Author Archives: julieallen36

About julieallen36

I blog about the things I love. Travel, walking and new for 2015 - art.

Day trip to St Moritz

Posted on September 16, 2024 by julieallen36

We were indeed up at the crazy hour of 6am in order to be on time for our big trip! This particular part of our trip had proved the most tricky to organise. We’d wanted to travel on the Bernina Express which is one of the most scenic train rides in the world. However, the logistics of organising this when staying in Lenno at our hotel were too complex. In the end we opted for a compromise which was a day trip that included a one hour journey on a regional train (as opposed to the tourist train) but up exactly the same spectacular trainline.

So after a quick breakfast provided by the hotel’s night porter, we made our way up to the meeting point on the main road opposite Lenno post office. The sun was only just coming up and the lake looked beautiful and golden.

We were actually a bit early but our coach arrived bang on time and we met our driver Luca and our English guide, Julia. We were the first in the coach but we then picked up more people in Tremezzo, Cadenobia (off the ferry from Bellagio) and Mennagio. The coach was almost full by the time we’d collected everyone.

The first part of the journey took us along the shore of Lake Como heading north. It’s very narrow roads and I was very glad I was not driving, this was much more relaxing. At the top of the lake there is more space and apparently this is where the more energetic Germans and Dutch like to hang out in their motorhomes whilst they windsurf.

We then entered the valley of Valtellina. Julia described to us the activities of this long, prosperous farming region. The south facing mountainsides were covered in vineyards in tiny terraces making it a very difficult place to grow grapes. She told us about the best wines being designated DOCG (Denomination of Guaranteed and Controlled Origin) and named a few of the best : Grumello, Inferno, and Sassella. They’re all based on the ancient Roman grape of Nobello.

There were also apple orchards, wild strawberries, blueberries, corn and cows being farmed in the area which is also a bit of a foodie destination!

Our first stop was the town of Tirano. Famous as being the start of the Bernina Express Railway, for a miracle involving the Madonna appearing to some chap and telling him to build a great big church there and now famous for having the longest queues for the toilet in northern Italy. We made a serious error of judgement on our time here (50mins) as the cafe we chose only had one loo and of course , everyone headed here. This left us very little time for anything else but somehow we squeezed in a nose into the church with the massive organ, a photo of the train in front of said church and a purchase of a bottle of Inferno from the little supermarket! Happy days.

Back on the bus we now started to climb up the same route that the train took. It is very steep and scenic and we finally arrived at Poschiavo where we would board the train. In fact we had to wait as it was running 6 mins late which is unheard of in Switzerland (which we had by now entered). Our group had a carriage booked but it was all rather chaotic and by the time we’d boarded we’d managed to miss out on windows seats. Boo. This all made taking photos rather tricky. The good thing about this regional train as opposed to the Bernina Express is that the windows pull down and they’re BIG windows! As we were climbing upto 2,253metres above sea level it became distinctly chilly 🥶 but we kept the window on our side down all the way! Still the views as we climbed up amongst the pointy peaks, dirty, receding glaciers and turquoise lakes were stunning. We disembarked again at Diavolezza and were glad to get back on the coach to warm up!

From here it was just a 15 mins drive down into St Moritz, home of the rich and famous. We followed Julia’s advice and went with everyone else into Hauser’s Restaurant. Supposedly somewhere quick and relatively cheap to get something to eat. It was a bit of a surprise when the Rosti with Sausage we’d ordered to share cost 24 Euros!

Next we sampled the shopping in town…not for us Gucci or Valentino. No, we headed straight to the chocolate shop called Laderach. The prices were eye watering including one box which cost 280 Euros!! We found a bar of chocolate and a couple of truffles for a mere £10. Bargain. And they then gave us free pieces to try. Hurrah.

Back on the coach again and now we began our decent back down to Lake Como. This time we drove down the magnificent Malojapass dropping some 2000 metres in just 10mins. The twists and turns on this road made the Bealach na Ba in Scotland look like a walk in the park. I was very glad that Luca was driving, he really was an excellent driver.

Our final stop of the day was a brief visit to the very picturesque Italian village of Chiavenna. Here we made our way straight to the pretty bridge across the river and generally mooched about not falling for the old toilet and cafe faux pas!

We dropped everyone off along the route back along Lake Como until we were the last ones onboard. I got of the coach feeling like I’d been well and truly shaken up. What a busy day, we were both exhausted. We decided not to bother with dinner tonight but celebrated on the hotel front terrace with a beer and a few crisps. Perfect for planning what we’d be doing over the next few days as the weather looks like it might cheer up again.

