Switzerland
Day 45
We are half way through our trip! Day 45 and we have passed through 4 countries, but 2 twice! Let’s call it 6 borders. Today we are out by 10 and travel not very far down the road and stop at the home of the famous mineral water, Evian. We are one day early for a festival which is happening tomorrow, but it’s good because it means we can park! The place is so quaint. Woven branch sculptures of varying scales. From a massive dragon Spanning a whole roundabout and beyond, an ostrich with its head buried in the sand, little whales and a random huge Rudolph?!!!. We learn Lake Geneva is the biggest freshwater lake in europe and can change colour according to the minerals or nutrients or something like that! Next to Montreux. We’ve missed the jazz festival, which was at the end of April. It is pristine, perfect and so pretty. Quick stop at Vevey but the sky gets angry and chucks it down. Bern we quickly decide to skip as parking is not easy. Then by the time we get to Thun I need the toilet so badly I hardly wait for the car to stop before i waddle to find a toilet. When I get there it’s 2 Swiss Francs and we hadn’t thought of the fact they have their own currency so don’t have any! Then an angel, in the form of a nice Dad, sees my dispair and hands me the money! We ponder a look Round Thun but it looks like the heavens will once again open up so we drive to our hotel. It follows the edge of Lake Thunersee, with moody skies and one section of mountains spotlit by a gap in the clouds. Then we arrive in the cutest place ever! Wilderswil! It’s just so Swiss, that’s the best description! Inns and brown houses with glorious shutters in pastel colours with oversized roofs. Our hotel has a ‘1770’ on the side and it has hundreds of years of character. We walk through the quaint village where places are called Edelweiss lodge and one house has copper guttering and a pipe running the rain water filling a cold water plunge pool! We eat one of our best meals. With hotel, restaurant, petrol and vignette to travel on motorways prices… Todays budget does not exist! We will claw it back elsewhere!
We are opposite the church and its clock chimes every 15 mins and on the hour. Stu says surely that will stop at 11… it did not! This sleepy town that was laid back enough to leave an envelope to check us in and not look at our passport has a strict departure of 10am with ‘Plus 5 francs per every minute late out!’ Most unexpected!
Switzerland, Lichtenstein & Austria
Day 46
We leave our hotel at 9.58 so incur zero fines! Well done us. We drive to Interlaken with the view of getting the funicular up to Harderklum, a fantastic view point but a couple of things put us off. A) the £55 price tag (and that’s with a discount) for the 8 minute chug up the cliff and B) the wonderful mist clouds that potentially block any kind of view, making £55 even more expensive!!! So we decide to just walk around the quaintness instead. We have been given a tourist card that tells us we have a gift at a watch makers! We envisage a crooked house with a bent over, friendly, aged man with glasses balanced in his nose, and cuckoo clocks a plenty. No. Nothing of the sort. Swish Uber expensive watches that you can barely afford to look at! But before hand we speculated what the gift would be… keyring or badge were the guesses but in fact and adorable teaspoon with Interlaken written on it! Next we go to Lucerne. The joy of finding street parking when you are too tall for the garage parking lots, is too much! Pleased with ourselves we visit the wooden footbridge Kapellbrücke, built in 1360. It’s adorable with seriously old paintings in the internal triangle frames of the roof covering the wooden structure. Strict no weeing inside the bridge, for everyone I’m sure, but mostly Wilson and we make it! Once across we meander around the sweetness, I have a crepe and the price leaves it sour!! Woof! Back to the car we drive through Lichtenstein to our huge apartment in Austria. It’s a fantastic place where we can cook and sit on the balcony. Evening stroll as 3 countries take its toll. We are exhausted!
