Venice - 31st May

Venice - 31st May

 

We are awoken by a lightshow supported by the sound of thunder and rain - some retribution for the unseasonal weather of the past few days? - the rain clears - we prepare for a day of 'not doing' Venice.




We wonder what is at the heart of the animated discussion between a Chinese fellow and a group of north Africans - we observe them turn away as the police barge drifts up the canal - we notice them return to their discussion - ah - a Chinese man organizing illegal immigrants to flog the Italian leather bag knockoffs that he has brought into Venice from his homeland.

 

We Stroll through Academia on our way to St. Marco - pause for an Italian breakfast - be surprised when it is found to consist of toast and jam, coffee and orange juice with a croissant thrown in.

 

Sit and admire the stylish Italian men and women - they all walk with their shoulders back and their feet gliding smoothly - they walk with pride - the women all simply but fashionably dressed and all carrying large shoulder bags of Italian leather - the men often carrying shoulder bags are dressed in snazzy shirts and/or stylish jackets - the contrast with the tourists is stark - I can recommend breakfast in a Venetian square playing 'pick the Italian' - an easy but enjoyable past time.

 

 

 

We wander onwards through the narrow shop lined alleys towards St Marks - Venetian masks , Murano glass and Italian leather bags seem to be on everyside - there is price creep as we approach the square -

 

 

 

Creep that suddenly transitions to the ridiculous in the square itself.

 

Ah the square at 9:00am - the tourists have been disgorged from the Cruise Ships, loaded on Vaporetto and dispatched here - they queue and they queue and they queue again -they look like camera carrying cattle heading for the slaughterhouse - not a smile among them -I think this is what "Doing Venice" actually means - Bernie takes photograph after photograph of the bovine lookalikes - we sit a little longer and watch the self propelled tourists arrive in the square - they become stressed and anxious when they see the queues - we feel like walking up to them and telling them that cruise ship hordes will soon move on to their next "Must do" leaving manageable queues in their wake.

 





 

We wander through calle after calle past stylish shops that clothe the stylish Italians - we bump shoulders with tourists who just like us stop on a whim at one shop window or another - we know this is not on exclusive tourist strip when the shop window displays vacuum cleaners! - as we move away from the square prices are quite reasonable.

 

Back towards Antica Locandar Montin - stop in a square - we select some jewelery for Bernie - the shop owner, yet another stylish Italian lady, talks about the fake Murano glass that abounds in the city and about the pressure being imposed on Italy by the illegal migration caused by the conflicts across the Adriatic.

 

We wander on pausing at canals to smile at the traffic jambs as the gondolas manouver to make way for a freight barge with kegs of beer and other produce precariously spread across its deck - the Venician equivalent of Freight Direct - this feels to me like we are observing a parade at Disney Land - to Bernie it feels like the a Mexican waterpark - in any event we both get the sense that we are watching some form of circus.

 

We felt like we have become ' holier than thou ' so we joined the tourists in a guided walking tour of Venice - in reality a walking tour of the environs of San Marco - to be fair to the lady she tried hard but I suspect she might have been better taking us to a café, serving us a cappuccino and making presentation from Wikipedia - the walking tour ends in a gondola ride - if you are going to take a gondola ride then try something well back from the grand canal - what did my father tell me? - ah - yes - I remember - you get what you pay for! - the cynic that is within me, some say so close to the surface that it is can be seen through my skin, has modified my father's adage to become 'the chances of getting what you want are proportional to what you pay' - it is amazing how just when you need an example to prove your point one is presented to you - we return to the Antica Locanda Molin to dine in their garden restaurant - we experience an amazing meal - the adage proves itself when our modern day slothful credit card is required to do much more than just wave at the electronic waiter.

 

Sleep.

 

 

To Venezia 30th May

To Venezia 30th May

 

As is usual we rise to a breakfast the magnitude of which we would never consider on those hum drum days at home - here consideration of the effects of food and drink on the volume of the human presence are left to another day.

 

The Villa Iris bids us farewell and we head for a parking pasture where our Eurocar steed will rest and recuperate while we annoy the Vaporetto of Venice - a few wrong turns - in defence of Tommy perhaps more the driver than electronic navigator - we reach one of those commercial parking lots that feed off the greed of commercially operated airports - the steed is put to pasture and we are shuttled through the airporto environs to the Allilaguna ferry terminal for the ride into Venice .

