Our Hike in the Dolomites (and after)

More than once, during our stay in the Dolomites, I joked that I felt I was back in Leavenworth. The alpine-style chalets, the dirndls, and the German-Austrian style food all felt oddly familiar.

That's not surprising, given that the Dolomites (or Dolomiti in Italian), were not part of Italy until after World War I. Even today, most people speak German as their first language, so the shopkeepers and wait staff seemed to want to communicate in English. Unlike other parts of Italy, they were not particularly flattered by my attempts to speak Italian, but alas, my German mostly begins and ends with bitte and danke schon.

Most towns in the area have two names--one in German, the other in Italian. But many also have a third, a Ladin name for the Ladin people, the original settlers, whose language was suppressed during the Austro-Hungarian Empire, but which has been revived in recent years.

Beneath these jagged-tooth stone mountains, the alpine meadows whisper of Heidi country.  That was why we decided to take the gondola up to Alpe di Siusi, the largest high-altitude meadow in Europe. Our plan, which we actually followed for once, was to take the gondola up, hike across the rolling plain dotted with small farms, an occasional hotel, and grazing cows and horses, and then walk back down to Ortesei (or St. Ulrich or Urtijëi), where we had left our car.

The walk was all we could have wished for. The day was warm, but not too hot, as a breeze occasionally whispered by, and the cowbells chimed in the distance as we walked the grass-lined paths.

We had packed a picnic lunch, so we stopped along the way to eat in the shade of a tree. A middle-aged couple from Colorado came by, who were obviously in better shape than we were. They pointed up to a nearby peak, where they had trekked the day before, and enthusiastically encouraged us to take the "coffin lift" up to the peak and walk down over the talus slope.  "You have to do it," the man said. The coffin lift, he explained, consisted of a continuously running cable with small two-person gondolas that you had to run to catch and then jump in. However, there were attendants stationed at both ends who either pushed you in or pulled you off, almost before you had a chance to consider what to do! 

After they left, Kevin and I agreed that with my knee issues and lacking hiking boots, that excursion was out for us, though we were slightly disappointed to miss the view. (We didn't know then that the elevator of our apartment in Florence would bear a remarkable resemblance to the coffin lift--although you don't have to jump to catch it!)

Hiking back down through a forest of evergreens felt a lot like a hike in the Cascades, though the meadows of the Alpe di Siusi are definitely much more tame.

Oh, yes, I forgot to mention that we also stopped at a restaurant on the meadow to have a beer. While I love the wildness of our own Washington mountains, there is something to be said for walking in the Dolomites too. We returned to our hotel tired and happy.

A nice hotel, even if the wifi and view weren't quite as good as promised.
That's typical of hotels everywhere!

Sadly, the next day we were so sore from our hike that we couldn't attempt our next walking adventure. So we consoled ourselves with a drive, which was also beautiful.

We stopped along the way for photos.  Can you see the paraglider, the little white dot in that photo of the cliff?

It was a treat to be in the midst of mountains again, but the Dolomites left me a little homesick for the mountains of Washington state. Tragically, thousands of acres of forest are burning in Washington this year, including some areas that I care deeply about. We can only hope that the fires are contained soon, and there will be no more losses of people, animals, homes, and woodlands.

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Addendum:  I forgot to include the photo of the little dog on the motorcycle when I wrote about our stay in Tremosine. I felt sorry for him. His owners left him sitting there to gather coins from passers-by, while they sat in a cafe and had lunch. Yes, he had water, but I'll bet that hat, while cute, was hot. That's no way to treat the little guy!

Enchanting Lake Garda

Verona wasn't the only town in Northern Italy that we fell in love with. We also found our hearts captured by Tremosine (Tray-MOH-sin-ay), which is actually made up of several villages. We stayed in Pieve, where the church is located. (Pieve means church.) The elevation of the village is 414 meters above sea level and the lake is 213 meters above sea level. That means the dining room of the Hotel Miralogo, where we stayed, hangs in midair about 656 feet above the lake! I could feel every foot. (It's the white portion of the building hanging out over the cliff.)

The piazza outside our hotel.

A couple of roads serpentine up the hill to Tremosine from the lake. Arriving, we took the one featured in the James Bond film, "A Quantum of Solace." A scenic, but winding, often one-lane road with precipitous drop-offs, it was such an experience to drive it, and I was sorry there was nowhere to get off the road to take a good picture of it. I was clinging to the door handle the whole way, but I am glad we took it. 