Lichtenstein and Austria
Day 47
As we only drove through Lichtenstein yesterday we decided that we would return today for a hike. After carefully choosing from a selection of walks, Schaan to Vaduz. What we ended up doing was completely made up! Other than where to park and the starting coordinates, was there any instructions? No. Was it, as it said online, 1 and half hours? No. Was it moderate on the difficulty setting? No. Did we walk any of the hike correctly? Unknown! Was it great? Yes. It’s a stunning place. We walked among the forest, saw a waterfall and finished with a hydropool to cool your feet! As Stu was chilling his toes he caught a tick just about to burrow into his arm! Grossed out we note to check ourselves and do the dogs tick treatment at the next place! With a quick peak at the castle it’s back to Austria. Now our next destination was solely booked on price! It was £42 for an entire apartment and it’s fantastic. The location is incredible and we immediately head out to walk what feels like the set of the sound of music. On our doorstop is the most incredible setting one could imagine. Meandering past Exquisite cows, over bridges, green fields with wildflowers, mountains and a waterfall that is fast flowing and so powerful. Again I reiterate we had no idea what was here it was just cheap! But it’s incredible and Wilson loves it! He does touch an electric wire with his nose and squeak and buzz backwards, he is over zealous towards the edge of a rushing waterfall and he rolls in some poo to top it off, but he couldn’t be happier! At one point he gets the zoomies through the long grass with snow capped mountains above and I agree it’s pretty exciting so run boy! We return to our place, wash Wilson thoroughly, eat some steak, tick treatment, in that order. and figure out our next move.
Austria and Italy - that looks like like Austria!
Day 48
So we are in Gortipohl Austria and we retrace the trail we did yesterday back to Wasserfall Balbierfall, but this time with swim trunks on! Stu wants to see how close he can get to the falling water without being battered of course! We take it in turns, me in my underwear as I wasn’t as prepared, and it is quite honestly freezing. Very grateful the sun is out to help the situation. The spray gets you before you are anywhere near the weight of the waterfall. It’s so incredible and powerful that we just spend some time near it, in it and around it. The sky is blue today and the setting is popping! We then drive to Innsbruck but google maps takes us a ‘special route’ avoiding a closed road. The road is a tractor track at best, completely unsuitable for road cars and ultimately a dead end to the side of a ravine. Though silver linings and all that, as it has taken us up to another incredible waterfall that you can only get to by foot unless you listen to google like us! Once on the right route back to our starting position it’s a very normal, quiet and tranquil drive! Hair pin turns, up cliffs and up into the snow, so beautiful. Stu is still in his flip flops and swim trunks when we reach the peak of the snow making him stand out a little! On to Innsbruck and it’s very quaint. There’s a music performance and everyone is in traditional dress but I just like to think they always wear that on a Saturday! Then it’s over to Italy, but a province in the north that is a German Italian mix. I’ve said that there is a restaurant a 5 minute walk away from the apartment… there is not! That must have been somewhere else I looked at! It’s a 2 hr round trip. So we decide as we are both absolutely shattered we can’t go out again so hunker down for the evening, eat in and enjoy the view of the mountains.
Italy - Ridanna
Day 49
We start the day listening to a radio station that plays a song that I distinctly remember being the demo track for our Casio keyboard when I was a kid! A quick Siri, ‘what’s this song’ and we discover it’s called ‘pour Adeline’ and was indeed used for the casio CT-650!!! I can still mime along to it now as I prove at breakfast. We are in Ridanna in Italy and walk to the tiny town via the river. We’ve boasted some very cold waters but then there is this. As soon as your feet are in, in a matter of seconds it’s actually painful! I’m sure it’s very good for us, right? The town is so small it doesn’t have a shop or anything to buy lunch and as it’s Sunday and things are closed in nearby towns we have to drive 20 minutes to get lunch items! On the way, we hunt for a bar to watch the last game of the season in. Stu finds what is called ‘bar sport zone’ we think that’s sounds like the place. It has a bar and a tv. It’s surrounded by football pitches and other types of sports grounds. Stu walks in and ask if they are playing the football today. The lady looks at him oddly. He repeats a bit slower. (And I’ll remind everyone we’re in Italy.) She scrumples up her face and says ‘fußball????’ Stu nods his head and she says ‘Nein, Nein, Nein’ like really annoyed that someone has come to a place of sports to ask if they are playing sports.. The afternoon is chilled and we squeeze in another river walk before the Fußball starts. I read my book on the balcony occasionally looking up to marvel at the sheer amount of white mountains around me. We dine at home with carbonara with real guanciale, as we are in Italy, even if they do speak German! Then we have an evening stroll that takes us along the top of The Valley, past more waterfalls and black long eared mountain goats that mistake Wilson for one of their own.