 

 

The initial impression is of a tired, untidy and soiled waterway.

 

 

 

 

 

Gradually as the main island is approached the waterway becomes similtaneously busier and cleaner while the visage becomes that of the postcard.

 

 

 

We stay aboard past ferry stages at places with famous names like Murano, Lido and St Marco - we alight at Zatterre on a very hot, sun shiny day - Venice promises to be what Venice has always promised to be!

 

500 meters to the Antica Locanda Montin - a diversion - no room for both stone masons and pedestrians in the laneways of Venice - we pause for an instant - joined by a Venician who quickly corrects our way - the restaurant is closed - ring the bell.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A nice young man greets us - shows us to our room - room overlooks a canal - a private bathroom over the hall - Bernie is relieved - she was a little concerned about low cost accommodation in Venice .

 

 

 

 

Time to absorb Venice - we smile at the people with recipes in their hands - they seem so preoccupied with what the writers from Lonely Planet and Frommers want them to do that they cannot see what is surrounding them - they spend so much of their time with their heads in a map wondering how they will get to where they need to be next that they don't realise what is surrounding them - we hear one say to another 'where are you going to do after Venice' - they are do busy 'doing' Venice that they do not let Venice 'do' them - we wonder if they even hear the music that is the banter between the locals - there is something special about the sound of the Italian language.

 

We wander to Academia - wander into the University - admire the Vice Chancellor's boat moored at the front steps on the Grand Canal

 

We are not 'doing' Venice - sit and lunch on the square - laugh at our fellow tourists with their heads stuck in their recipe books while their partners express either boredom or frustration - OK smart Alex lets see if you can find your way back to the Antica Locanda Montin - some wrong turns but we make it! - the essential nap!

 

Wake refreshed and hungry - wander to the waterfront at Zattere - grace a waterfront table - watch wondering what we have done to deserve this life - admire ferry boat captain after ferry boat captain as they transplant people from land to sea and from sea to land - another bottle of local Pinot Grigcio -

 

 

Wander home through the quite, narrow alleys and along the even narrower footpaths beside the canal - be impressed by the silence of the place - life without the noise of cars and trucks is an unknown pleasantry for urban dwellers!

 

 

 

Menaggio towards Venice 29th May

Menaggio towards Venice 29th May

 

Its time to move on although we regret that the time has actually arrived - we join the short line at the ferry that will take the car and its custodians to Vareena - the Sun is shining - it is a gorgeous day.

 

 

We cross the lake and breakfast on the lakeshore - we are amused by the smily faced coffee that greets us.

 

 

 

Meet a group of four middle aged Australians on a cycling tour of the Dolomites - they are winding up their holiday at Lake Como - they have left their wives tucked up in bed in Menaggio and are having their morning coffee after having completed their early morning ride on the Vareena reach of the lake - they rave about the hotel they stayed at in Bardia - it is a pity we have forgotten its name - Bernie tells them about Rad Reisen - they take note.

 

We strike out towards Venice - the road from Vereena towards Bergamo is a delight - the Italian drivers are polite and constrained - we pass and are passed by many lycra clad warriors enjoying their morning ride - can life get letter? - as we approach and leave Bergamo the euphoria of Menaggio gradually dissipates - we traverse busy roads and suburbia before joining the Autostrada running east towards Venice .

 

 

Veer of the freeway at St. Bonnifice - stop at a Trattoria - how could it call itself just a trattoria? - we had the finest lunch of our trip - Bernie raved about her salad of squid, octopus and asparagus - I raved about local pasta with tomatoe and cream cheese sauces - should not be missed - a wonderful place tucked away where the tourist hordes would never find it save for those as blessed as us.

 

Now to find some accommodation - Tommy gets confused we end up back on the autostrada - turn off towards Pedova - into the slinky part of town - get lost - get stressed - get out of Pedova - there must be better parts of Pedova but there were no hotels that Tommy was prepared to take us to that we would be prepared to stay in - Tommy needs to be careful or he will be purged and complete firm upgrade inflicted upon his once loyal self.