The village itself was also a delight! Plus, it had the added benefit of a laundromat directly across from the hotel.  That may sound like nothing, unless you've been living out of a suitcase for months, and know the problems of finding any kind of laundry when you need one. (It's always a challenge to learn the system at a new laundromat too. I was fortunate to have a German lady show me the ropes.)


We also visited Malcesine (Mal-CHES-in-ay?) on the opposite shore of Lake Garda, right on the water. It had its own charms.

Of the two towns, though, I preferred Tremosine.  It is small and relatively undiscovered. We never heard anyone speak English there, unless it was when we were talking between ourselves. Tremosine is not in any of Rick Steves' guidebooks yet. And while I think a lot of Rick Steves (he personally helped us plan the itinerary for our first trip to Europe in 1982), he encourages people to find their own European "back doors." Tremosine is that kind of place, a little hidden gem that we somehow stumbled across.

A Night to Remember

 

When we found we could get tickets for Aida, we didn't hesitate to buy them. To see a great opera in the Roman arena at Verona, one of the world's premier opera venues, was an opportunity we couldn't pass up. Aida is a spectacular opera, and the sets at this production were by film director and designer Franco Zeffirelli. We spotted a large number of the set pieces outside the arena. 

We sat in the "cheap seats" on the stone steps, so we had to get there early to secure a good view. (People in reserved seats are asked to dress elegantly, but the hoi-polloi can dress casually.)

We rented cushions, which helped, because we arrived about an hour before the opera began at about 7:45 p.m., and the opera, with two intermissions, didn't get over until about midnight. 

The time passed quickly. We were entranced with the performance and the venue. How often do you get to sit in an arena that is nearly 2,000 years old to see an event? It was fun to think back on all the people who have sat in the same place over the years to view some sort of entertainment. 

My reverie was disturbed when a Canadian woman sitting behind me just had to point out that first Roman spectators would have been watching gladiator fights. I didn't want to be reminded of  that! (Also, strange it was a Canadian. They are usually so polite!) We were impressed with the acoustics (one reason the Verona arena is so popular for opera), but our northern neighbor was critical because the arena fails to match the acoustics of ancient Greek theaters. We have been to the Greek theaters and have witnessed the remarkable acoustics, but don't you have to appreciate every sight for what it uniquely offers?

I lost the program that identified the principal singers on the night we went. But most people go to see Aida not for the music alone, but because it is such a spectacle, with an enormous cast and eye-popping sets. (In the past, directors have brought horses and elephants on stage.) Fortunately, the animals were spared from this staging.

In Verona each performance traditionally begins by having the spectators light a candle, and the candles are furnished free of charge. However, because fewer people smoke these days, we were not able to find a light! No one around us had a lighter or match.

I imagine if you are a serious opera buff, Verona might be a bit trying, because although the audience is asked not to take photos during the performance, flashes are going off almost every moment. Kevin refrained, but finally, he had to take a least one photo of the live event. The shot wasn’t of the most dazzling stagecraft, but he felt he had violated the rules enough for one night. Ah well, what would you expect of the people in the cheap seats?

Aida is not our favorite opera, but we felt the experience in Verona was well worth our 40 euros (20 euros per seat, or not quite $23). Even without the elephants, it was a night to remember.

Romantic Verona

We didn't mean to fall in love.  It just happened. I guess that's why they call it "falling" in love? But slowly and imperceptibly, Kevin and I fell under the spell of Verona.  How could we not, in this city of Romeo and Juliet?  

What explains our fascination, in part, may have been our arrival at night. Our first view of Verona was magical, as we viewed it by lamplight, when soft hues of rose, gold, and white bathed the buildings. It may also have been the fact that Verona is relatively small and easily walked, making it very approachable. But whatever it is that makes Verona special, it held us in its grip, making us feel just a little younger and just a little more open to possibility.

One of the first things we noticed about Verona on our first day was that its sidewalks are made of marble. We have visited many Italian cities over the years, but this was the first time that we remember encountering marble sidewalks.  (But then our memories aren't what they used to be.)  The marble tiles are worn, and some are repaired with concrete and asphalt, but many are in good condition, adding an elegance to this small city that you don't find in other locales.  It was also great fun to find a large number of ammonite fossils in the marble.  Many were over a foot in diameter and one grand-daddy (grandmom?) was a good two-and-a-half feet across!

