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Pals in Croatia & Italy 2024
  • Kerrie Palamountain

Pals in Croatia & Italy 2024

We invite you to join us on our 2024 Croatia & Italy adventure! We begin our journey on 26th April with a big focus on seeing these beautiful countries by bike. Watch this space after 26th April! Read more
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  • Kerrie PalamountainPals in Croatia & Italy 2024Traveler
    5
    2DolamitesWindow boxes everywhereA floating duck house on a Lilly pond21ErdpyramidenShrines everywhere here as in GermanyCable cars from Bolzano to Ridden mountaintop

    The Ritten Renon

    June 11, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    Only 3 bus stops from our Hotel is the cable car which goes 1,200 metres to the table top alpine Ritten Renon region. Here there is a narrow gauge historic railway that connects a number of little villages.
    We took the train to the furthest village called Klobenstein where we began a beautiful walk to see the earth pyramids (largest in Europe). We did the 7 km hike before taking the train back to Oberbozen Soprabolzano and then did an hours walk to the very last village and back. We then descended in the cable car and got the bus back to the Hotel. A beautifully picturesque day.
    We are so impressed with the Guest Card we received from the Hotel. It covers all public transport (including the cable car we used today) and entry into all the museums.
    Bolzano, while being an Italian city, has strong German roots. Both languages are spoken and taught in schools. There are both German & Italians names displayed (eg Bolzen - Bolzano). Bolzano is really only Italian in name - everything is beautifully maintained and runs with German efficiency and precision.
    Tomorrow we will visit a few museums and then prepare for our departure on Thursday morning by bike.    Read more

  • Kerrie PalamountainPals in Croatia & Italy 2024Traveler
    Brixen Cathedral
    Brixen Cathedral1Brixen CathedralBrixen CathedralBrixen Old Town1St. Michael's Cathedral Brixen2Unusual ceiling - St Michael's CathedralA lovely residence in Brixen4Oetzi The Iceman - Bolzano Archeological Museum1Our Hotel Magdelena Hof1Beautiful Brixen Cathedral

    Brixen & Oetzi Museum

    June 12, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    We spent our last day in this glorious Alpine area of South Tyrol by taking the train to Brixen - 30 min train ride from Bolzano (free!)
    Brixen is just another beautiful northern Italian city with huge Germanic influence. The town is spotless and well maintained - the sort of place you could live in. Greenery everywhere and rapidly flowing rivers through the centre of the town with story book buildings and one feels like being Ann of Green Gables!
    Yes, we've seen many wonderful Cathedrals and they are all beautiful, however, the Brixen Cathedral is special.
    We returned to Bolzano by train and then got the bus to the Bolzano Archeological Museum where the story of the Iceman uncovered in 1991 in the Austrian/Italian Alps is told. This intact natural mummy, nicknamed 'Oetzi' was frozen for 5.300 years & has transformed archeological theories & beliefs. A fascinating story and a museum well worth visiting.
    We are now packed and ready for the last leg of this journey which begins tomorrow morning when we start riding to Mantua (190 km). This is our first self-guided bike tour so it will be very interesting! Tomorrow we ride 70 km and stay at Trento tomorrow night. Our luggage follows us (hopefully!)    Read more

  • Kerrie PalamountainPals in Croatia & Italy 2024Traveler
    Somewhere between Bolzano & Trento
    En route to Trento from BolzanoVery productive areaWe passed many little villages1This tree stump accompanied us from Bolzano to TrentoTrentoPiazza dell AnfiteatroImpressive building frescoeMuseum & CathedralCathedral in Old Town Trento5

    Day 1 - Bolzano to Trento

    June 13, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    The planets aligned and created a day we will remember forever. Perfect cycling weather, near new electric bikes from Girolibero in Bolzano, a fast flowing Adige river to follow for 70 kms, stunning scenery and both of us healthy and able to fully enjoy the experience!
    We arrived at Girolibero bike depot early and were the first to get our bikes. We had previously loaded onto both our phones a GPS app with map & instructions of how to get from Bolzano to Trento, courtesy of Girolibero. It worked well, once we figured out how to follow the blue line! We only had to bike in traffic for approx 3 km until we reached a wonderful bike path that went the entire 70 kms. Best of all, it was completely flat!
    We sat on 24 - 25 km/hr and quickly realized we were going to be at Trento with plenty of time to spare. We called into a little village for our 1030 coffee and chatted to the locals. We stopped many times to take photos and have a rest from the saddle before arriving in Trento at 1 pm. We noticed a tree stump in the fast flowing Adige river soon after we began our ride in Bolzano. This stump ended up at Trento just after us! We became quite attached to it (like the Tom Hanks movie!)
    We are staying at a lovely Hotel (Hotel America) near the Old Town. We freshened up then walked the cobblestone streets of Trento for our reward - an Aperol Spritz & gelato! What a marvellous day!
    Tomorrow we ride to the top of Lake Garda then take the ferry to Peschiera (4 hr journey).    Read more

