Parts of Portugal & Spain and then the Fasa Valley of the Dolomites
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RB
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Granada to Capileira
We opted to not order a taxi (not sure of their English, our Spanish capabilities) & instead walked down about 15min towards the Cathedral to catch a cab-again a local Spanish guy who was friendly, neat & tidy & knew his way around. It was easy to find our way around the bus station & the bus left on time. Sitting up the back meant we again scored a spare seat each. This tactic was also used by another Aussie family from Forster so we had a good yarn to them (one of the daughters is a music teacher in New York). This was a fantastic 2.5hr bus ride even if it was a bit of a milk run. We left the city behind and climbed through more olive dominated areas up into the southern Sierra Nevada region. Our path to the La Alpujarra valleys wound us through many little villages, spectacular hairpin bends, great vistas & locals getting off in very obscure spots. We appreciated the help of a fellow passenger (Spanish) who identified the upcoming villages & we marvelled at the whitewashed landscape we found ourselves in.
Photos below 1/,2/, & 3/ are shots taken during our transfer from Granada, 4/ pretty well sums up the pace of life in Capileira 5/ not an easy village for mobility challenged people
We opted to not order a taxi (not sure of their English, our Spanish capabilities) & instead walked down about 15min towards the Cathedral to catch a cab-again a local Spanish guy who was friendly, neat & tidy & knew his way around. It was easy to find our way around the bus station & the bus left on time. Sitting up the back meant we again scored a spare seat each. This tactic was also used by another Aussie family from Forster so we had a good yarn to them (one of the daughters is a music teacher in New York). This was a fantastic 2.5hr bus ride even if it was a bit of a milk run. We left the city behind and climbed through more olive dominated areas up into the southern Sierra Nevada region. Our path to the La Alpujarra valleys wound us through many little villages, spectacular hairpin bends, great vistas & locals getting off in very obscure spots. We appreciated the help of a fellow passenger (Spanish) who identified the upcoming villages & we marvelled at the whitewashed landscape we found ourselves in.
Photos below 1/,2/, & 3/ are shots taken during our transfer from Granada, 4/ pretty well sums up the pace of life in Capileira 5/ not an easy village for mobility challenged people
RB
Established Member
- Joined
- Nov 17, 2004
- Posts
- 4,279
Granada to Capileira
We opted to not order a taxi (not sure of their English, our Spanish capabilities) & instead walked down about 15min towards the Cathedral to catch a cab-again a local Spanish guy who was friendly, neat & tidy & knew his way around. It was easy to find our way around the bus station & the bus left on time. Sitting up the back meant we again scored a spare seat each. This tactic was also used by another Aussie family from Forster so we had a good yarn to them (one of the daughters is a music teacher in New York). This was a fantastic 2.5hr bus ride even if it was a bit of a milk run. We left the city behind and climbed through more olive dominated areas up into the southern Sierra Nevada region. Our path to the La Alpujarra valleys wound us through many little villages, spectacular hairpin bends, great vistas & locals getting off in very obscure spots. We appreciated the help of a fellow passenger (Spanish) who identified the upcoming villages & we marvelled at the whitewashed landscape we found ourselves in.
Around Capileira
The township seems pretty compact and although there is a lot of climbing & descending everything is pretty close. There are arid hillsides, and the white Berber style villages are set amongst the gardens, orchards and woodlands. Prickly pear is in abundance & in flower in spots. We find a place selling a hamburger as a late lunch & then have a wander uphill to get a bit of perspective of the area. We find the “small” supermarket & stock up. We again see a mobile lottery/lotto seller equipped with a EFTPOS machine wandering around-not sure if it will take off in Aust! We are certainly now in rural Spain & the locals are very friendly, although not good at cleaning up after their dogs! We enjoy a siesta in the much cooler conditions & then have another wander around town and gather some advice from the tourist office re our walking options for the next couple of days. It is then time to use the terrace & have a home cooked pasta feast.
Our 1[SUP]st[/SUP] full day in Capileira dawns fine & sunny but the quiet neighbourhood means we have a late start to the day & enjoy coffee & breakfast on the terrace. Once our washing is done we head off for a walk/treck- the major reason for our visit here.
The Walk Of The Poqueira Gorge- we opt for the shorter version that starts in Capileira (1 of the higher villages in the Alpujarras) & does a loop to the generating station at La Cebadilla & then back to our village. It is apparently ranked as medium difficulty and peaks at around 1600m with us starting at 1432m. There are great views of the river valley & the final stretch back into Capileira is a steep drop so there are plenty of photo opportunities. We encounter a mix of paved paths, dirt track, narrow stony sections of climb and broader tracks through treed sections. Mrs RB gives her walking poles their maiden run and is happy with her new accessories. There are quite a few abandoned buildings that are used as markers on a walk description we had with us (pretty handy as the mentioned marker posts quite often didn’t seem to be there). At the generating station there is a chapel that has fallen into disrepair & other abandoned buildings that used to house the station workers. We spend a little time at this turning point to check the water flow & some of the pipe work that is in place. During the walk back we see sections of water channel and branching in place, a pine plantation and good views over to the outward path we had been on. The great views down over Capileira are a filip for the flagging energy levels. We covered somewhere around 10km, had a bit of a look around the generating station and were back home inside 3hrs so maybe the fitness wasn’t as bad as I was feeling during some of the steeper climbing sections (I was blaming the 1 litre bottles of beer consumed over the last 3 weeks of what has been mostly city style walking).
The recommended pizzeria near the church off the main square turned out a nice gratis tapas of ham and the pizzas we ordered were great.
The warm, sunny weather continued for our last day in Capileira. Pampaneira, Bubion & Capileira make up the 3 villages lying on the eastern side of the most popular walking area of the Alpujarra. There is a variety of routes linking them but we opted for a bit of a mixed bag. Down to Bubion we follow a mainly narrow path that zig zags down the valley. There are a few damp sections and a few spots that threaten to be slippery as you look to place your feet. As with yesterday we encounter streams, small bridges, ruined farms, chestnut trees and more ruins of threshing circles. We spot the goats wearing their bells and view some of the terraces in use for the home vegetable gardens. Sunday seems to mean a quite day in Bubion so we only spend a short time there before pushing on to Pampaneira. We opt for a 1km path that coincides in spots with the G.R.7- the long distance path that runs from Athens to Tarifa. Things are certainly not manicured and the footing is varied. There are more ruined huts, springs, vegetable gardens, water tanks and ramshackle farms as we catch great views of our eventual target. The final minutes see us walking through a maze of village streets & passing some craft shops before we spill out near the church. Mass is on & Mrs RB catches a sneak view of a very ornate interior & priest in full voice. The village centre is buzzing with a few bus groups, weekend trippers, motorbikers, cyclists enjoying the mountain loops and locals out for their promenade. Mrs RB decides to purchase a 1litre wine pouch (think old cowboy movie style) complete with local vino and demo by the local ham man (don’t think it was his first demo of the morning and he repeated the performance a few times to be sure we would know how to handle it! I doubt it will see the time of day in Aust.
