerce but now mostly hidden beneath the roads and parks of modern Bologna. What is still evident is the city’s love of towers. There were over 100 towers back in the 13th Century, truly amazing structures built out of clay brick with only a small foundation of stone. Just why they have stood up all these years is a mystery, especially since the area is earthquake prone, the last serious and deadly one being in 2012. Around twenty large towers remain dotted around the central old town. One even leans more than the famous Tower of Pisa. It has a 5 degree lean and it is a little worrying to stand under it.

Around Bologna on a bike tour

We toured the old Jewish Ghetto, the University quarter and the former palace of the Pope and the Italian monarchy. A cycle tour is really great way to get an overview of any city and there is always a little bit of history and local knowledge thrown in by the guide.

Bologna is a dream city for lovers of culture and history. For anyone thinking of coming here, I would suggest avoiding the summer, because we found the heat in the crowded airless streets a bit oppressive even at the end of May.

Rimini 31 May – 3 June

A train was to take us from Bologna to Rimini, a seaside city on Italy’s Adriatic coast. We have done this trip before, travelling through from Venice to Ancona in 2012 and last time Trenitalia stuffed us around at Bologna by changing platforms at the last minute. Well they did it again, but this time the train was just pulling out as we got to the new Platform 6, all after spending an hour and a half waiting on Platform 3 (as advertised). That meant another hour’s wait for the next train.

Along the way, we passed through a regional town that obviously had a large senior secondary school and hundreds of very loud hormone charged youngsters got on a shattered the tranquility in a big way. I recognized all the old tricks of youth, such as teasing a girl horribly if you are actually keen on her so that her cutting relies actually represents a conversation. Then there is wet the boy with the water bottle or water bottle wrestling to show you are really into him. It was all there. We had two girls opposite and one was without doubt the World’s fastest talker. The other girl only managed five words in three stations. The talking girl simply didn’t stop, not once, machine gunning out beautiful tinkling Italian at a hell of a rate. It was really quite musical but someone needed to tell her to shut up.

Rimini is one of Europe’s most famous beach areas with a gorgeous 15km long white sand beach (rather than the more common pebble beaches). It has over 1000 hotels and is very much in the seaside resort mold. There is an old city centre, which boasts some beautiful Roman buildings, but the beach part is more like the south of Spain. Access to the beach is more difficult than in Australia, where we regard the public as having ownership. Here it appears that a beach can be privately owned or controlled, usually filled with deck chairs, umbrellas, waiters and swimming outfits far too small for their occupants. We enquired about hiring a lounge but at 25€ for a back row miles from the water we decided the public beach was more our thing. The one time we did head down to the beach for a swim, the tide was out and we ended up wading in the water like everyone else. The hotel pool proved better, and gave us the first real chance to swim in Europe.

Modern seaside Rimini

We stayed the Hotel Bahama (a good Italian name?) and it proved to be a real gem. Just one block from the beach, it had a lovely pool, comfortable room, very friendly staff and the breakfast cook was a pastry chef of amazing talent. The tablet was set with an endless variety of beautiful treats, flans, cakes, pastries, profiteroles and a tiramisu trifle type of thing. Logic and the figure dictates a look but don’t touch approach but good manners meant that we had to sample the wares.

Fortunately, the hotel has a large fleet of bikes that are free for guests to use so accessing the old town was easy. The streets of Rimini are mostly shaded with street trees and many have dedicated bike lanes. Best of all it is flat. We rode into town along the river, checking out the many boats moored as we went. The first stop was Tiberius’s Bridge, an absolutely stunning marble bridge with four arches spanning the river. Started by the Emperor Augustus in 27BC and completed by Tiberius, it is an incredible piece of work, built so well that it is still in use today.

Rimini or Ariminum was first colonized and built by the Romans in 268BC. Only a few complete structures remain intact, most notably the bridge and Augustus’s Arch, a beautiful marble arch at the opposite end of the city to the bridge. Decorations and marble columns recovered from ruined Roman buildings have been used over the years and incorporated into many buildings. There are also the ruins of an amphitheatre that once seated 12,000 people.

In the late 19th Century, the ruins of several Roman houses were found beneath the Municipal Gardens. These were carefully excavated and an excellent glass enclosure constructed over the whole site, giving some insight into the houses in the ancient city. The use of mosaics on the floors is stunning, with intricate designs and motifs being created out of thousands of tiny coloured pebbles. A few of the walls still bear some signs of the plaster murals that would have adorned the walls. We spent quite a while touring this most interesting exhibit, and later going through the nearby Museum of Religious Artifacts. It is incredible to see just how much beauty and artistic skill has been poured channeled through the church over the centuries. I get that the church had the money and the power to pay the artists of the medieval and renaissance periods and therefore dictated the subject matter and even the interpretations but I do wonder just how much insight into those past times we might now enjoy if the artists had been free to paint the subject matter of their choice.

Old Rimini with its strong Roman heritage

Rimini is comfortable, easy to get around and quite fascinating on a number of levels. I can see why it is a firm favourite with the summer holiday crowds and, equally, it is a terrific stopping point for tourists on the move.

San Marino  2nd June

The World’s firth smallest country has been on our radar ever since we were kids collecting stamps. They always had the prettiest stamps, with weird triangular shaped ones and beautiful images at a time when the rest of the World was content with heads of monarchs and dull public buildings. San Marino is a fully independent nation locked inside Italy, about 25kms inland of Rimini. It is a mountain nation, perched high on an incredible hilltop, surrounded by farm lands and a bit of urban sprawl.  It enjoys a very high rate of employment and has the distinction of being the only country in the World that has a car ownership ratio of more than one car per person.

We caught a bus from Rimini Station to San Marino for the day, riding our hotel bikes to the station. And that is where the good part ends!

The crowd waiting to get on the bus swelled at the last minute and there was quite a bit of pushing involved to get on and get a seat. It was Italian Independence Day  so the crowds were out in force. Somewhere in all the body to body contact, my wallet got lifted. I didn’t discover it until we got to San Marino. Damn! Even though I was the victim, I felt so stupid. We are normally very vigilant in crowds and I keep hands in pockets but it must have been the indignation about a mob trying to push in the bus line that let my guard down. I lost around 200€ and several credit cards, along with my Australian Driver’s Licence.

The bus had dropped us off about five layers of hill top city below the summit. We needed to deal with some banks and check balances before exploring further but to our dismay mobile reception was almost non existent. We could get voice but not data, at least with any consistency. We tried moving around a bit and finally found a spot that we could get by and so managed to transfer some money around before letting the banks know about the lost cards.

San Marino – not that we got to see much of it.

The town provides a convenient system for tourists to explore the town. A little shuttle train carries people to the top of the town for 3 then they walk back down, hopefully shopping and eating all the way. We were too worried about banks and cards to bother and so taking in all the sights went by the board. What we did see of San Marino looks wonderful and it is a must visit spot if you are in this part of Italy but for us it was a bad experience, made worse by the phone situation. With much work to do, we decided to catch the bus back to Rimini so we could sort everything out. Unfortunately, we ended up waiting for two hours at the bus stop because it turned out the bus was operating on normal hours, not the holiday timetable as we had been advised. Of course, it was not San Marino’s Independence Day, only Italy’s.

Back in Rimini, we had lunch and a beer and used the Internet. Then we crossed the road to where we had left the bikes, all chained up. At least they were still there, that is until I tried to get on. Mine had no seat! Damn! They had my wallet AND my bike seat. I had to ride all the way back to the hotel standing up. We dropped in to the local supermarket to grab a couple more beers for the evening. Damn! They were closed for Independence Day.

Ancona  3 June

Our last day in Rimini was really a half day, while we waited for it to be time to catch the train south to Ancona and then the ferry to Croatia. There are regular trains to Ancona but we held off until the afternoon to reduce the time we would have to hang around in Ancona. We borrowed bikes again (with two seats) and road north along the foreshore. Being Independence Day weekend, it was quite busy, although nothing like it will be in the height of summer. It is kilometer after kilometer of hotels, guest houses, pizzerias and small fun parks. The hire out lounges and umbrellas filled the beaches and there were lots of stalls selling beach wear at what appeared to be very good prices. We watched beach volley ball, beach tennis, bowls and bocce along with a few people whizzing down waterslides. The whole beach scene was like one of those complex cartoons that MAD Magazine used to do with fat people, skinny people, people walking their dogs and even some riding their bikes and watching everyone else have fun.

It was warm and I had a niggling calf strain so we took a rare taxi ride to the station. For once, the train left from the correct platform and we took off without an issue. The scenery for much of the hour and a half trip to Ancona was somewhat of a repeat of the morning, except the accommodation gradually became less of the hotel and more of the caravan park. Motor homes actually outnumber caravans here by about 5 to 1 and they really pack them in. The train rushed past the parks and beaches with only 50 metres or so to spare at around 160km/hr. There is one train every twenty minutes or so. It must be very relaxing.

Once in Ancona we had quite a few hours to kill before the ship sailed. The first task was to pick up our tickets so it meant a taxi to the ferry ticket office. Only sometime later did we discover that a free shuttle bus actually drops by the station and goes to the ferry ticket office then on to departure. The taxi driver turned out to be a woman, the first female taxi driver in Ancona and only on the job same. The ticket office was closed of course (they always are) and we sat down for yet another wait. Eventually, 4pm came and the office opened, we picked up our tickets and went out to wait for the shuttle bus to the departure area. Of course, the departure area was closed so we settled down to wait.

Christine was happy to wait but I was getting “waited out” and decided to leave her with all the bags and make the climb up the many stairs to explore parts of Ancona. The city is rich in Roman history, much of it centered around the time of Emperor Trajan. Trajan ruled around 100AD and oversaw the period of the empires greatest expansion. He was a visionary, conqueror and builder and left his legacy on Ancona in the form of many fine public buildings and a very impressive arch.

The Roman ruins obviously had some money spent on then some years ago with a few steel walkways constructed over the excavations around the Forum and some paths formed around the Amphitheatre but all that seems to have fallen into a state of neglect. It is hard to distinguish 2000 year old ruins from 15 year old ruins in some places. The whole city looks to be crumbling, which most European cities are, except here they don’t sweep up the rubble. I enjoyed the walk but felt sad that such beautiful history is not attracting the sort of financial assistance it needs to be adequately preserved.

Views of Ancona with our ship in dock.

Eventually, the immigration office opened and we did the passport thing, joining another Aussie couple from Melbourne to make the trek around to the ship, a large car carrying job. After wandering around the ship for a while, climbing numerous stairways and taking a few wrong turns, we found our cabin and finally dumped the backpacks, What a relief! The ship was not due to sail until 10pm and we managed to sit outside watching the lights of town until 9:30pm before deciding we would have to miss the departure and went down to bed, exhausted. There is nothing quite so tiring as a day spent waiting for things. We were happy to just wake up in Croatia.

GALLERIES:

Bologna

Rimini

Ancona

 

Nova Levante / Welschnofen, Italy 2017

May 30, 2017 /

Nova Levante / Welschnofen,  12-27 May 2017

We arrived in Bolzano by train from Verona and were met by Rob and Yvette in their trusty Blue Peugeot. The ride up through the mountain pass was gorgeous, giving us our first taste of the Dolomites, an area so named because of the preponderance of “dolomite”, a rock formed from limestone under pressure. The clashing of the uplift that has resulted in the Alps and an ancient coral seabed has produced this beautiful area, a wonderful mixture of volcanic and sedimentary origins.

