FLASHBACK #64E: Italy - Venice, Dolomites, Bolzano, Lake Garda

ABOUT VENICE

Before moving on from Venice, it might be worth telling you something about Venice. Venice is built on 117 small islands and has some 150 canals and 409 bridges. Only three bridges cross the Grand Canal: the Ponte di Rialto, Ponte dell’Accademia and the Ponte degli Scalzi.

The Grand Canal is looking a bit dilapidated these days, but rivals the world’s great boulevards. It weaves for 3.5km through the city like a huge, back-to-front ‘S’. The canal has a depth of about 6 metres and a width ranging from 40 to 100 metres.

Taking a vaporetto (waterbus) is the only way to see the incredible parade of buildings, including more than 100 palaces which date from the 12th to the 18th Centuries.

Day 12 – 12 July – Venice to Dolomites to Bolzano

I woke at 8am from a restless night with a sore throat. We went down for breakfast and the old man running the joint was close to incompetent and it was a case of DIY or stay hungry! After breakfast, we went back to the store where Bree had seen the masks the day before. He bought one and then we proceeded, on foot, to Piazzalle Roma to collect our car. By doing so, we were heading towards our next con. We had parked our car there for just over 24 hours and were charged a whopping €46! Once again, pissed off in Venice!

We left Venice at mid-day, and joined the A27, heading to Bellino, 70km north of Venice. In the distance, we could see the towering Dolomites and, as we got close, they got more impressive. We arrived in Bellino about 1pm and needed to stop for petrol. Chance would be a fine thing, since all the petrol stations in the area were closed. God, these people really do love their siesta, don't they? We ended up using the Automat.

We visited a nearby supermarket and bought chicken, fruit, bread, coca-cola and some salad; our plan was to have a picnic somewhere in the Dolomites.

From Bellino, we took the SS51 and headed towards Cortina D'Empazzo - this route was fantastic, running along a rushing river and meandering between the lofty peaks. We arrived at Cortina D'Empazzo about 2.30pm and the place took on a distinct Austrian or Swiss ski-centre feel; the town looked new, with swiss-style lodges dotting the sides of the road and ski lifts adorning nearby dark green hills.

Just after we arrived, I told Bree that I wasn't feel well, that I was feeling weak and perhaps we should eat. We turned off and ascended a hill overlooking the town. We found a small driveway and it did the job – we laid down a couple of towels and made chicken salad rolls. In a nearby field, a tractor was cutting grass and you could smell the freshly-mown grass. To the left, there was a stream, hidden now by some bush, but you could hear it trickling down to the town below.

Soaring above was a lone eagle, no doubt hunting the green wildlife-rich land below. It was lovely, although when I got up my bum had gone numb! When I went to wash my hands in the stream, I was greeted by yet another statue of the Virgin Mary herself. Even here, there was no escape from religious artefacts.

Bree had his own travel guide and it recommended a drive through the Dolomites. However, we actually took the wrong road and had headed towards Diabocco by mistake, some 25 kilometres from where we should have been. We headed back to Cortina D'Empazzo and, during that drive, I slept. My body craved rest for some reason – I hadn't been sleeping that well and I think the execessive sun in Venice (without sunglasses) combined with the intense air conditioning had given me some kind of chill. I pulled on a fleece sweater and slept. When we got back to Cortina D'Empazzo, Bree woke me up, seeking directions on how to follow the route recommended by the book.

I had woken up with a start, instantly feeling better for the 30 minute nap. I directed Bree through the town and it proved quite confusing – we stopped the car, asking for directions from a passer-by. Within minutes, we were ascending. The next hour was going to be one of the best drives in the whole trip, thanks to Bree! As we climbed higher and higher, the weakness within me started to take hold again. We stopped at a place called Passo Del Pordoi where the view was absolutely breathtaking. We rested here and ate the fruit salads we bought earlier in the day.

I pleaded with Bree, telling him I thought I was really coming down with something. We carried on driving and the downward journey was stomach-churning!

The evening came quickly and, just after 7pm, we passed the town of Canazei. It reminded me of Austria and, after I had mentioned it, Bree launched into a rendition of Edelweiss in Finnish. Very good indeed, it was. It was much better than my dismal attempt in English anyway!

We continued driving towards Bolzano where we agreed to stay for the night. Before heading to the city limits, it was interesting to notice the towering cliffs above us on both sides. The formula-one like meandering highway was covered with a net that stopped falling rocks from hitting cars. As the cavernous rocks subsided, we joined a highway that took us all the way to Bolzano. A river, the first decent one so far, coursed through the town. We checked five hotels and settled for one just outside town for €70 excluding breakfast.