  • Kerrie PalamountainPals in Croatia & Italy 2024Traveler
    1A castle on a hill
    This is a bike bridge!Village en route from Trento to Lake GardaLake GardaRiva Del Garda1Our reward!2They build anywhere in Italy!Road weaving in and out of the mountainLimone - village after Riva del GardaOne of the many lakeside villages3Lake Garda

    Trento to Peschiera

    June 14, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    Right now it is 4pm Italy time and we are on the Lake Garda ferry travelling from the north (Riva del Garda) to the south (Peschiera). The trip will take 5 hours and we then ride our bikes to our hotel.
    We started our day at 0845 in Trento and with perfect cycling conditions again.
    Today's ride took us along a bike path, following the river Adige (as we did yesterday), however today we also rode through a few towns, weaving our way in and around streets. Much more challenging today navigating and we had to retrace our paths on a number of occasions. Still, it was lovely cycling. We arrived at the top of Lake Garda 2.5 hours before the ferry departed, so we had a burger & drink (no prizes for guessing which drink we chose!)
    So here we are, on the ferry and enjoying stunning scenery en route to Peschiera.
    Tomorrow we ride to Mantua where we join the Ave Maria, a barge which becomes our home for a week as we ride into Venice.    Read more

  • Kerrie PalamountainPals in Croatia & Italy 2024Traveler
    2Ave Maria barge - our home for the next week!
    Mantua is a UNESCO World Heritage City2Mantua2You can drink this water!!Mantua Old Town1Making ravioli!3This building tucked away in a back street of MantuaMantua CathedralMantua Old town2Mantua Cathedral

    Peschiera to Mantua

    June 15, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Today we finished our self guided bike ride - this leg from Peschiera (at the bottom of Lake Garda) to Mantua, a UNESCO World Heritage City. The ride was, again, challenging in terms of navigation. Roadworks blocked our track and we had to reroute a couple of times. We stopped at a little village called 'Soave' where there was a bar which served coffee and cake. We arrived at Ave Maria barge at 12.30 (embarking scheduled for 5 pm), so we left our bikes with the Guides and walked into Mantua Old Town. Another fabulous Old Town with a magnificent Cathedral and historic buildings everywhere. We shared a pizza for lunch and then a gelato before returning to the Barge. We relaxed on the top deck until we were able to move into our cabin.
    What joy being able to unpack our bags and settle into our cabin, knowing we don't have to pack up for a whole week!! Yay!!
    We met the entire crew at the first Briefing, and then everyone introduced themselves. 31 riders from Canada, America & Australia. Everyone waxes lyrical about the joy of biking holidays. One woman from Canberra has done 30 biking holidays. She took up biking 15 years ago after her husband died and it has saved her she says.
    Once again, the 2 young Italian Guides are super friendly and welcoming - very similar to our Croatian bike trip Guides.
    Tomorrow we ride around Mantua, then have a guided tour of the Old Town. We love these trips - the Guides instruct us, are such good fun, the food is supplied (and it is delicious) and we don't have to pack our bags for another week! Doesn't get any better than this!    Read more

  • Kerrie PalamountainPals in Croatia & Italy 2024Traveler
    The glacial coloured water of the Mincio River
    Astronomical clock - Torre dell'Orologio1Piazza dell ErbeCage on the wall was meant for criminals - never used!Cobblestones date back to 5th centuryCathedral built for a Bishop!Crown bricks indicate allegiance to the Duke & not the Pope1Multicultural festival, Mantova.