Our home was to be in Nova Levante, also known as Welschnofen, a small town situated up in the mountains about 20km ro so from Bolzano. Everything around seems to have two names, one Italian and one German, because the region was Austrian prior to World War I and remains very much a part of the Tyrols, retaining the German language and culture, The towns and villages reflect the alpine style that is present throughout Austria, Bavaria and Swizterland, with steeply sloping roofs, much use of timber for balconies and deeply overhanging eaves. The town is as neat as a pin, with manicured gardens and pretty flower boxes in abundance. Being built on a steep slope, almost everyone overlooks someone else and that may enforce a spirit of pride or it may be the heritage of Germanic organisation. Whatever the reason, the town is gorgeous and the backdrop of the forested hills and snow clad mountains really sets it off.

Views of Nova Levante

Rob and Yvette’s apartment is on the second floor

Rob and Yvette’s apartment is the second floor of a  three floor building, the top being unoccupied and the first being a very friendly and cheerful local couple. The apartment is spacious enough for the four of us with a feature being the two balconies that give us an opportunity to watch the comings and goings of the village. The main balcony overlooks the houses below, some of which have small attached fields, running a few sheep and donkeys. The rural smell wafts up on most days but it adds to the great atmosphere more than it offends. We spent a lot of time just standing out on the balcony, watching people, animals or the changing moods of the weather over the mountains.

Nova Levante is overlooked by two large mountain systems, the Latemar and the Rosengarten (Rose Garden), which gets its name from the pinkish hue that it gives off as the sun is setting. Both were covered in a healthy dose of snow when we arrived but by the time we left the Rosengarten had lost most of its cover and the Latemar was showing signs of going the same way. Both mountains provide an excellent range of ski runs during the season and the slopes are dotted with ski lifts. A larger enclosed cable car system rises from Nova Levante to Frommer Alm, on the lower slopes of the Rosengarten and open ski lifts rise to higher points. During the summer, many of these continue to operate, carrying hikers instead of skiers. The beauty of the region attracts hikers in numbers which means the town and surrounds is fortunate in having two major tourist seasons. We were visiting between seasons, with the town quiet in terms of visitors but busy in the sense that everyone was flat out with getting things ready for the summer season.

Around Nova Levente

We made good use of the many hiking trails. The attraction is very often the view but this means a climb. Often, we would plod steadily uphill for a couple of hours, steadily gaining height, only to suffer an equally hard downward march, faster but just as hard on the legs. The rewards were always there, the views and the beauty of the forests combining to produce a great experience each and every time. The forest is a mixture of pine, spruce and fir, with incredibly straight and tall trees covering the steep slopes. They are regularly but sustainably harvested, although just how this is done on some of the mountain slopes defies imagination. There are huge piles of neatly stacked logs dotted all over the place and the locals all have enormous stacks of cut and split timber ready to dry over the summer in readiness for the next winter.

Our first serious hike together was from Lake Carezza up towards the Latemar. We were keen on reaching the snow line and we figured it would not be too difficult because it looked as though the snow was still reaching down into edge of the forest. A relatively easy trail took us steadily upwards, the forest changing from a mix of spruce and pine to just spruce alone. We would stop every now and then to admire the view or have a snack. Finally, we reached the tree line and a couple of huts. A few tiny patches of dirty snow were still in evidence, enough to satisfy the girls but Rob and I pushed on across the broken rock and thorn covered gullies to reach the snow proper. It proved to be fairly tough going, the rock shifting under us a lot. Only hiking sticks prevented a really bad fall, although I went over once and Rob did a couple of very graceful slides onto his bum. We managed to reach the snow. I was so tired I didn’t even feel the snow ball that hit me and could only be bothered throwing one feeble one back, wide of the mark. The snow was light and crunchy right to the very edge, a bit of a surprise really. On the way down, we kept stopping to watch awesome avalanches cascade over cliffs and through ravines. The sound was quite incredible. Fortunately, the avalanches were far enough away that we did not get overly concerned and could enjoy the spectacle.

On one occasion, we took the cable car up to Frommer Alm with the intention of hiking down. We estimated the trip down would take maybe half an hour of relatively easy walking. It ended up taking three hours and was quite challenging in parts. However, the views from the cable car and the hike back remains one of the highlights of our stay. Another highlight was a hike up to Jocher Hof, a farm come restaurant high above Nova Levante. On arrival at the farm, we spied a sign offering home cooked apple strudel and we were very happy to be shown inside the farm house into a cosy room overlooking the Rosengarten to be served cappuccinos, hot chocolate and wonderful apple strudel. Such establishments are dotted across the region, ranging from small local farm houses to large and exclusive resorts. Tourism rules here and it is done to perfection, with smiles and friendliness all round.

Cable Car to Frommer Alm

Another time, Christine and I headed off on our own to walk to a place called Stadler Hof. The trail seemed to be visible from our balcony and looked fairly benign. Consulting the map, I guessed that we would have an initial sharp climb up to a track half way up the hill then maintain a fairly level grade around the mountain to our destination. Wow! I called that wrong. We climbed up a horribly steep path for two hours. It was testimony to the need to look carefully at elevations when studying a map. The final destination was spectacular, giving beautiful views of both the Rosengarten and Latemar. Along the way, we had decided that the effort involved justified an apple strudel each at the end, no sharing considered, just one big helping each with lashings of cream. Alas, although the Stadler Hof was very beautiful, it was closed for another two weeks. Fortunately, we had packed an apple and a pear to share. Hardly a reward for effort though.

On our first day in Nova Levante, Rob and Yvette drove us out to Lake Carezza, a nearby attraction. It was hardly a lake however, more like a large puddle of water sitting in a depression, although the magnificent setting and the backdrop of the Latemar covered in snow made it into a lovely scene. The water was crystal clear and gave off a beautiful aquamarine hue. Numerous lake char, a trout like fish, swam in its waters. When Rob and Yvette had arrived a few weeks earlier the lake was even lower and surrounded by snow. As the spring wears on and the melt continues, the lake will fill, not from actual run-off but rather from ground seepage. It is probably this that allows the lake to retain its almost perfect clarity. We re-visited Lake Carezza on our last day in Nova Levante, two weeks later and the lake was a little more than half full. The colours were outstanding. When it is full it must be a real show. By autumn, the lake will have reduced down to a large puddle again and the rescue teams will be out working to net and relocate any lake char caught in drying areas.

Lake Carezza when we first arrived then two weeks later

Life in Nova Levante is dominated by the church bell. All villages in Europe have one or more churches and ringing the bells seems standard practice but in Nova Levante things have got out of hand. The local church has a belfry with what sounds like three bells. Each one will be rung for about a minute then they crank up all of them for several minutes. They ring full peal at 6:30am and again at 7am. Several times, we heard them at 3am, although not the full peal thank goodness. There is a good hammering at noon and a couple of other random blasts throughout the day then one to settle us down around 6pm. Then there are weddings and funerals, which seem to be pretty common.

Christine and I love going food shopping in any one of the three small supermarkets. The assistants enjoy the chance to practice their English and really love helping Christine track down some of the harder to find things (no vegemite though). One time, Christine took two cartons of milk up to a girl to ask what the difference was because they had different descriptions. The girl laughed and turned one carton over to show that they had Italian on one side and German on the other. We always became far more popular when people learned we were Australian rather than British or American. Everyone wants to go to Australia and many have a relative of some kind living there. We found everyone on the town to be extremely warm and helpful. However, Christine did have a fight with a woman in the Post Office, over the cost of mailing postcards to Australia. Christine made the error of saying it was cheaper in Germany so she got shouted at and reminded that she is in Italy so she pays Italian charges. She left without any stamps.

Bands are a big part of the scene in Nova Levante, as they are in many Austrian localities. If there is any excuse whatsoever, the brass band assembles in its finery and marches down the street playing strident marching tunes. They cranked up on two Sundays in a row, headed for the church and mass.  It adds a bit of interest.

We certainly dined well. Unlike our time with the Piscicellis in Trisobbio when we did quite a bit of dining out, in Nova Levante we ate in on most occasions apart from ordering in pizza once and having a lunch in Bolzano. Rob kept us in pasta heaven with his incredible creations. He always says it could be better but the truth is it can’t. He cooked ravioli, penne, tortellini with wonderful sauces, tomato, oil and garlic, pesto, marinara and more. Christine fired back with an amazing Hungarian goulash and dumplings, pasties, chicken cordon bleu, a roast dinner and more. Yvette and I were taste testers. We scored it a 10 all draw.

Bolzano

We took a couple of trips into Bolzano, once by ourselves on the local bus and once in the car with the Piscicellis. The bus route was a long drawn out affair up over a mountain and down again using many switch-back roads and hairpin bends. The normal road was closed due to tunnel work, extending the time the trip took but making for a spectacular ride. Bolzano is a small city, pretty enough in places and very much a blend of the old and the new. The central area is mostly blocked to traffic so walking the streets is easy. However, we found that it could quickly heat up, due to its location in a broad basin surrounded by mountains and the thought of being here in the height of summer is a bit much.

Bolzano is the home of Otzi, the famous 5000 year old iceman that was discovered frozen on a glacier in 1991. It was very nearly an Austrian discovery, with the body being found a mere 94m inside Italian territory. We visited the Museum of Archaeology to see the exhibit. The body is preserved in a special chamber under strict climatic conditions and, given its age, is in remarkably good condition. Of more interest though, is the amazing collection of artifacts  and clothing that was found scattered on the glacier around the body. There is a backpack, shoes, cloak, cap, belt, dagger, bow and arrows and lots more. Forensic tests showed that he died from an arrow wound in the shoulder and subsequent blood loss. More forensics were able to examine his stomach contents and determine the foods that he had eaten. All this took years to uncover and many times the answers were found to be wrong. They should have done it properly in the first place and called in CSI, who could have solved every mystery in a day or so.

Around Bolzano

On another trip to Bolzano with the Piscicellis, we took the cable car up to Renon. The Renon is a high plateau overlooking Bolzano. It contains a scattering of small villages, a lot of hotels and hostels and a quaint little narrow gauge rail that links everything together. The cable car ride is the World’s longest single line trip, coming out at around 4.5kms. It provides magnificent views of Bolzano, the Alps and the incredible pattern of vineyard plantings on the slopes below. Most people seemed to be travelling up on the cable then hiking back down, a thought that was not even tempting after all the hikes of the last few weeks. We were still suffering from our last tortuous climb and Rob was recovering from a thigh strain so we wisely booked a return journey.  Our ride finished at the village of Suprabolzano (Above Bolzano), which was little more than a scattering of hotels and restaurants. We wandered around for a while, had a drink at a café then rode the cable down again. The ride was the star attraction.

****************************

We consider ourselves very lucky to have had the opportunity to experience a little slice of life in the South Tyrols. It is certainly more like living in Austria than Italy and at one point I even made the mistake of starting a statement with “When we get back to Italy….” The people were incredibly welcoming, as they have been almost everywhere we have been. The scenery is amazingly good, especially for the likes of us who used to think Bluff Knoll was a big climb. The culture is interesting, but not that different in the scheme of things. Thanks Rob and Yvette for letting us share in your fabulous Italian adventure.

