A F Indulgence, 3 Lakes, Black Forest, Dolomites & A Bit Of Other Stuff

[RB]

Thurs 27[SUP]th[/SUP] June – the Volkssport Olympiad is still on with many people around, but it means the buses are running on 5 minute shuttles so we get an easy trip to St Christina. Being outside of the main summer season, no bus runs to the base of Col Raiser-heart starter of a 12 minute walk uphill got us to the base station & we shared a cable car with a German couple up to this great location. There is a vast array of walks available but we opted to go the downhill route with a walk back to Ortisei. This was a very rewarding walk with a variety of landscapes, excellent signage, pretty good tracks (except for a few slippery spots) and exceptional views throughout. With the walk cut out of the edge of the ridge we had many photo opportunities while still being on a very quiet walk. The only time we encountered many people was during a section near the St Jacob church which can only be reached by foot. Debate puts the construction of the church between 1181 & 1283. The church is dedicated to St Jacob, the patron saint of travellers and pilgrims. Today the Gothic style dominates and the interior boasts both Gothic and baroque elements. We continued on and reached Ortisei after about 3 hrs. We grabbed a couple of great panninis for lunch & then headed back up the Seceda cable car run to compare things now that a lot of the snow had melted. Certainly it was still cool up top but now it was possible to reach the nearby “photo hot spots” without slushing through snow. It was also now Ok to walk down to Col Raiser but we had already done quite a few Km today & the weather was starting to look more threatening. So back down to Ortisei & back up to our apartment.

Initial path down from Col Raiser
Again something to see all the time
Beautiful grazing land
Slippery in spots but easy walking & good signage
Inside St Jacobs-still conducting services here

 

[RB]

Intermittent rain returned for our last day in Ortisei. The pharmac_ thermometer display downtown indicated the max temp was hovering around 6-7c & it seemed many of the 3,000 visitors to the 3 towns for the Olympiad events had opted out of sport & into shopping. By the time we managed to locate the weekly markets there was little happening-a few produce vendors with uninspiring supplies & a lone clothes seller with a bit of a sad display. We lunched downtown (inside seating was the go on this day) and then enjoyed the comforts of our apartment.

Plenty of window shoppers
New hotel pool we saw completed-not sure how the glass doors work!

 

[RB]

Ortisei To Malcesine
Our apartment host provided a lift down to the bus stop after giving us a nicely wrapped gift. The transfer from Ortisei to Malcesine was probably the most enthralling natural/cultural display we have encountered. Our first bus trip 170 to Bolzano was via a panorama way through Castelrotto & associated high altitude villages with their astounding beauty, running streams, rugged peaks & rolling pastures. The 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] step was a train to Rovereto (on the Bolzano to Verona line) that passed through postcard type valleys with amazing peaks & valleys crammed with a variety of fruit, grape vines and incredibly clean towns. Our bus stop for the trip from Rovereto to Riva was a mere 50 metres from the train station. This trip wound through more scenic locations & the route via Arco afforded us an amazing lofty first view of Lake Garda. The bus from Riva to Malcesine was from the Riva bus station and left 10 minutes later. This leg wound around the lake & again afforded lake views & the many people enjoying much warmer temps than what we had been encountering. All of this transfer for a total fare of 19 Euros each!

I have done a review of our Malcesine hotel here http://www.australianfrequentflyer....ting-residence-malcesine-room-11-a-52620.html
Great bus ride
Rivers were still flying along
First view of Lake Garda
Some of the wine on sale at the local supermarket
Straight out the front of the hotel


The Del Sogno area is a 30 odd minute stroll from the centre of Malcesine. This location gives you the advantage of being out of the crowds but being right on the lake with superb views of the lake & Limone on the other side. We can access al areas via a lakeside walk & the tourist bus runs hourly with a 1 Euro charge getting you around. Our first afternoon is spent having a very late lunch at a local pizza place-nice pizza & a shared half litre of vino bianco-again good wine. It seems a reasonable rule of thumb in Italy that if a place does not have a jug of house white available you may be better going elsewhere-they just seem to be more genuine places in our opinion. We relax back at our room & then walk towards Malcesine & have dinner at near the lake on Via Lungolago- nice enough but not memorable.