    Mantua / Mantova

    June 16, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    After a very comfortable night onboard Ave Maria, we enjoyed an excellent breakfast and then prepared for our very sedate 35 km ride around this area. Today was really a 'shake down' ride so our Guides, Francesco & Fabrizio, could see how well people coped with pack riding and electric bikes (for some, their first time on an EBike).
    We stopped at a beautiful cafe / patisserie at a village called Marmirolo.
    On this trip we pack lunch after our breakfast. We stopped near a lake and enjoyed our roll and a cold drink (!!) before returning to the Barge.
    Later in the afternoon we went to the Old Town and were given a guided tour by a very knowledgeable woman. She really brought Mantua alive for us and helped us realize the historical importance of the UNESCO World Heritage City.
    Dinner wasn't provided onboard so we went to a riverside festival - we think a multicultural celebration. There were some exciting Hispanic musicians playing. The last couple of hours were spent on the top deck of the barge chatting. The weather is starting to heat up, so riding may not be as idyllic as it has been. Still, it's a wonderful way to have a holiday!    Read more

  • Kerrie PalamountainPals in Croatia & Italy 2024Traveler
    Some of the crew on board the Ave Maria
    Bell Tower - BergantinoMuseo Storico della Giostra3Caseificio Sociale Ballotiara4Cheese factory - produces Grand Padano cheeseDinner onboard the Ave MariaTour Director, Francesco and our salad/vegetable barOur BBQ meal - delicious!2Zelo - village where the Ave Maria is mooredOur Tour Guide, Francesco, giving a briefing for our ride on Tuesday

    Mantua to Zelo

    June 16, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    The Ave Maria set sail at 0700 and negotiated 2 locks before breakfast at 0800. We moored and unloaded the bikes then started riding the 47 km towards Zelo.
    Morning tea was at the village, Ostiglia and then we stopped at the village, Ballotiara for lunch and 2 x tours.
    Ballotiara is a village in the middle of nowhere, but it is famous for 2 things. Firstly, there is the Museo Storico della Giostra (a museum of fair / circus rides. This community started building these rides and now employs 2,000 people. They supply rides all over the world.
    The second tour was at a massive cheese factory called Caseificio Sociale Ballotiara. This factory makes only Grand Padano cheese. We enjoyed a sampling of the cheese which is used by Italians for their pasta dishes. We now know the secret to delicious pasta and it's not matured cheese!
    The ride today, while not very long, was hot and on some gravel tracks, but still fun!
    We arrived at the Barge and had a magnificent meal - BBQ meats and salads and vegetables followed by cheesecake. The day finished with a hot drink on the top deck in the cool breeze. Another wonderful day where, once again, relationships onboard are developing and people are really starting to get to know each other.    Read more

  • Kerrie PalamountainPals in Croatia & Italy 2024Traveler
    A little village on our cycling path
    This is a deserted Italian community centreFicarolo - leaning bell tower.Ficarolo - morning tea stop2Lunch with Sheila & Fred in FarraraFarrara Old TownFarrara Old TownFarrara Old TownEntree - Caprese (so delicious)!2Girolibero presented us with a copy of their cookbook!3This is half the biking group. The rest are self guided.

    Zelo to Adria

    June 18, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    An early breakfast because we had a long day ahead. On our bikes at 0830 and a lovely ride through little Italian villages and lots of deserted community buildings. Morning tea at Ficarolo where there is a very good imitation of the Leaning Tower of Pisa!
    The last few kilometres before our arrival in Ferrara were quite delightful - riding along a tree lined bike path.
    Ferrara is an ancient city surrounded completely by a fortified wall - 12 km long.
    We enjoyed our packed lunches with Sheila & Fred before exploring the Old Town. Every Old Town is unique and fascinating.
    We then boarded a bus and were driven to the Mantovani Distillery & Museum at Pincara en route to Adria where we met the Ave Maria.
    The Distillery enabled us to sample as many drinks as we wanted! A couple of G & T later ... !
    The chefs prepare meals specific to the area we are visiting. Tonight's dinner was caprese, followed by lasagne & chocolate fudge cake.
    We are edging closer to Venetzia and, of course, this means the end of our Ave Maria journey. We will spend 3 days in Venetzia and then our return to Down Under!    Read more

  • Kerrie PalamountainPals in Croatia & Italy 2024Traveler
    4Chioggia - Little Venice
    With Anne & Lionel in ChioggiaCanal in Chioggia2Our lunch venue - 10 euros to hire an umbrella for 1hourDelicious fish meal with a potato toppingOur Tour Leader Francesco giving a briefing for Thursday2Our Chefs, Alberto & Michela describing our meal to be served