 

We give him another chance - towards Venice on a minor road - there is a nice hotel - only 75 Euros - nap and calm the nerves - rise to dinner at the hotel in dining room straight from an Italian wedding.

 

Some great experiences but not the greatest day of our Italian sojourn but at least the Villa Iris with its typical Italian dining room is just on the outskirts f Venice.

 

 

 

Menaggio - 28th May

Menaggio - 28th May

 

We have settled into this life - we lie in waiting until the urge takes us to rise for breakfast - the urge arrives around 8:30 - we stroll to a less populated square than we encountered yesterday - the Italian day trippers have been confined by their weekday obligations to their home environs in Milan and Monza - Menaggio now has just its locals and the tourists who have been blessed by choosing their accommodation here - they both will be joined later in the day by the tourists who will ferry across the lake from Bellagio and Verenna.

 

We breakfast in another of the cafes that surround the square - a little different - this time jam filled croissants, toasted sandwichs and coffee.

 

We sit amused by the group of local women who have met at the café - like their french sisters they smoke and smoke but unlike the french women they support the café owner by disposing of adequate quantities of produce - this difference in habit between the international sisters appears to result in a significant difference in the shape of the two sisterhoods.

 

We watch also with amusement the old man who arrived on his scooter to sit at the next table reading reading paper and sipping coffee - he smokes and smokes but they are sourced not from his pocket but from the pocket of any of his fellow locals who have the misfortune to be walking by when his previous cigarette is no longer delivering the requisite quantity of nicotine - every request is greeted in the affirmative and in good cheer.

 

Bernie takes the camera - she is determined to capture the image of the lake that defines for her the magnificence of this place - she complains that the blog does not do it justice

 

 

 

 

 

We make our way to the ferry - joined by others - some day tripping across the lake like us - some wheeling their cases and moving on.

 

 

The smaller of the three towns on the confluence of the lake - Verenna is a relaxed place - it seeks not to compete but to complement its lakeside neighbours - the shops of Bellagio are absent

 

 

This place is about relaxing and the tourists seem to sense it - everyone wanders slowly and quietly -

 

They pause for extended periods in the waterfront cafes

 

At least in this part of the tourist cycle it is hard to imagine a better place to calm the soul.

 

 

 

We return to Menaggio - how do you know you have reached that age? - you know when you pay money to ride on an immitation train - we take the train / tractor / vehicle - feel free to call it what you will from Menaggio to Lenno - the driver - a young Italian girl has talents that exceed those of the great Fangio - Fangio could only drive fast - this girl could not only drive fast she could simultaneously send text messages and remonstrate with misbehaving passengers - in her more relaxed mode she simply drove fast and held her phone to her ear as the trailing carriages rocked and jumped over every bump in the road - like Fangio she had her pre race procedure but unlike Fangio who would spend his time visualising the race circuit, her procedure involved a complex combination of make up application, hair styling and clothing adjustment - we survive and take what we believe to be a will deserved nap

 

We rise and return to our favourite Trattoria - Bernie has Pork and Polenta that she suggests she might consider dying for - as is now our practice we finish with a visit to the gelato vendor in the square.

 

We depart tomorrow on our way to Venice - we will recommend a visit to Menaggio in early June to anyone that will listen - we both rank these few days on Lake Como amongst the best of our travelling days.

 

Menaggio - 27th May

Menaggio - 27th May

 

There will be a market in the square - no there isn't - its straight out the front door of the hotel - save for the setting this could be a Sunday street market anywhere in the world - the recipe must be universal - the vendors and their products would not be out of place in QE 2 square -

 

We browse until our hunger guides us towards the square - cappucinos, breads, jams, croissants and yoghurt in a setting designed by the plaguerisation of an Italian postcard


 

 

 

We sit awhile and watch the sunday crowd - the fully outfitted middle aged Giro d'Italia wantabes gather for their after ride coffee - I smile - the Ripe Tomato café perched as the gatekeeper to a Harvey Norman complex cannot expect to compete - riders of a similar age but more rotund figure relive their salad days on bikes with powerful and noisy engines designed both to transport and impress their leather clad female passengers - everyone is happy


 

We drift down towards the ferry terminal - we pause awhile to watch huge ducks that could have just escaped from the window of an upmarket toy store while they bicker amongst themselves for a share of the bread thrown into the water by an enterprising tourist car driver - there are multiple beneficiaries here - the ducks enjoy their scraps, the driver attracts tourists to his sales counter and the huge fish in the lake swim beneath the bickering ducks to clean up the crumbs that escape the ducks and sink below the surface of the clear water.