 

[RB]

Our full day at Malcesine dawned fine & maxs out in the mid 20’s- an ideal day around water. We caught the tourist bus (1 Euro from the front of the hotel) into town & mixed with the hordes - a Sunday & one of the few fine summer days the Italians & visitors have enjoyed so far this summer apparently. There are certainly plenty of opportunities to shop-souvenirs, food, leather goods, clothing, Venice glass style etc. We had a great visit to the Castle - a very well spent 6 Euro each. There are many vantage points for photo opportunities, plenty of static displays, videos, museum collections & a well maintained system of steps/ladders up to the bell tower. We enjoyed a casual lunch at La Cambusa (wine jugs have Kambusa Boat printed on them ) where calamari is cooked to perfection & the prosecco continues our good run of house wines. The waiter has great enthusiasm & seems quite chuffed to meet some Aussies- we are surrounded by Germans, Italians & for the first time this trip plenty of English. A German man comes for a discussion after lunch to tell us of his former business life in Aust & his frequent flights Melb to Sydney, Brisbane & Perth. We are gifted a very nice Tiramisu sorbet when paying our bill.

I continued my shopping splurge with the purchase of 2 “original leather” belts-total 14 Euro. Our attempts to visit the main church are thwarted by locked doors so we just walked back via the lake. Again our thoughts of Aussie beaches are stirred when we see masses on small lawn areas sunbaking on outdoor furniture while others endure the small rocky “beaches” or boat ramps. We lazed the late afternoon near the hotel on very comfortable lounges under an umbrella & relaxed & enjoyed the surrounds other than the occasional, bad, too loud karaoke from next door.

For dinner on the last night in Malcesine we opted to catch the tourist bus into town & revisited La Cambusa where again the service was top notch. I had a very garlicky seafood spaghetti while Mrs RB enjoyed a salmon pasta-both nice enough dishes. Again there is a tiramisu sorbet on offer & then about a ¼ of a bottle of grappa as we sat & listened to music that was coming from further down in the main the square. There were 2 musicians-a singer & guitarist who used recorded music to assist them in doing covers. They were very ambitious (and reasonably competent) as they did Dire Straits, Elvis, Sting, Police, Bob Marley, Buddy Holly,Beatles etc. We continued to here them across the water as we wandered back the 30 minutes along the flat path to our hotel.

Nice view for the morning cuppa
Typical downtown street
View down from the castle
This is not Bondi
Night backdrop for the concert in the square

 

[RB]

Malcesine to Desenzano-Our 2nd last move

We had another 1 Euro trip on the tourist bus (bags in the back storage no worries) from our apartment back into Malcesine & then we caught a slow ferry from the No1 wharf. We opted for the slow ferry rather than a faster hydrofoil style trip as we figured we had heaps of time & we would enjoy seeing a few more of the lake towns-certainly comfortable & enjoyable-plenty of seating options inside & out & a café/bar operating. It is interesting to note the change in surrounds as we travel south and leave the bigger lakeside peaks behind. It also gave us the opportunity to look at options for future trips!

Plenty of safe moorings available
On the western shore of the lake
Sirmione-100 people got off here to have a view
Our comfortable conveyance

 

[RB]

I have posted a review of our Desenzano apartment here http://www.australianfrequentflyer....ews/apartment-esmera-via-san-marco-52631.html

Around Desenzano

Same old same old-down to the supermarket to stock the fridge with breakfast goodies & drinkies- no strawberries to be seen here. It is an easy flat 10-15 minute walk that takes in 2 of the 3 supermarkets on the map. Prices similar to what we have encountered before but a few specials- Bitburger half litre cans 60 Euro cents, Moretti bottles 330ml around 70 Euro cents, bottles of prosecco for 4.5 to 5.5 Euros, Peaches & Bananas both around the 1.8 Euros per kg.