    Adria to Chioggia

    June 19, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    We had another sailing breakfast this morning which was lovely - watching the river bank pass by. The routine is to eat breakfast then make your own roll for lunch, together with fruit and a chocolate or muesli bar. Once moored the bikes were unloaded and those that are self-guided take off while those who are going with the Guides wait until everyone is ready to go.
    Today we decided to join 6 other Aussies who are self-guiding. All was good for the first 5 minutes until the group took a wrong turn! Half went one way and the other half another way - what do we do? We caught the Guided group, ate humble pie and begged them to allow us to rejoin the Guided Group!
    It is low 30's and humid. By the time we stopped for lunch at a beach resort, we were desperate for a swim! It was lovely. We have heard that next week the temperatures in this region are expected to be mid-40's! So glad we timed our holiday to finish this week!
    We arrived in the beautiful town of Chioggia - a fishing town which is described as 'Little Venice'. After buying water transport tickets for our stay in Venice, we all enjoyed Gelato & a cold drink.
    We embarked the Ave Maria around 4.30 and showered ready for dinner and drinks on the roof top. Another delicious meal featuring fish! We sat with the Canadian girls tonight and had a great time with them. Tomorrow is our last riding day and we sail into Venice.    Read more

  • Kerrie PalamountainPals in Croatia & Italy 2024Traveler
    1Our last bike ride!
    Poppies grow wild in ItalyPellestrina IslandFrancesco and our delicious apertif2With Eva & Alda (Canadians).13Island of Giudecca5As we sailed toward Venice

    Chioggia to Venezia

    June 20, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    A leisurely start today with free time until 1030. We had breakfast and went for a short walk before beginning our 25 km ride along the islands of Pellestrina and Lido. Between these islands we had a short ferry ride. The day was hot and very humid.
    We boarded Ave Maria for a quick shower before visiting the island of Murano and the San Marco Glass Factory.
    Aperitif was served on the top deck as we sailed past the southern shore of Venetzia and moored on the island of Giudecca. What an amazing site to finally see Venice!
    Once moored, we went with Francesco & Fabrizio on a short walk of Giudecca and saw Venice from the rooftop of the Hilton Hotel.
    Another fabulous 3 course meal was served before our final briefing by our excellent Guides.
    Tomorrow we are joining our Guides for a 4 hour tour of Venice. The afternoon is free to do what we like before we pack and prepare to leave our temporary home on the lovely Ave Maria.    Read more

  • Kerrie PalamountainPals in Croatia & Italy 2024Traveler
    1

    Venezia - Friday

    June 21, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    We have had another fabulous day - this time in Venezia / Venice.
    Francesco & Fabrizio took us on a guided 4 hour walk of a gondola maker, St Marco Square, the fish market and Rialto Bridge.
    Franco, the gondola maker is one of maybe 5 left in the world who make the asymmetrical wooden gondolas. He has also been the gondola racing champion on 3 occasions. A privilege to see his workshop - this man normally doesn't entertain tourists!
    Once the tour was over and we cut ties (reluctantly with Francesco), we went own way, together with Fred & Sheila. We found a nice cafe in a back street and had a light lunch together.
    We then took the public water bus along the Grand Canal and found the location of our hotel in Venice, before returning to the Ave Maria for Lemoncello with Sheila and Fed.
    We knew this week on the Bike/Barge trip would fly and we were not wrong. Time to pack and prepare for our departure from the Ave Maria at 0900 tomorrow morning.    Read more

  • Kerrie PalamountainPals in Croatia & Italy 2024Traveler
    Goodbye you gorgeous Canadian girls!
    12Rialto Bridge - first bridge built in VeniceThis little restaurant is a few doors from our hotel5The famous St. Marco Square

    Ave Maria to Venezia

    June 22, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    Another heart wrenching goodbye to the fabulous friends we have made on the Ave Maria. Promises of seeing each other again, but certainly for the overseas friends we know it is a slim reality this will occur.
    The farewell dinner last night was so special. The Crew genuinely seemed to enjoy the week, even though they worked very hard. There was dancing until midnight with some tired people at breakfast this morning!
    We made our way via Vaporetto (water bus) to Venice mainland and stored our luggage at the hotel until 1 pm when we checked in.
    We then took the Vaporetto No 1 at St Marco stop and toured the Grand Canal (again!) What a great way to see Venice!
    We attended a Concert at a Church at 9 pm - "Interpreti Veneziani" - a Vivaldi strings ensemble which was excellent. 2 more days in Venice and then we fly to Roma on Tuesday.    Read more

  • Kerrie PalamountainPals in Croatia & Italy 2024Traveler
    24St Marco Square1Basilica St Marco & Doges Palace1These horse statues taken by Venitians 200 years BC from ConstantinopleBasilica St Marco - mosiac fresco4