We take the easy way back & jump on the bus that is eventually heading to Travelez. Capileira has a few people around but is nowhere near as busy with day trippers as Pampaneira. We do a bit of window shopping and also return to the leather workshop “J Brown” available online at jbrowntallerdepiel.com. This is a tailor made outlet, proudly Spanish, with limited collections of hand made shoes, belts, coats, hats, pants all produced from cow hide-great soft products - we now own another hand bag & small purse. I again resisted the chance to join the “man bag set”! It was then home to try our skills at using the wine pouch.
Photos below illustrate the landscapes we walked through with the last photo illustrating the sale of local wines
We opted to not order a taxi (not sure of their English, our Spanish capabilities) & instead walked down about 15min towards the Cathedral to catch a cab-again a local Spanish guy who was friendly, neat & tidy & knew his way around. It was easy to find our way around the bus station & the bus left on time. Sitting up the back meant we again scored a spare seat each. This tactic was also used by another Aussie family from Forster so we had a good yarn to them (one of the daughters is a music teacher in New York). This was a fantastic 2.5hr bus ride even if it was a bit of a milk run. We left the city behind and climbed through more olive dominated areas up into the southern Sierra Nevada region. Our path to the La Alpujarra valleys wound us through many little villages, spectacular hairpin bends, great vistas & locals getting off in very obscure spots. We appreciated the help of a fellow passenger (Spanish) who identified the upcoming villages & we marvelled at the whitewashed landscape we found ourselves in.
Around Capileira
The township seems pretty compact and although there is a lot of climbing & descending everything is pretty close. There are arid hillsides, and the white Berber style villages are set amongst the gardens, orchards and woodlands. Prickly pear is in abundance & in flower in spots. We find a place selling a hamburger as a late lunch & then have a wander uphill to get a bit of perspective of the area. We find the “small” supermarket & stock up. We again see a mobile lottery/lotto seller equipped with a EFTPOS machine wandering around-not sure if it will take off in Aust! We are certainly now in rural Spain & the locals are very friendly, although not good at cleaning up after their dogs! We enjoy a siesta in the much cooler conditions & then have another wander around town and gather some advice from the tourist office re our walking options for the next couple of days. It is then time to use the terrace & have a home cooked pasta feast.
Our 1[SUP]st[/SUP] full day in Capileira dawns fine & sunny but the quiet neighbourhood means we have a late start to the day & enjoy coffee & breakfast on the terrace. Once our washing is done we head off for a walk/treck- the major reason for our visit here.
The Walk Of The Poqueira Gorge- we opt for the shorter version that starts in Capileira (1 of the higher villages in the Alpujarras) & does a loop to the generating station at La Cebadilla & then back to our village. It is apparently ranked as medium difficulty and peaks at around 1600m with us starting at 1432m. There are great views of the river valley & the final stretch back into Capileira is a steep drop so there are plenty of photo opportunities. We encounter a mix of paved paths, dirt track, narrow stony sections of climb and broader tracks through treed sections. Mrs RB gives her walking poles their maiden run and is happy with her new accessories. There are quite a few abandoned buildings that are used as markers on a walk description we had with us (pretty handy as the mentioned marker posts quite often didn’t seem to be there). At the generating station there is a chapel that has fallen into disrepair & other abandoned buildings that used to house the station workers. We spend a little time at this turning point to check the water flow & some of the pipe work that is in place. During the walk back we see sections of water channel and branching in place, a pine plantation and good views over to the outward path we had been on. The great views down over Capileira are a filip for the flagging energy levels. We covered somewhere around 10km, had a bit of a look around the generating station and were back home inside 3hrs so maybe the fitness wasn’t as bad as I was feeling during some of the steeper climbing sections (I was blaming the 1 litre bottles of beer consumed over the last 3 weeks of what has been mostly city style walking).
The recommended pizzeria near the church off the main square turned out a nice gratis tapas of ham and the pizzas we ordered were great.
The warm, sunny weather continued for our last day in Capileira. Pampaneira, Bubion & Capileira make up the 3 villages lying on the eastern side of the most popular walking area of the Alpujarra. There is a variety of routes linking them but we opted for a bit of a mixed bag. Down to Bubion we follow a mainly narrow path that zig zags down the valley. There are a few damp sections and a few spots that threaten to be slippery as you look to place your feet. As with yesterday we encounter streams, small bridges, ruined farms, chestnut trees and more ruins of threshing circles. We spot the goats wearing their bells and view some of the terraces in use for the home vegetable gardens. Sunday seems to mean a quite day in Bubion so we only spend a short time there before pushing on to Pampaneira. We opt for a 1km path that coincides in spots with the G.R.7- the long distance path that runs from Athens to Tarifa. Things are certainly not manicured and the footing is varied. There are more ruined huts, springs, vegetable gardens, water tanks and ramshackle farms as we catch great views of our eventual target. The final minutes see us walking through a maze of village streets & passing some craft shops before we spill out near the church. Mass is on & Mrs RB catches a sneak view of a very ornate interior & priest in full voice. The village centre is buzzing with a few bus groups, weekend trippers, motorbikers, cyclists enjoying the mountain loops and locals out for their promenade. Mrs RB decides to purchase a 1litre wine pouch (think old cowboy movie style) complete with local vino and demo by the local ham man (don’t think it was his first demo of the morning and he repeated the performance a few times to be sure we would know how to handle it! I doubt it will see the time of day in Aust.
We take the easy way back & jump on the bus that is eventually heading to Travelez. Capileira has a few people around but is nowhere near as busy with day trippers as Pampaneira. We do a bit of window shopping and also return to the leather workshop “J Brown” available online at jbrowntallerdepiel.com. This is a tailor made outlet, proudly Spanish, with limited collections of hand made shoes, belts, coats, hats, pants all produced from cow hide-great soft products - we now own another hand bag & small purse. I again resisted the chance to join the “man bag set”! It was then home to try our skills at using the wine pouch.