 

Clearly there is a daily migration of tourists from one to another of the three towns each located on confluence of the three arms of Lake Como - We board the ferry and head across the lake to Bellagio, tomorrow we will head to Verenna.

 

 

It is Sunday and the international and national tourists are joined in Bellagio by hundreds of local daytrippers - the township is pleasantly populated - enough to give it life and bustle but not enough to corrupt the experience - we wander past the shops and cafes on the waterfront - we are surprised - prices are reasonable and the goods of high quality - this is not like the tourist traps that we have encountered in other places - we are encouraged to move away from the water and up the steep shop lined steps to the higher terraces - leather, Italian silk scarfs, Murano glass, handbags, shoes, pottery, paintings, gelato, ice cream, piaza , pasta and all things Italian - the shops all have style!

 

We pause - dine at a Trattoria that looks over the lake towards Menaggio - Bernie laughs at the self obsessed English girls at the next table - says one "The Italians do Piaza well you know! "

 

Later in the evening we are destined to sit beside another group of English diners - one of them battles to eat pasta from a bowl with a set of knives and forks - says she "at least with Cod and Chips you know how to start"

 

We wander down towards the pier - Bernie poses with her Lamborgini Blanco

 

 

 

 

We wander past Steve Buckle's Italian cousins drinking beer, comparing their motocycles and telling war stories about their weekend touring bikes around Lake Como.

 

 

Back on the ferry to Menaggio - a nap - some writing -

 

Up to a rainbow spanning the Lake - off to a Trattoria for dinner - finish it with a gelato in the square and a glass of wine in the hotel foyer - Another day in paradise .

 

 

 

Leysin to Menaggio - 26th May

Leysin to Menaggio - 26th May

 

Rise early to avoid the abolutions queue - no need to worry - the anxious parents have already arisen and cleared the sparse abolusions area before we even stagger from our door - down to breakfast - we greet the slightly rotund but clearly aged "maitre'd" who is barefoot and still dressed in her pyjamas - she fusses around the breakfast supplies as we join the parents in the dining space.

 

Off down the mountain - the sun is shining - the high meadows are covered in a carpet of green and gold - the near peaks direct our eyes to their snow splashed neighbours behind - a delightful drive down the mountain to the freeways that will lead us to Italy -

 

We have been told of the terrifying driving antics of the Italians so we practice patience, persistence and "unflapability" as the Swiss mountaineers tear past us on the impossible bends tooting their horns to make us aware that cautious downhill driving is not the done thing.

We decide that crossing the Grand St. Bernard pass from Switzerland to Italy is something we should do and accordingly make a last minute decision to leave the freeway at Martigny and head into the alps proper .

 

A great drive - the scenery gets better and better as we climb - we stop frequently - at some stops we are blessed by the sight and exhaust crackle of a Ferrari making its way home up the twisting climb and across the mountains leaving in its wake a stream of appreciative fellow travellers.

 

We emerge from the tunnel that decends from Col Grand St. Bernard into the valleys of the Italian Alps - we leave the main road briefly to explore some of the narrow paved roads that wend their way past houses that command almost unbelievable views along the valley and back into Alps.

 

Onwards - Tommy's access to the satellites is blocked by steep mountains - he regularly becomes confused - we understand his difficulties - after all we are still practising our patience for the expected antics of our Italian motoring collegues.

 

Onwards - we find the Italian drivers fast but predictable - observing their behaviour allows us to establish the rules - firstly speed signs are to be interpreted as minimum rather them maximum speeds except in tunnels and secondly road works require special attention since you are clearly required to exceed the indicated speed by a considerable margin - once the rules are understood the drive along the toll roads is safe and predictable but punctuated by relatively frequent stops at toll booths to insert our credit card into the automatic gate controllers.

