A F Indulgence, 3 Lakes, Black Forest, Dolomites & A Bit Of Other Stuff

[RB]

As I have indicated in previous trip reports we tend to travel independently, rely on public transport & generally now avoid the big cities. Our 2013 European adventure stemmed from my AFF readiing and the booking of our 1st LifeMiles redemption. Our home airport is PQQ and our trip started in late May & we were going to be away for almost 8 weeks.

QF2171 PQQ-SYD
This was an pretty uneventful flight. We did online check in 23hrs prior & were allocated row 10 as NB’s. Perhaps half a dozen spare seats on a Dash 8 400 series. The airport is undergoing some upgrade works with locals speculating the improvements may lead to direct flights to Mel. The flight was pretty well on time & smooth all the way with smiling, helpful crew. The flight path took us down south-west of Syd which was unusual. A elderly couple left it until after the prepare for landing call to use the toilet-the lady set off to the loo after the seat belt sign went on. It was a walk from the tarmac at T2 up to the gate then around to baggage claims. Baggage was very quickly available.
We then spent a night with mates in Sydney & got ourselves orgaanised for what was to be our 1st trip in F.


SYD-BKK- TG 472 747, SYD-BKK F seats 1A & 1K
We secured these seats as our 1[SUP]st[/SUP] LifeMiles redemption. This was a 10 seat F cabin, although check my trip was showing 9 seats up until 2 days before. Online check-in seemed to achieve very little as we had luggage to check (14kg & 12kg). There was very clear signage for priority lanes & the Y line was very long when we arrived soon after the desk opened. The F line had 3 groups in front of us. Boarding passes were given for the 2 flights & priority lane tickets through customs. The NZ lounge invite was stamped on the boarding passes. I tried the pizza pieces (very nice) & a hot dog - just OK. No scotch available while we were there. Good comfortable seats with a good outlook over the airport.
We left the lounge after noticing the Gate open sign & arrived to see a bit of a scrum but it was also just as the priority boarding announcement was made. We wriggled through & soon received a warm greeting on board (surname had been memorised). We had 2 x Dom each prior to takeoff & enjoyed them together by using the large foldout table & big footstool. Tumi cases were waiting with a plentiful supply of goodies & staff discussed pj sizes before retrieving the correct size-the small & XL did suit us & are very warm. Our seat selection via reading Seat Guru was seen as successful but as with all seats, there is no side storage to speak of. The entertainment system is fairly commonsense & content is fine but there is a bit of a lag in performance & no availability until we had levelled out. The screens are pretty small by today’s standards but clear. We pushed back on time & were quickly in the air. Throughout the flight we enjoyed great food (1st meal pre ordered online-I thought the much discussed lobster was good) & I have bowed to peer pressure & taken food photos for the first time. The garlic bread was a real bonus. The loos were clean but no bigger many I have endured in economy class. With only 9 seated in F the cabin was very quiet & the crew were very engaging. I found the cabin to be very hot during this flight.

 

[RB]

Bangkok was remarkably clear & we arrived on time. We were met on the walkway, allocated a buggy & quickly raced to a special security line. Our guide then presented us to the F lounge where the quick theme was continued as we were sat down to a cold juice & towel. A drink was ordered as we awaited an answer to our request of a massage. We were advised a full massage was booked out but we were given a booking for a feet, legs, head & shoulders massage 15 minutes in the future. We were collected after 15 minutes & led to the spa area across the passageway from the lounge. We both enjoyed a very strong, intense 45 minute rejuvenation. On our return to the lounge we had a shower in a spacious, very clean facility with LÖcataine products & a quick drink prior to a personal, walking escort to the plane. The boarding was through an allocated lane where we were ushered past others & led to the plane door.
All this food was from the SYD-BKK flight

 

[drron]

This is a departure from the usual.You will have to fight those inner urgings from now.
You have done a superb job with the food photos as well.Looking forwards to a few places we have yet to make it to.

 

[RB]

This is a departure from the usual.You will have to fight those inner urgings from now.
You have done a superb job with the food photos as well.Looking forwards to a few places we have yet to make it to.

