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Europe 2018
  • Kay's Travels

Europe 2018

Planning on 2 + months in Europe. First month with Illene - Berlin, Bilbao, walking the Camino in Spain and Lake Como Italy. After that, on my own. Milan, Budapest, Munich, Black Forest and London. Lue lisää
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    11. huhtikuuta 2018
    Kay's TravelsEurope 2018Matkaaja

    Berlin

    11. huhtikuuta 2018, Saksa ⋅ 🌙 57 °F

    4/9, 10 & 11 Illene and I left SFO at 1PM. Arrived Berlin 5:30PM next evening. An uneventful trip with stops in SLC and London Heathrow. Great apartment near Brandenburg Gate. Dinner in a German restaurant near by. Miles 4.3.

    4/11 Off for at 10:30 Berlin Walks tour - Discover Berlin. I had done that one before but still good. After tour signed up for Reichtstag tour on Friday. (Closed for cleaning today and tomorrow.) Then to lunch/dinner near our apartment. Off to the Jewish museum (under the memorial). It has changed since I saw it last and was again a sobering experience. A stop at the tourist office for concert tickets tomorrow night, the grocery store and home.

    Miles 8.1    Lue lisää

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    Berlin

    12. huhtikuuta 2018, Saksa ⋅ ☀️ 70 °F

    4/12 Off to the East Side Gallery (Berlin Wall art). Mastering the S Bahn and the U Bahn for travel. The graffiti has been significantly cleaned up since I saw last in 2013. Enjoyed the walk and the art. Then walked through the Friedrickshain district to meet Irmi and Hannah at Hannah's new apartment. Had a fun late lunch with them at a local German/Austrian restaurant. Said good by and off to find the local transportation back to Alezanderplatz to find the artist with the bears for Illene. Stopped for a few minutes at 2 old Lutheran churches. Saint Mary's and St Nikolai (twin spires). Both beautiful and old - built in the 1200's. A beer and wine by the river and off to find a Geocache near the Konzerthaus. More wine while we waited for the concert.
    Lovely outdoor cafe. First row in the concert !! Bernstein, Strauss, and Rachmaninoff Home by 10:30PM.

    Miles: 9.8!!.    Lue lisää

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    Berlin

    13. huhtikuuta 2018, Saksa ⋅ ⛅ 59 °F

    4/13 Short night, could not sleep until around 2AM. :-( Off to see the Vision Alive Art Exhibit - amazing!! We found an ad for this yesterday on a pole during our walk along the Eastside gallery. It took the works of all the Impressionist thru Cubist artists (Monet to Kandinsky) and did amazing things with movement and color. Hard to explain, we both loved it. An unforgetable experience. Then to the Berliner Dome - cathedral and museum - and a climb to the circular walk around the dome. Weather cleared after AM rain and some beautiful sights. We both wanted some better food than we have had so far. Made our way to Kadawe - a high end Asian owned department store - think Berlin's Harrods. Had bouillabaisse - very good and a fun place. Back to near home for our Reichstag reservation. Just did this last year but still a lovely spot and rain all around but not on us. Home early to relax and pack.
    Miles: 6.5
    Flights Climbed: 27!    Lue lisää

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    Berlin to Bilbao

    14. huhtikuuta 2018, Espanja ⋅ ⛅ 66 °F

    4/14 A day of travel. Raining in Berlin, off to airport for a long days trip to Bilbao. Berlin to Dusseldorf - 4-5 hour layover - Dusseldorf to Bilbao. Eurowings Arrived in Bilbao around 8:30 PM, Taxi to airbnb by 9PM. Great 7th floor apartment - Andoni our host had all ready for us. Loft apartment, Illene upstairs. Off to visit Casco Viejo -old town. What a nightlife scene !! 3 star. Bars, restaurants and people/kids everywhere on the meandering cobblestone streets. So much fun. We
    had a couple glasses of wine while walking around and just enjoyed the
    atmosphere of the socializing - Bilbao style.