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: Bernina Express, Italy, Lake Como, St Moritz, Switzerland | Leave a comment

Fast Track to Paradise

Posted on September 15, 2024 by julieallen36

Today we moved on from Garda to Lake Como. This is where I’d been looking forward to visiting but I was nervous that, like Bardolino, it might be over-crowded, too touristy and generally spoiled.

Well, I’m pleased to report that so far this is not the case and Lake Como has not disappointed . We were transferred here by taxi which took about 2.5 hours. It’s not a very scenic drive for most of the way through cities like Brescia, Bergamo and the outskirts of Milan. We drove along the Autostrada with views of the industrial heartland of Northern Italy.

However…..as soon as we reached Como on the road high, high above the lake the views were absolutely stunning and we drove along the panoramic road all the way to our hotel in Lenno which is on the western shore just across from Bellagio. Our driver was extremely Italian and fast but he got us here safely.

It has been a beautiful sunny day and we arrived at the hotel which is right down besides the lake and next to the ferry stop. The views are stunning and basically we appear to have landed in a sunny, sparkly paradise here. It is so different to Lake Garda surrounded by imposing mountains , everything feels like it is just an arms reach away.

We have had a lazy afternoon, wandering along for a gelato and the eating a fabulous meal here at the hotel on the terrace overlooking the lake as the sun went down. The most incredible sight was this light at the top of the opposite hill which just kept getting bigger and bigger. We didn’t realise what it was until we worked out that it was the moon rising above the mountain!

I think we are going to like it here very much but tomorrow we are off on our adventure to St Moritz v early so I’d better say Ciao for now!

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: Italy, Lake Como, Lenno | 2 Comments

Garda to Bardolino Walk

Posted on September 15, 2024 by julieallen36

The next day we woke up unreasonably early to make sure that we could catch the 8-55 ferry to Garda. The timetable was somewhat confusing with some up and down lines on it and in the event we didn’t stop at places listed and landed at Garda after only stopping at Sirmione first!

It was a dull day and cold enough even for me to have to wear long trousers and my fleece! We arrived in Garda at 10am and the place was only just opening upon this chilly Saturday. There was a market along the waterfront which we visited briefly before diving into the network of alleys in the old town. There were lots of tourist tut shops but we were most interested in those selling scarves. We’ve just read that the temperature in St Moritz, where we are due to visit later in the week, is going to be 0 degrees C!!!

Next we walked along the walkway beside the lake all the way to Bardolino. It’s only about a mile but was very very busy with German cyclists and various other joggers and walkers. It was all a bit hectic and Jane was not really feeling it walking at a strangely slow pace which I can’t cope with! Eventually, we stopped for a coffee and I did a little sketch of the lakeside scene. After this we passed a couple of big motorhome sites which were incredibly busy and cramped. Finally, we arrived in Bardolino where clearly all the bikers, campers and their dogs had been heading. It was ridiculously busy. This was Saturday and everyone had come here for lunch and their Aperol Spritz! It was over-whelming and we couldn’t wait to escape. Unfortunately, it turned out that our ferry tickets only allowed us to go straight to Desenzano, no changing ferries so we were stuck until 3-25 and it was only 1-30. This meant only one thing , we’d have to have lunch here in the madness! Jane quickly researched the best places for lunch and we soon found it. A very busy restaurant called La Cantinetta and had a nice lunch , Jane had dirty moules , and we were even given a freebie mini Aperol Spritz!! The time soon flew by and we were on the ferry home before we knew it. As we caught the ferry the sun had come out but as we got further offshore the wind really picked up and the white horses were rather impressive. It was around about now that I began to question my love of a ferry ride as we seemed to struggle to make any progress in the gusty wind!

Anyway, we made it back to Desenzano for about 5-10pm and made tracks upto the Castello where there was an exhibition of Andy Warhols work. It was quite a climb up to the castle and its tower but the exhibition of 50+ works was well worth it, with many loaned from private collections. The views from up here were also very rewarding in the evening light. After this, we strolled home and decided that Desenzano was a really lovely place to stay and definitely more Italian accents here. I was absolutely exhausted when we got back and took a dip in the heated pool in the garden beneath our room. It was perfect surrounded by pine and Cypress trees. A nice end to a bit of an odd day.

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: Italy, Lake Garda | Leave a comment

I love a ferry I do!

Posted on September 13, 2024 by julieallen36

Luckily when we woke up this morning it was all a bit calmer. In fact I was woken up to the sound of someone hoovering up pine needles in the garden to tidy up after last nights storm!

We had a lazy breakfast and decided on catching the 11-30 ferry from Desenzano to Sirmione. Any day that begins with a ferry ride is going to be a good one in my book, so I was looking forward to this trip. The weather was still a bit grey but with some promising blue bits -so I went for the optimistic shorts and T-shirts, whereas most people, Jane included, opted for Winter attire. Whilst we waited for the ferry we had a little mooch around Desenzano particularly the pretty little safe harbour for small boats which is picturesque and surrounded by cafes.