I was thinking of you when I took the photos! Hope you enjoy the report-I have gained a lot by reading your adventures. Guess I have to include some of the food photos from later legs

 

[RB]

TG 340-600 BKK-MPX-1A & 2A
[FONT=&amp]BKK-MPX[/FONT]. 1A & 2A were selected after a fair bit of reading & were a great choice although there were no duds amongst the 8 (only 6 occupied). We had 3 windows each but again seat level storage is basically non existent & the screens remain around the 10 inch mark. We had time for a quick Dom before pushing back on time. This crew were also good but less engaging. We again enjoyed our pre-ordered meals before bunkering down for the night. Again a Tumi kit & size to suit Pjs. The cabin was kept much cooler on this flight. Breakfast was well presented, tasty & there was plenty of choice. After an on time arrival the deplaning had to be done through the middle door but staff ensured 1[SUP]st[/SUP] & business were off first. We were greeted by a rep who basically only advised which carousel to find our luggage at ( also saw her at the carousel noting if the priority tags worked). We were 3[SUP]rd[/SUP] in line at a security check where we received a stamp & then only waited a few minutes before our bags were in the first half dozen out. There was no customs check.
Just as an observation the seats in business on this flight looked rather narrow- apparently 19 inches. Maybe I had just been spoilt!

Bus to Novara, Train to Orta San Giulio (Lake Orta)
We soon found a spot to buy a bus ticket (could have bought onboard) & waited near the locked bus for the typically missing Italian driver to appear a couple of minutes prior to departure. We took off on time with the first stop at the domestic airport. Here the driver made us & him a coffee from the onboard Lavazza coffee machine! This ride was a bit of a milk run mainly designed for workers & uni students going to Novara but gave us a good look at the very drenched countryside. Novara was founded in ancient times by the Romans. We had a few hours to kill so we had a general wander & organised a data dongle at the Vodafone shop-Ex Indonesian guy who spoke English & was very helpful. The town is quiet, orderly & clean & around the train station is not a bad spot to people watch & wait. The lack of allocation of a platform until the last minutes for our train caused some angst but all was good & we enjoyed a 45 minute on a pretty old train. We have our pre-organised meeting with our apartment owner & she drives us 1.5km to our apartment for our 3 nights overhanging Lake Orta. We are on foot so the town’s out of the centre parking station does not impact us although we saw some older tourists struggle with the concept
I had plenty of room in the 340-600
Not such a good photo of my lamb dish-I blame the JW Blue
Our possessions for 7 weeks & our chariot to Novara with onboard coffee machine
Piazza Garibaldi Novara

 

[RB]

I have posted a review of our Orta apartment here http://www.australianfrequentflyer....iews/apartment-la-darsena-orta-san-52251.html.

Around Lake Orta
Our apartment is located on the walkway that hugs much of the lake-this enables a flat walk 15 minute to the town centre- the alternative is a rise up from the lake to the town car park & then a descent into the town centre
Lunch day 1 we buy ham & cheese rolls & beer & wine for our fridge. A late afternoon siesta beckons both of us as the time change sets in.
Dinner day 1 Restaurant Edera-very small but open. Both pasta & osso bucco dishes overwhelmed by stodgy polenta. Reasonable size & quality house white glass 4 Euro. We noticed later a 4 Euro cover charge applied-not as clearly noted as we had encountered on previous European trips . We had a yarn to a couple from Norwich who complained about how cold & long their winter had been.
Day 2-Wed is market day in Orta san Giulio & so a short uphill walk to the town carpark finds us a mobile fruit market (great looking strawberries, peaches, apricots etc) & a mobile refrigerated deli ( yoghurt, cheeses & meats ) & then a walk back home for a breaky on the deck over the lake.
Walk-over the top to the town centre, buy sunglasses to replace my crushed ones & then walk around the other side of the town, check the railway re our return tickets & then up to Sacro Monte di Orta-works that were started in 1590. There are 20 chapels with frescoes & life-size terracotta statues that tell the story of St Francis of Assisi’s life. A beer & prosecco (received free crisps, pickled onions, peanuts & popcorn as accompaniments) & lunch was enjoyed at Bar Pasticceria- a simple but good pizza ( 6 Euro) to get back into an Italian routine. The car parking escapades kept us entertained while we sat. We were amused when 2 couples from Israel approach us for help, love that we speak English (our only tongue) & then they say how very few people in the area speak any English! It is then a rest, some hand washing then pre dinner drinks listening to our music on the deck over the lake & watching some rowers & a few water skiers.
Dinner is 5 minutes back up the hill to Mario’s where we had seafood pasta & a carafe of house white-all very enjoyable while surrounded by locals who obviously also like the freshly prepared food.
Got to enjoy a lake view when you have it!
Too much choice!
Sacro Monte di Orta
Sacro Monte di Orta
Bar Pasticceria-only ordered & paid for a beer & a prosecco!

 

[robd]

Very good so far. Keep it up!

 

[RB]

Day 3- The main activity is a ferry trip to Isola Di San Giulio to take in the sites- a brilliant church with crypt & the walkway of silence sayings was thought provoking. The boats that make the 4 Euro trip are great craft. We make our own lunch sourced from local meat, cheese, tomatoes & buns & for dinner we again visit Mario’s for very good pizzas.