Photos below illustrate the landscapes we walked through with the last photo illustrating the sale of local wines
RB
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Some more photos of our time around Capileira
Photo 1/ as throughout Spain more hams on display 2/ we passed quite a few artists taking in the landscapes 3/ it is a pretty harsh existence around here 4/ there is always a rebel out there (no whitewash for them) 5/ we found the Spanish & Portuguese very industrious in their irrigation of the land
Photo 1/ as throughout Spain more hams on display 2/ we passed quite a few artists taking in the landscapes 3/ it is a pretty harsh existence around here 4/ there is always a rebel out there (no whitewash for them) 5/ we found the Spanish & Portuguese very industrious in their irrigation of the land
RB
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Capileira to Canillas De Albaida
This was the earliest start of our holiday & also involved 3 different buses We thought the 1[SUP]st[/SUP] start was 7am but it turned up at 7.20am for the run back down to Granada. Another milk run over the same territory & nothing different of any note. Bus 2 was to Malaga. This took us past more extensive farms with olives again dominant. There are also big fields of vegies, some cropping and sections where trees are being farmed. It seemed to be a quite steady climb all the way & then we had a pretty quick decent into Malaga-this seemed to one of the few places so far with roadside advertising. We had another easy transfer, this time to a local bus for the climb up to Canillas De Albaida. This was a fantastic ride, only a short distance but great viewing. Initially we enjoyed a ride along the seaside promenade & then it was a big, winding climb for the last 15 or so km. This section took us past greenhouse veggie growing, paddocks of tomatoes, orchards, more olives, prickly pear thriving in the dry conditions, dotted villages pinned to the hillsides & sneaky views back to the ocean. Apparently muscatel has been made here since Roman times and loquat, a fruit, is typical of the area.
Our time in Canillas was designed to let us enjoy some more walking & as I posted early in this report we are not particularly city people so it was also designed a week in quiet surrounds to enjoy food, drinks & generally relax.
Photos below
1/ & 2/ are views from our terrace 3/ a pretty good indicator of the pace of life in Canillas 4/ a shot taken from the bus on the way up from Malaga 5/ another section of Canillas
This was the earliest start of our holiday & also involved 3 different buses We thought the 1[SUP]st[/SUP] start was 7am but it turned up at 7.20am for the run back down to Granada. Another milk run over the same territory & nothing different of any note. Bus 2 was to Malaga. This took us past more extensive farms with olives again dominant. There are also big fields of vegies, some cropping and sections where trees are being farmed. It seemed to be a quite steady climb all the way & then we had a pretty quick decent into Malaga-this seemed to one of the few places so far with roadside advertising. We had another easy transfer, this time to a local bus for the climb up to Canillas De Albaida. This was a fantastic ride, only a short distance but great viewing. Initially we enjoyed a ride along the seaside promenade & then it was a big, winding climb for the last 15 or so km. This section took us past greenhouse veggie growing, paddocks of tomatoes, orchards, more olives, prickly pear thriving in the dry conditions, dotted villages pinned to the hillsides & sneaky views back to the ocean. Apparently muscatel has been made here since Roman times and loquat, a fruit, is typical of the area.
Our time in Canillas was designed to let us enjoy some more walking & as I posted early in this report we are not particularly city people so it was also designed a week in quiet surrounds to enjoy food, drinks & generally relax.
Photos below
1/ & 2/ are views from our terrace 3/ a pretty good indicator of the pace of life in Canillas 4/ a shot taken from the bus on the way up from Malaga 5/ another section of Canillas
RB
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Around Canillas de Albaida
I have posted a review of our Canillas accommodation here http://www.australianfrequentflyer....views/calle-granada-15-canillas-de-61965.html
After our early start we are not up for a lot on our 1[SUP]st[/SUP] afternoon. It seemed correct to enjoy a glass of the red wine (our host had gifted us) on the terrace & survey the great views. After the town wide siesta our 1[SUP]st[/SUP] visit to the supermarkets sees us equipped & we are given some cream caramels for making our purchases. It seems the locals are friendly & the streets are devoid of dog bombs-well most of the time!
Walk to Competa- the next village back on the bus route. This is a relatively easy walk, get up to Ermita de Santa Ana (church at the top of Canillas) & then it is a fairly flat walk around, hugging the hillside while passing through market gardens, olive groves & orchards. There are plenty of terraces above & below and we also encounter some tethered donkeys that are doing a great clearing job and a couple of ostrich with 3 eggs (held in a very small yard & not very happy it seems). I had read that given good viewing conditions it is possible to see the Rock of Gibralta & mountains of Africa. When we reach Competa we opt to hike up via the Camino de Circunalcion-this gives us distant, different angled views of the Mediterranean, close ups of the more expensive homes of the village & views down over the rooftops ( there is certainly evidence of unfinished apartment developments here so economic conditions are not great). Down in the square there is plenty of activity, dominated by real estate offices, plenty of Pommy accents and quite a bustling commercial centre (the ATM offers a dynamic currency conversion if I wish to partake!) The tourist office seems to be a waste of time (nothing to add to the stuff we already have at our apartment)
Back in Canillas we relax on our terrace & watch village life unfold. One of the real estate magazines I read proudly proclaims it now has 5,000 listings!
Photos below show 1/ Santa Anna church 2/ view back to Canillas from Competta track 3/ ostrich eggs- I had never seen before & someone actually collected them during our stay 4/ Cranky ostrich-not missing feathers on rump of 1 animal 5/ plenty of similar work to be seen in the villages
I have posted a review of our Canillas accommodation here http://www.australianfrequentflyer....views/calle-granada-15-canillas-de-61965.html
After our early start we are not up for a lot on our 1[SUP]st[/SUP] afternoon. It seemed correct to enjoy a glass of the red wine (our host had gifted us) on the terrace & survey the great views. After the town wide siesta our 1[SUP]st[/SUP] visit to the supermarkets sees us equipped & we are given some cream caramels for making our purchases. It seems the locals are friendly & the streets are devoid of dog bombs-well most of the time!
Walk to Competa- the next village back on the bus route. This is a relatively easy walk, get up to Ermita de Santa Ana (church at the top of Canillas) & then it is a fairly flat walk around, hugging the hillside while passing through market gardens, olive groves & orchards. There are plenty of terraces above & below and we also encounter some tethered donkeys that are doing a great clearing job and a couple of ostrich with 3 eggs (held in a very small yard & not very happy it seems). I had read that given good viewing conditions it is possible to see the Rock of Gibralta & mountains of Africa. When we reach Competa we opt to hike up via the Camino de Circunalcion-this gives us distant, different angled views of the Mediterranean, close ups of the more expensive homes of the village & views down over the rooftops ( there is certainly evidence of unfinished apartment developments here so economic conditions are not great). Down in the square there is plenty of activity, dominated by real estate offices, plenty of Pommy accents and quite a bustling commercial centre (the ATM offers a dynamic currency conversion if I wish to partake!) The tourist office seems to be a waste of time (nothing to add to the stuff we already have at our apartment)
Back in Canillas we relax on our terrace & watch village life unfold. One of the real estate magazines I read proudly proclaims it now has 5,000 listings!