We have read about the influx of Italians for sat night discos/nightclubs but we are here Mon/Tues/Wed nights so not sure we will encounter any noise problems!
Our first night we decided to dine at Pipol, a restaurant that was easy to locate, had outside tables & reviewed pretty well on Trip Advisor. Mrs RB endured her worst meal of the trip here- a supposed home made lasagne that was plopped on the plate looking like an outcast with nothing else in sight. No guidance when ordering, very poor meal, no texture, no taste, won’t be back.

[FONT=&amp]Tues 2nd July- another fine day, one of the hottest of our holiday. Tues is market day in Desenzano! We have never seen markets of such volume. The whole lake shore road plus is overwhelmed with hundreds of stalls & masses of buyers/lookers. I read where quite a few Germans make a special treck here just for the markets. Mrs RB finds herself some “Made in Italy” gear here that will adorn the Grafton (NSW) racecourse for the 100th running of the Grafton Cup shortly after we return home. [/FONT]

Just the start of the markets
Too much choice
Just some of the cheese on display
This permanent shop in Desenzano actually got my attention with its name

 

[RB]

After fighting our way through the crowds at the markets we continued on with our plan of a walk to Sirmione-somewhere around 10-11km according to Google maps but I think longer after zig zagging to avoid deadends. This is a disappointing walk after the mapping looking to suggest it pretty well hugs the lake shores. There are large areas where the shore is locked away by individual villas or hotels & for long stretches the lake cannot be seen as we walk along suburban streets amongst plenty of traffic. As suspected from our viewing from the ferry the previous day, Sirmione is indeed a very busy spot. Mrs RB likens it to a Surfers Paradise with a very nice castle jammed in the middle of it- very much focussed on the tourist hordes whereas we have found Desenzano ( our most populated stop on this trip) other than at market time to have a good mix of tourist/real town feel.

Along with many others we enjoy a fantastic gelato in Sirmione (plenty of outlets to choose from & overstaffed with heaps of well trained young females dispensing surprisingly cheap products 3Euro for 2 scoops on a good cone). We enjoyed the 3 Euro ferry trip back to Desenzano which now appeared as a ghost town with the markets finished & siesta time happening. Washing was on the agenda & the short cycle on the apartment machine was incredibly quick & things dried very quickly on the rack out the back. We follow the advice of our host & venture to Ristorante Pizzeria Garda for dinner. This place has very few English language reviews but we found it a great experience. We sat indoors next to the sparkingly clean big picture windows just metres from the lake. The house white has a small sparkle & is a good taste. Our 2 pizzas are delivered promptly & we thought they were good quality & tasty-seafood & a salami/sausage concoction. We did walk up past the Irish Pub out of interest but with only the barman there we thought the atmosphere back at our apartment was better-we enjoyed a nightcap, played our music & sat outside in the light breeze while away from the traffic.
Our last full day was a lazy day with general wandering around town. We walked west along the lake, up to the castle for a very limited view (renewal taking place) & had a bit of a tasteless lunch in the main square. There were a few market stalls left from the day before & also a few antique/junk sellers along with some lolly sellers. An afternoon nap was followed by another nice dinner at Pizzeria Garda where we enjoyed our last pizzas of the trip. There were several bands performing outside various restaurants as part of the advertised jazz night and we enjoyed sitting at a few spots along the waterfront
Photos below are Sirmione, lake front at Desenzano, a quieter street of Desenzano & 2 night time shots of Desenzano waterfront-having problems with the set-out of the page

 

[JessicaTam]

I am exhausted just reading your TR. Great photos. It looks like you had a great time. I am very jealous.