Click to Play a Video of Our Time in Nova Levante

GALLERIES

Nova Levante

Verona, Italy, May 2017

May 18, 2017 /

12 May 2017 – Prague to Verona

We flew from Prague to Verona, in Italy, on Czech Airlines. It is a short flight of around an hour and a half on a small turbo prop aircraft, comfortable enough and cheap enough to make the much longer trip on either a bus or train out of the question. The highlight of the trip was the flight over the Alps, when the cloud cleared for a section and we got a clear view of the magnificent scenery below. With the plane flying at a relatively low 20,000ft, we were effectively only 10,00ft above the mountains and ski fields and small towns were easily seen.

From Verona Airport we caught an airport shuttle for only 6€ that dropped us off at the Porta Nuovo Train Station, which was in itself only a 300m walk to the Piccolo Hotel. We stayed here on our last visit in 2012 and it proved comfortable enough at a budget price. We were far too early for check in, however, and left our baggage before heading into the city centre.

As we followed the roads, everything was familiar because we had given the city a pretty good going over on the last visit. In hindsight, we could have just got on a train and headed north to Bolzano because we didn’t have much left to see in Verona but the chance to re-visit the beautiful Piazza Bra and the magnificent ancient Roman Arena was too tempting. Part of of our mission was to top up our Italian Vodaphone cards. We had figured that it could be easily done at either the airport or the train station but surprisingly, there was no sign of any such facility. The station had a Wind outlet but nothing else.

Finding a Vodaphone outlet proved to be a major challenge which resulted in us walking a total of 7.5kms in a day. Unlike Australia, where mobile phone outlets are everywhere, in Italy they are hidden places that must be hunted down. Of course one can always Google it, unless of course you are trying to recharge. You can always log onto a free public network but then Google says it is not secure enough and won’t respond.

Along the way, we enjoyed the visual splendour of the lovely Piazza Bra, a huge open square that is dominated by the enormous Roman amphitheatre that is still in use today. To the right of the arena is a large public building built in neo-classical style and on this occasion it was the site of a massed schools choir event. Hundreds of students in school uniform sang their little hearts to the delight of a large amassed crowd.

With prices hitting ridiculous levels around the Piazza Bra we took to the back streets to find an affordable lunch. After rejecting many menus as too expensive or too fancy, we finally found a cute little lunch bar with a good range of paninis on sale and some cold beer on offer. The proprietor was a very jolly chap who welcomed us in and described the ingredients of each available pannini in great detail. It was fairly obvious that his English did not extend much further than the ingredient names but he was keen to try and when he found out we were Australian we became very much flavour of the month. He managed to convey in a mix of English and Italian (which we can sort of follow) that he had a sister in Australia and some friends who had given him a memento. From his wallet he produced his most prized possession, a gold kangaroo pin. We had a great time with the added bonus of tasty food and cold beer.

After much walking we finally located the Vodaphone outlet and stood in a queue for another half hour before we managed to get some more data and call credits. It should not be that hard.

We settled in for a relaxing afternoon at the Hotel Piccolo and to watch the rain settle in. We had already made the commitment to stay in for dinner, with the hotel offering a decent pizza restaurant. A pre-dinner beer at the bar seemed a good idea but we waited around in vain for someone to appear. A number of vending machines containing snacks graced the lobby and it seems the hotel has moved to a “serve yourself” mode of operation. There was a fridge containing beer so we helped ourselves and Christine went behind the bar to source a couple of glasses. More people arrived and we indicated the best way to go. By this time we had discovered that the hotel did not open its restaurant but the menu on offer referred to one at an affiliated hotel and a shuttle bus would run. This was hardly an ideal thing but we took the option anyway and got bussed off to a pleasant place with good food at reasonable prices. However, it was staff by one cook and two wait staff who literally ran through the area in order to keep up service. What is wrong with paying staff for goodness sake?

13 May   Verona to Bolzano

The next morning we slept in late, had breakfast, which mercifully was not out of a vending machine, and hoisted our packs on our backs to march back to the rail station. The train to Balzano follows a beautiful mountain pass featuring picturesque small villages and numerous castles on the rocky cliffs. The only significant city along the journey was Trento, where the train seemed to fill with young University age students. We must be getting a certain amount of travel burnout because the scenery would normally have been a highlight of the trip but by now the sight of towering mountains, crumbling forts and castles and the occasional Roman ruin is just par for the course. What a sad state of affairs.

The train arrived on time in Bolzano or Bozen as it is also called. This part of Italy is the South Tyrol region and is mainly German speaking, having been ceded to Italy from Austria after World War I and everything and everywhere has two names. Rob and Yvette were there again to greet us and we threw the luggage into the Peugeot with French number plates and off we all went, headed for life in the mountains in Nova Levante (or Welschoffen as the majority German speaking population prefer).

Prague, Czech Republic, 2017

May 13, 2017 /

Prague  8-11 May 2017

Prague has long been on our bucket list, having read that it is incredibly beautiful, full of history, crammed full of first class cuisine, the best beer in the World and much lower costs than most other European cities. All of the above is true. This is a city that uses up all the superlatives in very short order.

We arrived from Passau on the Flixbus at around 6pm and had to find a way across town to the other side of the river and the apartment we had rented for our four day stay. Despite being part of the EU, the Czech Republic does not operate on the Euro and has Czech Koruna (or Crown) as its currency with around 17 to the Aussie dollar. We decided to cash some Australian notes at the bus station, even after we had read all the warning signs about scammers giving you Hungarian notes instead of Czech and the prevalence of counterfeit currency. An official changer gave us a good rate then it was off to find a taxi.

The driver didn’t seem to have a meter and wanted a flat 400Kc for the ride. We weren’t in a position to argue though and he gave us quite running commentary of the sights, the problems with the Social Democrat Government, the traffic problems and lots more besides. He explained that our address was only a hundred metres or so from the US Embassy so the car would get checked over for bombs, even though he had been up that street three times previously that day.

Once the car had cleared the inspection, we were dropped off in a tiny one lane cobbled road outside number 8 Vlašská to await the arrival of Michal, our host. We had said we would be there at 7pm and were half an hour early but had no Czech phone SIM to ring him. By 7:10, we were getting cold and irritable so Christine prevailed on a restaurant across the road to ring for us. Michal had thought we were getting to the bus station at 7pm so he apologised and hurried over. He proved to be a very helpful young man and he showed us around the gorgeous one bedroom apartment. The apartment is in The House of Three Swallows, on the ground floor of an ancient building and had a beautiful vaulted ceiling in the kitchen and wonderful carved and decorated open beams in the sitting room.

Central Prague is roughly divided into four areas, Old Town, New Town, Castle District and ours, the Mala Strada or Little District. The surrounding streets and lane ways were simply charming, crammed full of interesting shops, wine bars, beers halls and restaurants. A few blocks away was the main tourist drag (where prices rose accordingly) which was constantly filled with walking tours and guides carrying flags on sticks. Our street was quieter but there was still a steady parade going past our front windows. Our closest big attraction was the beautiful Charles Bridge, built in the 15th Century. These days it is a walking bridge, covered with people, artists, street theatre and the like. Several beggars had regular spots on the bridge and stayed hunched over in a position reminiscent of Yoga’s “Child Pose” but I suspect it was a way of hiding their full bellies from view.

The walk across the Charles Bridge produces amazing views of the Vitava River and across to the Old Town. Each end of the bridge is guarded by a beautiful stone fort that rises majestically up and is topped by a sharp spire. The city is often nicknamed “City of a Hundred Spires” and that is certainly the impression, with multiple towers and spires being visible in most directions. The ability to build stable ten storey towers in the 11th Century is quite an impressive feat.

Charles Bridge

The Little Quarter or Mala Strada is flanked on one side by a huge parkland that would make for perfect strolling grounds amid the huge shady trees if it weren’t for one major problem. It rises almost vertically up the side of a very large hill. At the peak of the hill is the Petrin Tower, a copy of the Eiffel Tower built in 1891. It rises 382 metres above the hill and has two viewing platforms. We climbed up through the parklands, using a complex series of switchback walkways, learning later that there is a funicular railway that achieves the same end. Once there, we continued the torture by climbing the Petrin Tower (and paying quite a bit for the privilege) but the views at the top were actually worth the money and the aching legs.

Little Quarter and Petrin Tower

The other flank of the Little Quarter is taken up with the Castle Precinct, dominated by the enormous Prague Castle, the World’s largest castle complex. We walked down the opposite side through the sprawling monastery complex towards the castle area. However, the weather had taken a turn for the worse so we abandoned plans to check out the castle and began to navigate the numerous flights of steps and alleyways heading in the general direction of home. Occasional glimpses of the Stars and Stripes heralding the US Embassy kept us on a general path and we were rather pleased with ourselves when we emerged right at the head of our little street. Along the way, of course, we had to stop for a beer and a bite to eat. A fabulous candle lit dungeon provided an excellent refuge from the now heavy rain and we were served up with delicious sausage, hot mustard and crumbed fried camembert cheese. A half litre of excellent draft beer cost us a whopping $A1.60 each. Another day, we went back to this little gem and were rewarded with marvellous goulash and slow cooked pork with dumplings and sauerkraut. The Czechs really know how to cook good cold weather food.

The following day was fine, although cold with a forecast maximum of 9 degrees. We rugged up and walked across Charles Bridge to the Old Town. It is very hard to find the words to describe the beauty of the Old Town and its incredible Town Square. Walking progress is slow at times because there is so much to stop and look at. Almost every building has something special about it and everything is different. Thousands of statues adorn the plazas or cling to the outside of the many majestic buildings. Intricate designs are etched into the plastered exterior walls, baring the underlying stone and producing some amazing effects. Many fine mosaics decorate the faces of churches and civic buildings, often using small cubes of glass to produce the designs. So much of the finery in other cities dates from the 18th Century but here it shows off how advanced the culture was as far back as the 12th Century.

On the walls of the Town Hall tower is a famous astronomical clock which simultaneously shows the time in normal 24 hour time as well as complex movements of the sun and moon along with time on the old Bohemian timescale. Given that the original clock was manufactured in 1410 it is a remarkable mechanism.

The Old Town

The sheer concentration of well maintained ancient buildings is down to the fact that Prague survived World War II largely unscathed. In fact, there was probably more damage and neglect arising from the years of communism and Soviet domination than anything else. Evidence of ongoing restoration and repair work is everywhere but, equally, there is plenty left to do. The beautiful city is not quite in the same state of maintenance as Turin or Milan but the hordes of tourists are bringing in the dollars and things will change rapidly. The Czech Republic has a strong economy with the lowest rate of unemployment in the EU so big public works are part of the way of life.

After wandering the Old Town and the adjoining Jewish quarter, we hopped onto a tram without really knowing where it was going. We had bought a three day pass to the public transport system and so far hadn’t used it so a jaunt on the trams seemed like a good idea. It is a great way to cover big parts of the city. The tram stops display very good maps of the city and the tram lines so the only hard part is figuring out which way the trams were headed. Only once did we get it wrong and then it was just a matter of getting off and swapping sides. Some of the trams are ultra modern jobs while others are rattling remnants of the communist era. We roamed around on one tram somewhere up behind the castle until we spied a large supermarket and a post office, both on our list, and jumped off. Our chores complete, we consulted the map, chose a tram number and were very pleased when we managed to get off only a couple of hundred metres from home.