Photos below show 1/ Santa Anna church 2/ view back to Canillas from Competta track 3/ ostrich eggs- I had never seen before & someone actually collected them during our stay 4/ Cranky ostrich-not missing feathers on rump of 1 animal 5/ plenty of similar work to be seen in the villages
RB
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Another fine day so we walk to Fabrica de la Luz- another not so difficult walk that that is on a road that is shared by quarry trucks for a small section. Nice enough scenery, again more orchards, plenty of terracing & a massive quarry operation. The end point is the ruins of an old hydro electric power station, a picnic & camping spot & a river (more accurately a small stream). We have a bit of a spell & then walk back- the way back offers better views of an intricate system of drainage and watering that helps explain the thriving agriculture despite the annual rainfall being around the 630mm mark. To add a few km to the legs we walk the village, check the menus of the various bars and do some food (including some fish) & drink shopping for the apartment. Despite the warnings in our greeting info, we were surprised that our lunch took well over an hour after ordering at Bar Cerezo- it still seems popular with British who have made it their local. Dinner was some great tappas at Restaurant Antonio-much better service here!
Another fine & warm day saw us set out to Gavilan (or part way!) This was a much better walk-through Competa & out on a route that we did not encounter previously. We wound up fairly quickly & got views back over Competa and as we advanced we got a few views of different sections of the Mediterranean, all of them shrouded in a mist that seems common in parts of Europe at this time of year. We reached a lookout at Puerto Collado that gave fantastic views of the Sierras. After a short distance further before a long drop down we decided we had achieved enough for the day- a climb in altitude of about 400 metres and a round trip of about 16 km and some great photos! Apparently further on there are old muleteers tracks that go over the mountains towards Granada. The signs were better today, in parts a very good track (went to rutted stony patched in parts) & 4wd’s could be driven to where we reached- saw a couple of 500cc buggies being driven around on a day trip.
Black Friday was a fine, hot day. We wandered some different streets of Canillas and visited the town cemetery. We started but aborted a walk to Salares (didn’t look like we would see any different countryside & it seemed to be already approaching the forecast max of 30c). We ventured down to Archez via the main road. Passed some Gaudi apartments (certainly an individual style development), plenty more orchards & gardens & a few people doing maintenance on all their wrought iron! It looks like not much happens in Archez ( known for its Mudejar architecture)- we wandered around but we were soon on the steep, uphill walk back to Canillas.
They say every day is a school day-today I read more about the Jamon ham that is subject to a strict series of classifications. The most prized ham is from the Jubago area in Andalucia. The Jubago itself is rated out of 5 jotas/classes and the top class (JJJJJ) is from pigs that have had a diet purely of acorns. If the pig gains 50% of its body weight during the acorn-eating season, it can be classified as Jamon Iberico de Bellota, the most sought-after designation for Jamon.
Next day we took what seemed to be a non-mapped walk to the east above Canillas. Through a combination of paths, roads and tracks we had a great walk that covered 600 metres of altitude. We saw the sports grounds of Canillas, passed the communication towers, further up in a NE direction that gave views over the quarry (passed the other day) and great views and photos down to Canillas. This walk also gave us plenty of different angles looking down towards Malaga & it was fortunate that this day was the clearest we had had so far for viewing the coast. Our top point was a bit of a scramble on a very narrow rocky path but the views and the colourful wildflowers & plants were the payback! Our return trip surfaces also varied but overall pretty good so you could enjoy the walk & not have your eyes glued to your feet.
The Plaza restaurant is set in a magical little square in Canillas. As with many corners in the village potted flowers are in abundance. The attraction of the night is a 3 piece local band “The Rooters” who do a lead in to the England V Italy world cup clash. The acoustics are good & little noise escapes the square with around 60 odd people enjoying the night. The band were pretty talented and did covers of Van Morrison, Bruce Sprinsteen, Eric Clapton etc along with some Spanish & Irish tunes. A young Irish guy got up out of the crowd & did some traditional Irish dancing!
On our last full day we took a stroll to Competa for another look around. The main Catholic church was open(Sunday mass was on) & it had the impressive Mudejar interior & great ceramic images on parts of the exterior arches. Other than church & a few old locals solving the problems of the world while sitting in the main square, not much happens in Competa on a Sunday.
Photos below. I know there are some keen foodies here so 1/2/ & 3/ show some of the food we had in Canillas 4/ We had patted the horse in the pub carpark as he waited 5/ an idea of the typical landscape around Canillas
Some more photos in next posts
Another fine & warm day saw us set out to Gavilan (or part way!) This was a much better walk-through Competa & out on a route that we did not encounter previously. We wound up fairly quickly & got views back over Competa and as we advanced we got a few views of different sections of the Mediterranean, all of them shrouded in a mist that seems common in parts of Europe at this time of year. We reached a lookout at Puerto Collado that gave fantastic views of the Sierras. After a short distance further before a long drop down we decided we had achieved enough for the day- a climb in altitude of about 400 metres and a round trip of about 16 km and some great photos! Apparently further on there are old muleteers tracks that go over the mountains towards Granada. The signs were better today, in parts a very good track (went to rutted stony patched in parts) & 4wd’s could be driven to where we reached- saw a couple of 500cc buggies being driven around on a day trip.
Black Friday was a fine, hot day. We wandered some different streets of Canillas and visited the town cemetery. We started but aborted a walk to Salares (didn’t look like we would see any different countryside & it seemed to be already approaching the forecast max of 30c). We ventured down to Archez via the main road. Passed some Gaudi apartments (certainly an individual style development), plenty more orchards & gardens & a few people doing maintenance on all their wrought iron! It looks like not much happens in Archez ( known for its Mudejar architecture)- we wandered around but we were soon on the steep, uphill walk back to Canillas.
They say every day is a school day-today I read more about the Jamon ham that is subject to a strict series of classifications. The most prized ham is from the Jubago area in Andalucia. The Jubago itself is rated out of 5 jotas/classes and the top class (JJJJJ) is from pigs that have had a diet purely of acorns. If the pig gains 50% of its body weight during the acorn-eating season, it can be classified as Jamon Iberico de Bellota, the most sought-after designation for Jamon.