    Miles: 4    Lue lisää

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    Bilbao

    15. huhtikuuta 2018, Espanja ⋅ ⛅ 55 °F

    Off to the Guggenheim, an 11AM reservation. Great walk along the river Bilbao which runs through the City about a mile to the museum. What an amazing building both inside and out. Art exhibits are mostly all very large installations. Large art pieces and sculptures. The "Spider" and "Puppy" outside are spectacular. Had lunch, Kay - pinxtos, outside at the museum. Another cross off on my bucket list !!

    Walked up river, checked out the different bridges, and meandered back to the Old Town and "home". Feet up for an hour and off to meet Bea and Ibby for dinner at 9PM at Sustraiak*** - an upscale restaurant on the newer side of the river in the Bilbao Casino. Great food and enjoyable conversation. Bea from Westchester NY and Ibby from Manhattan. Home via taxi after dinner.

    Miles: 7.5    Lue lisää

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    Bilbao

    16. huhtikuuta 2018, Espanja ⋅ ⛅ 54 °F

    Walking tour with Terry, Bea, and Ibby
    Kay and lllene to market
    Funicular
    Coffee in old cafe
    Old Town - Churches -
    Market

    Lunch at a piazza
    Other side of river - Parks!!
    Buildings - columns
    Library
    Glass building
    Architecture
    Finished with lovely park past the Guggenheim
    Tram
    Rest
    Recital
    Wine and packing

    Miles: 9.8    Lue lisää

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    The Camino

    17. huhtikuuta 2018, Espanja ⋅ 🌙 54 °F

    A day of travel and fun in the sun. Car with driver (thanks to Bea) pick up the 4 of us in Bilbao and set off for Pamplona via San Sebastian. A beautiful, warm Spring day with a cloudless sky. The area had a long, wet,cold winter and Spring just started for them a couple days ago. We are so very lucky with the weather.

    Arrived San Sebastian, a lovely city on the Atlantic Coast in the Basque region of Spain near the border with France. Primarily known as a "foodie" city with beautiful beaches and an historic old town. Anthony Bourdain claims that San Sebastian has more Michelin star restaurants per capita than any city in the world. Amazing!!

    We spent our 4 hours, walking the old town with the usual array of shops, bars and restaurants. Coffee/tea and diet coke in a piazza between the old and new city. Next task was to figure out where to have lunch !! Settled on a TA recommendation, the Sport Bar. Pintxos AKA tapas, are the local cuisine for almost all meals. We enjoyed a wide variety of different flavors including anchovies, sweetbreads, foie gras, salmon, potatoes, calimari stuffed with crab and others I can't remember. Of course along with beer/sangria and diet coke. A walk on the beach and feet in the water of the Atlantic for Illene and Kay and a ride on the Carousel for Bea, Illene and Kay- Ibby the recorder.

    Off to Pamplona to meet our driver for our self guided tour who took us to our final destination for the day of Roncesvalles, Sp. A picturesque, tiny town that is the first major stop in Spain for the Camino walk. We are lucky with our driver as he is also a guide for some of the Country Walkers tours in this area, thus highly knowledgeable. Had our orientation to determine when we will start in the AM and where he will pick us up and other trip details. Tomorrow is 7.2 miles and mostly downhill.

    A walk in the area before dinner and then a very good dinner at our Hotel Roncesvalles and then to our rooms to prepare for our first day on the Camino. Stay tuned. Kay

    Miles: 6.1    Lue lisää

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    The Camino Day 1

    18. huhtikuuta 2018, Espanja ⋅ 🌙 66 °F

    Roncesvalles to Bizkarret
    7.2 miles on the Camino
    Drive to Pamplona
    Nails
    Illene and I to trace the Running of the Bulls and the Bull Fight stadium
    Dinner of Pintxos followed by ice cream

