Parts of Portugal & Spain and then the Fasa Valley of the Dolomites

[RB]

With an iffy forecast the next day we opted for a hike near Canazei. From the Pecol lift above Canazei we ended up in Penia. Along the way we had a variety of track surfaces, great views of the valley & various mountain peaks and did not encounter another walker! There were meadows previously cut by sickle, a hut where locals apparently hid from the Germans in 1943 and a few steep, slippery sections that belied the “easy” hike description. Near the end of the walk we passed Verra & Lorenz that are the 2 highest settlements of the region of Trentino-both had brilliant old chapels. A fortuitous link with the bus got us back to Canazei before some more storms & general rain.

 

[RB]

Day 4 in Carnazei dawned with general rain, heaps of low level cloud & a forecast of rain & thunderstorms throughout the day! So it was a bus trip to Vigo and a lift up to the Gardeccia basin. There are plenty of walks on offer but rapidly moving low cloud curtailed any plans of high altitude walking. Back down at Vigo we visited the St Giuliana’s Church-steeped in history, apparently it already existed in 1237, it has large faded frescoes on the outer walls. Below the church we visited the Austro-Hungarian War Cemetery where the bodies of 663 soldiers killed during WW1 are hosted. With clear viewing down low & showers clearing, we opted to walk from Vigo to Pera via Pozza. This is a track between the woods & the meadows. There are some great views down into the towns & I get my 1[SUP]st[/SUP] gutser of the trip with a slip on a shaded timber bridge-no damage done & limited mud on the bum! From Pera it was a bus back to the apartment & a bit of a break. Before the late afternoon thunderstorms we also managed a loop walk to Molin & Alba. As with the morning walks the tracks are good, there are heaps of seating spots and things are well kept.

 

[RB]

Thurs 26[SUP]th[/SUP] June was forecast to be the best weather of our week & the morning dawned bright with a magic clear light. We caught the first 2 Canazei lifts up to Col Dei Rossi for what on paper looked to be a relatively easy walk to Passo Fedaia. We followed the Viel del Pan path (No 601). The path has been in existence since medieval times with merchants transporting salt and flour (maybe sometimes avoiding taxes!)This good, wide path crosses large ridges of alpine pasture and there are plenty of flowers around and the Marmolada (described as Queen of the Dolomites & only glacier) is constantly on the right hand side. We also had the opportunity to see the Sellas (from a different side to what we experienced in 2013) and the Arabba Valley. While on this path, we saw a few snow exploders-there is a link here re their use at the Sochi Winter Olympics Gasex exploding avalanche control system on peaks above Rosa Khutor
At the end of the Viel del Pan, the descent to the Passo Fedaia requires some feet watching as the path is narrow and steep and there is wire rope on short sections. We enjoyed the warmer temps and views at the lake & then hopped on the Fedaia-Pian Dei Fiacconi cage lift for the 1.2km climb covering 600 metres in altitude . This is a stand up in a bin lift that lets you capture photos while you glide through the open air. We enjoy the heights and views then descend back down to the 2km long lake. This funicular ride ranks with anything else we have ever done! I am having trouble uploading our video of the cage lift so this is a link to an existing YouTube video-looks like they were there in warmer weather Korblift Fedaia-Fiacconi, 4.9.2010 Full HD - YouTube
The “every day is a school day fact for today” is that during the war the Austro-Hungarian engineer Leo Handl projected and realized a 12 km long tunnel in the Glacier, called Città di Ghiaccio - Ice town, to give shelter to Austrian soldiers and protect them from enemies and cold. In the tunnel there were deposits, kitchens and dormitories. Unfortunately nothing is left of the tunnel but fascinating tales and old pictures.
From the lake (we already knew the bus does not start for the summer season for a few days) we walked from Passo Fedaia to Canazei. This covered a variety of surfaces, some steep downhill sections, easy walking spots and great close-up views of the soaring peaks. Unlike the morning trek we only saw maybe 6 other people doing short sections of our slog and we arrived back at Canazei feeling we had experienced a fantastic day (perhaps the highlight of our holiday so far).

