Motoring around the same general regions we biked through
As I noted in our last post, we weren’t heading home until 6th July and between finishing our cycling 13th June and then, we were going to be touring around by car. We took a couple of ‘down days’ in and around Somma Lombardo to get our bikes packed up and to check out Milan for a day. While Milan was interesting, the shear size of it and the fact that the heat wave that hit us on our last day of cycling persisted, no make that ‘intensified’, made us appreciate the much smaller and more human scale places we travelled through on our bikes.
We then flew up to Munich and then trained it to Leipzig where we picked up our car on 17th June … my 65th birthday … hurray seniors discounts!
Over the next 17 days (with 13 days of driving) we covered just under 3000 km’s and about 37,000 m of climbing (just about the same as we did on our bikes - but much easier …. but not more fun overall). We stuck mainly to back roads, many in fact were designated bike routes … the type with no lines and the ability to ‘just’ squeeze two vehicles past each other … and to no surprise our average speed in the car was exactly 50 km/hr. We’re slow on the bikes and in the car!
We did use this time to scope out some areas we’d like to bike in the future (more of Slovenia in particular) and to revisit areas we missed out on on this trip … Alpe di Siusi on a perfect day! We also managed a Cycle Blaze Meet Up in Munich with Susanne Gibson and Janos Kertesz and a revisit with our friends Borut and Jana Nunar in Preddvor Slovenia.
All in it was a fine trip with some highlights that rivalled what we experienced on the bikes, but overall both K and I quickly came to the conclusion that travelling by bike rather than by car is the way for us. Although we can’t travel as far, the cycle experience is much more fulfilling and with many more degrees of freedom (cars can’t just stop wherever and can’t go down single track through a forest or field).
Anyway, a few highlight shots of the last three weeks heavily biased to the day we spent in Alpe di Siusi. On this note, since we were weathered-out of going there during the bike tour, we were determined to get back and try again. We ended spending two nights in the area, lower down in the valley (Castelrotto / Siusi) and took the Seiser Alm / Alpe di Siusi cable car up to the plateau to hike. In retrospect this turned out to be a much better way of seeing this spectacular area than what our original plan would have afforded.
Although cycling through the plateau would have been very nice, the ability to hike and or mountain bike to get to the higher elevations of the plateau is a much better way to see this place IMHO. Our original plan would have been a) a killer ride up to the plateau followed by b) a great ride across the lower elevations of the plateau ending with c) a huge downhill into the Isarco valley and into Bolzano.
If, or more likely when, we come back to this area we’ll stay lower down in either Suisi/Castelrotto or St Ulrich/Ortisei and cable car it up for day trips, with or without bikes. You could alternatively stay at many nice looking hotels on the plateau, but you might have to sacrifice a body part or two to pay the bill!
We also did six great passes during the trip. Two of them we’ve cycled before : Gardena Passo (twice on this tour) and Fern Pass (on our 2019 Copenhagen to Lecce tour); two are now on our list to cycle in the future, Sölk Pass (south from the Salzkammergut area to the Murau valley in Austria) and Wurzeen Pass from Kranska Gora into the Drau valley in Austria (we did it the other way, Austria into Slovenia and there’s a 2 km 18% section on the Austrian side-ouch, on a bike!); and two that you’d be batshit crazy to do on a bike (at least the Italian sides!), Staller Pass from Huben Austria to Antholtz Italy (the Austrian side is fine the Italian side is insane! Alternating one way traffic every half hour on a road that is barely wide enough for one car, and it’s long and steep. Bikes are allowed and we saw a few going up but they’re unsafe for everyone in that instance - no way anyone normal could climb it in 30 minutes and there is no place for cars to get by either up or down) and Timmelsjoch / Rombo Pass From St Leonhard in Passer Italy to Solden Austria (again, the Austrian side is fine but the Italian side … yep, insane, at least on a weekend in June when we drove it! It’s narrow - think 1.5 cars wide, but it’s Italy so two try to fit, and 1800 m of climbing on the Italian side).
Anyway, enough of that , a little slide show of the highlights and then we fly tomorrow!