Of course, we visited Juliet's house (Casa di Giulietta)  and saw the famous balcony. This tourist sensation was created when the city of Verona bought the house of the Dal Capello family years ago, because of the similarity to the name Capuleti. Who cares if Romeo and Juliet are fictional if it brings more tourists to Verona? Juliet was even on her balcony.

We wouldn't pay to see this ersatz tourist attraction. Instead, I took advantage of the free view from the shop next door. I did take a peek at the mailbox featured in the 2010 film, "Letters to Juliet," because I liked the movie, even if it was predictable. Vanessa Redgrave is always worth watching, and sometimes you just want to watch something light and hopelessly romantic.

Juliet's mailbox

We enjoyed strolling the streets of Verona. The sets for the opera, Aida, were outside the old Roman arena. (When we returned to Verona, later, after visiting Lake Garda and the Dolomites, we saw Aida-- but that's another post.) There were little winding streets in the town, Roman remnants everywhere, and intriguing entries and alley ways, along with broader vistas.

And when we came across the Impero gelateria, we felt it was our town.

Kevin says I mixed this up! It isn't Verona, but Malcesine!

Good Friends, Good Times

Note: I feel bad that I lost some of the photos that I took with our friends. It’s one thing to lose pictures of a place, but it's times with your friends that you most want to document.

When you are far from home, nothing is better than connecting with long-time friends.  

A bit road-weary after Oxford, we visited our friends Mitch and Susan, whom we first met back in 1989, when Kevin worked under contract for British Telecom.  His office at Southend-on-Sea included engineers from the UK, New Zealand, Australia, and Trinidad and Tobago.  Kevin was the only American, which he liked. Because we all arrived at about the same time, many of us quite far from home, we all became close, sharing dinners and parties, taking trips together, and celebrating Christmas together. It was in Southend that we met Mitch and Susan.

When we arrived at their home outside of London, we needed some downtime.  Can you imagine how good it felt just to relax in the company of friends? Not to mention our relief in getting our laundry done!  And we especially appreciated Susan’s wonderful dinners, which bring a little bit of Trinidad and Tobago to England. We have always savored Susan’s cooking, and this time was no exception. She is also a very kind person.

Not the best photo of Susan. She's prettier than this!

It was  rewarding to catch up and hear of the success of their children, who were quite young when we first met. Their daughter, whom I remember crawling under our bed to “stroke the kitty,” now has her own successful recruiting business. She has two beautiful daughters who resemble both their attractive mother and grandmother.

Their son, building on earlier achievements, has just launched his own software startup, creating custom business intelligence tools. He already has some impressive clients and has hired his first employee. We’re sure he will go far.  It pleases us immensely to see how these two have grown and prospered, thanks in large part to their hard-working parents.

What are these two up to now? Mitch took us to Windsor one day.
Unfortunately, I lost most of my photos, but I'm pleased I have this one.

After a few days with Mitch and Susan, we moved on to London to visit our friend Shirley. We only had a short time with her before we had to fly to Italy, so we made the most of every moment. One highlight was seeing her niece’s video creation in an art exhibition at the Barbican in London, Europe’s largest multi-arts and conference center.  (Benedict Cumberbatch was playing in Hamlet at the Barbican that week too.)

A proud father and aunt at the exhibition.

Shirley’s niece is part of Fish Island Labs, a collaboration of artists and technologists, who are taking digital art in new and exciting directions. We felt honored to be a part of the family and friends who attended the show and celebrated at a nearby pub.  (It should be mentioned that Shirley’s other niece, the sister of the artist, is also on her way to achieving success, working at a prestigious London public-relations firm. The fact that she has received kudos on her marketing writing made me feel a connection to her, of course.)

You can see the artist's innovative work on her website. I particularly like C_NOw White.

The next day, Shirley took time off work to treat us to a tour of the state rooms and gardens at Buckingham Palace.  (This tour was not available when we lived in England, and we have missed it on subsequent visits.) Since I forgot to bring my tiara, we had to take the public tour; otherwise, I’m sure the queen would have greeted us personally. (Actually, she wasn't there that day.)

In the gardens of Buckingham Palace, minus tiara.

We enjoyed the tour immensely, and I was surprised at how much we got to see.  Visitors enter by the same staircase as visiting royalty and heads-of-state, through all of the official state rooms and the impressive art gallery. There are several exhibits showing the work of the chefs, dressmakers, and other staff of the palace, In addition, the tour takes you through the state dining room. The audio\video guide is one of the best I have tried—I usually dislike them--and I highly recommend the tour. Unfortunately, no photos are allowed inside the palace.