A family-owned hotel with a resident gorgeous German Shepherd, we decided to give dinner a miss and instead drank a Bacardi in reception. It had been a tiring day and my fatigue from earlier was slowly lifting from me. I think I had narrowly escaped getting seriously sick and yearned for my bed. It certainly wasn’t a case of pneumonia sounding like ‘you-moaner’, as kindly pointed out by Bree! Was in bed by 11.30pm.

Day 13 – 13 July – Bolzano to Lake Garda

I had slept really well, practically non-stop until 8am which is very good for me. I laid awake until Bree woke up. We ate cookies and showered; it was another lovely sunny day and you could tell it would be a hot day. While checking the weather and our emails using the hotel's own internet terminal, we were offered complimentary coffee and cake. Bree was sending an email to the hotel in Rimini because he had left his camera charger behind. We left the hotel at 10.30am and headed along the A22 due south. Flanked by mountains and vineyards on either side, we drove one hour south to Rovereto. From there, we followed the signs for Lake Garda.

Torbole sat on the very North of the Lake. When I looked back, it was in a fine setting. Christina Aguilera's song Beautiful played – a perfect accompaniment to the wonderful scene passing by. Eventually, we reached a lovely castle perched on the shore at Malcesine; here, we took the turn off for Funivia Cable Car which we took to the top of Mount Baldo. By 12.30pm, we were on our way up to the 1760m peak, using two different cable cars.

We enjoyed the views and we downed lunch in the restaurant. I laughed when I ordered hamburger and fries – what was delivered was a hamburger and fries alright, but no bun! After lunch, we walked 1.5km to the panoramic views – you could see the north of the lake and the remaining expanse of the South. The cool air was great, a welcome retreat from the humidity at sea/lake level. We sang the Sound of Music and, for a laugh, took a mini clip of me pretending to be Fraulein Maria late for church! It was so funny! Well, you had to be there to appreciate the moment…

We got back down to base about 4pm, and continued our drive towards the town of Garda about 30 kilometres to the south. It wasn't an impressive place, but it was our chosen destination for two nights stay due to its central location on the lake. The search was on for accommodation once more; before long, we realised that accommodation in Garda was going to be expensive.

We went to a hotel reservation office on the Garda / Bordolino border. There, they recommended a hotel at €35 per person per night. The woman at the reservation office asked for Bree's surname and she wrote it down perfectly. I was amazed, since Strengell isn't an easy name to spell. Apparently, the woman serving us was a Finn who lived in Italy. What a small world! The brochure of the complex looked good so we drove back to Garda to check it out. What was promised was a lake view. However, when we viewed the property, it was a hovel; the view was, in fact, of other apartments looking straight into our apartment. The interior was simplistic, very 70's and reminded us of the oh-so-basic amenities offered to us at the Christian Refuge in Hanko, Finland. Aaagghhh! It was awful.

We drove back to the first hotel, the 3 star Excelsior with its own swimming pool. We checked the room and there WAS a lake view for €50 per person per night including breakfast. A hefty price, but it was by far the best offer. And the day wasn't over yet! By 6pm, we had checked in, unpacked and headed, by car, to a lakeside rocky beach 2km away.

The beach was great and the lake was refreshing, warm in the shallows, getting cooler with each step you took. We laid in the sun and, about 7.30pm, headed back to the car. Surprise, surprise – another parking ticket! We couldn't believe it and only hoped that they didn't process them before Bree could cancel his credit card upon returning to Finland.

We drove back to the hotel, showered and had a Bacardi and Coke in our room before heading into town. We walked along the calm shore, tastefully dotted with outdoor restaurants and a cosy shopping district in narrow streets selling classy, tasteful souvenirs. I checked out the t-shirts for my niece – a whopping €11, much more than they would have cost before joining the Euro, I'm sure!

We didn't buy anything (we would buy our souvenirs just before leaving Garda). We went to the shore once again and chose a restaurant right by the sea – Bree sat facing inland while I had a view of the calm lake.

We ordered a litre of local Bordolino Rosé and I ate a huge Greek Salad followed by Seafood Spaghetti, the best so far I should add, which was full of clams shells. As the last of the day light receded, the distant lights from resorts across the lake came to life. As the night wore on, I was amazed how well behaved the girl and boy on the next table were: they were with their parents and, in Finnish, Bree told me they were probably Danish.

After taking a break and finishing the remainder of the wine, I ordered Tiramasu and coffee. Soon, it was 11pm and, like in Pisa, we were the only customers in the restaurant – the restaurant had emptied very quickly and, by midnight, we were looking at the photos from the last few days on the laptop while drinking yet another ice-cold Bacardi with Diet Coke. Yummy! We laughed about the Sound of Music on Mount Baldo and, for a laugh, I even played three Sound of Music songs from my laptop before bedtime! It was after 1am when we finally went to bed.