Were your connections and accommodation all organised in AU?

 

[RB]

I am exhausted just reading your TR. Great photos. It looks like you had a great time. I am very jealous.

Were your connections and accommodation all organised in AU?

Yep we did everything from here before we left. Actually it was a relaxed holiday & we had reasonably long stays in most places. Neither of us are working so there is plenty of time to do heaps of reading & planning. DB rail made things relatively easy for most of the transport.

 

[RB]

Desenzano to MXP

We were picked up on time by our host & dropped at the railway station. A regional train dropped us at Milan Central about 10 minutes late & we then wandered out of the station & got tickets (10 Euro) for the bus to the airport. The bus left about 15 minutes after we boarded & it took the expected 1 hr to reach Terminal 1. The bus drop off was straight outside the Thai check-in counters!

Thai TG941-MXP-BKK F 4/7/2013 A340-600 F-1A & 2A

We had pre-allocated 1A & 2A. Pre flight meal selection from MXP did not seem to be possible. The check in was straight forward, we were immediately served by the business class attendant as 1[SUP]st[/SUP] class was already looking after someone else. Bags were tagged F as were the cabin bags. Priority security was indeed worthwhile with large lines the order of the day for those without priority. We first visited the ViaMilano/Priority Pass lounge that we had endured in 2010 but the attendant advised us of our access to the Emirates lounge if we were prepared to walk 10 or so minutes further from our gate. I have posted a review of the Emirates lounge here http://www.australianfrequentflyer....unges/emirates-lounge-malpensa-mxp-52352.html

We left the lounge a little early after feeling a little inadequate at being unable to log onto the free wi-fi. The supposed long walk from the Emirates lounge only took us 5 minutes or so & we found a couple of seats that gave us a strategic view of when our gate was opening-happened to be next to a gate of a flight going to Tel Aviv with quite a few agitated police & security & an apparently oblivious young single female. Quite a few people began milling around our gate early but when the 1[SUP]st[/SUP] announcement was made we stepped forward & the same lady who had wheeled away (not onto a conveyer) our priority baggage at checkin recognised us, shuffled us forward, asked us if we enjoyed the new lounge experience & ensured we were the 1[SUP]st[/SUP] onto the plane. The 2003 Dom awaited us along with a very outgoing staff-I guess when there are only 3 in the F cabin you can expect good service & plenty of attention! The preferred pj sizes were provided & we were provided with the lauded Rimowa amenity kit (purple). The contents were very similar to the way over. Pushback was 5 minutes early & the culinary & liquid indulgence was quickly underway after we levelled out. Our cabin mate opted for 3K & slept for probably 10 of the 11 hour flight so it did seem like a private charter. Food was great & after a couple of champers (Mrs RB stuck to this and observed there was also a 2002 vintage at one stage) I enjoyed a few Singhas & then migrated to some very smooth JW Blue before succumbing to sleep. Breakfast was another treat with only the bacon a bit of a let down.

The kit that causes much discussion on FT
Beers were nice & cold
Now were getting serious
More food
Very tasty steak

 

[RB]

Rest of the food from the 1st leg of our return
I don't eat sweets at home
Tiring work all this eating-very comfortable sleeping position & amenities
Back to the food marathon
Finish of the battle

 

[RB]

BKK Transfer

Our arrival was on time & the front door was used so we were numbers 2 & 3 off the plane & immediately met by a TG rep & ushered to a buggy for the 3 1[SUP]st[/SUP] class passengers for the long haul to the 1[SUP]st[/SUP] class lounge. Again we circumvented the lines through the security check but had a full check with belts & shoes off, step into an isolation type booth with arms up & then down & then a wand over. We opted for a good shower rather than the massage this time & then had a relaxing drink in the lounge. We were collected for another long buggy ride back (perhaps the business lounge is a better option for a short layover) & then back for a less onerous security check. Our minder then led us onto the plane & the much appreciated turn left!