    Venice - Sunday

    June 23, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    An early start to the day because we had a tour "Venice in a Day" booked for 0830. Allesandro, our Tour Guide was fantastic. A history teacher who obviously has a life long interest in Venetian history, led us around the streets of Venice before guiding us through the Basilica St Marco & Doges Palace over 6 hours (with a lunch break)!
    We arrived back at the hotel for a much needed rest and shower before walking to a quiet hotel restaurant 15 mins walk from our Hotel. We met Sheila and Fred (from Ave Maria) there and enjoyed al fresco dining with them before they took a night time gondola ride.
    Another marvellous day in this almost unbelievable place!
    For our last day tomorrow we are doing a 3 hour food tour!    Read more

  • Kerrie PalamountainPals in Croatia & Italy 2024Traveler
    1Our first course of Do Eat Better Experience
    Second courseThird courseWe each had 2 x Spritz!Fourth courseGelato for 5th course - of course!!11Basilica Di San Giovanni e Paolo

    Venice - Monday

    June 24, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    After 2 cancellations of booked tours (Napoli & Bolzano), today we finally managed to join a 3 hour tour called "Do Eat Better Experience - Venice". Olympia was our Guide and there were 8 participants - 3 Aussies, 2 Americans & 3 Norwegians.
    Olympia took us to 5 venues where we sampled various foods and wines. By the time the 3 hours was up, none of us wanted to leave, we were all having so much fun! Just wished we did the tour soon after arriving in Venice - we would have definitely returned to some of the restaurants!
    Back to the Hotel for a much needed siesta before going to buy our water bus tickets to the Airport tomorrow morning.
    We then started packing ready for our flights home. Tomorrow we fly to Roma and then on 26th we begin the journey back Down Under!
    So our holiday in Croatia & Italy is now essentially over. It has certainly been the trip of a lifetime and one that we know we will never be able to emulate in the future. We are very happy to be returning home and feel very much at peace doing so.    Read more

  • Kerrie PalamountainPals in Croatia & Italy 2024Traveler
    Murano
    Island of MuranoWater ambulanceEmergency Bay - like no other!!MuranoMuranoMuranoWater taxis everywhere in VeniceAlilaguna water bus - 15 euro/person from Venice to Airport1Our last night in Europe - celebrated with an Aperol Spritz of course!1Farewell Venezia!

    Venizia to Roma

    June 25, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    We arrived at the water bus terminal of St Marco earlier than expected. We got an Alilaguna water bus from the terminal to the Marco Polo Airport - a delightfully scenic tour that took just over an hour. It was the most inexpensive way to get to the airport - 15 euros each. Fascinating to arrive at an airport by water bus!
    We had plenty of time waiting for the check in at Italian Airways to open, so we took the opportunity to ring Ian & Yvonne and catch up on some news from home. It took forever for us to check our cases in. We love Italians, but they have unbelievably disorganized systems!
    Eventually we boarded the plane and had a good flight to Rome, where we stumbled upon the shuttle bus from Terminal 3 to the Hilton Garden Hotel, a few kms from the airport.
    We enjoyed a nice BBQ meal at the Hotel restaurant and a celebratory Aperol Spritz to finish our 8.5 weeks in Europe.
    We will wind up our FindPenguins travel log with one final Footprint on our return home to Encounter Bay, South Australia, in a couple of days.    Read more

  • Kerrie PalamountainPals in Croatia & Italy 2024Traveler
    1Doha airport
    Long haul flight about to begin!

    Roma to Home Sweet Home!

    June 26, 2024 in Qatar ⋅ 🌙 39 °C

    And so endeth our 8.5 weeks Croatia & Italy Odyssey! Although the principle purpose of FindPenguins travel blog was to diarize our journey as a record for ourselves there were other significant benefits. We were so happy to be able to share our experiences with family and friends and appreciated the lovely encouraging comments we received along the way. Your comments helped us feel connected and that is a good feeling when so far from home and when things don't go as planned, eg illness. Having said that we feel blessed to have been able to keep going even when we weren't feeling so good for a couple of weeks in the middle of the holiday.
    A travel writer said "take half the clothes and double the money overseas" and we found that to be absolutely true! Although we do not regret one Euro we spent, if we did travel overseas again, we would probably do things differently to contain costs.
    We have made some wonderful friends, especially on the bike trips and have seen indescribable natural beauty and amazing ancient historical sites.
    We have just landed at Adelaide Airport - good to be back home! So the last leg of our journey has finished and it's time to, sadly, for the moment, say goodbye!
    With much love, Roger & Kerrie xx    Read more

    Trip end
    June 26, 2024
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