Next day we took what seemed to be a non-mapped walk to the east above Canillas. Through a combination of paths, roads and tracks we had a great walk that covered 600 metres of altitude. We saw the sports grounds of Canillas, passed the communication towers, further up in a NE direction that gave views over the quarry (passed the other day) and great views and photos down to Canillas. This walk also gave us plenty of different angles looking down towards Malaga & it was fortunate that this day was the clearest we had had so far for viewing the coast. Our top point was a bit of a scramble on a very narrow rocky path but the views and the colourful wildflowers & plants were the payback! Our return trip surfaces also varied but overall pretty good so you could enjoy the walk & not have your eyes glued to your feet.
The Plaza restaurant is set in a magical little square in Canillas. As with many corners in the village potted flowers are in abundance. The attraction of the night is a 3 piece local band “The Rooters” who do a lead in to the England V Italy world cup clash. The acoustics are good & little noise escapes the square with around 60 odd people enjoying the night. The band were pretty talented and did covers of Van Morrison, Bruce Sprinsteen, Eric Clapton etc along with some Spanish & Irish tunes. A young Irish guy got up out of the crowd & did some traditional Irish dancing!
On our last full day we took a stroll to Competa for another look around. The main Catholic church was open(Sunday mass was on) & it had the impressive Mudejar interior & great ceramic images on parts of the exterior arches. Other than church & a few old locals solving the problems of the world while sitting in the main square, not much happens in Competa on a Sunday.
Photos below. I know there are some keen foodies here so 1/2/ & 3/ show some of the food we had in Canillas 4/ We had patted the horse in the pub carpark as he waited 5/ an idea of the typical landscape around Canillas
Some more photos in next posts
RB
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Some more photos fro around Canillas
1/ part of the view from Puerto Collado 2/ the buggies that can be hired to get around 3/ you really know when your number is up at Canillas 4/ one of the Gaudi apartments 5/ max zoom back down to the coast
1/ part of the view from Puerto Collado 2/ the buggies that can be hired to get around 3/ you really know when your number is up at Canillas 4/ one of the Gaudi apartments 5/ max zoom back down to the coast
RB
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Canillas De Albaida to Malaga
This was a straight forward bus transfer back down the hill. Plenty of sharp corners for the 1[SUP]st[/SUP] hour (slow going as all the locals get on and pay) and then freeways right into the city centre. All up the 2hrs went quickly.
Around Malaga
It was obvious that there were many more beggars & bin raiders here but we really enjoyed Malaga & all the city was very clean & seemed very safe. Malaga offers great food options-tapas outlets & bars every few metres-in one spot (Be Happy Bar) we paid 2 Euro & that got you a drink (for us a beer or a wine) PLUS a small tapas. There were flamenco singers outside bars in a few spots & that added to the relaxed attitude that we experienced-I think we may have underestimated what a great time we would have in Malaga (not just a 2 night stay getting ready to go to Italy)
I thought this was a pretty good outline of what is available around Malaga Málaga - What to see - Village - Towns and villages in Málaga Province and Costa del Sol - Official Tourism Website
I think some parts of this report may have been a bit rambling
so this is a bit of a summary of our wanderings:
Larios St –renowned for the brand names but for us just window shopping
Catherdral- looked around amongst the masses but didn’t go in as we feared a let-down after what Seville had offered
Alcazaba-built between 11[SUP]th[/SUP] & 14[SUP]th[/SUP] centuries this offered better photo opportunities than Alhambra-no people in the road and much less touristy
Roman Theatre- at the foot of the Alcazaba-built in 1[SUP]st[/SUP] Century AD used until 3[SUP]rd[/SUP] Century
We passed the Palace de la Aduana & the town hall on the way to the Lighthouse (one of the oldest & most historic in Spain). We also passed the old post office & chapel. In the harbour area we spotted an amazing vessel complete with helicopter etc. Tatoosh (yacht) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia . Despite there being a red stain in water there were a few swimmers but not really many people on the beaches at this time of year
Plaza de la Merced- where Picasso grew up, amazing viewing as we watched the dogs go mad while they were watched by their owners. Crowds around the tvs were watching the World Cup during the 3hr Happy Hours.
Picasso Route-Picasso Foundation & Birthplace Museum-original works on display
Church of Santiago-where Picasso was christened-Moorish gothic style
Palace of Buenavista where the Picasso Museum is located, strong security checks, no water allowed (they will tag your bottle for later collection), many school groups visiting
Castle of Gibralfaro a fortress- steep walk up past the Alcazaba, we made it to the viewing platform level without a stop (fitness levels holding up well) & took photos-great clear day
Bullring & its museum-amazingly we had this fantastic display all to ourselves- a great museum & then a wander upstairs & look at the various seats that can be purchased
Photos 1/ Plaza de la Merced 2/ one of the many views of parts of the Cathedral 3/ view from Alcazaba down over the Roman Theatre 4/ view from Alcazaba towards part of the harbour area 5/ the Tatoosh-yours for a lazy 125m Euro
This was a straight forward bus transfer back down the hill. Plenty of sharp corners for the 1[SUP]st[/SUP] hour (slow going as all the locals get on and pay) and then freeways right into the city centre. All up the 2hrs went quickly.
Around Malaga
It was obvious that there were many more beggars & bin raiders here but we really enjoyed Malaga & all the city was very clean & seemed very safe. Malaga offers great food options-tapas outlets & bars every few metres-in one spot (Be Happy Bar) we paid 2 Euro & that got you a drink (for us a beer or a wine) PLUS a small tapas. There were flamenco singers outside bars in a few spots & that added to the relaxed attitude that we experienced-I think we may have underestimated what a great time we would have in Malaga (not just a 2 night stay getting ready to go to Italy)
I thought this was a pretty good outline of what is available around Malaga Málaga - What to see - Village - Towns and villages in Málaga Province and Costa del Sol - Official Tourism Website
I think some parts of this report may have been a bit rambling
so this is a bit of a summary of our wanderings:Larios St –renowned for the brand names but for us just window shopping
Catherdral- looked around amongst the masses but didn’t go in as we feared a let-down after what Seville had offered
Alcazaba-built between 11[SUP]th[/SUP] & 14[SUP]th[/SUP] centuries this offered better photo opportunities than Alhambra-no people in the road and much less touristy
Roman Theatre- at the foot of the Alcazaba-built in 1[SUP]st[/SUP] Century AD used until 3[SUP]rd[/SUP] Century
We passed the Palace de la Aduana & the town hall on the way to the Lighthouse (one of the oldest & most historic in Spain). We also passed the old post office & chapel. In the harbour area we spotted an amazing vessel complete with helicopter etc. Tatoosh (yacht) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia . Despite there being a red stain in water there were a few swimmers but not really many people on the beaches at this time of year
Plaza de la Merced- where Picasso grew up, amazing viewing as we watched the dogs go mad while they were watched by their owners. Crowds around the tvs were watching the World Cup during the 3hr Happy Hours.