    Miles: 11.9
    Flights Climbed: 27    Lue lisää

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    The Camino Day 2

    19. huhtikuuta 2018, Espanja ⋅ 🌬 63 °F

    Leave Pamplona
    Short ride to Uterga for start of 9.2 mile
    Beautiful day
    Easy first half to Puenta de la Reina - bridge lunch
    Hard hill not so hard.. - Steep but short. 0.8 mile
    US folk on the trail
    Easy walk to Cinaquile Pick up at church by Shabi
    Hour ride to Brionas - by the Erbo river wine country
    Room with double and single - no windows and skylight. :-)
    I and K walked the fiver to the bridge to Haro
    Drink at the tavern in town and back for 8PM dinner
    Great salad !! Illene happy.
    Brit couple that lives in Spain with dogs at dinner.

    Miles: 12.6!!
    Flights Climbed: 52!!    Lue lisää

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    Camino Day 4

    21. huhtikuuta 2018, Espanja ⋅ ☀️ 61 °F

    Had the morning free in Burgos. To the impressive cathedral of Santa Maria after breakfast with B and Ibby. Bea not feeling great after yesterday's fall. Huge cathedral first build in 1221. Gothic style with all later periods in the interior. Baroque, etc added through the years. Coffee and tea on a sunny plaza and back to hotel to wait for Shabi to pick us us at 1:30.

    Miles: 9.5
    Flights Climbed: 9.5    Lue lisää

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    Camino Day 5

    22. huhtikuuta 2018, Espanja ⋅ ☀️ 63 °F

    Left our hotel by 9:30 - 1.5 hour transfer to our starting point of Villares de Orbigo. A not so good start to the day as I lost my phone (found it packed in my suitcase) and then lost the CW guide book for the day's walk!! :-( Today's walk was 9.2 miles or 14K through lowlands around rivers, lowlands with primarily grains growing. Later in the day some really pretty forests (we think beech or birch), conifers, and oak. Bea did not walk again today, she is still pretty swollen in her face and hand. About 4 miles into walk, an "oasis" - gathering of tents, people, and lots of food. All free. Shabi said later that the fellow is a friend and does this due to the fact that he quit drugs on the Camino. People gave him food and this is his payback.

    Went through 2 villages on the way, had our box lunch at San Justo de la Vega. Very busy bar but able to get a Coke Zero On to Astorga - a big City. We walked over a mile once we hit the outskirts of the City Pretty much 30 minutes ahead of time. Did the 9.2 in 4 hours. The meeting place for Bea and Shabi was at a plaza in Astorga where Gaudi built a "house" for a Bishop. There are only 4 Gaudi buildings outside of Catalonia and this was one of them. Had a beer waiting for Shabi, then decided we could visited the Gaudi house interior at 4 which we did. Interesting with beautiful stained glass, vaulted ceilings and lovely columns. Lots of pictures.

    To our hotel for the night in a small village at the Hosteria Camino. Lovely old boutique hotel. We are on the 3rd floor and have a large and small bed and lots of room. Cleaned up, did our E-mail and met Bea and Ibby for dinner.

    Miles: 10.4    Lue lisää

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    Camino Day 6

    23. huhtikuuta 2018, Espanja ⋅ ☀️ 43 °F

    We loved our hotel last night. Attic room with skylight and a step to a great view of the roof tops and still snow covered mountains. Hosteria Camino. ***

    Breakfast and out for 1.5 hr drive to our trailhead in Las Herrarias. This is our "big up" day - 2000 ft elevation gain. 5.3 miles. Weather is warm and sunny again. Wandered through the small hamlet taking pictures. Beautiful setting with lots of green, white trees in bloom and a rushing stream/river running through it. Then we started up - about 1.5 miles to the first stop, LaFaba, a steady up all the time. A stop for a coke and talked with a couple from Australia that we would see a couple times later in the day. Bea is walking today and Ibby is keeping her company.

    Then on to the next hamlet, Laguna de Castille - another 1.5 miles, more open terrain and pretty warm. Another stop for water and the last 1+ mile push to the top at O Cebreiro. Beautiful views all the way of Spanish countryside, farmland and some cattle. Illene and Kay reached the top in 3 hours. Ibby and Bea an hour or so later.

