Salzburg & Munich

We left Croatia feeling happy that we took the few days to check it out.  We would go back to explore farther south than we were able to get; it is a beautiful and fascinating area of the world.

View from the Castle in Salzburg

However, our time was running out, as our flight from Frankfurt to Denver was already booked.  Hustling back to catch it, we stopped for a couple nights in Austria, outside Salzburg.  What a treat! 

Our Airbnb apartment was one of the best; one we will remember fondly for a long time.  It occupied the lower floor of a home at the end of a country lane…the very last  house.  Next door was a huge farm perched on the hills.  Nothing but fields, hills and mountains in sight.  (We could almost imagine Maria singing on top of one of them.) The glory of watching the sun set in that breathtaking panorama amidst quiet stillness will stay with us always.

Platz where we watched the Magic Flute, Castle above

Our hosts were a wonderful, interesting couple retired from being a psychologist and university professor.  We liked them both very much.  Our first evening there they invited us to share wine in the little gazebo they had built on the property.  It felt like being in the glass gazebo out of “The Sound of Music” with the gorgeous surrounding hills.  No rain or falling in love, but a lovely setting.  The four of us seemed to be very compatible and it was an evening of wine and camaraderie.

We toured Salzburg, particularly the castle, which was very interesting and in the evening attended the outdoor cinema showing of one of the operas performed at the Salzburg Festival last year.  (The Festival was on while we were there, but getting tickets was an impossibility, both because it was sold out, and even if it weren’t, way too pricey for us.).  

What a nice experience to sit beneath the castle on the cliffs above and enjoy The Magic Flute on film with a bunch of other people munching an outdoor picnic.  Only had to tell the young girls behind us to stop their nonstop chatter once.  Fortunately they got up and left; not interested; don’t know why they came.

Ilsa, Manfred, Sue & Larry

We left this idyllic odyssey and drove on to Munich, where we were welcomed, as usual by dear Manfred and dear Ilsa.  As always, they treated us like royalty.  

Manfred took us to a typical Bavarian “white wurst” meal at a local farm:  long tables lined up, beer for all; lots of chatter and delicious homemade wurst—must be eaten the day it is made.  So delicious and such a neat experience.  On another day, we all went to a Palitinate Wine Festival--where the wine flowed freely.

We visited the beautiful lake where Ilsa and Manfred spend time.  As he said, why would you go anywhere when you have this kind of beauty in your own backyard.

At a Palitinate Wine Festival in Munich

We had some great German meals at home and in restaurants; saw more of the Bavarian area and got to spend time with Sabina and her two adorable daughters, Anna and Caroline.  As usual, we were so happy to spend the time.

We set out for Frankfurt to turn in the car (praying that they wouldn’t make us pay for the scratches we got in the front by scraping a stone wall in Italy—they didn’t; the beauty of leasing is that their insurance covers such stuff).  A stop in Rothenburg, Germay's best preserved walled town, for lunch brought yet more fascinating sights (see below).  We caught our flight (which we just made due to confusion in the airport and bad signage) and headed home.  Weary but happy as our European sojourn ended.

Sue & Manfred, cousins
 What a wonderful time we had from the send off in New Orleans, to the cruise, to the trip through Spain, our fantastic return to beloved Italy, touring another part of the world we were curious about and sharing parts of it with family and friends.  We are so lucky.  Perhaps we are not saving the world, but we are certainly experiencing it.  Who knows, it may lead to something worthwhile.  Right now it is our way of life and will be so until it isn’t.

Horseless Carriage in Rothenburg

Rothenburg's Rathaus

Typical architecture

Old carved door in Rothenburg

Slovenia & Croatia

Our AirBnB in Kopar

Although we have been back in Denver since early August  events, illness, and procrastination have kept us from posting to the blog until now, but we have been working on several posts to bring it up to date.  Here's the first.

After a great three week stay in Verona, we left on July 25th to spend a few days in Slovenia, Croatia and Austria before returning to Germany and catching our flight home from Frankfurt.

Slovenia coastline

Our first stop was Kopar, Slovenia--just four hours from Verona. The AirBnB apartment was out in the country, but the GPS got us pretty close, and with just a little help from a Slovenian farmer we were able to find it without getting completely lost.

In Rovinj

We only spent three days in Slovenia and certainly didn't get to explore the country in depth, but one thing that struck us during our visit is how completely different--both physically and culturally--the Slovenians are from the Italians. They were very hospitable and welcoming, but you cannot help noticing that they are not nearly as sophisticated as their Italian neighbors, although only a few kilometers and an invisible border separate them.

While in Slovenia, we took the opportunity to make a brief sortie into Croatia, with our destination being Rovinj (or Revigno in Italian).  The drive through the Istrian countryside was pretty unexciting.  We had hoped that the coastal road would take us along a scenic seaside, but for nearly two hours we barely glimpsed the sea.

Rovinj is situated on a small peninsula and has little parking, especially for visitors, so everyone has to park outside the city and walk the last kilometer or two, which we did.  As we left the parking lot, the skies opened, and everyone we passed on our walk into town was soaked to the skin, but, for once, we were prepared and our slickers and umbrellas kept us dry.

Sue selecting cheese at a man's doorstep

Rovinj was worth getting wet for, though; what a beautiful little gem of a town.  Described by some as the most Italian of all Croatian cities, it certainly reminded us of many of the Italian towns we have visited over the years, but it was very special in its own way.

As we walked into the town, Sue discovered a man who sold the most incredible truffle cheese.  She liked him immediately and in the course of just a few minutes they bonded. When she had the idea to ask him for a restaurant recommendation,  he directed us to his friend's tiny restaurant just a short distance down the street.