Picasso Route-Picasso Foundation & Birthplace Museum-original works on display
Church of Santiago-where Picasso was christened-Moorish gothic style
Palace of Buenavista where the Picasso Museum is located, strong security checks, no water allowed (they will tag your bottle for later collection), many school groups visiting
Castle of Gibralfaro a fortress- steep walk up past the Alcazaba, we made it to the viewing platform level without a stop (fitness levels holding up well) & took photos-great clear day
Bullring & its museum-amazingly we had this fantastic display all to ourselves- a great museum & then a wander upstairs & look at the various seats that can be purchased
Photos 1/ Plaza de la Merced 2/ one of the many views of parts of the Cathedral 3/ view from Alcazaba down over the Roman Theatre 4/ view from Alcazaba towards part of the harbour area 5/ the Tatoosh-yours for a lazy 125m Euro
RB
Established Member
- Joined
- Nov 17, 2004
- Posts
- 4,279
Malaga to Marone (Lake Iseo Italy) EZY 27332 to MXP 11A & 11C
We had an easy walk from our apartment to what was the 1[SUP]st[/SUP] stop on Line A bus that runs to the airport. A 30 minute ride in a bus well equipped for baggage was shared with about 10 people and only cost 3 Euro. The check-in was easy with our speedy boarding that also included the exit row seats and we were glad of the extra 2 inch pitch on a full plane. We pushed back on time, had a smooth flight and arrived a few minutes early. It was quite a walk through the airport & no bags arrived for over 30 minutes. Our bags were out early & then it was a quick 10 Euro bus ride to Milan train station. From there we caught a regional train as far as Brescia (it was headed to Verona). From Brescia it was a 45 minute picturesque ride up to Marone. The last train took us through great farmland- masses of corn grown, back to grape land (Franciacorta famous for their Italian “champagne” production) freshly cut hay and olives and then the beautiful alpine lakeside with the soaring mountains. There are similarities to Garda & Como lakes but none of the travel hordes.
Photos illustrate some of the views of Lake Iseo
We had an easy walk from our apartment to what was the 1[SUP]st[/SUP] stop on Line A bus that runs to the airport. A 30 minute ride in a bus well equipped for baggage was shared with about 10 people and only cost 3 Euro. The check-in was easy with our speedy boarding that also included the exit row seats and we were glad of the extra 2 inch pitch on a full plane. We pushed back on time, had a smooth flight and arrived a few minutes early. It was quite a walk through the airport & no bags arrived for over 30 minutes. Our bags were out early & then it was a quick 10 Euro bus ride to Milan train station. From there we caught a regional train as far as Brescia (it was headed to Verona). From Brescia it was a 45 minute picturesque ride up to Marone. The last train took us through great farmland- masses of corn grown, back to grape land (Franciacorta famous for their Italian “champagne” production) freshly cut hay and olives and then the beautiful alpine lakeside with the soaring mountains. There are similarities to Garda & Como lakes but none of the travel hordes.
Photos illustrate some of the views of Lake Iseo
RB
Established Member
- Joined
- Nov 17, 2004
- Posts
- 4,279
Around Marone
After our flying/bus/train day we settle for a short walk, a takeaway pizza, a couple of balcony drinks & an early night-the Italians eat much earlier than the Spanish! A noisy thunderstorm rattled around the hills but only bought a couple of minutes of rain.
Thursday 19[SUP]th[/SUP] June was a market day in Marone & the locals get out in force to buy household goods, food & clothing. We set aside today as a walking day. First was north along the lakeside to Vello. This walk gives a great background of snow clad peaks in the background, the steep hillsides & houses dotted everywhere. On our return to Marone we hit the market & bought a BQQ chicken to demolish for dinner. Then to the south we walked past campgrounds located in magical lakeside spots. At Sale Marasino we checked out the parts of the church that have survived from the 6-7[SUP]th[/SUP] century. The Parrocchiale di S. Zenone (the parish church) is also outstanding. Apparently it was built between 1737 and 1754 taking inspiration from the new cathedral in Brescia. Along the way we also passed the isoletta di Loreto (the little island of Loreto), which emerges from the middle of the lake opposite the town harbour, is very picturesque with its castle surrounded by beautiful gardens. On our way back we stopped for lunch at a lakeside diner that produced good calamari, baby octopus, cold beer & people watching. From there we pushed uphill and visited San Pietro in Vinculis, the first parish church in Marone . It was built in the 15th century on one of the spurs of Monte Vesto, on the site of a castle which was destroyed in the 13th century. From there it was further uphill to the Hermitage of St Peter Pregasso- Mrs RB counted 200 steps up but it was worth it for the views. From there it was a downhill run back to the villa-not all quiet today as the markets seemed to have inspired a bit of drinking among the locals!-nothing wrong with that & we were thirsty after our walk
Photos 1 part of the seafood offerings on market day 2/ Love how the peaks are so close to the lake, makes for dramatic scenery 3/ Part of the Marone "table of knowledge" 4/ Looking back at our lunch diner 5/ View back from San Pietro church
After our flying/bus/train day we settle for a short walk, a takeaway pizza, a couple of balcony drinks & an early night-the Italians eat much earlier than the Spanish! A noisy thunderstorm rattled around the hills but only bought a couple of minutes of rain.