    Illene and I ate lunch at a restaurant that Shabi recommended - we entered the Province of Galacia today and Galacian Soup is a specialty here. It was good - a thick green soup with potatoes and a form of cabbage. Into the car and off to Sarria and Hotel AlfonsoIX

    Not going to be our favorite hotel!!
    Miles: 7.7
    Flights Climbed: 79!!    Lue lisää

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    Camino Day 7

    24. huhtikuuta 2018, Espanja ⋅ ⛅ 59 °F

    Up and out for our last day on the Camino. Left from our hotel door steps in Sarria. Through the Old Town and down the trail to a beautiful green grassy area with a stream running through it and a picturesque bridge. A beautiful trail today, forests, lots of green fields, flowers and many more pilgrims. Many start from Sarria as it is 100KM from Santiago, the distance required to get the Camino certificate. Foggy to begin but bright sunshine the last 2 miles. A stop to enjoy the last moments a mile from the end on a terrace overlooking the fields and flowers. Spectacular scenery. Ibby, Illene and I arrived in Ferreiros, at appointed time. Shabi and Bea waiting for us. I was so sorry to see it all end. A meaningful experience.

    A drive to Santiago de Compostella and our hotel, the Virxe de Cerca. Tired but elated as well. Bea and Ibby wanted to go to the cathedral right away so cleaned up a bit and off again. Cathedral under reconstruction (for 12 years already) the story goes that the ashes of the beheaded St.James lie under the church. The front of the cathedral is the final stop for the 500 miles which started in France

    Dinner at Restaurant Roma - a dish similar to paella. Home and to bed.
    Miles: 10.9 Flights climbed: 50    Lue lisää

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    Santiago de Compostella

    25. huhtikuuta 2018, Espanja ⋅ ⛅ 57 °F

    A lazy day. A leisurely breakfast around 9:30. Bea and Ibby off for a tour of a palace out of the City. I and I decided to just have a day of relaxation. Off to do a walkabout town. First to explore the large city market. Great market and anything anyone would want. Loved all the different fish, especially the scallops in the shells. Then off to find our hotel for the night - Hotel Praza Quintana - great location near the cathedral. Back to pick up our luggage and transfer to the new hotel. Then out to trace the route of the pilgrims into Santiago de Compostella. Found the final shell and stone in the middle of the plaza of the . Traced the gold shells in the street back to near our hotel.

    Then some geocaching.near the market and the cathedral - a very tricky one that Illene found - piece of rusted metal in a crevice of one of the stone blocks of a building. Back to check in to our hotel and out for lunch. Ok fare at Casa Manolo - I had a hake and salad, Illene cordon bleu which was not terrific.

    More geocaching and looking for a restaurant for tonight. A cup of tea and diet coke at a sunny plaza near a park. Found one geocache under a park bench with lots of people around. Another in another crevice in a stone wall in the park. Total of 4 geocaches today - Illene 3, Kay 1.

    Heard from Ibby and Bea around 7P - went to find them in a restaurant. Had a glass of wine with them and said good byes to new friends. Illene and I to La Jefatura*** - a good TA find - locals place and great croquettes (our new favorite thing to eat). Frozen yogurt and ice cream on the way home. Very good day.

    Miles: 8.6 Flights Climbed: 24    Lue lisää

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    Santiago do Compostela

    26. huhtikuuta 2018, Espanja ⋅ ⛅ 54 °F

    Another leisurely start day. Really like our hotel (Hotel Praza Quintana)** however it is near the Cathedral which has a very loud bell tower that rings each hour and q15 minutes!!! Took some getting used to last night.

    Out for the day around 11AM. Illene wanted to go to the noon Pilgrim's Mass. ??? Primarily to see the large silver incense urn swing up and down the cathedral. Sat through an entire mass and they did not swing the urn. :-( Interesting though, huge cathedral full of people, looked like ~500-700. And yes, all in Spanish. :-(

    Then a walk out to where the Camino comes in to Santiago. Appears that Illene needed "closure" on the walk so we walked out about 2 miles and then came through town on the route that the pilgrims arrive to the City. Gold shells in the pavement and plaques in front of the cathedral.