From our deck we noticed semi trailers being transported by train as part of the Rolling Highway-Rolling highway - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. We are also encouraged that there is plenty of birdlife around the lake & surrounds
Orta San Giulio is very much a tourist destination with little evidence of commercial activity other than food & drink. Seems to be very few local residents & the main shop which is near the railway station is similar to what you would find in a town of a few hundred in Aust

As a guide on prices-at a shop can 330cl Moretti beer 1 Euro, reasonable bottle of Prosecco 6-9 Euro, Pizza at restaurant around 7-8 Euro, other mains around the same price.
Lake Orta was a great first stop for us. Only a short hop from MXP, very easy paced (apparently mainly Italian tourists or weddings) and since we were here so early in the European summer it was certainly not overrun by tourists

Isola Di San Giulio
Trucks On The Rolling Highway
Path Out Of Main Square
Early Morning In Main Square
Main Square while heading out to Isola Di San Giulio

 

[Major]

Great photos...looking forward to the rest of the TR

 

[RB]

View from balcony roughly towards Lake Maggiore

Boathouse Under Apartment-noisy 1 night with changing lake height

View across the lake
Part of the flat path into town
Plenty of places to contemplate life


Lake Orta to Lake Como
Our host very kindly picked us up & dropped us at the railway station-another plus for apartments over hotels. This was a 3 train hop that was very straight forward although timing meant we couldn’t avoid the Milan-Zurich train that I had read on FlyerTalk was always late-today it was 40 minutes but it had no great impact on us as we got off at Chiasso. This train was very crowded but we still had seats & a good spot for our luggage-again some people were really struggling with their gigantic cases that they could not steer or lift! From Chiasso we were met by our friend & had some time in Mendrisio. After work time for her partner our friend drove us to Pigra, a village above Lake Como. We went via Arogno to avoid the Fri arvo traffic snarl along Como lakeside. We first met our friend while on holidays in Malaysia in 1991 & we have kept contact & visited Como half a dozen or so times-they keep threatening that the next meeting will be in Australia!

 

[RB]

Around Lake Como
We stayed in a private house at Pigra & again enjoyed great hospitality. The local shop is much improved & prepared meals are now available-we enjoyed their lasagne, wild pork, freshly baked breads & the beer & prosecco were easily available. We enjoyed pizza at the “greatest pizzeria in Italy” on 2 nights & another night had superb trout caught from the lake. We caught the freshly refurbished funicular down to Argegno & sampled the weekly market. We kept up the fitness with a walk up to Alpe di Colonno & another walk through forest to Corniga & other outskirts of Pigra. The weather wasn’t the best but it was great to see the snow down lower than any other time we had visited.

Not a bad view of Lake Como
You don't get fresher
View down from the refurbished funicular
Looking up the lake from Argegno
The Russian Balonka that runs the house

 

[RB]

Lake Como to Black Forest
We were dropped at Lugano to catch 3 different trains on our way to Kirchzarten. We bought point to point tickets online in Aust for our complete trip as buying early meant it was cheaper than any pass we could uncover. 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] class is fine for what we expect. The 1[SUP]st[/SUP] leg to Basel via Luzern was particularly scenic-highlighted by masses of wild waterfalls and a rugged snowstorm around Goschenen (end of the St Gotthard tunnel). The food choice was good and priced reasonably & the Heineken hit the spot. All 3 trains ran to time & we enjoyed plenty of space & I was able to charge my Ipod from my seat. On the leg run by the ICE train a paid hotspot service was available-advertised as surf at 250km but we only hit 157kph on our short run. At Kirchzarten we enjoyed a pre-arranged meeting with the owner of the apartment where we were to stay for 4 nights.

 

[drron]

Great pictures and it looks like the lakes of Italy go on to the bucket list-damn it is still getting longer!

 

[RB]

Great pictures and it looks like the lakes of Italy go on to the bucket list-damn it is still getting longer!

Stick with me Ron I reckon later will get you with your hand on your wallet!
Thanks for the other responses-I really enjoy posting trip reports, love reliving the experiences & going over the photos

 

[RB]

I have posted a review of our Kirchzarten apartment here http://www.australianfrequentflyer....ndlerhaus-kirchzarten-black-forest-52326.html