When it was time to board we joined a queue and then boarded the large ferry and climbed to the top for maximum views outside. The trip only takes 20 mins and the scenery is lovely. Lake Garda is dauntingly large and everything is really at a distance but the layered mountains are spectacular.

We landed in Sirmione and it was immediately very very busy. We followed the crowds and then vaguely went off in the direction of the tip of the Penninsula. We walked along down by the water admiring the views especially the impressive Cypress trees. We reached a ‘beach’ and Lido where there was a cantina so we stopped for a coffee. There were loads of sparrows around waiting for crumbs , even though we actually didn’t have any!

We watched as people jumped onto a particular rock to have their photos taken with the milky-blue lake in the background. After our coffee we went down there and had our photos taken by two very glamorous Swedes. The glamour girl took about 20 photos of us and then Jane returned the favour. Jane handed back their camera saying ‘I only took two as you looked gorgeous in both! ‘.

We followed the path along but it soon seemed to disappear on the rocks. After gathering some ‘sea glass’ and ancient pottery we made our way up to the Roman archaeological site of The Grottoes of Catullus. These are pretty expansive and spectacular. Imagine a huge Roman villa complex on this site overlooking Lake Garda. Wow! I downloaded a leaflet explaining more about it but we soon lost interest as we instead skipped about taking pictures of the all the views! Still we did visit the Museo too and had a quick look at the artefacts.

After our visit here which really was nice, quiet and worthwhile it was time for lunch. We wandered back into the village and found a free table in a restaurant right next to the most Instagrammable Bourganvilla in Sirmione! It was a perfect place for me to do a quick pencil sketch whilst we had a bit to eat and a cold one.

Now we needed to pay for lunch, so it was time to go to the Scaliger Castillo and climb 146 steps up to the top of the East Tower. It is actually an easy climb and the 360 degree views are outstanding.

We’d planned to reward ourselves with an ice cream from the ‘best gelataria’ in Sirmione but realised that the next ferry would be leaving in 6 mins. By now it was decidedly chilly and we didn’t fancy the wait for the next one in an hour and a half, so we skedaddled back to the ferry port and were chuffed to join the queue as the ferry hadn’t even yet arrived. Hurrah!

Back at the hotel it was nice to warm up and relax a bit and I was able to FaceTime Mum again. After a shower to freshen up we went out to the Mexican which Jane had found on TripAdvisor. It was actually a mile down the road at Porti Di Riveltella. Benjamin on reception (the one with the perfect English) recommended that we walk along by the lakeside as it was very safe. We followed his advice and it was lovely as the sunset behind us and the mountains and lake turned a pink colour.

The ‘El Mexico’ restaurant was fab and we had great service, including the lady whizzing off on her Vespa to go back home and pick up a bottle of Bardolino for us as they’d run out!! The food was great too especially the churros to finish it off! All we had to do now was walk home again by the main road. It seems they don’t really go in for taxis around here and quite clearly nobody walks by the main road! Anyway, despite the fellow who looked like he’d just got off a commuter train in London, being very confused about where Desenzano was, we got home safely after a very lovely day. More ferry rides tomorrow too!

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: Italy, Lake Garda, Sirmione | Leave a comment

A Daytrip to not-so-fair Verona

Posted on September 12, 2024 by julieallen36

We’d made our mind up that we would definitely go to Verona today and so were up early to get going. We’d been advised that the hotel would be without power today between 9 and 10-30 so wanted to make sure we had time for breakfast.

The weather forecast for our trip was dreadful, threatening rain all day and severe wind in Verona which could bring ‘a danger to life and property’. Interesting but surely an exaggeration…still -we took our umbrellas just in case.

Did I mention that yesterday we’d been sunbathing in the garden and swimming in the lovely pool? Not so much today as we woke upto a very grey day indeed.

We walked back up to the station -me in short sleeves and Jane sporting her raincoat and melting underneath it. We had no idea what train we were going to catch but hoped we might be on the delayed 8-49 which was running 50.mins late. These are Regional trains and maybe not so reliable as the high speed ones. We had to join a queue for the ticket office as tickets for regional trains can’t be purchased from the new fangled ticket machine. Funny really as on the walk up I’d been saying to Jane what a shame it is that back home we’re moving more and more towards ticket machines which is so difficulty for so many people. However, at the front of our queue was an older lady who talked incessantly with the lady behind the counter. God only knows what they were talking about but how could it take so long to buy one ticket!!!!!!! Everyone was getting irritated and by now the queue stretched out of the door. She was absolutely oblivious to this fact. Maybe ticket machines aren’t such a bad idea after all.