    Some down time and out for a bit more geocaching. Found 6 in Santiago !! Then an early dinner at our favorite restaurant for tapas, La Jefutura. Tonight their great mixed salad and scallops with ham. Home for an earlier bedtime as we need to get up at 4AM to make our 6:40AM flight.

    Miles: 6.3    Lue lisää

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    Santiago to Mennagio, Italy

    27. huhtikuuta 2018, Italia ⋅ 🌙 68 °F

    An early AM start - a 6:40AM flight from Santiago to Madrid to Milan. Picked up car in Milan and drove to Mennagio. Lunch (our first pizza in Italy) at a cafe in the center square of town right on Lake Como. Then a trip to the grocery store to get supplies for the condo. Always fun to Lots of "fun" trying to find the rental office - back and forth along the coast, up and down the hill, etc. Finally the GPS came through and we arrived around 5PM. Further up the "hill" (aka mountain), we arrived at our condo for the next 2 weeks.

    When not raining we will be living outdoors here. Spectacular view of the lake and surrounding villages/hamlets. Picture attached is from first night but it was pretty cloudy. Will post better pictures when it clears. Can see snow covered mountains in the distance, think Southern Alps), white churches high on the hills, Bellagio, the most famous city on the lake, and Lake Como in all its splendor as far as you can see in both directions. All the little villages on the Lake are available by boat. Hiking will be very "up". :-)

    Condo is an 2 story with bedroom and bath on a lower level and the rest on the entry level - another bedroom and bath and a combination kitchen and living room. Still no English TV stations - we have not had one on this trip yet. Nothing really matters except the outside area for us and it is spectacular. Just wine and snacks for "dinner" and to bed early.

    Miles: 2.9    Lue lisää

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    Mennagio - Lake Como

    28. huhtikuuta 2018, Italia ⋅ ⛅ 70 °F

    Slept a long time making up for yesterday. Sunshine and warm this AM but weather report shows rain for later in the day. Finally time to do a wash!!! Very exciting. First one since we left more than 2 weeks ago.

    Lazy AM catching up on "life". Out around 11 with plans to drive to Argegno - down the coast about 10 miles. Check out the town - lakeside piazza, shops, and restaurants. Then a walk "up the hill" - which Kay thought went to a church - :-( did not. And it was quite the +up". 37 flights of stairs according to our Iphone App. Then to check out the medieval bridge in town and a plan to take the funicular/cable car to the top of the mountain. However for some reason, closed for yesterday and today. :-(

    So Plan B was to take a short traghetto (think small boat ferry) to an island in Lake Como called Isole Comacina. A very short ride, less than 10 minutes - and we arrived at the uninhabited island. It is small but just lovely with lots of green spaces, wildflowers in bloom - yellow, purple and white Some ancient Roman ruins and a church. Just a great place to get lost for awhile.

    Back to the mainland around 5PM, then another grocery stop (more wine) and back to our condo by 6ish. Kay made pasta for dinner, Illene made the salad. Cocktail hour and dinner outside - still warm - in the high 60s. Watched the clouds come in, the lights of all the places across the lake come on as well as some lightening in the distance. Storms in the forecast for tomorrow.

    Miles: 5.6
    Flights of stairs: 56!!    Lue lisää

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    Menaggio

    29. huhtikuuta 2018, Italia ⋅ 🌧 57 °F

    Our 2nd day in Menaggio dawns cloudy with some sun. Views of Lake Como and the surrounding towns nestled in the mountains from our condo still spectacular. Leisurely breakfast while we do another load of wash - washing machine cycle is about an hour and a half - maybe longer. Since it is Sunday we decided to hike to a church. You can see a small church way up on top of one of the nearby mountains. (When the weather clears will add a picture from here - done). Trail head was about 25 minutes up the mountain from our condo in a village named Breglia.