Around Kirchzarten-An amazingly tidy town
We had a 4 night stay planned for here. All accommodation houses participate in the Konus card system where you are able to travel free on the buses & trains throughout the Black Forest area. The winter had dragged on as with the rest of Europe but as a guide our 1[SUP]st[/SUP] full day (29thMay) peaked around 13c. We arrived late afternoon & wandered to one of the 2 town supermarkets where there was plenty of choice. I rate it pretty highly when you can buy a 0.5l can of beer for 25c Euro! Other mainstream German beers are around 70c Euro. Note that a 8 euro cent deposit is paid on beer bottles while beer cans are subject to 25 Euro cents. There was some great prosecco on the shelves & stone fruit, yoghurts, packet cappuccinos etc that found their way back to our fridge. On our 1[SUP]st[/SUP] night we enjoyed the Spritzenhaus. I had a fantastic large size smokey schnitzel with mushroom sauce & a separate large salad for the very reasonable 9.2 Euro. A half litre draught beer hailing from Freiburg is 2.90 Euro while Mrs RB has a 3.30 Euro ¼ litre dry white.
Our 1[SUP]st[/SUP] full day is a public holiday (Corpus Christi) & things are very quiet in the morning. We walk to Oberried along a good, separate flat track that is shared with many cyclists. This is the land of huge barns & woodheaps! We arrive in time to see a stirring ceremony to mark the public holiday. Lunch at Kirchzarten is via sandwiches from the service station-best ever from a servo & we are also able to restock our drinks for the fridge. Servos in Germany were one of the few places we were able to buy chilled alcoholic drinks. Our 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] walk for the day is the relatively close Zarten & this is highlighted by a look at a store with the fresh vegies, strawberries, in season spargel (sold according to grade) & a super shiny vat for his preferred liquids. A first for me on this day was noticing a dispensing machine for pushbike inner tubes. Maypoles were also in abundance around here.
The public holiday helped to convince us to return to Spritzenhaus for dinner- nice Spargel soup, a good house sparkling wine. We both opted for the ravioli after reading TA feedback- a nice enough meal but did not compare to the stuffed seafood ravioli we enjoyed years ago in Cinque Terre.
We got to like this place
Part of the efforts for Corpus Christi
Walk to Oberried with Black Forest background
Not the neatest barn we saw but a general reflection of size
Corpus Christi ceremony at Oberried

 

[RB]

[FONT=&amp]The next day was cold & ****ty (max 9c). We used our Konus card for a free return trip to Lake Titisee. This is a very nice but touristy location with basically hotels, restaurants and souvenir shops jammed into a few blocks that rim the lake. Despite the bleak day there were still hardy souls getting out on the lake ferries. Back in Kirchzarten we enjoyed a bratwurst roll for an easy lunch & then again tea at the Sprizenhaus with a seafood spaghetti being very good. Our return custom was rewarded at the end of the night with cherry schnapps. Interesting to us was the stringent policing of having to leave umbrellas at the door while pampered pooches are walked straight to the dining tables
[/FONT]Catering to the many cyclists
A struggling maypole
Seasonal favourites
This display took my eye
Lovely light for a photo

 

[RB]

Another wet, cold day dawned so we again jumped on the train & visited Schluchsee. It was a scenic ride & Schluchsee enjoys an idealic spot on the lake. This was a town that to us had a much nicer atmosphere than Titisee & was not overrun by busloads rushing through. We enjoyed a loop walk of the town & then out to a point on the lake that oversaw a little sand beach. While we waited for the return train we got out of the rain at a great little railway café.

Our pre-arranged lift back to the train station at Kirchzarten was spot on time & completed a very enjoyable 4 night stay.

Unused boats at Titisee
Schluchsee
Schluchsee
Schluchsee
Railway Cafe-not a bad spot out of the cold

 

[Major]

I wish all Railway Cafe's were like that

 

[RB]

Kirchzarten to Gengenbach
We had an easy multi train transfer that ran to time bar the last link where our view through the carriage let us see the driver punch the dash in frustration as his takeoff was delayed by about 2 minutes. The countryside was absolutely saturated & streams were running bankers & it became obvious that we had escaped the worst of the German rains while we were in Kirchzarten. At Gengenbach station we were met by the non-English speaking half of our hosts for the next 4 nights & quickly transferred to our apartment.

Around Gengenbach
When booking we were faced with plenty of options within the area but were won over by the promise of a neat & scenic town with good transport links. Our 1[SUP]st[/SUP] look around town reassured us we had made a fine choice. Being late/mid afternoon on a Sunday quite a few food outlets were closed but we opted for a flat bread kebab for lunch & we were rewarded with a great tasting example. We stocked up our fridge with pre-chilled drinks from the local servo! This is indeed a very scenic, flat location & within the town is very easy walking. Our first night meal is an example of the local speciality “flammkuchen”.
One of the impressive town gates
Part of the main square looking to the other gate
Public bench adornment-left out at night-obviously no petty crime
The town had a very relaxed feel
About to attack the “flammkuchen”.


I have posted a review of our Gengenbach apartment here http://www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au/community/hotel-experiences-and-reviews/farmhous-buss-gengenbach-germany-52367.html

 

[TraceyK90]

Nice TR, great to see other options