 

[RB]

A few more photos of our day to [FONT=&amp]Passo Fedaia
Photo 3/ shows one of the snow exploders 4/ illustrates what good photo opportunities there are on the cage lift-hands get cold though! 5/ part of our walk back to Canazei







[/FONT]

 

[RB]

Last full day in the Dolomites and again a bit of an “iffy” forecast. From our balcony we could see parts of the running festival that Canazei was hosting today. We walked the 50 metres & caught the bus to Moena, the 1[SUP]st[/SUP] village of the Val di Fassa when coming up from Trento. Moena is also known as the “Fairy of the Dolomites” & we were very impressed by the appearance & welcoming atmosphere of the town as the Avisio river splits the town. With the seasonal bus not starting for a few days, we walked out of town (relatively steep uphill early) towards the Laghi di Lusia lift. On the way we passed an old Austrian fort from WW1. Lift 1 to Lusia & then further up on a 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] ride to Cune. As with other days the crowds were pretty thin allowing peaceful walking & no jostling for the prime photo spots. Both hop off points offered plenty of choice for more extensive walks around the meadows & woods if we were to return. The walk back to Moena was much easier & we enjoyed a peaceful lunch in the square (town was bypassed in 2009 taking most of the traffic out). The Italian tradition of freebies is alive and well at Café Ramon-corn chips, chips, pop corn & savouries with our wine & Panini. We wandered the older section of town & then hopped on the bus back to Canazei as showers & storms again hovered around.
Dinner was take away pizza pieces from the restaurant where 50cm pizzas are the norm!- big but good

Photos 1/& 2/ peaks outside Moena 3/ shows start of running festival 4/ more out of Moena 5/ Austrian fort from WW1

 

[RB]

More photos from day around Moena- a bit out of order
1/ view of Moena bypass on walk back to town 2/ walk back was downhill! 3/ one of the main town squares 4/ & 5/ more general countryside

 

[RB]

We had a fantastic time in Canazei. Totally different to our visit of the other valleys in 2013. This time we were very much in Italian territory. In 2013 in Dobiaco the only pizza joint was closed for a couple of months. The walking aspect of our stay was again great & the peaks we saw were different or from the other side so we had no feeling of just replicating a previous holiday.

Canazei to Pigra (Lake Como)

The vast majority of this transfer was a replay of our transfer to the Dolomites (detailed previously). We had bus transfers back to Bolzano and trains to Milan via Verona. Finally we caught a train to Como before meeting a friend for our trip up to Pigra. The timings worked as planned, trains & buses were not particularly crowded & continued our enjoyment of the public transport systems available in Europe.

Pigra
We have enjoyed a long friendship with a Swiss/Italian lady who enjoys much of her summer living above Lake Como. Here we enjoyed 5 nights of catching up, sampling nice wines, good beers and indulging in great food. Since our previous visit of 2013 Pigra has undergone change and it still suits our holiday style better than places like Bellagio. In Pigra the operators of the general store now also operate the Le Lanterne restaurant (previously the Funivia Pizzeria). The pizzas are still great and there is now a wider range of alternative dishes. Mrs RB enjoyed a dish of wild boar that she proclaimed it her “dish of the trip”. We also enjoyed some entertainment from the piano & piano accordion. Nearby the Sports Club (Centro Turistico Sociale) also provided a great meal-salmon in home made pasta dish followed by an Italian sausage dish. At “home” we again feasted on fresh fish from the lake-trout & other species I was not familiar with. While the weather gods were not kind we again managed to scale Alpe Di Colonno-can look over other parts of Lake Como & also look towards Lake Lugano. The time differences meant that the World Cup games were nicely timed for sitting down for a few drinks while watching.

A bit of food cough- photos 1& 2 are some of the fish from the lake & photo 4 is the wild boar dish

 

[RB]

Some more photos from around Pigra

Photos below 1/ our mates converted barn with flags out for the World Cup-she lives part of the year in Switzerlnd 2/ one of the streets of Pigra-only about 300 permanent citizens but many house owners from Milan come up for summer 3/ view of Lake Como looking in general direction of Bellagio 4/ meet Oscar the Russian Bolonka 5/ View down to Pigra from [FONT=&amp]Alpe Di Colonno[/FONT]

 

[RB]

Pigra to MXP
Some of the public transport options (funicular down from Pigra) don’t work during the Italian school holidays. However our host is happy to drive us the 20 minutes down to Argengo. After enjoying a final coffee we hopped aboard the fast ferry on a crystal clear day for the 20 odd minute lake transfer to Como. From here it was a 5 minute walk to Como Nord Lago (lake side station as distinct from the main Como station). We then transferred to Saronno station where we hooked up with the main train line to Malpensa. The train station brings you out very close to the Airport Sheraton from where it is a short walk to check-in.