    Easy to find the parking lot and off we went. This was only going to be about an hour walk through the woods to the church and another small chapel. It was a lovely walk, some up but not too bad. Wonderful green forest and glimpses of the Lake very far below. A few others on the trail as well but not many. The very small church had a paved walkway from the town and long cobblestone steps leading to the sanctuary. The site dates from the 1100s but a "new" church built there in the 1700s. An great Sunday AM walk in the woods.

    Back to the condo for lunch and then off to Lenno, a village about 6-7 miles from us. We are headed for Villa Balbianello, a magnificent villa perched over Lake Como. We walked about a mile from where we parked the car to the villa. This afternoon they have a Lake Como Music Festival event - a harpist and a sax/clarinet that did an hour and a half of wonderful music in a spectacular setting. Very special. Lots of villas with gardens in the area to visit. The wisteria is in bloom and I have never seen such lush and full wisteria. Looking for some clear weather for good pictures.

    After the music, off to Porlezza which is only about 15 miles away but is on the North end of Lake Lugano and just 5-7 miles from Switzerland. We want to do a hike from our place to Porlezzo. Our hiking book says it is 14.5K or about 9 miles. So we did a scouting trip. Got hungry there so stopped for pizza and gelato (frozen yougurt for Kay) for dinner. Home for some planning and catching up on e-mail.
    Miles: 5
    Flights: 32!    Lue lisää

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    Menaggio

    30. huhtikuuta 2018, Italia ⋅ ⛅ 54 °F

    Every trip has to have a minimum of one day like today. The positive: we learned a lot! The negative: seems like everything went wrong. We decided to take the "hop on hop off" ferry, the system that goes all over the lake. Just to check out some of towns on the other side of the lake that we have not driven through yet. Arrived too late for the full lake ticket so had to take one that only included the "mid-lake" area. Turns out that was a good thing. First to Varenna - directly across the Lake from Menaggio. 15 minute ferry ride. Did a bit of exploring. Lots of shops, lakeside restaurants and very touristy busy. But lovely with the vegetation of spring and greenery in abundance. Then our plan was to go North to Bellano but got on the wrong ferry and went back to Menaggio. So tried for the next ferry to Bellano which had to go to Varenna first! Finally got to Bellano around 3:30 PM only to find out that the last ferry of the day leaves at 4:05PM. (and we had not yet had lunch)! So ate a quick panini and salad and got back on the ferry!!!
    wa
    So back in Menaggio we wanted to check out the starting point of a hike we want to take. Drove around the narrow streets and mountains surrounding Menaggio and finally found it only to find out we really cannot start there as there is no parking !!

    At this time Kay announces that we are not doing one more thing unless we have wine first. Then tried to find a place that we saw that we said would be a great place to have glass of wine. That took another 2 gallons of gas and 30 minutes. However the good news there was that the half bottle of wine was only 4 euros and it was good!!

    Back home for left over pasta dinner and a quiet rest of the day. Tomorrow will be better.

    Miles: 5.4    Lue lisää

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    Menaggio

    1. toukokuuta 2018, Italia ⋅ ⛅ 59 °F

    A sun and cloud day. We planned to do a 6.5 mile walk from Colona which is South of Menaggio about 5 miles. Decided to park our car in Griante -the next town South of us and take a bus to our starting point. This being May 1 and a holiday in most of Europe (their Labor Day), the buses were running on a Sunday schedule. :-( So we spent a lazy hour in a cafe watching the world go by in a beautiful place and waiting for the bus.