Italy continued…
Day 50
There’s one more walk we wanna do in Ridanna so we check out and start the 10 o’clock hike. It’s through sensational tall pines where the ground is a spring board of fallen pine leaves and it goes up 580m to a little church sticking out between the trees. Not a soul is there and Stu says out loud ‘we are the only people on this hike’. Once we reach the top, Wilsons tongue is hanging out and he’s more interested in water than the sensational view of The Valley below. The church chimes 11 and suddenly we can see about 25 people heading up to the church! Turns out it’s a very busy hike just at 11 not 10! It’s one of my favourite walks to date and we bounce back down to the car and head to Roppe, but Italy. We have to drive through the dolomite mountain range and it’s gobsmacking. It’s a beautiful drive, winding round corners being greeted by a new view of each icy topped mound! We stop at Lake Misurina. An incredible setting for one particular mustard hotel. The lake in front of it, the hotel standing grand in yellow and backed by the mountains. You could just keep stopping as there are so many beautiful lakes and lagoons but we keep going until Lake Santa Caterina and it’s impressive dam. Noted for its emerald green waters. The internet says it’s not to be missed and it really is worth a stop! It’s on to our final destination, Roppe. Our hotel is right on Lagos di Barcis. Another lake that is emerald green, or mint green, maybe turquoise but 100% the same colour as Wilson’s harness! He’s blending right in. We walk round the lake to get pizza and tiramisu, our cheapest meal out yet. Then back to discuss where we go next. We really are looking forward to Slovenia but the weather looks bad for the next 4 days. So we decide to chase the Sun and head south East of Italy and will venture to Slovenia when the good weather returns?
Italy extended…
Day 51
We leave hotel Celia (€45 a night including the dog, bargain) and go to a lovely Italian bar/cafe/bakery and cheese place! We get a platter of pastries and work our way through!We then go for a lovely walk to a bridge that crosses lake Barcis. It’s raining but it goes to show just how beautiful it is as we are not put off and enjoy watching, though envious, Wilson swimming in that marvellous mint green water. Our first stop today is Udine - my phone autocorrected that to Urine! Wilson is so tired from his swim he doesn’t get up when we park and makes it clear he would like to stay in the car for a sleep! We walk round the city that’s very pretty despite the rain. When we go back to check on the dog he is fast asleep so we carry on up some slippery cobblestones where we look like thunderbirds walking with tiny steps, to the museum for views of the city. Thunderbird down again and we drive to Palmanova. A fortress city or a star city. It would be an amazing place for a helicopter ride or a hot air balloon as a Birds Eye view would be ideal! We haven’t brought the copter or balloon so we walk into the centre and then follow the outskirts of the moat. Upon return we have ice cream at ‘Nonna palling’. Incredibly healthy day so far, pastries, left over pizza, cannoli’s and gelato! Final leg of the journey is to Grado-pineta. A basic little apartment with very musty cupboards! The swimming pool is open till 7pm but when I arrive at 6.40 it’s all locked up. I go to reception and they tell me it’s closed because it was raining, I point out that it’s not now and they give in and open the gate for a 20 minute swim! Stu goes to the shop and buys things for a mushroom risotto that turns out to be exquisite. We stroll to the sea, I believe it’s the ‘gulf of Trieste’ that we are looking at! A fun packed day but the absolute highlight is when a Hoopoe bird just lands in the middle of our tiny lawn. I immediately know what it is though I have never seen one in real life, so it’s very exciting stuff. Stripey back and a punk hair-do, it’s a snazzy little fellow. We can go to bed knowing we don’t have to pack up in the morn or decide where to next as we have 2 nights here so, that is relaxing in itself!