Thursday 19[SUP]th[/SUP] June was a market day in Marone & the locals get out in force to buy household goods, food & clothing. We set aside today as a walking day. First was north along the lakeside to Vello. This walk gives a great background of snow clad peaks in the background, the steep hillsides & houses dotted everywhere. On our return to Marone we hit the market & bought a BQQ chicken to demolish for dinner. Then to the south we walked past campgrounds located in magical lakeside spots. At Sale Marasino we checked out the parts of the church that have survived from the 6-7[SUP]th[/SUP] century. The Parrocchiale di S. Zenone (the parish church) is also outstanding. Apparently it was built between 1737 and 1754 taking inspiration from the new cathedral in Brescia. Along the way we also passed the isoletta di Loreto (the little island of Loreto), which emerges from the middle of the lake opposite the town harbour, is very picturesque with its castle surrounded by beautiful gardens. On our way back we stopped for lunch at a lakeside diner that produced good calamari, baby octopus, cold beer & people watching. From there we pushed uphill and visited San Pietro in Vinculis, the first parish church in Marone . It was built in the 15th century on one of the spurs of Monte Vesto, on the site of a castle which was destroyed in the 13th century. From there it was further uphill to the Hermitage of St Peter Pregasso- Mrs RB counted 200 steps up but it was worth it for the views. From there it was a downhill run back to the villa-not all quiet today as the markets seemed to have inspired a bit of drinking among the locals!-nothing wrong with that & we were thirsty after our walk
Photos 1 part of the seafood offerings on market day 2/ Love how the peaks are so close to the lake, makes for dramatic scenery 3/ Part of the Marone "table of knowledge" 4/ Looking back at our lunch diner 5/ View back from San Pietro church
RB
Established Member
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- Nov 17, 2004
- Posts
- 4,279
I have posted a review of our accommodation in Marone here http://www.australianfrequentflyer....ews/villa-serioli-marone-lake-iseo-62033.html
For most travellers to Lake Iseo, Monte Isola is the major drawcard. We caught the ferry from Marone, passed the privately owned Isola de Loreto & landed at Siviano, the chief town. Our climb from the ferry took us up to the church of Saints Faustino & Giovita. From there it was a relatively flat walk past Menzino. This section is marked by olive groves, vineyards, veggie gardens and chestnuts. The locals go past either in the public bus or on their motor scooters ( so much for the quiet zone classification) We called at Fortress Martinengo but it is signed as privately owned & the gate was locked. The onward walk to Sensole, a small fishing village, takes you downhill & offers many different views of Isola di San Paolo-now also privately owned. From there it is basically a street that follows the lake shore to another fishing village, Peschiera Maraglio. This section features a cattery of “wild” inhabitants, some swimming & picnic spots, terraces and restaurants.
Another Every Day is a School Day-There were some cedar trees (Scheda Descrittiva) growing in the lake-imported from the USA-withstands salt, grows to 30 metres & lives for 1,000 yrs
At Peschiera Maraglio we checked the ferry timetables & opted to catch a different lake ferry that would take us up to the northern end of Lake Iseo. There were a max of 7 people on this 70 minute journey that took us past 5 ports and gave us a great look at the lake& its surrounds. While on the ferry we saw why we believe Italy is the king of jet trails-Mrs RB counted over 30 in the sky at 1 time! The road near Lovere is quite dramatic & the Valle Camonica and its various snow covered peaks appeared as we meandered north. Lunch was at Lovere, followed by another ferry ride to Pisogne & then a 10 minute train ride had us safely back in Marone- a great day of sightseeing!
Photos 1/ Isola di San Paolo 2/ could not resist the jet trails above the church cross 3/ Monte Isola-great spot but not the life for me 4/ life is also pretty relaxed at Lovere 5/ some of the houses above Tavernola Bergamasca
For most travellers to Lake Iseo, Monte Isola is the major drawcard. We caught the ferry from Marone, passed the privately owned Isola de Loreto & landed at Siviano, the chief town. Our climb from the ferry took us up to the church of Saints Faustino & Giovita. From there it was a relatively flat walk past Menzino. This section is marked by olive groves, vineyards, veggie gardens and chestnuts. The locals go past either in the public bus or on their motor scooters ( so much for the quiet zone classification) We called at Fortress Martinengo but it is signed as privately owned & the gate was locked. The onward walk to Sensole, a small fishing village, takes you downhill & offers many different views of Isola di San Paolo-now also privately owned. From there it is basically a street that follows the lake shore to another fishing village, Peschiera Maraglio. This section features a cattery of “wild” inhabitants, some swimming & picnic spots, terraces and restaurants.
Another Every Day is a School Day-There were some cedar trees (Scheda Descrittiva) growing in the lake-imported from the USA-withstands salt, grows to 30 metres & lives for 1,000 yrs
At Peschiera Maraglio we checked the ferry timetables & opted to catch a different lake ferry that would take us up to the northern end of Lake Iseo. There were a max of 7 people on this 70 minute journey that took us past 5 ports and gave us a great look at the lake& its surrounds. While on the ferry we saw why we believe Italy is the king of jet trails-Mrs RB counted over 30 in the sky at 1 time! The road near Lovere is quite dramatic & the Valle Camonica and its various snow covered peaks appeared as we meandered north. Lunch was at Lovere, followed by another ferry ride to Pisogne & then a 10 minute train ride had us safely back in Marone- a great day of sightseeing!
Photos 1/ Isola di San Paolo 2/ could not resist the jet trails above the church cross 3/ Monte Isola-great spot but not the life for me 4/ life is also pretty relaxed at Lovere 5/ some of the houses above Tavernola Bergamasca
RB
Established Member
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- Nov 17, 2004
- Posts
- 4,279
Marone to Canazei in the Val di Fasa
[FONT=&]We had 3 train rides & 2 buses - all worked fine after good planning by Mrs RB. The trains were busy (Italian school holidays) but ran close to timetable - we saw the Orient Express (Venice to London) at both Verona & Bolzano. We saw plenty of grapes and corn on our way to Verona. From Verona to Bolzano is magnificent farm land along the Adige valley with grapes, vegetables and orchards, with the apple orchards between Trento & Bolzano being particularly dominant. The bus ride up through the valleys provided magnificent scenery but there was plenty of traffic for weekend tourists & the build up to the Sellaronda Bike day (apparently around 20,000 cyclists participating). Our apartment is a couple of minutes walk up from the bus.[/FONT]
Our experience of the Dolomites in 2013 prompted us to consider our options of various valleys. We had a fantastic time in 2 different valleys then (Gardena & Pusteria) and such is the variety of the Dolomites that we were able to opt to visit a new valley/town and expect to have a totally new/different experience. [FONT=&]This was a week were really looking forward to!