On our last full day in Prague, the weather was fine and the temperature up to a warming 15 degrees so we climbed the dreaded hill once more to Prague Castle. We found the main entrance gates into what looked to be a somewhat uninspiring courtyard, a series of large mostly 18th and 19th Century buildings well adorned with carvings and statues but not particularly special. Once through the security checks on the gate and inside the enclosure, things changed quickly. The castle as such is really an enormous complex of buildings of all ages, fortifications, plazas chapels and totally dominated by the massive St Vitus Cathedral. We have said it a few times before in Europe but this is the most impressive church yet for us. Much of the building dates from the reign of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV in the 14th Century and is an amazing example of a gothic cathedral with beautiful stained glass work and majestic supporting columns. We spent more time here than we usually do in the churches. We spent even more time outside just viewing the building’s finery from all angles. It is truly inspiring.

We had followed the advice of the guide books and arrived at the castle early, giving ourselves time to move around and explore the huge grounds in relative peace before the big crowds arrived. As we worked our way back to the entrance, the going got harder with a sea of people and selfie sticks coming at us. We pushed through and skirted around the castle into the palace gardens to wander amongst the many fine trees planted there. It proved most informative because we had wondered at many of the trees we had seen so far on our travels and the botanical garden section managed to name most of the ones we had encountered to date.

Prague Castle and St Vitus Cathedral

From the castle we caught a tram back down the hill to our apartment for a bite to eat, finding a great little deli to buy some rolls and mortadella. Then it was off back across Charles Bridge to a funny little shop called Prague Dolls that specialsed in Miska Dolls, the nesting kind. They had sets of dolls featuring AFL teams so we bought one of the West Coast Eagles, with Priddis, Gaff, Shuey, Sheed and Mastin. We got a set for Rob too and a Dockers one for Yvette. We realise that a set of AFL dolls is a pretty weird memento of Prague but they were so cute we couldn’t resist.

The New Town

Then we headed into the New Town area. Even though some of the buildings in the New Town are still many hundreds of years old, the newer influences are all there, with a few glass and steel jobs and quite a few bland and boring 1950s and 60s boxes. What is impressive are a couple of huge wide open boulevards, intersecting the streets and opening up the city with some lovely vistas. The best known of these is Wenceslaus Square, not really a square as such but long avenue largely closed to vehicles. One end was crowded with people around a free concert to promote Cancer Awareness.

We walked some more before stopping at a terrific little bar for a beer and fried onion rings. Christine was showing signs of spitting the dummy on more walking so we got on a tram to work our way home. After around 10 stops we decided that the tram was going the wrong way but we had seen lots of interesting things and it was a simple matter to switch trams and ride back. Eventually, we did get off a little early so we could walk and scope out some eateries for later that night.

Our apartment hosts drove us to the airport, picking us up at 5.15am, and charging a fraction of what a taxi would have cost. We ended up giving both our hosts and the apartment a rave review because the place was fantastic, especially the location. Prague and The House of Three Swallows will be talked about for years to come.

House of Three Swallows
Vlašská Pension
359/8 Vlašská 118 00 Praha, Czechia

Danube Cruise and Cycle – May 2017

May 10, 2017 /

Danube Bike Cruise  30 April-7 May 2017

We boarded our cruise ship (river barge?) in Passau on schedule and were soon settled into a small but very well equipped cabin. The ship is beautiful and has all the latest mod-cons, although as usual on cruise boats, money is the key. We saved ourselves a bit of money by buying and economy cabin that was cheaper because it was close to the engine room and suffered from noise during night time passages. It wasn’t nearly as loud as we had been led to believe and it didn’t worry us at all. However, we spent a little more by choosing a middle deck cabin rather than the lower deck, thereby scoring a full sized picture window well above the waterline.

Vessel Notes

  • MV Carissimar
  • Length  110m Width 11.4m
  • Draft   7m
  • Decks 3
  • Cabins 75
  • Passengers 150
  • Speed 21  km/h

Our route will take us from Passau in Germany, through Austria, Slovakia (stopping at Bratislava), Hungary (with a stop and a turn-around in Budapest), back into Austria (with a stop in Vienna) and back to Passau. The whole trip is eight days.

At the end of the cruise we had clocked up 172km on the bikes.

Life aboard the ship was very comfortable with some terrific company. We had two other Aussie couples, Sonja and Ray from Brisbane and Jenny and Darren from Melbourne. Dining seating was arranged by language spoken and we shared a table with a lovely English couple, Heather and Phillip, from Newark near Nottingham. There was also Barb and Bob from Alberta, Canada in our little group of English speakers. Most of the other passengers were German speaking although there was also a large contingent of Dutch. The meals were generally of a high standard with breakfast being a buffet and dinner four courses with some degree of choice. The wait staff, who mostly seemed to come from various Balkan countries, had a very strict set of rules, which included not changing seats. We delighted in breaking the rules and after a while the staff came to enjoy and share in our quirky sense of humour. I had a habit of ordering the chicken when presented with a choice of meals, even when it was sweets or there was no chicken offered and eventually they responded by doing a chicken dance for us.

Like all organised tours, there were a lot of rules and timetables to comply with. We were issued with the “Yellow Document” that gave strict times that had to be adhered to at the risk of being left behind. Daily announcements seemed to run to a somewhat different schedule to the “yellow Document”. We also received a daily “Cycling Briefing” where the complexities of the day’s cycle pathway were fully explained yet never fully understood. We never actually became lost but we had a couple of close calls and managed to rescue a few fellow cyclists at times.

The main guest manager was obsessed with hygiene, not an unreasonable obsession with 150 close packed guests on one ship, but obsessive all the same. Dispensers of hand sanitizer were positioned at every door way and instructions to “sanitize your hands please” were forthcoming on each and every boarding. I saw the logic and even agreed with it but it was hard to take at times.

Each day of cycling involved around 42km, mercifully mostly on the flat. We had paid the extra for an electric assist bike. We still had to pedal but at least we could kick in the help juice when the hills appeared. The bikes were of exceptional quality and brand new. However, unlike our e-bikes at home, there was no option to stop pedalling and simply apply the throttle. Our legs had to keep moving all the time so we still suffered the same degree of soreness and chaffing that the others copped. We were supplied with a pannier bag and handle-bar bag each, along with a spare tube and repair kit (luckily we didn’t need either).

Breakfast before a riding day was a fashion lovers nightmare. There was lots of lycra on show, complete with outlined rolls of flesh that should have been disguised under more voluminous clothing. Some people, like us, didn’t possess the full gamut of the real gear that true cyclist collect. We went out in thermal underwear, with shorts and T-shirts on the outer, raincoats to keep out the bitter wind and beanies instead of helmets. We wanted to wear helmets but there was simply not room to bring them in our luggage. The boat would sell us one for $A35 but that times two is a lot for five bike rides and there was no option to rent. Helmet use is not compulsory in Germany, Austria, Slovakia or Hungary unless you are under 15 so we went without.

The riding programs varied considerably from one day to the next. Out first day’s ride was through National Park alongside the Danube, almost all on cycle paths. Every so often we had to part with 2€ each to get on a ferry to cross to the other side of the river and sometimes the lure of a coffee stop or a lunch break would see us pull over and nurse our aching backsides. The scenery was spectacular, with magnificent forests covering the hills rising steeply above the fast flowing river. The river flow was being continually added to from streams entering along the valley, some creating lovely little waterfalls beside the road. It was quite charming and rather easy going. However, 43kms still works at the body even if the path is easy and the end was always a welcome sight.

Over the course of the week, we undertook four big rides, three of them 43km long and one 37km. We spent another afternoon riding in Vienna. Of the total distance, the vast majority was on well formed bike paths with the occasional stretch of road riding. This was mostly safe and secure except for one rather nasty 5km bit in Hungary where we had cars passing us at high speed on a fairly narrow country road. Most days we had to use a ferry at some point to cross the river, involving small ramp on vessels that charged around a couple of Euros to cross. One ferry in Hungary charged a whopping three Euros and only ran once per hour. We made it in good time but as we pulled out we could see others pedalling furiously along the river bank trying in vain to make the ferry.

There were a variety of little towns and villages dotted along the course of the ride with many cafes and small restaurants. Most were not open, with May being a little early in the tourist season. However, we did enjoy stopping for coffee and some form of delicious cake. Every form of cake or strudel is available in large quantities throughout Bavaria, Austria and Hungary and it is always cheap. Beer is also cheap but having a beer half way through a long ride is not recommended. We carried a packed lunch supplied by the boat and groups of riders would usually choose a pretty spot by the side of the river to stop for a break.

The cruise visited a number of major cities and some smaller cities or larger towns along the way. Sometimes we would stop overnight but usually the ship would depart at a later point and we would awake tied up somewhere new.

Bratislava

Bratislava is the capital city of the Slovak Republic (Slovakia). We rode into Bratislava from further upstream, crossing the border from Austria. On the Austrian side of the river there was a museum devoted to the Iron Curtain which featured a concrete bunker, layers of barbed wire and a system of trenches. I guess in times past most countries would have maintained some form of naval presence on the Danube but now many of the countries along its flow have open borders. We had the afternoon to explore Bratislava. The main feature is a huge castle that overlooks the city and houses many priceless art works and the Slovakian Crown jewels. The walls of the castle run down the steep hillside to be incorporated into the old part of the city, full of very beautiful buildings, stately apartment blocks and several open walking streets with shady trees down the middle. The weather was cool but good for walking and, as in all new cities, we stopped to sample the local brew and watch the passing parade. The streets seemed crisper and cleaner than most other places and everything was well organised. Bratislava created a very good impression.

Bratislava, Slovak Republic

Budapest

Budapest in Hungary was our turn-around point and we spent a whole day and most of the night there, giving the passengers a chance to really explore. There was an optional 52km ride to a nearby town but the aching muscles ruled that out and we opted instead for a bit of walking. As previous visitors to the city, some of the others picked our brains for the best way to see the city in a short space of time and I was relieved when the advice I gave turned out to be accurate. Luckily, I could go back and read earlier writings in the blog to refresh my memory. It was funny to read that I had noted an experience with an incredibly rude waiter because a lot of our friends ended up reporting similar experiences, including a waiter who yelled at people for not ordering Hungarian food and a woman in a shop who demanded that visitors to Hungary must try to speak Hungarian.

While in Budapest, we noticed with concern that we had mucked up on some of our bookings for later in the trip, booking a week in Trogir, Croatia for May instead of June. We needed access to better Internet than the boat seemed to be supplying so we decided to head out and find a cafe with good internet and have a solid session on the emails and bookings to see if we could rectify things before we started losing deposits. To do this, we needed a few Forints, the Hungarian currency but we had little other need of any, with lunch being available on the boat. I went ashore to an ATM and withdrew F1000, the minimum amount then realised half way back to the boat that I had withdrawn a whole $A4.68,probably not even enough for two coffees. The ship was docked on the Buda shore of the Danube so we crossed the famous Chain Bridge to the Pest side and wandered down a beautiful walking street. Most establishments were not yet open but we finally found one that was starting to open up. We asked if they took Euros but they said no. We explained that we only had F1000 and it appeared that that would buy us two coffees with a little change so we settled in to use their Internet. On this occasion we were lucky to find some friendly and helpful Hungarians.