There are alternative options available that we have used but this certainly was a very relaxing and time efficient way to get to the airport.
As outlined in my introduction, our flights were impacted by schedule changes made by TG. Rather than a 2hr connection in Bangkok we now had approx 26 hrs as a layover. Eventually Thai agreed to pay for a night at the BKK Novotel (all meals included)

Photo below shows what a great day it was to be on the lake

 

[RB]

MXP-BKK TG 941 747-400 1A & 1K
Check in was very efficient and friendly. We were assured our bags were to be picked off the scales and separately loaded as a special 1[SUP]st[/SUP] class service. Our boarding passes were sighted to allow us to use the fast track through security and then we joined a relatively short line for the immigration check. We then wandered to the Sala Montale lounge. This lounge was labelled as the new Emirates lounge when we were there in July 2013 (Emirates is now a little further along). All the fittings & furniture are still as new but the food options are pretty ordinary-the machine made cappuccino was the highlight. The wi-fi was fine once you got through the sign on process!
Thai attempted to implement priority boarding but pushing crowds & a small corner gate conspired to block the separate line! Despite what the seat maps had been indicating there ended up being only 1 other passenger in F in the 10 seat cabin. We enjoyed the attentive service and the food (caviar a highlight along with a nice pork dish) was certainly a step up from the J offerings we had on the flight over. Mrs RB enjoyed the 2004 Dom while I took a liking to the JW Blue. Despite being rebooted the entertainment system kept on cutting in and out so I gave up. Initially it was a great day to be flying & we caught some good shots of the Alps (4 windows to yourself makes things easier!)

Our arrival in BKK highlighted the great service given to F passengers. We were met at the plane door & quickly ushered to a buggy. After a quick ride we were ushered through immigration and then met by another staff member at the baggage carousel. Our bags (1[SUP]st[/SUP] off) were gathered by the staff & then we were led through to the Novotel pickup spot. A short wait & then we were transported to the hotel. It wasn’t until we got out of the Novotel van that we got to touch our bags!

Photos of some of the food-so much food overall!

 

[RB]

Some more photos of flight. We didn't see these chocolates last year!

 

[RB]

Last of the photos from the flight. We seemed to fly so by side to the plane in photo 4 for a long time but lost them after going through this cloud-looking at other photos I think it was a SQ flight

 

[amaroo]

Splendid TR

 

[RB]

Splendid TR

Thanks for the thumbs up. Getting near the end but it has been good to look back & try choose what to share & what photos to add.

 

[RB]

I have posted a review of the Novotel Bangkok Airport here http://www.australianfrequentflyer....es-and-reviews/novotel-bkk-airport-62289.html

BKK-SYD TG 471 F 1A & 1K. 747-400 (10 seat cabin)
Thai provided outstanding service from the kerb to the lounge. We were quickly ushered to couches after presenting ourselves at the First Class check-in. Our bags were weighed & despatched, passport details checked, seating allocation sorted (ended up being 6 in F)& then we were guided to the dedicated 1[SUP]st[/SUP] class security & immigration checks before we were whisked to the lounge on a 2 seater buggy. Entry to the lounge was seamless & we were allocated a private room. Apparently the waters of the spa were being changed so we were given a 1hr foot & neck & shoulder treatment. The spa area is a nice tranquil area & it is very easy to relax while there. Back at the lounge we waited for our pickup & then were driven with another couple to the gate. From here there was another quick check then we were “presented” to the air crew.
This was another smooth leg, a good filling breakfast, a few hours snooze & then pre-dinner drinks before enjoying dinner. Our pre-ordered lobster was preceeded by caviar, pork in banana leaves and a large offering of goose liver. There was a large array of fruit & cheese if you were still hungry after that. The Dom & JW Blue were offered generously. Our only delay at SYD was a wait for our bags that came out after about 50 or so others. We have found that the 15 minute pick-up area works well for our mates who generously meet us after each trip.

 

[RB]

A couple of photos taken early in the BKK-SYD flight & the BKK check-in (not our bags). My photos of NW & Central Aust struggled with the fading light so I am not posting





QF 2170 4A & 4B SYD-PQQ
We have become accustomed to being delayed whenever we fly SYD-PQQ & this flight was no exception. We were involved in a late equipment and gate swap & our crew certainly seemed totally unimpressed. We commenced boarding about 20 minutes after schedule, sat for quite a while on the tarmac & then eventually a luggage trolley arrived on the tarmac. We certainly had a fast taxi out to takeoff, pushed in front of a waiting Jetstar flight & took off to the north. The captain deemed things too rough for a tea & coffee service but it was an uneventful flight.
This flight bought to a close another great holiday.