Anyway….we missed the delayed 8-49 but were soon on board the on time 9-49. You can imagine how excited I was when I saw that it was one of those green double decker trains! How cool are they and why don’t we have these back home? The train took about 25mins and so we were soon in Verona. Here we found the bus station and a very helpful lady who told us exactly which buses to get to the centre and where from. Easy peasy and in about 10 mins we had arrived at the Arena. This is the stadium famous for its open air opera concerts. However, from the outside we both had concerns about the state it was in as it looked like a major health and safety issue. We decided not to go in…danger to life etc….

Next we walked around to the Castelvecchio Bridge. The castle was built back in 1354 but the Germans had destroyed the brick bridge back in 1945 when in retreat. It had been rebuilt in 1949.

By now it had started to rain lightly but we continued our walk along the banks of the river and back across another bridge. We were now looking for Juliet’s house. Yes -that Juliet!! And specifically her balcony. It is inside a tiny courtyard filled with about a thousand tourists each eager to get a view. You can pay to go into the house and this then allows you to stand on the balcony and have your photo taken. We didn’t do that…

By now it was lunchtime and I’d come over all weary plus it had really started to rain. So we found ourselves a table underneath the awnings of a cafe on the busy Piazza Del Erme. I did a sketch of the scene filled with umbrellas and the Torre dei Lamberti whilst we ate a panini and enjoyed a beer. The rain was incredible and water was running everywhere under the table but we were just about dry.

Next I took us in search of the ‘best cake shop in Verona’ . Well this is v debatable as there are lots of amazing looking places but we took our pick in Pasticceria Flego. Jane loved her Cannoli and I continued my search for the best Tiramisu in Italy.

Then we decided we’d seen enough and it was time to make our way back to the station. When we arrived the heavens really did open and we were so glad we’d made it inside. We had an hour to wait for our train but we just sat on the platform and watched the rain and listened to its thunderous sound on the station roof.

Once on the train we were soon back in Desenzano where all hell had apparently been letting loose. It was here that the wind was still roaring and as we walked down the hill we saw that at least one big tree had come down right across the road. The police were still there and it had been chopped up to clear the road. Crikey..let’s get home quick by walking underneath all these swaying trees…..

As the lake came into view we could see the whitehorses dancing crazily across the surface. We were glad to make it back to the hotel in one piece.

Neither of us fancied going far for dinner tonight but we did venture out. The place we wanted to go to was closed (bad weather?) so we made do with John’s Burgers. This was basically the nearest place that wasn’t pizza or Japanese. It was a rather smart diner and the food was pretty good as we sat and listened to old rock n roll songs!

Tomorrow the weather is due to improve and we are hoping to explore a bit more of Lake Garda by ferry.

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: Italy, Verona | Leave a comment

Race Across … Northern Italy

Posted on September 11, 2024 by julieallen36

Today it was time to move on and so we were up early to finish packing and then down for an early breakfast.

After checking out it was time for our Water Taxi ride over to the train station. This wasn’t part of our organised trip but we’d agreed on this little luxury rather than having to drag our huge cases to the Water Bus station. The taxi driver had long flowing golden locks and this alone was worth the cost, along with the fact that we got to stand up in the back all the way along the Grand Canal for one more time.

When we arrived at the station, which is right on the Grand Canal, it was terribly busy with a fabulous dome church just opposite. It has to be the most impressive station front in the world. We were however, one hour early and there was absolutely nowhere to sit. All of the ‘relaxing’ cafes offer only standup service and there were about 4 seats for general passengers on the concourse. Eventually , we did find two seats outside near platforms 14-18 where we waited for the boards to show our platform.

We were catching the 10:48 FrecciaRossa to Desenzano with a final destination of Milan. It’s a bullet train and would take 1hr 21mins to cover the 100 miles. Eventually our platform was announced and off we went to platform 9 where we boarded. We were still early and the coach was virtually empty. However, the luggage rack was full with tiny cases and there was nowhere to put our huge cases. We dragged them into the carriage blocking the aisle and causing chaos as there was nowhere to put them and nobody could move. There are overhead racks but our cases are way too big and heavy to get up there. Jane pointed out quite loudly that the problem was that people had put their small cases in the luggage rack instead of in the overhead racks. Everyone heard and gradually owned up to their errors as they jumped up to start moving their bags to the overhead space and then kindly putting ours in the luggage rack. It was all very stressful.