Beautiful Budapest

Budapest by night is the most beautiful city we have visited, surpassing even Paris. On the Pest bank, the incredible Parliament Building under flood lights is beyond belief while on the Buda side the imposing Buda Castle and inspiring Matthais Church with adjoin Fishermens Bastion look down over the river. The Chain Bridge joins the two banks in a wonderful show of 19th Century ironwork. To top all this off, we were entertained by a glorious display of forked lightning crackling down over the city and heralding a good dose of torrential rain. We were safely aboard the ship and dining at the time, although some of our new friends were experiencing the deluge first hand.

Vienna

Austria’s capital city was by-passed on our downstream leg but on the return journey we pulled in for an afternoon and evening, allowing passengers some time to explore or go to a concert in the evening. Once again, we had done most things on our previous visit to Vienna so were content to just take ourselves into the city on a tram and the Metro to walk for a while and visit our favourite Wurtzel Stall. This proved harder said than done and we spent nearly an hour of our time just getting away from the ship and onto the right tram, mostly due to poor directions from the briefing. A lot of us had difficulty following the Austrian guide, not so much because her English was bad but more that her way of explaining things might have worked well in German but failed to translate across.

A Wurtzell Stall in Vienna is one of our fondest memories from our last trip with tasty Bratwurst and Currywurst, wholesome German bread and good Austrian beer. I consulted a map and made my best judgement about its location, deciding that it was most likely located in Stephenplaza. After a few errors with the Metro and the trams we made our way to what we thought was the right station, emerged from the underground and there, right before us, was our Wurztle Stand. Despite that fact that we had just had a big lunch on the ship, we still managed to squeeze down the extra 1000 calories on offer at the Wurztel Stand and confirm our memory of this being so much better than anywhere else we have tried German sausage.

Vienna is a city whose history conjures up a lot of romance. Music and concerts are advertised everywhere and there is a lot of choice when it comes to performances, both classical and modern. The architecture reflects the history as the capital of one of Europe’s great empires and there are many grand buildings to be seen. However, the city is rather disjoint and has integrated the newer post war buildings rather poorly in my opinion. On the northern bank there is a cluster of new steel and glass high rise buildings which display an interesting variety of shapes and forms but on the older bank of the river the mix of old and new is not so appealing. The parks dotted throughout the city probably save it, because they provide some welcome relief to the endless stone walls and statues that adorn everything. The mix of parkland and architectural splendour comes to a head at the Hapsburg’s Imperial Palace, which remains a must see part of the city. On this trip, we did not do it justice at all, so we were very glad that we had done a good job on our first visit and could afford to have a fairly relaxed day. Tomorrow it is back on the bike.

Vác and Esztergom, Hungary

We rode the 43kms between a couple of smaller Hungarian towns, passing through a number of tiny hamlets along the river. Before setting off, we explored the main centre of Vác and discovered a delightful town square surrounded by charming buildings, all very nice but then we have now seen too many beautiful towns to count. The cycle trip was rather different however, with the small Hungarian hamlets displaying a somewhat different character to those in Austria. The houses had very steeply pitched roofs, with many being and actual A-frame structure. Blocks were larger, with gardens in front and a vegetable plot at back. It looked very comfortable. Along the river bank were numerous tiny huts, presumably for fishing camps. Each one had a fine net suspended out the front on a high tripod. We wondered at the purpose, possibly a net for gathering bait or maybe there are shrimps of some kind in the river.

As we approached the end of the ride at Esztergom we began to see the enormous dome of the Basillica of Esztergom, an enormous structure perched high on a prominent cliff alongside a fortress of considerable size. The closer we got the more the structure seemed to dominate the view. With plenty of time before the boat docked, we decided to ride up through the town to inspect the basilica and catch the view. Fortunately for us, putting the e-bikes in 1st gear and full power makes light work of the very steep climb to the top. The heavily cobbled streets don’t help either and at one point, going up through a narrow lane to a draw bridge into the castle, it was more like serious mountain biking. The view was worth the effort and even the ride itself through the picturesque streets was thoroughly enchanting. Esztergom is a town worthy of a visit.

Esztergom, Hungary

Krems, Dürnstein and Melk

Our final ride was in Austria, after a day in Vienna, when we cycled the 37km from the town of Krems to Melk. We were looking forward to a ride 6kms shorter than the usual 43km but as it turned out, we nearly did the extra distance just getting out of Krems. Krems is a pretty enough little town with the usual scattering of old churches, the odd bit of fortification and numerous 19th Century apartment blocks. However, the ride briefing failed to give us really clear instructions for getting through Krems and onto the Danube cycle path so we spent nearly an hour wandering around looking for signs. We weren’t alone, with lots of cyclists buzzing about calling out instructions to others or calling for help. Somehow, we all made it out of town and onto the path. The day’s ride was easily the most picturesque of the cruise, taking us through the Wachau Valley, a wine growing region of some renown. Every village we passed through was gorgeous, made more by the numerous outlets offering wine tasting. Given the early hour and the fact that wine and cycling don’t mix we resisted the temptation.

The path took us through the village of Dürnstein, first mentioned in 1192 when, in the castle above the town, King Richard I of England was held captive by Leopold V, Duke of Austria after a dispute during the Third Crusade. The castle, which was damaged beyond repair by a Swedish army in the 17th Century, is an imposing sight on the hill over the village but it is the village itself, nestled amongst the ruins of the castle’s old fortifications, that gives the true charm to the place. We actually found Dürnstein to be the most charming village we have yet encountered, a big call given the number of beautiful little hamlets we have been through so far. Unfortunately, the rest of the World shared our opinion and the narrow streets were filled with tour groups. We had been warned of this and had not attempted to ride our bikes through the village. The good thing about the tour groups was that there were lots of tour guides operating in English so we could listen in for free. There was ambience everywhere, little cottages, cute little shops, smart pensions, arched bridges etc, the place had the works. A lot of shops were selling a local version of fire water made from apricots, fermented and distilled into a 40% alcohol brew that we definitely resisted trying. Later, we were presented with a miniature bottle of the stuff by Heather and Phillip, fellow cyclists from Britain. We will be forced to try it some time.

Durnstein Castle

Summary

This cruise was one of the best experiences we have had and will remain a highlight of our lives for many years to come. Not only did we make some wonderful new friends (thank you to Phillip and Heather, Sonia and Ray, Jenni and Darren, Barb and Bob) but we proved that there was still a little bit of puff in these two old farts and managed to clock up 172kms of cycling along the Danube River. We loved the cruising lifestyle, survived the excesses of food and beverage and added enormously to our developing understanding of the heritage of European life that it so fundamental to, yet so poorly understood by Australians.

In hindsight, we were incredibly lucky with the weather given the time of year. The only rain we had was on rest days in the cities and no ride was ruined with bad weather. At times it was a bit on the chilly side but cycling in the cold is much better than the hot weather.

There were also a number of people on board who did not cycle. I confess that I would find such a cruise rather boring if I had to spend most of the time on the boat. The shore going past is interesting enough but not for eight days. Indeed, some of the cruises go right through from the Black Sea along the Danube, through the new connecting canal, into the Rhine and on to Amsterdam, taking around 20 days. I would go mad. The cycling was the key to this cruise.

We booked our tour with Rad+Reisen, an Austrian company that runs cycling tours in many parts of the World. The bikes were first class and the organisation excellent, although some of the actual daily briefings fell short of the mark. As an experience, I can only recommend it. https://en.radreisen.at/

 

Milan, Munich and Passau, Germany 2017

May 8, 2017 /

Milan   23 – 25 April 2017

We left Trisobbio today, with more than a few regrets. Life here has been wonderful and we will miss our gorgeous little village on the hill with its castle and church but it is time to move on and give the Piscicellis back their apartment. Rob and Yvette drove us to Ovada to catch the train to Genoa and we took a local train on the 1 hour 50 minute trip to Milan. Along the way, I watched the seeding operations in the wheat fields. Compared to back home in Dowerin, the process was simple, with small tractors pulling tiny seeding units across fields not much bigger than a football field. However, the land looked very productive and there were lots of them so there must be a decent yield.

The train delivered us to Milano Centrale, one of Europe’s biggest rail stations with more than 20 platforms. It took quite a bit of walking to get out of the place but we found the taxi rank with little difficulty. This was the first taxi we have used on this trip in Italy. We normally get away without them but our hotel location made it difficult to use public transport with heavy backpacks.

The taxi driver bundled us in, took the address then started driving out of the rail station into the traffic. I noticed that he was playing “Candy Crush” on his smartphone while driving so I growled something about “playing games” and he threw the phone onto the passenger seat alongside him. However, it was soon back in his hand but hidden from my view, forcing him to change gears with the wrong hand and no hands on the wheel. Christine typed out a clear instruction to cease on Google Translate and showed it to him. “No,” he said, “I need GPS.” Then he showed us the phone on Google Maps. After that, he did use two hands to drive but drove a lot faster just to show us he was still the boss of the taxi. We gave him the exact change.

Milan is one of Italy’s great cities and has numerous buildings that make you stop and stare in amazement. Overall, it lacks the grand scale open piazzas and sweeping vistas that so impressed us in Turin but the buildings are grander and more impressive. It houses many great art treasures, including da Vinci’s “Last Supper”. Getting a viewing is a long process so we skipped that, along with Michelangelo’s last unfinished sculpture but we go the idea and settled with copies.

The Duomo Cathedral is at the heart of Milan, on the site of the ancient Roman Forum. Roads radiate from here and ring roads circle it, following the lines of the various old town walls, expanded outwards as the city grew. The Duomo was the site of a church as long ago as 355AD and parts of that still remain beneath the current cathedral. Its modern form was commenced in 1386 and built in stages over the years until its final completion was commenced under Napoleon’s rule in 1805 so that Napoleon could be crowned King of Italy within the walls of the church. Work goes on well into modern times and incomplete bits are always in evidence. The effect of the many rising spires and countless sculptures clinging to the walls and battlements is simply stunning. The white stone of the facade gleams in the sunlight. No wonder the square in front is always packed with people.

Milan. The Duomo is at the bottom and Sforza Castle at top left.

The piazza of the Duomo is also home to a pigeon population to rival Venice. People purchase small packs of grain so they can be photographed covered in pigeons. However, covered in pigeons means covered in crap so it was not for me. Neither was sitting eating my lunch, as hundreds of people were doing while pigeons flew around overhead. We counted ourselves lucky to get away unscathed.

The dominant building in Milan is the Sforza Castle, the main structure of which dates from the 15th Century. It was severely modified under Napoleon’s rule, who seemed to delight in tearing down the work of previous rulers, but restored towards the end of the 19th Century and again after damage from bombing in WWII. Today it’s huge courtyards are open to the public and forms the focus of long walkways from the Duomo through to rambling open parklands. Many of the important museums and galleries are housed within the walls of the castle. Unlike most of the other castles we have visited so far, the Sforza Castle is built on flat land, a blessing seeing as our legs are feeling rather sore from all the walking. Indeed, all of Milan is built on flat land and used to have a huge system of canals, partly designed by Leonardo da Vinci, but only a couple remain today.

We were puzzled by the sight of very long lines of people queuing to gain entry to a small bakery in an alley near the Duomo. People also covered most of the nearby steps and walls as they sat and ate what looked like slices of a rather doughy pizza-like substance. The long lines put us off testing the food but it had to be something good, although how one store can sell pizza so much better than anyone else’s in the land of pizzas is hard to understand. A bit of research showed that this was the famous Luini Bakery, established in 1949 when Giuseppina Luini came from Puglia and began baking a type of panzerotta popular in Puglia. It is a pocket stuffed pastry filled with mozzarella cheese and tomato. No wonder it was so popular. We had sampled one at a small stall near Sforza Castle earlier without knowing what it was. Not a pizza at all but very yummy.