Dining at Dricastel

We had one of the best meals ever.  The restaurant, Driocastel, could have held no more than 20 customers, but we were the only guests. Between our basic Italian and the proprietor's halting English, we managed to communicate.  Her story is extraordinary: twenty years earlier, she had fled the fighting and wasteland of Zagreb and established this business in Rovinj. She made us feel so welcome and appreciated and the food she served was fantastic, especially the seafood risoto.

Rescue of Saint Euphemia's Sarcophagus 

We fell in love with the story of Saint Euphemia,  the city's patron saint, whose casket seems to have floated from Asia Minor and washed ashore at this Croatian seaside town.  She is thought to protect both residents of and visitors to Rovinj. Her casket rests in the cathedral at the town's highest point which affords a lovely view of  the town and the Adriatic.

View of the Adriatic from the Cathedral

We were able to spend only a few hours in Rovinj, but thought it one of the sweetest and most picturesque places we have visited, and we would really recommend it to anyone visiting Slovenia or the Istrian peninsula of Croatia.

Veneto Adventures, Part II

Two other venues we explored in the Veneto were Lake Garda and Valpolicella.  Everyone has heard of Lake Como, thanks to George Clooney, but many Italians told us to "skip it" and go to Lake Garda instead, and so we did.

Our first trip to the lake was a short day trip drive where we ended up in the little peninsular town of Sirmione.  We parked, strolled through a lovely park and found our way to the preserved castle gate at the peninsula's point.  We passed through the gate and throngs of tourists (not our favorite company, though we, too, share the label) swarmed the area.

Julie, Ian & Sue 

The lake itself is gorgeous and we enjoyed sitting on a bench listening to a street musician play some lovely tunes on her guitar. As in most places, our fondest memory will be of food.

We stumbled upon a lake-side restaurant with tables scattered on a lawn and enjoyed a wonderful fish concoction while watching a toddler, almost Charlie's age, amble about playing with his grandma.  We got a bit homesick.

Ian & Julie on the Gondola

Our second trip to Lake Garda needs to be prefaced with another story.  While attending the opera "Carmen" in Verona, we got to talking to a dear English couple, Julie and Ian, who were sitting beside us and were very excited to be seeing their first opera ever.

They were in Verona only for the evening as they were staying at Lake Garda.  We chatted before the performance, shared our blankets, as it became quite chilly that night, and planned to meet the next day at the lake.

Julie had been to the lake several times and was familiar with the best things to see and do.  She suggested we take the gondola or tram to the top of the mountain in Malcesine and have lunch at one of the alpine restaurants, to which we readily agreed.  When we met them the next day, it was clear that in Malcesine, as with most lakeside towns, the number of tourists is large and parking is a challenge.

Malcesine Castle

After driving here and there where there was supposed to be parking, and almost parking where we would surely have been ticketed, we lucked out and secured a space (the last one available) in the underground lot at the base of the funicular.  Beware, drivers in Europe--driving and finding parking can be most frustrating experiences.

Lake Garda at Malcesine

We all got our tickets and, thanks to Julie, positioned ourselves in the rotating funicular to get the best views as we ascended.

What a gorgeous panorama!  We were able to see much of the lake and surrounding mountains and it was fun to see the town become smaller and smaller as we rose higher and higher.

Malcesine

At the top were sheep and cows, and, even horses.  The views were spectacular but the temperature had dropped significantly at that height, and the sky held ominous dark clouds.  We chose a restaurant and sat outside--at first.

Soon, however, we opted to retreat indoors as a huge cloud moved towards us threatening to engulf us.  We all had a great Austrian themed meal with lots of good beer and sausage.  When we saw the staff of the restaurant begin to rush to bring in outdoor furniture, we decided that maybe we should head back to the funicular.

The threatening cloud

Good idea, but late execution--there was a long line.  We took our place and waited quite a while, getting soaked in the rain that began a few minutes later.  Fortunately we always have a sarong in our back pack and were able to use it as a rain shield.

Down below at lake's edge, the sun was shining, it was warm and beautiful.  On top of the mountain it was cloudy, cold and rainy.  A true Alpine experience for us.

View of Garda from above

When we reached lake level, we walked around the town, took a very interesting tour of the local castle and had perhaps the best gelato ever (Gelateria Cento Per Cento).  We were sad to say goodbye to Julie and Ian, as we had had such a nice time with them, but bid farewell and drove back to Verona. They live in England's Lake Country, and we hope to visit them someday; they made it sound so beautiful and enchanting.

Valpolicella:  A most wonderful day.  In 2013, Erin participated in a yoga retreat which was held in the vineyard/guest house of the aunt of Erin's friend, Miles. Erin was enchanted by the setting and its proprietor, Lucia, and had urged us to visit. Somehow, we never found the time to make the short trip to Valpolicella until the day before we were scheduled to leave Italy. We are so happy that we made the effort, got to meet Lucia, and to see Villa Monteleone.

Antony and Lucia Raimondi came to Valpolicella about 14 years ago with the dream of creating their own vineyard and guest house, Villa Monteleone. Even though Antony passed away a few short years later, Lucia has continued to run the guest house and, perhaps what's more impressive, to operate the vineyard and produce award winning wines.

She welcomed us with open arms, showed us her lovely home and introduced us to her winery.  We passed a couple of hours listening to Lucia, marveling at her story and pluck, and, of course, drinking some of her delicious wine. As we were leaving (naturally with some of her wine!), she invited us back, and we hope that we will be able to visit her again--she is an impressive and gracious lady and the setting is fantastic.

Larry, Lucia & Sue