It made me realise that maybe our idea of entering Race Across the World might not be such a great one. Clearly we’d fail on two counts right here. Firstly, our inability to travel without anything but a ridiculously huge and heavy bag and secondly my anxiety levels at even the simplest of journeys. However, on the plus side we have Jane’s ability to get 10 people to leap up and run about to help us and my own skill set…which I’m struggling to work out what that is…hold on…..oh yes….the ability stand around with an inane smile on my face apologising to everyone and saying ‘Grazie’ whilst everyone cedes to Jane’s demands. Honestly, I think we’d win.

Meanwhile back on the train. I have to say it was very smart, air conditioned and it left absolutely bang on time as did all the other trains whilst we were watching. Onboard the nice train manager gave us free snacks, water and even a face wipe. Luxury.

The train zoomed past the lagoon , heavy industry, fields of corn and miles of concrete wall. Eventually the hills appeared then the mountains. The train stopped at a list of stations straight out of Shakespeares finest plays. Merchant of Venice, Taming of the Shrew (Padua/Padova), Romeo and Juliet and Two Gentlemen of …Verona before eventually arriving in Desenzano.

We lugged our bags off the train and went down in the lift to the front of the station. There were no taxis apparent which I’d been warned about so we agreed to walk the 17mins downhill to our hotel. This was very straightforward but did take a little longer. I’m sure we looked like the paupers of Padua, when we arrived looking a bit hot and bothered. In contrast, there was a beautiful yellow Ferrari parked up outside the hotel! Nevertheless, they let us in and checked us into our room which is lovely. We explored the 4th floor where there is a hot tub with views over the lake and then settled in for an afternoon by the non heated pool in the lush gardens. It was perfect and just what we needed after the madness of Venice!

In the evening we strolled into Desenzano itself and found a fab restaurant for dinner. It began to rain as we arrived and then had a mighty downpour. Luckily it had finished by the time we left to walk home. The weather app had kept changing its mind and we were totally unprepared for a downpour so got lucky.

Tomorrow it is due to rain most of the day so we think we may venture back on the train to Verona. Let’s see.

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: Italy, Lake Garda, Venice | Leave a comment

No 12 Water Bus to Burano

Posted on September 10, 2024 by julieallen36

Today was our second full day in Venice and it promised to be full of sunshine and very warm once again. Because we’ve been to Venice before we have already done a lot of the ‘must do’s’ such as St Marks, The Campanile, The Rialto etc etc. So we wanted to do something a little different. We decided on a little trip over to the island of Burano, famous for its lace making and colourful houses. We could have gone to the other famous island, Murano, that’s the one famous for its glass making but it seems to be more industrial and perhaps less picturesque.

After breakfast at the hotel overlooking the canal we set off determined not to overdo it quite as much today. We’d managed 21000 steps yesterday so a sit down on a water bus would be nice! We walked upto Fondamente Nove to catch the No 12 water bus. It only took about 15 mins with the aid of Google maps to guide us through the narrow alleys, over bridges and through lovely piazzas. It was very much easier than 20 years ago when trying to find our way around, with a good old map, was completely pointless. We arrived at the Bus Stop and easily found platform A where the No 12 leaves from. There was already quite a queue gathered and we only had to wait about 10 mins for the 11-10am bus. It arrived on time and on we all got. Jane and I got seats next to a window but it was really hot and sticky on the boat and very little breeze. The trip takes about 40 mins stopping at Murano first and then a smaller island where only the locals got off. The views across the lagoon are very pretty and it was exciting to see the mountains as a backdrop as we will be heading towards those next!

Once we landed on Burano it seemed very pleasant and our priority was to buy some water. Then we wandered with the crowd through Lace Alley down to the colourful canal side houses and shops. It was really pretty and relatively quiet. We took loads of photos and found some quiet corners. We decided to have a beer at a small cafe by the canal side and I did a sketch of some of the houses. After a while a nice Canadian couple got chatting to us. He’d seen me painting and wanted to take a picture of me and what I’d been upto! He said he’d never seen anyone else doing what I was doing. Basically, using collage, paint and a pen to create a colourful scene! It turned out they were newly Weds on their honeymoon. Bless.

Once I’d finished we wandered around a bit more and by now it was much busier. We popped in some of the shops and bought some glass items but I didn’t buy the colourful 170 euro shirt I tried on. We walked into the main square which we’d managed to miss earlier. It was full of colourful cafes and absolutely packed with people. It was all a bit much so we decided it was time to catch the bus back! We’d have stayed for another drink but no one was interested as they only want to serve you lunch.

So back on the No 12 we went…it was handily waiting for us. Much more crowded on the way back but we still got seats next to the window. There was a medical emergency part way across when the young chap sitting behind Jane cut his finger and then passed out at the sight of his own blood! He looked terribly unwell and his poor girlfriend did a great job of trying to cool him down. The staff on the boat were also helpful and arrived with a huge plaster for what was actually a very small cut!