Milan has a lot of public transport, with an extensive Metro Underground, trams and trolley busses. Our hotel was around 5km from central Milan so we used the Metro to cross the city and trams to move within the central area. An all day pass costs 4.50€ so it was excellent value. Our hotel was on the Yellow M3 line, the latest Metro line that featured driverless trains. Sitting at the very front afforded a great view of the tunnel and approaching passing trains. Even weirder was a seat at the very rear to watch the tracks melt away into the darkness. However, in a country with youth unemployment running at in excess of 25% I think that driverless trains is something they can do without.

Our trip into the city centre on 25th April was really relaxed and easy because it is a public holiday, not for ANZAC Day of course, but for Independence Day, representing the day that the Milan and Piedmont rebels overthrew Mussolini and the Nazis. The streets were quiet, despite the fact that most shops were open and at least half the restaurants were also closed.

Nearby our hotel was a large modern shopping mall, similar in layout to most the world over. It was really handy because it had a large supermarket that supplied all our needs. The top floor had a food hall of sorts with a range of different offerings, including a Spanish themed place that offered such a great range of tapas that we were wishing we had time to work our way through the entire menu.

The weather in Milan has been excellent, with maximums in the high teens, great for walking. From here we head over the Alps through Switzerland to Munich, where we can expect snow and temperatures only a little above zero. The bus will be warm but we have to get out at stops so it is drag out the beanie and scarf time.

Is Milan recommended? Absolutely!

Bus Trip Milan to Munich  – 26 April 2017

We caught a Flixbus to Munich. The original plan was to use the Metro to cross town to Lampugnano Bus Station but fate intervened with a terrible back pain, not Christine this time, but me. I have no idea what did it but it was the same old issue, with the legs barely working and the muscles threatening to go into spasm. We know now that pain control is the only real solution and that it is a 48 hour issue if treated properly. So we caught another taxi.

The taxi driver was named Franco and was a riot, quite unlike the guy we had on arrival. He told us he knew all the ways to get around the traffic jams that the rain had created and gave a running commentary as he used back streets, changed direction and shot down bus lanes. The whole trip was very entertaining. Incredibly, it was like he jumped ahead of us to meet us in Munich, because the next guy was just the same, except for the German accent. He described in detail the upcoming important soccer match between Munich and someone that was bringing the city to a halt and ruining his night’s takings. This guy knew all about Australia because he had seen Crocodile Dundee. Both were friendly, spoke good English and were very entertaining.

The bus trip proved to be a highlight of the trip so far. We had been across the same route heading south from Frankfurt but it was at night. This time we crossed the Alps in daylight. What a drive. The early part of the drive took us through Como with its beautiful lakeside scenery. Once into Switzerland and climbing, the snow commenced and it was covering the pine trees, creating a forest of perfect Christmas trees. The snow fall was heavy enough to make everything white and fresh but didn’t create dangerous conditions on the roads. Below the snow line was a glorious carpet of green fields, quaint villages and fast flowing rivers. Scores of long waterfalls plummeted down from the towering cliffs. Higher up there were huge mountains, fairy tale snow covered hamlets and deep valleys traversed by high bridges. It was amazing and even the two Austrian women in front of us were busy with their cameras.

Crossing the Alps with Flixbus

I confess to being a little nervous about an alpine crossing in snowy conditions but the driver was very careful and at no time did I feel insecure. We reached Munich in the early evening, just in time for the peak hour rush and crawled our way into the bus station.

Munich   26-27 April 2017

Our accommodation in Munich proved a real winner. Rather than a hotel or AirBnB, we opted for a “Pension” or boarding house. This one (Mona Lisa Pension) had seven rooms in total, each with en-suite, and was attached to an Indian Restaurant called the Sitar. It was perfect, with our own secure entrance to the building, a lift facility rather than endless flights of stairs, great central heating and a wonderful location in the heart of the old part of Munich. The only thing lacking was any form of self catering, but we found a fantastic bakery with take-away coffee and piles of delicious offerings just around the corner. We also sampled the Indian fare and found it well priced and tasty.

My back improved steadily and we were able to explore the inner parts of Munich without doing our usual long haul of around 10kms a day. The Metro system helped us move a bit further afield to check out some of the history of this famous Bavarian city. One beautiful area was around the Isartor, one of the surviving medieval gates to the old walled city. Behind the restored walls is a market area that would have been an absolute feast of food if the weather had been better. The cold and steady rain put a lot of people off and the streets were quiet and more than half the stalls closed. There was little incentive to sample the beers stalls either because the thought of drinking beer outside in 5 degrees was too much. Later, at the central station, a wurztel stall did tempt us with a delicious plate of Curry Wurztel, which we would normally wash down with an ale but even the warmth inside the station didn’t tempt us. Wurztel stalls sell various types of sausage, along with a variety of sauces and a healthy serve of good German beer, usually from a small kiosk in a town square. A few standing height tables provide a space to consume the goodies and watch the passing parade while indulging in the ultimate gluttony.

Munich on a fine spring day would be wonderful. It is a shame that we have been here in such cold weather but then we have been lucky so far with an unseasonably warm spell. Furthermore, the local farmers were starting to fret, as they were in northern Italy, because even in Europe they can experience water shortages later in the summer.

Around Munich. Note the snow on the cars and the scene from the train.

We woke on our second and last morning in Munich to light snow. The cars lining the street where covered and the nearby trees had a charming white dusting. It took ages to get fully dressed to head out and around the corner to buy a coffee and a couple of rolls for breakfast but the scene along the street was delightful. As the morning wore on, the snow turned to sleet then rain. Fortunately, we did not have far to walk to enter a Metro station and get to the Central Railway Station for our train to Passau. My back had improved to the point where the backpack was not too bad and we got to the train without issue.

The train trip was only a couple of hours. The scenery just outside Munich was gorgeous with a heavier fall of snow covering the whole countryside. I am not sure how the farmers cope with snow so late in the season because there was a lot of wheat already growing and most of the canola was flowering. Hopefully, the effect of a light snow cover is not the same as a frost back in Australia. As the trip wore on, my back decided it had had enough sitting for one day and started to really hurt so I was very glad to get out at Passau, even though it meant loading the pack again and trudging through steady rain in very cold conditions.

Passau  28-29 April 2017

The rain destroyed our plans to walk to our accommodation, a trip of only about 1km, and we took a taxi. The driver dropped us at the entrance to Passau University and indicated that our address was somewhere within. After a bit of searching and help from students, we located our lodgings, a room in an apartment through AirBnB. This part of the University was once a monastery and we were lodging with the director of the student accommodation. We had a small room on the fourth floor (no lift) and the use of bathroom and kitchen. It was not ideal but it was cheap and central, two things that all other accommodation wasn’t. The worst thing was the smell. We couldn’t really identify it but it was definitely a stale food type smell, maybe the result of cooking in a closed environment over the cold season. It wasn’t the smell from “Jerry” the cat that seemed to revel in scratching all guests’ baggage and legs but I could have happily turned Jerry into stale food given the choice. He seemed to be the true owner of the property and was one of those repulsive cats.

Despite the rain, we spent a couple of hours wandering the charming streets of Passau. The city is located on the junction of the Danube, Ilz and Inn Rivers. It has a population of around 50,000, of which students comprise a significant proportion at 12,000. Passau has a rich history dating back into medieval times and was an important part of the Holy Roman Empire and the Austrian Empire. The streets are lined with beautiful buildings and shops full of charm and character. A couple of modern shopping malls take up the centre of the city but don’t detract. In the cold and wet weather, they provided us with a safe haven to dry off and seek some food for lunch.

Our second day in Passau was beautiful. For a start, the other occupiers of our accommodation were away in Prague for the day. Almost as good was the weather, with a cessation to the endless rain and a rise in temperature from a very chilly 5 to a bearable 12 degrees. We still set forth in long-uns and full length thermal underwear but at least the coats came off at times during the day. The worst part was entering a shopping centre, where they insisted on maintaining a steady 25 degrees. We were doing the full strip tease when only metres inside the doors.

Our final day in Passau was largely one of waiting for the cruise boat. In the morning, we found it at Dock 13 as expected and probably the most convenient location for our lodgings. Walking across town with our backpacks would not be difficult. However, we were not able to leave our luggage until 2pm and were unable to board until 4pm. Fortunately, Andreas our accommodation host allowed us to leave our luggage with him while we did other things.

Around Passau

The city was hosting a huge festival which was organised around a massive street parade featuring groups from the surrounding areas in traditional dress. We bagged ourselves a great vantage point and watched for an hour as group after group of marching bands, village groups and other organisations filed past, interspersed with magnificent horse team pulling carts loaded with people. Most of the men seemed to be drinking copious amounts of beer. There was much clapping and cheering and the whole spectacle was both entertaining and quite moving.

Any way you look at it, Passau is a very beautiful city, small enough to walk around the central old part and soak up the ambience and yet big enough to have  a lot of features. Once the rain cleared and we were able to have a decent look at the city, its true beauty became apparent. Rows of quaint 18th Century houses interspersed with 16th and even 15th Century remnants of fortifications and larger buildings create a wonderfully “toy town” atmosphere. It really is a delightful place to walk around. It is easy to get lost for a short while, given the random pattern of the streets and alleyways, but then it doesn’t take long to get ones bearings because a few minutes walking will bring you into contact with either the Danube or the Inn Rivers and a chance to re-establish a location.

With the weather taking a very optimistic turn for the better, we look forward to our time on the forthcoming Danube River cruise. Ours is the first cycling cruise of the year and so we knew we were taking a risk with the weather but it looks as though we may have made a good decision. Time will tell.

Piedmont and Liguria, Italy 1-24 April 2017

April 24, 2017 /

During our time staying at Trisobbio, we took a few trips away to explore nearby centres in Piedmont and neighbouring Liguria. We were very lucky to have Rob and Yvette to drive us around and to share the wonderful experiences.

 

Genoa (11th April 2017)

We took the train from Ovada down to Genoa for the day. The trip only takes around 45 minutes on a comfortable local train, all of which seem to leave exactly on time, quite unlike our previous experiences with Italian trains. Genoa has a population of around a million people across the wider metropolitan area. It is one of the main economic centres in Italy and a very busy port. Its maritime origins go back to medieval times when it was a major trading nation and held considerable naval power over large areas of the Mediterranean.

We explored the maritime history of Genoa with a visit to the Museum de Mare down at the old port. We toured five floors of exhibits, the best of which was a full sized reproduction of a Genovese Galley from the 16th Century that we could walk around in. The size was impressive but the conditions for the mainly slave crew of rowers must have been horrific. Another excellent exhibit was one featuring Genoa’s role as a point of embarkation for departing immigrants during the late 19th and early 20th Centuries. The exhibit was presented as the insides of a steamer, with all the walls being made of steel (complete with lots of rivets), sounds of the ship at work and the steady hum of the steam driven engines producing a very life-like feel. We wandered around in the cramped dormitories, stood on the bridge and watched as the crowds lined up at the immigration authorities in their new lands. Well worth the visit.

