Blogs from Bolzano, Trentino Alto Adige, Italy, Europe

Today I am off to visit Bolzano with Sue as this is one of the places that I shall be bringing groups to next summer. I have briefly been once before but it was back in 2010 and I only have hazy memories. It is really nice to be doing this excursion with a good friend. And we are doing it by car and not by train! We have an early start as we want to miss the traffic both ways - it is a Friday and there will be lots of people crossing this part of Austria and Italy. Somehow it doesn’t feel the same as the M6 on a Bank Holiday Monday though! We make our way first over the Europa Brücke (bridge) and then over the Brenner Pass. The Europa Briücke is located ... read more

Today I did a lot of driving, mostly northward on from Ravenna to Bolzano, Italy. Bolzano is located at the foot of the Italian Alps and historically has been a good place to "rest up" before tackling the Brenner Pass to Innsbruck (in Austria) and Munich (in Germany). After driving across the flat land of central northern Italy, I was greeted by the foot hills of the Alps rising up to meet me (see photo). I arrived in Bolzano and checked into the hotel. Then I took a little walk around the town center. From the main square you can see a "hill" on the right side (see photo), and I know that the snow-capped peaks are just behind it. Bolzano is located in an area known as the Tyrol. It is a German-speaking area that ... read more

It’s 7 AM and I rollover and Kirsten is starring at me; WOOO; I jump, are you awake, I am now. It’s still raining and Bea is coming out of the bathroom ready to go. Let’s get going the day is wasting, we’re all cleaned and dressed within 30 mins and heading down for breakfast. We sit at our assigned table and we have a nice breakfast. We load up our suit cases and were off before 9 AM. Hey I thought we are on vacation, Ok, Ok, I’ll take it easier tomorrow, however today were making up time. I guess Kirsten slept real good, she’s sitting in the car tooting the horn as I’m running across the parking lot. As were leaving Borimo, lots of cyclists are coming up the road heading toward the pass ... read more

Thursday, June 30, 2011 Uninvited Alarm Clock It was a little difficult to get situated for sleep. I left the window open so some air could circulate in the room. Unfortunately, my room overlooks the train station, and train whistles and the station flood lights infiltrated my otherwise quiet space. I had packed my eye mask, used primarily on airplanes, and it worked magic. Combined with soft music from my iPod, my senses were dulled to the point that sleep was almost immediate. I awoke just before my alarm to a loud whistle blast. It was morning, and the trains were up and running. I cursed that they didn’t come with a snooze button. It was pointless to lounge any longer, so I began to prepare for the day. Complications with the Plumbing The shower was ... read more

When we woke up the next morning in Bolzano, the sky was drizzling its last few sprinkles of the day. We went downstairs for a super-delicious breakfast buffet… lots of strudel and an amazing fresh fruit bar. By the time breakfast was over, the rain had stopped and the clouds were being burned off by the sun. We took a long leisurely walk through the town and past the Italian Arch that is often defaced by Austrians who want Bolzano back for themselves. We also walked through a small open air market. This little town square was definitely some sort of holdout of all things Italian. People only spoke Italian and they only sold Italian products: Tuscan cheeses and sausages, Sicilian olives, Italian pastries. There was not a strudel to be found in this little spot. ... read more