Back at Fondamente Nove we headed towards the Rialto Bridge as Jane wanted to make sure we saw it whilst we were here. It got busier and busier as we got closer and we found a couple of great Instagram spots to take photos.

Afterwards we found a cafe for another beer and a sketch down below the bridge and looking across the Grand Canal. It was complete madness all around with people, pigeons, menacing gulls and boats big and small racing around but it was nice to escape for a moment into my paints!

Now it was time for something to eat and we had our tea in reverse! Starting with pudding , we joined the queue for gelato at ‘Suso’. If people were prepared to queue that much then surely it must be good. Apparently it is ‘an unmissable ritual’ when in Venice. Or so their website says. They don’t have ice cream flavours they have ‘proposals’. Well my proposal was a ‘Mimosa’ which was Ricotta cheese, lemon cream and butter shortcrust pastry chunks. I scored it 9/10 delicious but surely could still be surpassed. Jane chose a ‘Sosu’ proposal which was toffee, caramel and more caramel and toffee. She scored it 8/10 , very good gelato but no surprises!

Then we moved on for our main course to a tiny place called ‘Baci and Pasta’. A takeaway pasta and gnocchi place. Family run it offers 4 different types of pasta, 3 types of gnocchi and then 3 different sauces. It’s all freshly made and served to you in a cardboard container. We stood at the window and ate ours as all the young people had taken the perches at the base of the fountain outside in the piazza! Very tasty it all was too!

After this we skipped home to our hotel ready to spend the rest of the evening chilling out in our lovely air conditioning. We need an earlier night as tomorrow we are catching the train to Lake Garda.

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: Italy, Venice | Leave a comment

Return to Venice

Posted on September 9, 2024 by julieallen36

Jane and I came to Venice many, many years ago!! And here we are returning once more. Last time we came it was February and absolutely bitterly cold but we had a fabulous time because we happened to be there when Carnival was on. This time it’s September and very different. Ever since visiting I’ve always said that this is my favourite city in the world, alongside New York. I justify this by saying that you can’t compare the two.

Well this time around we’ve been here just two days and Venice has certainly lived up to my hype. It is so beautiful. We are staying away from the main madness in Castello. Our hotel is Liassidi Palace and it’s on the Rio de Greci. We arrived by water taxi which delivered us right into the lobby of the hotel. When we last came (maybe twenty years ago) these water taxis drove you straight from the airport to the city but now you have to get a limousine car part of the way. Still the ride in the boat is fantastic and we felt like royalty as we sailed up the tiny canals and under bridges filled with tourists. Venice Film Festival only finished yesterday so I guess people were thinking we were Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Lady Gaga or Nicole Kidman!

After settling into our hotel we ventured out on what was an extremely hot and muggy afternoon. However, it was stunning and a thousand photos laters we came back. We had dinner in a lovely cosy restaurant early and a nightcap back at the hotel. In the evening it rained quite heavily but we managed to avoid it,

Today was my birthday and we have spent it wandering all over Venice after I’d opened all of my cards and read all my messages etc. The sun was shining and it was a very warm day. We walked from our hotel down to the front passing all the gondoliers, the street vendors and artists and taking in the Bridge of Sighs. We briefly visited St Marks before meandering our way along to the Academia Bridge. We had sneaky peaks of the Grand Canal along the way. By now we were in need of a coffee but we couldn’t agree on where to visit so we didn’t stop. Big mistake…we wandered on in the boiling heat getting grumpier and grumpier by the minute. We crossed the Academia Bridge and then walked straight across Dorsoduro to the other side in the hope that there would be cafes over there.There was nothing so we walked along the waters edge right to the end of the peninsula at Dogano. Unfortunately, due to global warming there seemed to be a very high tide and water was lapping over the path. We carried on anyway and got our feet completely soaked. At the end the views back to the city were great…thank goodness.

On our way back we finally found a lovely spot for a drink by a quiet canal but now it was time for beer and not coffee! Very splendid it was too. Next I navigated us to the Hard Rock Cafe just of St Marks Square so that Jane could buy her shot glass. The place had only been opened for 15 years so wasn’t here last time we came. St Marks Square itself was now under about 10 cms of water. From here we walked back to our hotel where we collapsed exhausted.

I gave Mum a ring on FaceTime and it was lovely to catch up on my birthday. Then it was time to venture out again. Jane had booked a restaurant but it was 30 mins walk away and we didn’t really feel up for that. Instead we caught the fabulous No 1 Vaporetto which took us up the Grand Canal to Saint Toma. We had a little mooch about because we were early and then took our place on the romantic balcony for four. It was lovely and the Bardolino wine was perfect along with our gnocchi, Escalope Milanese and Jane’s fillet steak.