 

We approach Como and leave the toll road - the signs to Menaggio start to appear - the roads narrow as we join the shores of Lake Como - postcard after postcard - magnificent - careful Michael - the road is getting very narrow - the road is getting even narrower - will the two cars pass?- is that on coming driver bluffing? - how wide is this Astra? - how close am I to the kerb? - this is stressful! - it is not the Italians fault that they know exactly where their car will fit.

 

We make it the Grand Hotel Victoria right on the Lake - we are stressed but are quickly put at our ease by friendly staff - secure the car behind the hotel and settle into room 502 on the fifth floor-

 

 

Take a picture out our bedroom window across the lake to Bellagio -

 

 

 

 

 

Take a picture of taking the picture - apart from the window the room is ok and the staff really nice


 

 

 

 

We rest and stroll around the waterfront to the ferry terminal past the cafes and ice creameries - dine almost alone on the balcony of a local Hotel - a delightful meal - stroll back to the Grand Victoria through the café strip populated by both the local population and the advance scouts of the tourist hordes that will descend on the lake in the coming month.

 

 

 

Gray to Leysin - 25th May

Gray to Leysin - 25th May

 

Oh it is sad to leave E &K and the barge that has seen so much of Europe and which has enjoyed the prosperous times and endured the two most devastating conflicts of the western world - but we need to move on to allow others to enjoy both the hospitality and life on Linquenda - as it turns out we only leave the custodians and barge just 45 minutes before their new visitors are scheduled to arrive.

 

Off through Besoncon to the Swiss border - pay our 40 Euro freeway Toll charge - head on to Lausanne - bear off the freeways towards the shores of Lake Geneva at Ravaz.

 

Descend and descend and descend down the virtual cliff face towards the shore - Admire the houses and vineyards that occupy the steep terraces formed on the steep slopes where the towering alps meet Lake Geneva - battle to get a park to admire the views.

 

 

Our old man gets to appreciate the kindness of young Swiss women over lunch in a park on the lake shore - it is spring - we join a young family as the picnicing population of the park - we enjoy our lunch of french bread, cheese and juice in the warm sunshine while admiring the yachts cruising on the lake - can the scenery get better than this! - well at least for an old man like me it can - the picnicers are joined by two shapely Swiss lassies who proceed to meticulously go about setting up a small charcoal barbeque, laying down rugs and setting up their sunshades - they are almost ready for a day in the park - but not quite - you cannot effectively sunbake in your dress - now unlike most of their Australian sisters who would turn their back on their fellow picnicers, these girls show their generous natures by facing us all and then demurely and with considerable style reach under their dresses and in one movement remove g strings that had clearly been fashioned for them by some minimalist designer - my interest rises to a new level when they proceed to hang their g strings from their sunshades releasing them to fly as flags marking their personal dominion over their sunbaklng territory - bikini bottoms clearly from the same minimalist designer are then elegantly slid under their dresses to replace the personal flags now flying on the sunshades - clearly the preparations for sunbathing are not yet complete - it is time for Bernie and I to depart - we can see sharks in an aquarium - too late! - the sharks have been set free - the young mother nearby reconsiders the suitability of the park for her young boys - Bernie and I move on.

 

Onward and upwards to Leysin to accommodation at the top of this ski village about 20 kilometres from Lausanne - the scenery is majestic - the films of the 60's must have been made here -

 



After the steep climb we reach the mountain meadows and the village still recovering from the onslaught of the ski season

 

 

The B&B is tired - the unkind would say it is exhausted! - Bernie chastises herself - don't worry - only for one night.



 

A large American finishing school is located nearby - tomorrow is graduation and the B&B is full of Japanese and Korean parents here to ensure that the testamur is actually placed in the hands of the children they have so generously endowed - the young men and women so endowed look almost as exhausted as the B&B - I suspect that it is not because of their academic workload but rather, like the Airelles B&B they are suffering the ravages of the ski season.

 

 

 

Gray - and another day

Gray - and another day

 

Rise to another breakfast - Into Gray for more McDonald's Wi-fi - hear about the McBaggette - good! Knud assures me - work arrives through the ether- deal with it - girls return from their gathering expedition laden down with breads, cheeses, meats, milk and french vegetables - Bernie is amazed by what she has seen - large packets of cryovacced mashed potatoes clearly imprinted on her mind - people will be subject to muliple iterations of her memories of this gathering escapade!