TG 471-BKK-SYD on 747 F-1A & 1K

Again only one other passenger (also on points of some description) interfering with our private cabin! Another fine breakfast before snooze time but as with the earlier SYD-BKK the cabin started out too hot. The crew were again very competent & “less in your face ” than the previous flight. Again there was too much food & I found the constant bump of relatively minor turbulence over hours made it difficult to get quality sleep-I think I was much more comfortable sitting up. The cabin was eventually cooled down. Dinner over the desert & Ayers Rock was again a challenge & I was unable to meet the quantity demands! As debated on Flyer Talk I thought the lobster was not quite on par with the trip from Sydney but the rest was top notch & the pepper ice cream sorbet certainly cleansed the palate. The pilot made an announcement re the upcoming view of Ayers Rock (nice touch).The JW blue saw me relaxed as we landed pretty well on time in Sydney. We had a quick shop at duty free for some booze for our mates that host us in Sydney. We were quick through smart gate & our bags were already out when we got to the carousel. We were soon out with the masses who were waiting for ours & other flights.

After a night of catching up it was back out to Syd domestic for our last leg

QF 2170 SYD-PQQ.

Still in T2 & checkin/bag drop is so easy after we had checked in online & happy enough with row 8 as NB’s. Recent flights have seen more Qantas passengers walking back against the tide as the bus drops seen to have been replaced with passengers walking off the arriving plane up the stairs to say gate 58 & then traipsing all the way around & then downstairs to get their bags-today was similar. Also gate 58 hosted 3 flights that left within 15 minutes of each other-makes for a very crowded little corner. We were a little late pushing back & with a long taxi we were always going to be late into PQQ. However 10 minutes was not a hassle after almost 7 weeks away from home & bags never take long at PQQ.

Will be back with another post as a summary of thoughts about the flights & our holiday in general


Photos below Menu for MXP-BKK, Sunrise arrival into Bankok & Last food chance BKK-SYD

 

[drron]

Great TR.Loved the photos.
Now obviously we have a different travel style but you have pointed the way to hopefully a relaxed driving trip in this area.
Thanks again.

 

[RB]

Great TR.Loved the photos.
Now obviously we have a different travel style but you have pointed the way to hopefully a relaxed driving trip in this area.
Thanks again.

Thanks Ron. There were certainly people using privately owned & hire cars to get around. According to what I plotted on Travellerspoint we only did around 1,400km. As you would expect (and from what we saw) the road conditions appeared superior to what we are used to. I reckon the food & drink options would help you relax! Make sure you get to the Dolomites!

 

[Magpie10]

Absolutely great TR of a part of the world I have never thought about, you certainly did it justice RB. Thanks for sharing.

 

[RB]

SUMMARY

Flights - all excellent. This was our 1[SUP]st[/SUP] LifeMiles redemption, 1[SUP]st[/SUP] time in F & things went like clockwork. Booked online & received instant confirmation, rang & made seat selection with Thai and made some meal selections online. Realistically there was too much food offered but we found it all good quality & very well presented. We did not eat in the lounge at BKK as we were too full & had only short stopovers. The massage at BKK was fine but probably would be more enjoyed if we had more time between flights. The showers at BKK were good-really enjoy being able to have a shower between 2 long hauls. The Thai staff were all very attentive & certainly aimed to please. I am becoming more fond of MXP (after a number of arrivals and departures over the years) - there are plenty & varied transport options & from this experience & general internet reading maybe the premium cabins are not as crowded as some other destinations (acknowledge that the planes may be less sought after types).