Around Genoa

The best part of Genoa is just walking the streets. This is so often the case in European cities, where there is ample opportunity to simply soak up the atmosphere. We wandered the length of the beautiful Via XX Settembre, stopping mid-way at the fresh produce markets to soak up the incredible display of fruit, vegetables, fish, cheese and pasta. Meat was also on sale but displays of meat in Italy have failed to impress, with very few good cuts on display. We had an excellent lunch at a sidewalk cafe on the Via Garibaldi, choosing from an appetising selection of sandwiches with a choice of three Italian breads and sides washed down with a lovely beer. The owner proved to be French rather than Italian and very chatty and jovial. The port area also had many attractions and we enjoyed simply wandering the docks and admiring the boats, as we always do. There were cruising yachts from all parts of the World making me yearn to have the courage to cross oceans and explore the seas. Christine just said an emphatic “No!”

Turin (14-17 April 2017)

The four of us spent the Easter weekend in Turin, Italy’s 6th largest city and situated around 150kms to the north-west of Trisobbio. Italy’s excellent system of high speed autostradas made the trip quick but did feature some delightful piazzas and walking streets, But then, it seems everywhere in Italy is full of great townscapes. Turin, however, exceeds all others that we have seen so far and rivals many of the great cities of Europe. A direct comparison with Paris is obviously impossible but Turin is a true showcase of Italian and French architecture. The city was captured by Napoleon in 1800 and held for the next 14 years, during which time he redesigned the layout, knocking down the old city walls and replacing them with a series of wide avenues lined with elegant colonnaded buildings and graceful bridges, flanked by majestic statues.

Turin Sights

We had a magnificent apartment through AirBnB right in the heart of the city, overlooking a small piazza. Unfortunately, there was no parking attached and it took a bit of work to find a place, eventually leaving the car some 2.5kms away where street parking was free. Since we did not have need of the car during our stay and it came to no harm, the move proved a success. The car was definitely not needed, with the city well serviced by trams, busses and a metro system.

During the day, we tended to go our own ways and explore the wonders of the city. Christine and I had a fabulous trip up a local mountain on a special tram, driven by a rack and pinion system, that rose 450m in a 3.5km journey from Sassi to Superga, where an excellent view of the city below was to be had. We had hoped for great views of the snow covered Alps in the distance but the visibility was poor and a cloud bank covered the mountains. However, the following day, we climbed (on foot) another local hill to a large church and were rewarded with incredible views of the mountains and snow beyond.

At night we came together to find somewhere to eat. One meal was at a local Pizzareia, where we had the most amazing standard of food and service at amazingly low prices. Christine and I shared a pizza, Rob had a pizza while Yvette ordered a seafood spaghetti. We all eyed off Yvette’s dish, as she scoffed down lashings of prawns, squid and the like.

We expected the city to be mostly in shut-down mode due to the Easter weekend but, surprisingly, Good Friday is not a holiday in Italy, at least not in Northern Italy. Things certainly got quiet on Easter Sunday and the piazzas and walking streets of Turin filled with family groups, making the most of the fine and warm weather.

Unfortunately, there was a pall cast on the trip to Turin. One night, Rob and Yvette went out to meet the owner of the house they will rent in Nova Levante. During a meal together, Yvette had her bag stolen, despite taking precautions to safe guard it. Pick-pocketing and bag snatching is a big problem in Italy, particularly in Rome and Naples but we didn’t quite expect it in Turin. She lost a few Euros, her prescription sunglasses and her mobile phone. The good news was that she didn’t have her passport or credit cards with her. However, Rob and Yvette had to make a couple of trips to the police station to make a report and get the necessary police report to make an insurance claim.

Cinque Terre and La Spezia (19-20 April 2017)

The Cinque Terre is a collection of five villages, Monterosso, Vernazza, Cornigilia, Manarola and Riomaggiore, set along the Italian Riveria, south of Genoa. Each one clings precariously to the cliffs surrounding a tiny bay or landing point, except for Cornigula, which is set higher on the hills away from the sea. The stretch of coastline is a declared UNESCO World Heritage site and attracts huge crowds of tourists every year.

The drive from Trisobbio was along the Autostrada, a rather unpleasant trip in heavy traffic. From Genoa south, most of the road was down to two lanes, with trucks occupying the slow lane. The fast lane was a nominal 130km/hr but most cars were sitting on around 110. However, a few were doing 150 or so and this meant a constant swapping of lanes to get behind trucks then pass them and so on. Once near Monterosso, we left the Autostrada to sit on a narrow twisting winding road to the tiny port. We were very happy to get out of the car. Poor Rob bore the brunt of it, having suffered about two hours of total concentration.

To be honest, Monterosso was a bit of a disappointment initially. I felt it was just a bit of a seaside village and didn’t quite fit my visions of quaint little stone houses. Later, however, our impressions rose somewhat after we had explored the charming alleys and backstreets, and it was easy to see why it had such a seductive charm.

From Monterosso, we got on a ferry to hop from one village to another. This is the best way to view the villages because the sight of each one from the sea is quite stunning and certainly justifies all the postcard pictures. Venazzo from the sea was simply perfect. A restaurant carved out of a towering cliff sported a balcony hanging out over the water with a handful of tables set with white linen. The ferry nosed in to the rocky pier, rising and falling gently in the low swells and exchanged passengers before setting off to the next village. We got off at the last village, Riomaggiore, to start our exploration by land. Rob and Yvette went their own way, having made several previous trips to the Cinque Terre and having a couple of places and walks (more like climbs) they wanted to check out.

Cinque Terre

Walking around the villages is more a case of climbing around. Steps are everywhere and forming even regular sized steps has never been a priority. Christine’s short legs were a distinct disadvantage. Beautiful alleyways, corners, cafes and balconies create perfect scenes. The crowds were bigger than any we have so far encountered and I shuddered to think what it would be like here in June or July.

To get back to Monterosso, we bought an all day rail pass. The train line from Genoa to La Spezia hugs the coastline, spending around 70% of the time going through tunnels, so it provides a service to the four coastal villages. Before the rail line was built, the villages relied totally on small boat access. Unfortunately, the day we were there the train service proved unreliable and the advertised every 30 minutes proved to be an hour long wait for the first train to access Manarola.

Cinque Terre

Our clear favourite was Venazzo, mainly because it clung so beautifully to the cliffs. The walk down from the train station to the water’s edge was a picture. We chatted to another Australian couple who were staying in Venazzo for four days and loving it, although they did comment how expensive things were. We stopped for a wine and tapas and paid 12€ when it would have cost 7€ elsewhere. Monterosso was a lot cheaper. At one place we ordered a pot of tea for two but the woman came out with two pots of tea. We drank several cups each and when I went to pay, she asked for 2€ total.

Eventually, the day ran out and we caught up with Rob and Yvette back at Monterosso. From there, we drove to La Spezia, a large town south of the Cinque Terre, where we had organised an AirBnB apartment for the night. Rob phoned ahead to say we were on our way but was horrified to find that we were actually booked for the next night, all our mistake. We had come to the Cinque Terre on the wrong day. Fortunately, the host was very helpful and the apartment was available. We could have been liable for a financial penalty but all was sorted without loss.

La Spezia is a naval town with a large naval base still in use. A surprising number of warships were in evidence, as well as extensive marina complexes, container freight facilities and passenger liner port. While not as pretty as many other places, the city was pleasant enough and certainly provided an interesting stroll along the waterfront. Rob was keen to take us out of town and up the hills to a favourite restaurant called Il Paradiso del Golfo. Unfortunately, on arrival we found it closed, due to their irregular hours over the Easter break. However, the view was worth the drive. The restaurant was set high on a hill overlooking the whole bay with a glorious backdrop of snow covered mountains. The snow was on the melt, but there was still plenty on the far peaks and in the steeper valleys.

We found a pizzareia close to the apartment and had excellent pizzas at very cheap prices. The place had a healthy crowd of local diners, attracted by the prospect of watching the soccer on their big screen. It was fun.

Around La Spezia

On our way out of town, we stopped at a tiny seaside hamlet called Le Grazie before climbing back into the hills to Il Paradiso del Golfo again. This time, it was open. We were not disappointed. For 10€ a head, we enjoyed a six course seafood extravaganza, with a wonderful fish fillet in oil, an amazing octopus salad, some kind of prawn dish with a fantastic sauce served up in a scallop shell, battered fish , smoked salmon crepes and a dish featuring spelt in squid ink. There wasn’t one thing that wasn’t perfection. This would be the best value meal ever, especially considering the amazing view one could have while dining.

The drive back north to Trisobbio was better with the traffic generally lighter but it was still nice to drive around the bend and see our little village of Trisobbio on the hill with its castle nestled on top. It really has come to feel like home. Our return from the Cinque Terre marked the end of our stay with the Piscicellis, baring a couple of days to catch up on washing etc. From here we head off to Milan and then to Germany for a while. Unfortunately, the wonderful spring weather that we have been enjoying is destined to come to an end, with heavy snow forecast for Munich and Passau. It will be an adventure, but not too much of a drama I hope.

Trisobbio from below

Trisobbio, Piedmont, Italy 1-24 April 2017

April 24, 2017 /

Rob and Yvette met us at Ovada train station in their leased Peugeot. After all the planning and travelling it was a bit of a “pinch yourself moment” to actually catch up with the Piscicellis in Italy. Rob drove us along the twisting road to the tiny village of Trisobbio, our home for the next three weeks. Trisobbio is in the Province of Alessandria in the region of Piedmont, very close to the border with Liguria, and is one of a number of similar hilltop villages in the area. Each one seems to have a church and a castle at the summit, with a collection of houses clinging to the sides of the hill.. The hills were covered with fruit trees, most in glorious springtime flowering mode, and grape vines. Houses were numerous though well spaced. In places the road reached a switchback, presenting a wonderful vista across the farmlands to the distant mountains.

The first sight of the cluster of buildings on the hill with the battlements of the small castle poking out on top was a scene from a fairy tale movie. As Rob manoeuvred the car through the narrow roads and alleys of the village to our apartment I was glad that he was the one driving, especially with the left hand drive. I find that the fine judgement is not there when I get in a left hand drive car but Rob seems to have the gift.

We unloaded our gear and familiarised ourselves with the apartment. Ours is on the second storey, the bottom floor being used by the owners and the top one being another apartment for rent. Our apartment is wonderful, with comfortable facilities, two bedrooms and a good kitchen. Best of all are the views. I found myself spending quite a bit of time just standing at a window and looking out at the complex roof lines and jumble of courtyards of the neighbouring houses or beyond to the rolling hills and patches of forest. The owners, a very welcoming and friendly family, retain the downstairs apartment for times when family members return to Trissobio for a visit (they live in Genoa now).

An aerial view of Trisobbio showing our apartment

Rob and Yvette had had a few weeks to get to know their surrounds so were able to point out the various features around and take us on drives to the nearby villages. It is easy to become blasé about the magnificent scenery, the opulence of the church interiors and the magic of the many medieval castles that adorn the landscape. The area is very hilly, with the northern end of the Apennines rising in the distance. Some years, we would be graced with the sight of snow in the distance but the snow did not come this year, which is a shame but at the same time we have been blessed with some much warmer than normal spring weather. Most days are a pleasant 20 degrees with the occasional cooler rainy day. It is only ever a couple of kilometres between villages and each one seems to have its own unique features and charm.