Back home we came on the No 1 bus in the dark and an easy wander back to our lovely hotel. What a lovely way to spend my birthday!

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: Italy, Venice | 3 Comments

In Search of the Craic

Posted on July 2, 2024 by julieallen36

Unfortunately, despite the hot tub soak I woke up the next day and was still broken and suffering from scenery overload. I’d not be driving anywhere today and instead Jane and I decided to stay and relax at the house. Meanwhile Adrian and Pam drove all the way to Mizen Head which was 2 and a half hours drive away! Joyce and Enid stirred themselves in the afternoon to drop into Tralee and enjoyed their visit to the Museum where they learned all about the ‘Rose of Tralee’ history and then joined a pipe and drum festival in the park. A fitting way for Joyce to spend her birthday.

Jane and I stayed at home and decided to watch ‘The Hunger Games. Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes- a strange choice considering Jane’s phobia of snrrrrs. We’d enjoyed the previous films but this one really is rather poor with some terrible dialogue and earnest acting.

The highlight of our day was when there was a ring at the doorbell. I went to the door to find a man hopping about from foot to foot dressed in dirty overalls, wellies and sporting a comedy ginger beard. He said ‘ A diddly diddly fiddly biddy diddy Dave , didly didly?’ I looked confused and said ‘er no’ not understanding anything he’d said except the word ‘Dave’. He repeated himself and pointed at his tractor parked up outside in the road. I still didn’t understand but figured maybe he was at the wrong house. I said ‘Er no, we are only renting this house’ ie I don’t know where Dave lives! He smiled and hopped off down the drive.

Anyway, the reason that Jane and I were reserving our energy, was that that evening we were determined to go out in search of the ‘craic’. This is that mythical Irish ‘good times’ where there’s a bit of fun, a jolly atmosphere and surely must involve some traditional Irish music. Jane had found a bar in the Grand Hotel in Tralee that served up Trad music and also a decent meal. We’d tried to book a table but been told that this wasn’t possible and that we should ‘just turn up at 6 o’clock and we’ll see ya right.’ So we did, Pam kindly dropping us all into town so that we could enjoy a glass of the ‘black stuff’ or in my case ‘red stuff’.

When we got there it didn’t look terribly grand from the outside but inside it was all wooden panels and very busy. We were given tables in the sunny window in a section where they’d only just finished serving smoothies and afternoon teas. The nice Irish Waiters kept referring to us as ‘Lads’ even though clearly Adrian was the only actual lad. Apparently, ‘lads’ is the Irish equivalent of ‘guys’. There was Euros footy on the TV in our section and Gaelic football in the noisy, main bar,

The ‘craic’ was building but then we found out that the music would not be starting until 10pm. It was highly unlikely that this group of lads would stay awake until then!

Gradually, the football fans and other diners left and we only had ‘Tommy the Toothless’ to enjoy the craic with. Jane tried really hard to engage with Tommy but the problem was that he was another fella who it was impossible to understand!

Getting fully into the swing of the evening I ordered a sherry trifle for pudding and by 9pm we all agreed that it was time to call it a night.

What I’ve learned then is that you perhaps can’t search out the craic – it just happens. I’m not sure it did happen at the Grand Hotel that Saturday evening in Tralee. But thinking about it, we’d already found it the night we stumbled upon lovely Helen’s Bar in Kilmakilloge. Now that was ‘Savage Craic- a great night all together with everyone on top form, the Guinness flowing and great stories/jokes/memories being made’.

Our journey home on Sunday was straightforward and it felt like we were the only people in Cork Airport. The Duty Free shop was full of lovely gift items and I stocked up on a lucky pen and lucky Irish Wishing Jar for Mum and lucky Irish chocolates and a penny whistle for me!

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: Craic, Ireland, Kerry, Tralee | Leave a comment

John’s tour of the Dingle Peninsula

Posted on June 29, 2024 by julieallen36

This, for me, was going to be the highlight of our trip to Ireland. Those other peninsulas were nice but today we had John with us to show us Dingle off the beaten track. John is our friend Joe’s Dad and he has lived in Ireland since 1995. He’d been to visit us in Broadway with Joe last time he was over and he’d talked about all the highlights of Dingle which I’d captured on a couple of post it notes.

He’d driven all the way over from Cork to take us out and he came in the car with Jane and me whilst the others followed along in the second car. Luckily the start of the Dingle Peninsula is much nearer at Bennerville Windmill. We were on the road by about 8:45 as John wanted to make the most of the day. He came armed with a huge book on the Archaelogical Survey of the Dingle Peninsula. Crikey.