Apartments - These were all booked before we left Australia & were chosen after we did a lot of internet research. All the apartments were as represented on the net (as on a number of previous trips). We already had a preference for apartments over hotels as we consider they better suit our style of holiday. Although we rarely use the kitchens for cooking full meals we do enjoy being able to prepare our own breakfast of fruit, yoghurt etc, coffee when want & to be able to store our own beer, wine etc in a fridge in the room. For usually less money than a hotel room we can enjoy the extra space of apartments. There is also the consideration of being able to get away from each other into another part of the apartment - important when travelling over a long time. Most of the apartments we had this time had great balconies & all had plenty of light & opening windows which is not always the case with hotels. Several apartments on this trip included wireless internet & it seems to be something that is spreading & we are becoming used to having this facility. An added bonus included a pick up from the train or bus by the apartment owners and a bit of local knowledge to start our visit. We had a number of contacts with our apartment owners before our arrival and for the first time sent a photo of ourselves to them so they could recognize us - worked a treat and really broke the ice.

Most of the towns we visited were incredibly clean - there certainly didn’t seem to be the Macca's style rubbish that seems to exist in Aust. The people also seem (maybe not the reality) to have plenty of personal freedom to enjoy their leisure time & not be bogged down by rules, regulations & regulatory signs everywhere.
While some regions were lagging behind others, the uptake of solar is a real eye opener. There are also many examples of Govt solar use - huge expanses of panels around highway verges & train & bus stations.

Italian Lakes visited - I think we were a little underwhelmed by life around Lake Orta. It is very beautiful and we were there very early in the summer season but it just didn’t seem to have the atmosphere we have enjoyed at Maggiore & Como previously. At Orta San Giulio it just seemed many of the locals lived outside of the town & visited on the day to serve the tourists - glad we stayed there as it satisfied our curiosity and proved a lovely relaxed 3 days to get in the swing of things. We greatly enjoyed Como again & being our 8th visit and having locals hosting us & showing us around gives us different experience to those enjoyed by many tourists. Lake Garda certainly boosted our love of Italy & the lakes. We greatly enjoyed the lifestyle choices of both Malcesine and Desenzano and not having been on the lakes that late in the summer before, loved the concerts and summer party atmosphere that started about mid June.

The Dolomites - certainly the highlight of this trip. We had stops of 6 nights in Dobbiaco & 7 nights at Ortisei. We had a great time at both & it would seem there is plenty more that we could do on another visit. The towns are closely spaced & there are plenty of accommodation options. We certainly did not find it a hindrance to be reliant on public transport, in fact once there, even if you have a car you are encouraged to leave it in the car park and catch public transport. Also these locations offer the less fit the opportunity to see the high peaks - there are great local transport links to the funiculars/cable cars that take you up from town level where you then make choices according to fitness/time/distance.

Transport
We were well prepared with bookings for most of our transport already paid for prior to us leaving Aust. Other small transfers were roughly planned but not locked in eg bus sections between Dolomite towns, train to Milan.
We did our numbers on the cost of a train pass or buying point to point and as on previous trips, it was more economical to buy point to point through DB rail for Germany in advance. To do this effectively you need to catch a specific train. A train pass may add a little flexibility but if you know where you want to be when, there is no disadvantage.
The Black Forest Konus Card was a bonus - all local trains and buses were included.

A big thank you to people who have encouraged me to finish this trip report-I have enjoyed reliving the holiday! Hope to provide another report in Nov when another LM redemption helps get us to Northern India.

 

[ellen10]

Thank you for sharing your excellent trip report and especially the photos, love photos.
It was a big task and I appreciate you "sticking" with it.
We too like to stay in a mix of apartments and hotels and will be doing on our trip to Italy, Switzerland and Germany leaving in 6 weeks. Spending time in some of the same places as you did.
Once again thanks for the trip report and summary.

 

[Major]

I would also like to add my thanks for sharing. The Dolomites are a very special area having spent some time in the Colfosco / Corvara area

 

[RB]

I would also like to add my thanks for sharing. The Dolomites are a very special area having spent some time in the Colfosco / Corvara area

Cheers Major! I believe we will end up back in the Dolomites at some stage & will be looking at various valley options