The pool closes at 7pm So OPEN UP!
Italy still…
Day 52
The day starts with a swim for Stu and I go to the Laundrette. It’s quite a smug feeling when you get that token and the chance to finally wash your undies when you have zero left! Then another great thing happens going to collect the laundry… (yes it’s an exciting one today!) but about 2 weeks ago Wilson’s lead got so much sand and sea water in it, it wouldn’t open. We have been using a thin Carabiner to connect it as the price of a new lead in Geneva was about the price of our daily allowance when we looked! When it happened Stu said I wish we had some WD 40, and today on collection of our recently cleaned clothes a man is fixing a lawn mower and has a bottle of the good stuff in his toolbox! I take the lead off Wilson, go over and explain the situation to the man. With two squirts the lead is totally back in action. Clean clothes and a Working lead… what a day! We then take it in turns to walk by the sea and use the swimming pool. It’s actually a little gem for nature as I see more Hoopoes, a nightingale, dragon flies and butterflies all in the vicinity of our apartment. We read, walk and wander to try and really have a relax day after a few hectic ones. Then for the evening we treat ourselves to a lovely meal at ‘Bosco’ a restaurant with a lovely half hour walk along the sea there and back. A thunder storm is in the distance over the Adriatic as we stroll home which gives good viewing. We are going to Slovenia tomorrow but may well hang here and continue chasing the sun. The clothes aren’t fully dry but the lead is still working so spirits are high going to bed!
Jellyfish, log burner, thunder storm
Day 53
It’s our last day in Italy and it’s been totally charming. And a different Italy to what either of us have visited before. We check out of the apartment with the musty cupboards and head to Grado for the day. It’s an Island on the lagoon between Venice and Trieste. They self proclaim it as ‘paradise’ on the welcome sign. Braggers! It’s a multifaceted place. It has a beautiful fishing port one side, beaches the other, wetlands over the water, a quaint beach town and a glorious bridge, almost at water level, that joins back to the main island. We go to one beach where me and Stu take it in turns to have an underwear swim in the sea whilst the other throws a ball in the water for Wilson on some rocks. When it’s my turn I throw the ball and as he swims back I notice something along side him… it’s the biggest jelly fish I’ve ever seen. White and purple and I believe a barrel jellyfish???. I then notice transparent and purple ones that are at least a side dish size, moon jellyfish, and another much smaller one yet to be identified. Wilson wants to go back in but I decline his request. Crossing over to another side of the port for lunch. It’s a formidable fresh fish affair, right on the water with a limoncello and mint sorbet for dessert. The mother of all sorbets it turns out. Strolling back to the car looking at the trawler boats and flowers of the town and thinking if more people knew about Grado they might consider visiting here rather than the very near Venice. Maybe they do both? Right, on to Slovenia. Our apartment is in Borjana and we have our most amusing arrival. First we are told to go to number 60, NOT 74 as it’s says via our Booking agent. So we go to 60 and the man at the door says, it’s not here, you are the 4th person to come here! Confused I call the number and wait! Then a big guy arrives and says ‘hello, yes park the car. Put your bags in my truck and then I will drive you down, Michelle!’ So basically the apartment is 100m below the road. Down a steep, very small winding track. Even windier than Gaby’s Dads place in Asturias, which is a real feat. The guy has had some issues with the neighbours being annoyed that guests bring their cars down so obviously now just gives a different address and takes you down himself. We arrive in the petite apartment with an incredible view of the mountains which are the Italian border. Inside they have loaded the log burner up and it’s approximate 4000 degrees inside! So hot the dog won’t come in. So we sit outside until there’s a massive storm and then Wilson wants to go in but not near the log burner so goes into the bedroom and gently whimpers about it all. ‘Jelly fish then the log burner and now this storm!’ We however enjoy watching the bolts of lightening that jet across The Valley. Then go to bed excited to explore Slovenia!