    An exciting bus ride. The road by the Lake is very narrow in spots and we have driven it more than and had to wait while a bus and another vehicle try to decide who goes first. This time we were in the bus. Came around the corner and there was another bus about 30 feet away !! Only room for one bus in that road so our bus driver gets out of the bus, organizes all of the traffic in back of us to one side of the road, gets back in the bus and backs that huge bus about 200-300 meters with not 6 inches on each side. It was amazing. The other bus goes through and we are on our way. Must have been 50 cars in back of us until all that was over. No wonder the buses in this area of the world do not run on time.
    Our hike/walk was great. Lots of uphill but not too bad. Much of the trail above the lake followed old Roman roads through fringes of towns and some meadows and lots of wildflowers. We found 2 geocaches along the way, one took awhile but we finally found it. Left our trackable found in Bodega Bay from Germany in one of the caches! Geocaching is so amazing by how it brings the world together. The trail led us down to lake level in time for lunch by the water in Lenno. A lovely lido and since it was a holiday, all the restaurants there were filled to capacity and we had to wait for a table. Great salad and pizza. Continued our walk to the end where we had parked our car.

    Home for left overs dinner and an evening of E-mail and quiet.

    Miles: 9.4
    Flights climbed: 59    Lue lisää

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    Menaggio, Italy

    2. toukokuuta 2018, Italia ⋅ ⛅ 57 °F

    Our first rainy day in over 3 weeks!! We have been so very lucky with weather. Decided to go to a market and explore the area North of us as we have not yet traveled that way. The market was (supposedly) in Gravedona, about 30 minutes North. Looked all around the area, towns before and after, and never found a market. :-( While looking around we saw a sign that said 71k (44 miles) to St. Moritz. (Switzerland). So we decided to go there for lunch. :-)

    The scenery changes pretty dramatically at the North end of Lake Como. The mountains get higher, more snow and steeper sides. Kay loves the mountains and loved every minute of this drive, even in the rain. While only 44 miles, most all was winding mountain roads with the exception of one beautiful valley in Italy right before we reached Switzerland. In that valley, we saw a spectacular very long waterfall on the side of a mountain. As luck would have it, we turned off the road to take pictures and there was a park there so we parked and were able to walk almost to the base of the falls. Not quite the same as the waterfalls in Norway last year but impressive.

    Arrived St. Moritz and checked out town. The Olympics were held in St. Moritz in 1928 and 1948 and will be held there again in 2020. Lots of construction going on so they are clearly getting ready. Check out trip advisor for a restaurant suggestion and ended up at a very good one overlooking the Alps and the large lake below. Food was great and a nice break from pasta and pizza.

    Back "down the hill" (ask Illene about the ride through the pass). A grocery store stop to last us most of the rest of our time here. Fresh trout for dinner. Dinner and another quiet evening with E-mail and planning for tomorrow's hike - weather dependent.

    Miles: 1.5 :-(    Lue lisää

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    Menaggio

    3. toukokuuta 2018, Italia ⋅ ⛅ 64 °F

    Another mostly cloudy day but some warmer. Off to do our planned hike/walk from Menaggio to Porlezza which is from Lake Como to Lake Lugano. Distance is 12.5k (8 miles) in the hiking tour book but we always manage to want to see something else or make a wrong turn.

    The way was mostly paved. We started from where we parked our car in downtown Menaggio and walked up quite a bit on roads and steps through town. Finally caught the trail above Menaggio. The trail is also a bicycle trail and was mostly paved or gravel. After we reached the top of the hill it was mostly flat the next 7 miles. The trail follows an old railroad path that has been repurposed. Lots of green everywhere, trees, meadows and hillsides. Went through a few small towns and a Nature Reserve around a good size lake, Lake Piano. There was a trailer campground there so we were about to get a Coke Light to go with our sandwiches that we brought. Sat by the lake and watched the ducks.

    During the last stretch, decided to try to find a geocache and were successful, found in a drain spout near a castle. Always fun to find one. Made our way the last 3 miles to Lake Lugano where we sat by the lake and Kay had a beer and Illene had ice cream. Into Porlezza to catch a bus back to Menaggio. Fun hike and so pretty.