Later, we poked about expensive antique and furniture shops, including Linley, the store owned by Princess Margaret’s son. The custom furniture pieces there are true works of art. The gentleman’s valet cabinet is sold out (£80,000, approximately $121,371), but maybe you’d like the drinks cabinet? It’s only £10,000 more. It's an ideal gift if you have a spare $136,927 lying around. Take a look.

I don’t know why they didn’t throw us out. Shirley claimed she doesn’t get the kind of treatment they gave us while we were there, which is hard to believe, because she always dresses much more stylishly than we do. The staff seemed pleased to demonstrate anything we took an interest in. Maybe they thought we were software millionaires when they noted our casual dress and heard we were from Seattle?

We also paid a brief visit to the Saatchi Gallery in London. We have always enjoyed touring galleries with Shirley. We viewed an interesting and sometimes thought-provoking exhibition on the work of artists from emerging countries, and I liked the way the artists blended native art forms with contemporary themes and styles.

Kevin and Shirley at the Saatchi Gallery.

Time with friends is always good, but it’s especially cherished when we are heading off to foreign lands where it may be a long time before we see another familiar face. Thanks Mitch, Susan, and Shirley for your warm hospitality!

Walks Around Warwick

This is a little out of sequence, because we went to Warwick before we traveled to Oxford. We didn't visit the castle at Warwick (pronounced War-ick), because we had been there before.

We also had a nice walk to nearby Leamington Spa, a town we came through on the train. Much of the walk was along the canal towpath.

Scholars, Spires, and Harry Potter

Bill Clinton, Kris Kristofferson, and Rachel Maddow have nothing on us. They may have been Rhodes Scholars, but Kevin and I are "road scholars" and we went to Oxford too! (OK, it's not quite the same thing.)

However, we did get to act a little like Oxford University students. In the summer, many of the colleges rent out student accommodation to tourists, so we signed up for a room with a double-bed (almost a queen) with a private bathroom at Keble College. It was modest, but clean and comfortable.  

At Oxford, the 38 colleges serve as accommodations for the students, while they all study at various locations in Oxford and receive their degrees from Oxford University.

We strolled around the quad like we belonged there!

I kept wanting to call Keble College, Keebler, like the cookies. When the college constructed its buildings in the Victorian era, it created quite a stir, and some termed them "monstrosities." In a way they are, but I like them anyway!

Keble is one of the newer colleges. The oldest ones were founded in the 1200s, and Oxford has actually had a learning institution of some type since 1096. The residence we slept in was constructed in 1995, but when we walked out, we saw those gorgeous old buildings.

I really liked going in and out of the college through the porter's lodge and stepping into the door-in-the-door.  In former times, this arrangement allowed pedestrians to enter while keeping the weather out, so the larger door only had to opened to admit carts or carriages.

I have a better photo of the chapel, but I look better in this one, and it is my blog!

Our room at Keble was basic, but pleasant, with a large double bed (almost a queen), and an attached shower and toilet room. The residence building itself was built in 1995, but when we walked out the door through an archway, we found ourselves in the old quad.

But the best thing about staying at Keble College was eating breakfast every morning in the great hall. Keble's dining hall is the longest at Oxford, and we felt a little as though we were in a Harry Potter movie. That's not surprising since the dining hall in the Harry Potter films was modeled on Oxford halls. Sadly, there were no flying birds or floating candles, but the breakfast was good. And to think we passed on the baked beans and stewed tomatoes. (Usually a full English breakfast has grilled tomatoes, which I like, but I left the stewed ones for someone else.)

We thoroughly enjoyed our time at Oxford, strolling the streets, taking a fact-filled walking tour, and visiting the Ashmolean Museum, which we missed on a previous visit. It's a gem of a museum, with art and artifacts of all periods. It even houses the mantle, or cloak, of Chief Powhatan,  Pocahontas's father.

Fans of Inspector Morse, Endeavour, or Inspector Lewis may recognize the buildings below as the Sheldonian Theatre, designed by Christopher Wren, and the Radcliffe Camera.

We also visited a pub that Bill Clinton was known to frequent in his student days at Oxford. In spite of the goofy-looking selfie, we only had one beer each.

We had such a good time exploring "the city of dreaming spires" that I'm sure we'll be back again. I wouldn't mind staying at another college next time, just to compare.