Photos 1/ taken from the bus, our 1st view of new peaks 2/ for a less physical holiday it is possible to admire the peaks from village level & ride around in buses (or drive yourself) 3/ the lake is a target forus later in the week 4/ a glimpse of track options that exist throughout the valleys 5/ a different view from village level
[/FONT]
[FONT=&]We had 3 train rides & 2 buses - all worked fine after good planning by Mrs RB. The trains were busy (Italian school holidays) but ran close to timetable - we saw the Orient Express (Venice to London) at both Verona & Bolzano. We saw plenty of grapes and corn on our way to Verona. From Verona to Bolzano is magnificent farm land along the Adige valley with grapes, vegetables and orchards, with the apple orchards between Trento & Bolzano being particularly dominant. The bus ride up through the valleys provided magnificent scenery but there was plenty of traffic for weekend tourists & the build up to the Sellaronda Bike day (apparently around 20,000 cyclists participating). Our apartment is a couple of minutes walk up from the bus.[/FONT]
Our experience of the Dolomites in 2013 prompted us to consider our options of various valleys. We had a fantastic time in 2 different valleys then (Gardena & Pusteria) and such is the variety of the Dolomites that we were able to opt to visit a new valley/town and expect to have a totally new/different experience. [FONT=&]This was a week were really looking forward to!
Photos 1/ taken from the bus, our 1st view of new peaks 2/ for a less physical holiday it is possible to admire the peaks from village level & ride around in buses (or drive yourself) 3/ the lake is a target forus later in the week 4/ a glimpse of track options that exist throughout the valleys 5/ a different view from village level
[/FONT]
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RB
Established Member
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I have posted a review of our Canazei apartment here http://www.australianfrequentflyer....n-apartment-canazei-dolomites-fasa-62107.html
With a Panorama Pass in hand (we opted for the 6 days out of 6 deal covering all lifts and public transport) it meant we could again enjoy relatively easy walks at high altitudes and enjoy the magnificent scenery of the Dolomites. A short distance opens up a new angle and new peaks emerge so the cameras are worked overtime.[FONT=&] We realise we are early in the season so some of the more difficult trails (ones we would not use) are still closed. Also the weather is still likely to be more volatile
[/FONT]
Day 1 – We got our passes from the Tourist Office (this helped avoid the lines at the 1[SUP]st[/SUP] lift) and worked up from Canazei using all 3 lifts, Pecol, Col di Rosc and Sas de Pordoi. Although things were busy with the bike day there was no overcrowding & numbers thinned as soon as walking was involved. From Col di Rosc we followed Route 61 on a pretty well maintained path & at Passo Pordoi we got to mingle with all the superfit bike riders. We saw the Angelo Coppi Memorial on Pordoi Pass and another that commemorates the winners of the Cima Coppi (the first person over the highest point in each Giro d’Italia). We saw a couple of mad rock climbers as we decended from Sas de Pordoi. Great as the lift system is, you need to remember that most do not run over lunchtime. To make the most of the weather we also opted to walk down between Col di Rosc & Pecol- some great wildflowers & again different views.
Photos below 1/ taken from the Pecol lift shows soe of the 20,000 cyclists in the fun ride 2/ Cima Coppi 3/ sensory overload 4/ Angelo Coppi Memorial-popular despite some later doubts about his career 5/ general direction of Venice-apparently Venice can be seen from near Sas de Pordoi although that path was still covered by snow while we were there.
With a Panorama Pass in hand (we opted for the 6 days out of 6 deal covering all lifts and public transport) it meant we could again enjoy relatively easy walks at high altitudes and enjoy the magnificent scenery of the Dolomites. A short distance opens up a new angle and new peaks emerge so the cameras are worked overtime.[FONT=&] We realise we are early in the season so some of the more difficult trails (ones we would not use) are still closed. Also the weather is still likely to be more volatile
[/FONT]
Day 1 – We got our passes from the Tourist Office (this helped avoid the lines at the 1[SUP]st[/SUP] lift) and worked up from Canazei using all 3 lifts, Pecol, Col di Rosc and Sas de Pordoi. Although things were busy with the bike day there was no overcrowding & numbers thinned as soon as walking was involved. From Col di Rosc we followed Route 61 on a pretty well maintained path & at Passo Pordoi we got to mingle with all the superfit bike riders. We saw the Angelo Coppi Memorial on Pordoi Pass and another that commemorates the winners of the Cima Coppi (the first person over the highest point in each Giro d’Italia). We saw a couple of mad rock climbers as we decended from Sas de Pordoi. Great as the lift system is, you need to remember that most do not run over lunchtime. To make the most of the weather we also opted to walk down between Col di Rosc & Pecol- some great wildflowers & again different views.
Photos below 1/ taken from the Pecol lift shows soe of the 20,000 cyclists in the fun ride 2/ Cima Coppi 3/ sensory overload 4/ Angelo Coppi Memorial-popular despite some later doubts about his career 5/ general direction of Venice-apparently Venice can be seen from near Sas de Pordoi although that path was still covered by snow while we were there.
RB
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Mon 23[SUP]rd[/SUP] June dawned fine so it was a walk from Canazei to take the cable car from Campitello (1,448m). This got us to Col Rodela (2,413m). This is a popular paragliding area & we saw a couple take off on what would have certainly being a great jump. Link to a vimeo video of paragliding in the area is here. Altitude euphoria - Ivresse de l'altitude - Höhenrausch. Col Rodella - Langkofel - Sella - Pordoi (Dolomites, Italy) on Vimeo .
We basically followed a popular path named after Friedrich August Weg who was a King of Saxony. There are the di Siusi alps and Odle mountains as parts of the panorama. We called a halt at Pas de Duron and walked down through the Duron Valley-high pastures shared with cows and flowers then flat valley floors shared with horses & cattle and then a steep final section before we reached Campitello. We lunched at Campitello then caught the bus (included in Panorama Pass) back to Canazei-another day to convince us of the merits of returning to the Dolomites. We walked around 18Km, (included about up 400m and down 1335m). The weather forecast for the week was not great, and a noisy mountain thunderstorm bought plenty of rain, lightning and rumbling thunder to mark the night!
Photos 1/ start point for the day 2/ shared the chairlift up but not the ride down 3/ pretty easy walk once you are up there 4/ & 5/ locals checking us out
We basically followed a popular path named after Friedrich August Weg who was a King of Saxony. There are the di Siusi alps and Odle mountains as parts of the panorama. We called a halt at Pas de Duron and walked down through the Duron Valley-high pastures shared with cows and flowers then flat valley floors shared with horses & cattle and then a steep final section before we reached Campitello. We lunched at Campitello then caught the bus (included in Panorama Pass) back to Canazei-another day to convince us of the merits of returning to the Dolomites. We walked around 18Km, (included about up 400m and down 1335m). The weather forecast for the week was not great, and a noisy mountain thunderstorm bought plenty of rain, lightning and rumbling thunder to mark the night!
Photos 1/ start point for the day 2/ shared the chairlift up but not the ride down 3/ pretty easy walk once you are up there 4/ & 5/ locals checking us out
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