I will be back with a bit of a summary of the trip.

 

[RB]

In summary & keeping in mind we only visited small areas of each country:

Portugal-
Food-we thought perhaps the food was a little plain-much seemed to be home style cooking done very well but nothing particularly stood out. All very fresh, quite a few dishes offered as for 2 people. Very cheap & plenty of restaurants, cafes & bakeries everywhere.
Drinks-again cheap & plenty of options. Many small bars/cafes. Beer on tap in vast majority of spots & fresh & poured well. Bottle beer easy to find. Wine was plentiful & a good supply of Vino Verdhe Branca on tap -Mrs RB drinks champers/sparklings/prosecco at home so this was well received.
Accommodation-all as presented on the net when we booked in Aust prior to travelling. All very clean, good beds, plenty of supplies & the owners were quite generous in their hosting-bottles of wine, good coffee, bathroom gear etc
Transport- we used train bus & taxi. All very clean & reliable & the rail & road infrastructure was excellent.
People-very welcoming & tried hard to understand our English & our very limited/poor Portuguese
Attractions-we enjoyed all the spots we visited & they catered for our preference of plenty of walking. Our extensive reading about Porto & Lisbon & their districts paid off as we thought we made great choices of where to stay

Spain
Food-certainly a bit more dynamic & we were fans of tapas style dining. Plenty of outlets/choice, good service. As with Portugal we self catered our breakfast & had no problems getting hold of good fruit & yoghurt. Prices were very cheap by Aust standards
Drinks-as with Portugal a plentiful supply & heaps of choice either drinking out or in our apartments. Vinho Verdhe Bianco was on tap in a lot of spots & the Cruzcampo was a good consistent beer throughout.
Accommodation- as presented on the net & no shocks when we arrived at our bookings. Seville was probably the standout. All very accessible for us using public transport but (not unexpected by us) within some spots those with mobility problems would struggle-steep streets, small door openings, low ceilings etc
Transport- we were totally reliant on public transport & encountered no hassles-heaps of connections & all worked well. Most of the tickets were pre-paid on the net. Infastructure excellent & generally underutilised.

People- we thought quite a few locals we encountered in Seville were a perhaps a little worn down from dealing with tourists. As a generalisation the Spanish seemed less inclined to break away from their native tongue but were generally welcoming towards tourists.
Attractions-Being our first visit to Spain, Seville & Granada were visited & we enjoyed their offerings. We probably prefer smaller settlements & really enjoyed our time in Capileira & Canillas De Albaida. For us Malaga was a very enjoyable surprise package.

Italy-we have been fortunate to be regular visitors to Italy & again enjoyed our time there. Lake Iseo was great & less packed than the other Italian lakes we had visited previously. The Dolomites- thoroughly enjoyed the Fasa valley & found it more Italian than the areas we visited in 2013.

Flights-Thai did upset our plans with their schedule changes and at the time it was a bit challenging having to deal with LifeMiles. The actual flights were comfortable & we enjoy the Thai hospitality. As with 2013 the Thai 1[SUP]st[/SUP] class experience was a real buzz & a step up from business & we felt thoroughly spoiled- I haven’t experienced 1[SUP]st[/SUP] class with any other airline so I am not qualified to make comparisons.

If you have made it this far through the trip report I hope you have enjoyed the descriptions & photos & perhaps gained some insights/tips for the spots we visited. The style of travel is not for everyone but we had a great time.

Some final photos- 4 from Seville Cathedral- I didn't post many earlier in the report & photo 2 is the Lisbon skyline & some new arrivals

 

[drron]

Certainly did enjoy it.the wonderful photos allowed me to enjoy some sights that unfortunately out of the question now with my knee replacement followed by mrsdrron fracturing both her ankles just after.
Thanks for taking the time.

 

[RB]

Certainly did enjoy it.the wonderful photos allowed me to enjoy some sights that unfortunately out of the question now with my knee replacement followed by mrsdrron fracturing both her ankles just after.
Thanks for taking the time.

Thanks Ron glad you enjoyed it. We are enjoying doing these things while the health is good.