    Back to condo for a bit of clean up and feet up. Then out to dinner just a mile down the hill to the #1 TA rated restaurant in Menaggio. La Vecchio Magnolia. Good, not great. We both had pasta of different types. I had a curry pasta, interesting but would probably not order again. Another good day.    Lue lisää

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  • Kay's TravelsEurope 2018Matkaaja

    Menaggio

    4. toukokuuta 2018, Italia ⋅ ⛅ 63 °F

    A great day. Off this AM via ferry to Bellagio - the pearl of Lake Como. (according to the tourist information books). Bellagio is situated just across the one arm of the lake from us and we can see it lights every night. And, yes, George Clooney lives nearby. Bellagio is the more upscale area of the Lake and probably the most touristed place. We made a quick stop at the TI and got a walking tour of Bellagio and set out to see the town. Highlights were the tip of the town that juts out into Lake Como - the scenery spectacular with views of the Swiss Alps at the North end of the lake, the lake on both sides of you and the lovely Como coastline on both sides with villages dotted in the green mountains. We checked out a couple local churches, the town hall, and Villa Serbellino - a Rockefeller resort ! Then time for lunch by the Lake and on to the next ferry to Villa Carlotta, back on our side of the Lake near Menaggio.

    The Villa Carlotta is one of the more well-known of the many villas in this part of the world. It is right on the water. The villa is now a museum but best known for its terrific gardens. They are extensive and it being early May here, so much in bloom. Magnificent rhododendron, azaleas, and many smaller multicolored bedding plants. The gardens are really an aboretum as well. Trees from all over the world, including a bamboo forest along with a Japanese garden. We walked for an hour and have many flower pictures. Then a quick trip through the museum where there was also an art exhibit of an Italian artist who did a lot of tree art. We had arranged this time so as to be able to attend the concert at 5PM - a piano forte and sax/clarinet duo. It was great, loved the music that they played. Some light classical and some jazz.

    Then bus to our car, "grocery" shop for wine and home to make pork tenderloin for dinner. Then the power went out as we overloading the system with both the over and washing machine going at the same time. After an hour of back and forth with the management office, the lights finally came back on which it is now almost 10:30PM and the washing machine is still not finished!! Planned our Switzerland hike for tomorrow soon to bed.    Lue lisää

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  • Kay's TravelsEurope 2018Matkaaja

    Menaggio

    5. toukokuuta 2018, Italia ⋅ ⛅ 63 °F

    Amazing day!! Day dawned sunny with few clouds! Our plan today was to hike in Switzerland. Last night we looked on line for a hike around Lugano which is only about 45 minutes away. Found one and took off this AM for Lugano around 8:30. Found parking in Lugano close to our destination - Monte San Salvatore Funicular. Yes, we "cheated" a bit. We took the funicular to the top of the mountain which was spectacular. You could see 360 around Lake Lugano. This funicular was opened in 1890!! All to bring tourists to the area. A lovely restaurant that has a Michelin rating at the top. (Only in Switzerland). Lots of posters and history of the funicular - very interesting. After poking around there for an hour or so we started our hike downhill. The Swiss are real professionals on hiking and signage. All of the signs tell you - not the distance - but how long it takes to get from one place to another. Our trails was one of many that went done the spine of the peninsula that juts out into Lake Lugano. The first section of downhill was steep, rocky and I used my "sticks" for the first ime on this trip. After that we got to a small artist village - Carona - and found Coke Zeros and sat by the street to have our lunch.

    Talked with a Swiss couple who we had seen on the trail and were lunching as well Then a long path through the woods and a bit of pastureland until we reach our destination of Morote, Switzerland. We planned on either the ferry or bus back to Lugano. As luck would have it, there was a ferry in 20 minutes. Thought it would be a quick ride but as it turned out this ferry pretty much toured the Lake. About 1.5 hours later, we were back to our car. Nice way to unwind and the Swiss ferries have wine !!

    Home to make pasta for dinner, warm enough sit outside for cocktails and dinner. Talked briefly with our "neighbors" - the kids from Latvia. They are partying elsewhere tonight. :-) And
    we enjoyed our after dinner Limoncello.

    Miles: 9.7    Lue lisää

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