A hiking trail of sorts connects the five closest castles, although it looks like it could do with a bit of maintenance to counter the rapid spring growth. On one occasion, Christine and I set out to walk the 3.5 kilometres to nearby Cremolino. It proved to be a hard slog because we had to climb a hill that proved to be higher than all the others around. The views were staggering but the thighs were sore for a few days.

Around Trisobbio

The main industries around the area are all agricultural in nature, with grape growing being the most obvious, along with apples, pears, strawberries and other fruit and vegetables. The region has long been renown for the quality of its produce and it show through in the vegetables, all of which seem to have much more flavour than back home. Livestock still remains absent from the scene, with the exception of horses, which is quite strange because there are a few meat processing places around. Meat and fish is generally expensive, while fruit and vegetables are cheap by Australian standards. The real work these days is in the cities, with Ovada having a scattering of light industry and small businesses. Both Genoa and Turin are large manufacturing centres and the drift to these cities for work has led to the rural population decline over the years.

Rob and Yvette drove us to many nearby villages and town, all of which were a delight to explore. We also love to visit the Tre Castelli Winery at Montaldo Bormida, only a couple of kilometres down the road. Here you could taste a variety of local wines and purchase them for ridiculous prices, between 3.10€ and 5.50€ a bottle. We loved the Rose, the Chardonnay and a dry red made from Dolcetto grapes. Actually, we liked everything and became good customers, doing our best to consume enough to keep us going back.

Shopping in Trisobbio itself is limited, with a “Bar” that sells coffee and a few drinks, a small bakery and general store that is really only good for a few emergencies, a pharmacy (every village seems to have one), an excellent restaurant and pizzeria, a post office and a hairdresser. All our real supplies come from Ovada, where a number of different supermarkets provide most things we want. We made occasional trips to the local bar for delicious coffees, where a great cappuccino costs a whole $A2.

Views of Trisobbio

Trisobbio has one amazing restaurant called Antio Torchio Trisobbio that serves a variety of Italian dishes and a great selection of wood fired pizzas. It is set in a 8th Century Palace that just drips with ambience. Cipriani is a very amiable host and the food is excellent. Even better is the price, with us paying 66€ for four people, which included a bottle of red and a bottle of wine.

Another real bonus is the ready availability of excellent wine at crazy prices. Nearby is the Tre Castelli Cantina that sells an amazingly good selection of wines ranging between 2.5€ and 5€. We did not taste a bad one and we sampled many. The owner is very accommodating and spent a lot of time with us even though we were very small customers in the scheme of things. The Piedmont Region is famous for its wines and locally Dolcetta and Barbarossa grapes are mostly grown for reds with the. Chardonnays also feature, although they are often bottled as “Frizzante” with a light carbonation. It makes for a very pleasant drink. At another winery in Revolta Bormida, we saw a local come in with his 10 litre plastic jerry can and fill it up from a fuel type bowser. It cost him 1.60€ a litre, only slightly dearer than the fuel he used to drive to the winery.

A couple of days after we arrived, Christine began to experience some very painful and debilitating spasms in her lower back. She had been feeling some soreness since all the physical work in Vietnam but this was much worse. I am the one who usually causes a problem with back pain so we were carrying four tablets with enough power to get me by in case of an attack so we started using these for Christine to get her through a night. Rob drove us in to Ovada where she was seen by the emergency department, X-rayed and pronounced free of any skeletal damage. We sort of knew that anyway and just wanted a script for decent pain killers. The best we managed was some Tramadol, which did little to help. On the plus side, we did not have to pay due to a reciprocal health agreement between Italy and Australia. The spasms persisted so we tried the local visiting doctor, who comes to the village once a week. He pronounced the Tramadol useless, gave a script for what we wanted, took our 50€ and waved us on our way. Given a couple of pain free days, Christine’s back soon came good (or at least better). It needed to come good because there was no way I was going to carry both backpacks.

Football days were a source of some frustration. With no telecast we were reliant on the Internet. Rob has a subscription for live feeds but the Internet in Trissobio is very intermittent and so the picture kept freezing or failing altogether, usually just at the crucial moment. We tried running from the wireless router, using the phones and a combination of the above. Somehow, we managed to scrape by but it was always an effort.

Around Piedmont

We explored the nearby towns and villages with Rob and Yvette. A car is essential in this part of the World and without it one would be reliant on the infrequent local bus. A motorbike would be useful in the warmer weather, giving good access to the narrow streets of the villages and making finding parking in the towns easier. Although we saw quite a few cyclists, the very hilly nature of the region rules a bicycle out for me.

The villages perched on a hilltop were the most interesting, because all the houses were forced to crush together in an interesting jumble of stone walls, archways and cobbled laneways. Most had a castle of sorts to add to the interest and all had had a prominent church spire. From Trisobbio, it was possible to look out and see the neighbouring castles of Carpeneto and Morsasco. One can picture the local Lord standing on a balcony in times past glaring across the divide and hurling insults at the Lord across the way.

Churches, churches and more churches. Every village has one and some have two.

The population of these villages has fallen steadily, peaking in 1901 at 1200 people in the case of our village but it does appear that the decline has slow or begun to reverse. Morsasco has a number of modern apartment blocks attached to it, built at a discreet distance so as to not disrupt the charm of the castled centre. In my biased opinion, Trisobbio was the prettiest of the surrounding villages, resembling a fairytale Camelot when viewed from some angles.

Ovada

Ovada was our “go to” location for shopping and train connections. Also, it was a convenient entrance location to the Autostrada so we seemd to head for Ovada at least every second day. As the driver, Rob got to know his way around Ovada very well whereas I just sat in the back and watch the shops go by. In itself, it was an interesting enough town with its bevy of beautiful churches, two rivers, some gorgeous cobbled streets and vibrant markets. It is easy to become blasé and we did, tending to ignore just how pretty Ovada was.

Gavi

Gavi, a fortress town a little further away, was quite a bit bigger and was overlooked by a huge fort dating back to the 14th Century. A narrow winding road took us up to near the summit where a small door gave access to the castle itself. Unfortunately, the tour times did not suit so we decided to come back on another occasion. Besides, we had seen a restaurant in the town offering a two course meal with wine and coffee for 10€ so a second trip was definitely indicated. On this occasion we contented ourselves with a beautiful gelato in the town square.

On our return, we paid our 5€ for the tour of the fortress and joined a small group. Unfortunately, the guide only spoke Italian but there was sufficient signage in French and English to keep us foreigners happy and informed. The fort had origins dating back to 900AD but the main structures were built in the 1600s and strengthened throughout the 1700s. I have no real understanding of how anyone could attack such an impenetrable bastion an hope to succeed but history shows that it changed hands many times between French, Austrian, Genovese and Sardinian control. In each case, surrender on the order of a nearby load seemed to be the case rather than actual invasion. The fort was used as an internment camp for prisoners of war during both World Wars. In WWII, it housed allied prisoners who had tried unsuccessfully to escape from other camps. One guy, Jack Pringle, managed a famous escape only to be caught again within sight of the border with Switzerland. You can’t help bad luck.

Fort Gavi

The restaurant with the 10€ (A$14) meal proved a real gem. We had a good choice of dishes and enjoyed some very good local Gavi white wine. Given that we were supplied with lashings of excellent bread and good salads as side dishes it went down a real treat and we left with very full stomachs. Where in Australia could you manage that?

Acqui Terme

Acqui Terme is a larger town about 15 kilometres from Trisobbio. Its main claim to fame (and the a marbled edifice. During the Winter, the spring produces clouds of steam that drift throughout the town. The locals come with plastic bottles to take the water, believing it to be good for their health. We visited Acqui Terme on a Tuesday, when street markets occupied several of the main thoroughfares. These markets sported an amazing array of clothing and shoe stalls, all selling quality Italian made goods at crazy prices. Whole racks of coats, shirts and pants were just priced at 5€ each. A beautiful pair of all leather hiking boots caught my attention at 60€ (A$84) a real bargain for Italian made boots. I could have spent some serious money here but the big problem is space. We simply do not have the room to carry any more stuff with us and shipping goods back to Perth is both time consuming and expensive.

We went into one of the many churches in Acqui Terme, a rather plain affair on the outside, but amazingly rich and opulent on the inside. The many supporting columns were made from a gorgeous apricot coloured marble and gold leaf adorned the ornamentation on the pulpit. The sheer magnificence of all the churches we have been into is beyond belief. Centuries of work and collected artistry are on display, the value of which probably can’t be assessed in pure dollar terms.

Alessandria

Alessandria is the capital city of Piedmont and is around 40km north of our village. With a population of just under 100,000, it is not a big city by most standards. A high speed “Autostrada” makes the trip from Ovada north a quick one. We visited on a Monday to take advantage of the markets in the Piazza de Garibaldi, a town square surrounded by colonnaded buildings dating back about a Century or so. The market sold mostly clothes and many cheap buys were on offer. We browsed for a while before wandering through the older parts of the town. Perhaps we are becoming immune to the sight of narrow streets lines with old buildings because we found the city interesting but unspectacular. We stopped off for a 10€ meal at a restaurant, again rather unspectacular by our demanding standards, and headed out of town. Along the way, we saw and followed a series of signs to a citadel, which proved to be worth a visit. It was a large 18th Century fort with an expansive internal courtyard and it was easy to picture the cavalry troops parading and drilling within its walls. During the turbulent times of the 17th and 18th Centuries, it was of supreme importance and changed hands frequently, being attacked by the French, Spanish, Austrians, Russians and almost everyone else.

Sezzadio

Another place we explored was Sezzadio, about 20km north of Trisobbio, to check out a large church Rob and Yvette had seen on a previous drive. The church itself proved to be a bit of a disappointment, very imposing from the outside but quite plain by Italian standards inside. A smaller chapel at the rear was packed with families attending a Palm Sunday service. Everyone carried an olive branch and I wondered if this was because there is a distinct lack of palms in the area. I “confess” to being rather ignorant of church ceremonials.

On the outskirts of Sezzadio, Yvette spied a turn-in to an abbey so we investigated. It turned out to be an old abbey turned into a reception centre. One part of it was an ancient vestibule and crypt dating back to the 8th Century. The mosaic floor in the crypt was beautiful considering its age and the frescoes covering the walls were fantastic. At some point, all the frescoes were plastered over and the removal of this is only partly completed.

The rest of the abbey is in various states of repair, from crumbling to fully restored. The property was purchased by a family back in about 1980 and the main building was restored to a beautiful condition. We were lucky enough to be allowed to look through the interior and the owner seemed to welcome us as either long lost friends or prospective clients because he speared no effort at explaining things, rather surprising really given that he was awaiting the arrival of 100 guests for a conference. Outside, the grounds were a picture, with beautiful lawns, numerous marquees, shady trees, a pond, swimming pool (rather empty at this time of year) and lashings of ambience.

Conclusion

Trisobbio is off the beaten path for most foreign tourists, although the immediate region enjoys the patronage of Italians in the know. It is a superb food and wine region with wonderful views. We have dearly loved our time here and despite our almost complete lack of language skills have enjoyed the welcoming attitude of the locals. A highlight for us was going down to the local shop and communicating with the lovely woman who runs it via a series of hand signals and gestures, with a smattering of Italian and English words thrown in. Life in the more remote small villages obviously has its down sides for the locals but we found the experience here to be everything we had hoped for.

 

« Older posts Newer posts »

© 2026 hinchy.org

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