 

The sun reveals its presence and enters into an hour long battle for supremacy with the grey clouds that have reigned over Gray for the past two days - the Sun wins and its victory is celebrated by the newly bare- breasted males of Gray who emerge to play table tennis on the precast concrete table tennis tables that inhabit the recreational areas of at least this part of France

 

 

Home to another great lunch - melon and proscutto, bread and cheese and a beer - nap then rise to coffee and cake - discuss the increasing dimensions of my girth.

 

 

Unload the bikes - along the Soane - the sun encourages yesterday's red tinge in the fields to levitate to the sky - a rainbow crescent of reds, greens, yellows and blues lays across the landscape - no doubt the creation of some strange synchronisation of swirling winds that progressively deposited the forebears of the now wilting to red winter grasses, the now vigorous green sumner grasses, the yellow cheerful buttercups and the opportunistic blue wild flowers in progressively larger arcs across the field.

We ride on past clumps of wild roses and past fisherman who chose to ignore the neat fishing stages in favour of the lush grassy banks of the Soane - we ride on over the lock canal, past the river barrage, past the lock and over the Soane and into Ville de Rigne.

 

 

The village looks tired and a little tatty - the old church and the departed souls it oversees seemed loved but at the same time look neglected - this is a place that has seen better days - some of the inhabitants show pride in their homes and it is their homes that celebrate the emerging spring with box hedges that appear to have been recently trimmed with the precision of a compound milling machine. These same homes have vegetables gardens that would make even our grandfathers jealous. Stark against the mediocrity of much of the village is the Chateau De Rigni with its gardens stretching down to the banks of the Soane .

 

 

 

We turn back from Rigni and return to Linquenda - we sit In the wheelhouse - enjoy the sun - snack on snails - listen to the Cucoo's

 

 

 

 

Suddenly it is time to batten down the hatches - in comes a hail storm - the river becomes agitated and the rain pours down- the nature of spring? - the storm is soon over and the surface of the Soane returns to the stillness of a mill pond.

 

 

 

 

Our last night - dinner at a great place in town - one of the best dining experiences in our recent memory - we leave early tomorrow - we will be sad to leave these delightful and generous people that are the masters and custodians of Linquenda.

 

GRAY- ANOTHER DAY

GRAY- ANOTHER DAY

Awake - amazing hosts - cups of Russian tea sit on the Cabin stairs .

Challenge the Linquendar's shower to deliver its promise - after a little persuasion it responds in the affirmative.

A birthday breakfast for Knud sees us partaking of a traditional continental breakfast supplemented by some Danish tradition in the form of delicious but potent Schnapps .

A walk into town - visit the glazier - some changes to Linquenda's shower - greeted with a handshake and a "bon jour monsieur" - Knud completes the transaction with a mixture of broken French, hand gestures and vigorous head movements.

Wander back past the Hotel de Ville - Gray - the Marybrough of France - it has been a significant centre for years but does not seem to know how to make use of its potential - perhaps this is unfair- perhaps it is suffering a malaise imposed on it by the state of the European economy

Back to Linquenda - lunch - celery root - hams - breads - cheeses - avacardo - strong coffee and French beer - all delightful.

A nap - rise to birthday cake and coffee - how does she do it? - as impressive as Linquenda is she does not have a kitchen to match the standard of faire that graces her dining board.

Knud heads out for his 80 kilometre training ride - he must be fit enough to lead 'Domestos' up the mountains when he joins him for Le Tour in a couple of months.

The rest of us chose a more gentle ride along the cycle path beside the Soane.

This is the life - swans on the river - greens and blues - dandelions - fishing stages - we imagine red riding hood slinking through the forest that borders the cycle path - ride out of the forest past fields of wheat - fields of barley - fields of rye

watch as the winter grasses pass their baton to the vigorous new spring growth and then wither away leaving the fields with a pleasant reddish tinge - wild iris intrude into the green landscape - fisher folk rush to wet their lines after work.

 

 

We await Knud's return - The girls turn the wheel house into an art studio - they are missing their Thursday art days - I sit on the deck - listen to the chatter between the recently arrived Italians and the Gerard De Dipieuxieux look alike that is the local port captain and tour boat operator at Plague De Gray - watch the occasional barge drift by - write.