As we started the drive we had sunny views of high mountains including Mountain Brendan which is the 2nd highest in Ireland. As we drove John told us how he’d originally fallen in love with Dingle , back in 1986 he’d lead some long cross peninsula walks for young offenders from Birmingham , about 50 in total. This had been their alternative to being locked up and had been life changing for many of them. Their route took them for 14 nights across the high mountain ridges and all the way to the Great Blasket Island where they’d plant their flags and pennants.

John warned us that he had two issues 1) glaucoma which means he can hardly see through his right eye and 2) he is hard of hearing. I was doing the driving with John as my co-pilot and his hearing issue meant that we were often shouting at cross purposes! John’s tour was a bit of a magical mystery. He had a very definite plan as to where we would go but was somewhat reluctant to reveal it. This meant I had to make sure that Adrian was following me in the 2nd car all the time. John also admitted to a third slight issue which was that although he used to live in Tralee, he hadn’t visited the Dingle Peninsula for ages! So his directions would involve some low key humming as we approached a possible turn or stop and then him suddenly shouting ‘TURN!’.

Our first stop was a non-descript lay-by where we were lead by John up a boggy lane towards some mountains. It wasn’t entirely clear how long we’d been walking but it soon became very clear that we were not all wearing footwear suitable for boggy hopping! We were up here to admire some Bronze Age rocks and rock art called ‘cup and ring’. John made it show up better by rubbing it with grass. This form of prehistoric art has been found all over Europe and also in Hawaii, Australia, India and Mozambique. It’s a small world.

To be honest though we were all a little bit more impressed by the view which was magnificent 180 degrees of mountain and 180 degrees of coastline.

Next we drove up the Connor Pass. In places it was one way and very narrow with over hanging rock face but there was at least a sturdy wall to keep us safe. At the top we had fine views over Harp Lake and down to the sea.

Then it was an easier drive down into Dingle Town. Dingle is a very nice feeling town and we parked up and had a little mooch around. It’s all very colorful again and John took us to see Dick Mack’s with its walk of the stars outside (Julia Roberts, Dolly Parton, Robert Mitchum) . Like other establishments here it’s a shop on one side and a bar on the other. This particular one is a cobblers! Dingle also has a number of nice galleries and a busy harbour where the little fishing boats now take tourists to see Fungi the Dolphin in the harbour.

We had a refreshment break here and then got on our way again. I made John do a detour down to Ventry Beach which is a huge expanse of sand. I’d read that we might find seaglass here but after 5 mins searching only Adrian found 1 piece!

From here we took the very scenic Slea Head drive and had great views over to the Great Blasket Islands, one of which looks like a sleeping giant. We stopped at Krugers Bar for a swift half as it is the most westerly pub in Europe! It was very traditional and had lots of pictures on the walls from when they filmed Ryan’s Daughter and more recently ‘Far and Away’ around here.

Next was one of those hum hum hum TURN moments as we swerved off up a grassy lane and through a gate where it said ‘no parking’. We parked and Pam was a little disappointed that the building remains were just that and not a set from Stars Wars. We had a little wander up and then down towards the cliffs. Here was a relic of the school building from Ryan’s Daughter. A lovely spot perched on the cliffs. Only John slid down the cliffs a bit to try a spot of fossil hunting….

Next we stopped at beautiful but wild Clogher Beach where the waves were crashing and swimming is permanently banned because of the dangerous cross currents. The weather had now gone off and it only added to the drama.

Next we went to the Gallarus Oratory but we didn’t want to pay the 5 euros entry fee so instead Jane and I followed John through his ‘private’ entrance through two gates and down another grassy lane enclosed by a gorgeous fuschia hedge! The building is a small arch shaped pod with dry stones walls. It was very cosy inside. It is apparently the only one of its kind and no one really knows when it was built or why.

By now we were all fading again and we drove back along the lovely lanes which are lined with beautiful hedgerows of monbretia, fuschia, buttercups, vetch and other sweet wildflowers. We had another fuel stop in Dingle and then car 2 decided to go home via Dunnes for tea. As we left Dingle we passed a long queue outside a small white building. John explained that it was not a queue for bingo but a queue to attend the wake of a well known sports presenter Tommy Gorman. There was a police road block guarding the way it was obviously only going to get busier. In fact it was on the news on RTE1 when we got home.

John decided we could have one more stop to see Inch Beach on our way back. Another stunning stretch of sand with surf sparkling in the late afternoon sun, mountains as a backdrop and the sun shining through the clouds which were rolling in. We took a few snaps and then dashed back to the car as it started to rain.

It had been another lovely day with John as our excellent and kind guide. But all that driving and chatting was exhausting and broken, I hauled myself into the hot tub to recover. I love a hot tub in the rain. 😁