Needed to get inside and cooler temps … speaking of cool - is this the latest fashion trend in Milan? Nope, ‘Women” - and only women - were required to have covered shoulders and legs above the knees. They required folks who didn’t comply to wear these paper gauze outfits
Something that I was unaware of - on 17 June 1953 there were worker uprisings across the GDR demanding greater democracy (among other things). They were quashed but since reunification this day is commemorated in many places in Germany - Leipzig is one and the town square was given over to this.
This was our second time in Dresden. Our first was on our 2019 cycle trip (our first CB journal) and we arrived after 125 km’s of mostly headwinds and rain. We didn’t see or remember much
Most of the historical reconstruction of the old town occurred after reunification starting in the early 1990’s- we didn’t realize that! The main cathedral is stunning
On our 2017 EV6ish bike tour, we literally stumbled into Rothenberg having never heard of it. It’s a beautifully preserved fully walled medieval town and one of the most popular tourist destinations in Germany. We thought we’d give it a more through look this time!
Sölk pass connects the Salzkammergut region to the southern valleys of Austria. We passed through St Gilgen (Rathaus pictured here) in 2022 on our short copycat tour (CB journal for that)
We went back to Preddvor to visit Jana and Borut for a couple of days. They took us to the iconic Logarska Dolina valley (this mountain shot with the tree features heavily in Slovenia’s tourism promotion)
After leaving Jana and Borut in Preddvor, we headed to Maribor. We chose a ‘little travelled’ route along tiny roads (designated bike routes, some gravel) that paralleled the Slovenian Austrian border. No pics as there was nowhere to stop (in a car)! We spent a couple of days in Maribor - beautiful place with fantastic cycling around it.
Underneath the old town of Maribor are several km’s of old wine cellars. They’re open to the public now for viewing - and they are cool - figuratively and literally!
Back to the Dolomites - Staller Pass and then Siusi via Gardena Passo
Austrian side of Staller pass. Good two lane road with rideable grades. Traffic is stopped waiting for the half hour window to go down the single lane Italian side
The start of the down on the Italian side. No more pics after this as K was too freaked to take any … barely wide enough for one car and we had a few roadies riding up. Really no room for a car and an uphill bike. There were some tense moments.
After the one way alternating switchback sections, the road widened out a little bit. Wide enough fo the Italians to consider it fit for two way traffic.
Great drive the rest of the way through Bruneck, Corvara, over Passo Gardena and through Val Gardena (all old hat to us!) and then into Siusi at the base of the Sciliar - one of the classic’s in the Dolomites
We could not have had a better day. One of the most beautiful places we’ve been. Very different from our more rugged and ‘wilderness’ alpine in the Rockies, but still beautiful in it’s own unique way.
It doesn’t get any better than this … our view 50 steps from our hotel in the morning (same place I took the kitty pic)
Looking south … I have no idea what this ridge of mountains are called (and little enthusiasm to look it up now) but that doesn’t detract from their beauty.
This is such a magical place … the Sasolungo group from the west … you may remember MULTIPLE pictures of this massive from the east aspect on our Sella Ronda day. Get ready for the same thing from the western vantage point! This is early in the day and as the sun moved across the sky the lighting changed things considerably. Oh, by the way, that’s Passo Gardena and the Gruopo Sella off to the left.
It’s Elevenses time … and guess what? A perfect alpine cafe in the middle of the meadow. A strudel, cappuccino and a doppio macchiato please. You’ve just got to love Italy.
As a reward for gaining those several hundred metres (well maybe 200 m) we stumbled into a very nice lunch spot. Can’t get this at Healy Pass! The views maybe, but not the food and wine!
After our great day hiking in Alpe di Siusi, we headed back into Austria via Timmelsjoch pass, another one that would be great to ride up from Austria and then down into Meran. A nightmare the other way!
We’re headed up there. All good, two real lanes and moderate traffic
… and here is there! K at the summit of Timmelsjoch pass looking south back into Italy / South Tirol. North to south from Austria into Italy on a bike would be fine, the other way, the way we drove …. Ummmm
Ok, this Aunt Betty ‘vacation photo album’ has gone on enough for tonight. There’s a few days left that will come on part 2, but we’ve got to get packed up and ready to get on a plane tomorrow. Stay tuned!
