Cervesina to Meiringen

From Cervesina it’s time to move back into Switzerland. Weather is still an issue, but it looks like we can make it work. 

Brick bridge across the River Po

I don't think I've ever been across a brick bridge

We head north and have lunch with “Carl" along the shore of Lago Maggiori. Carl is San Carlos, and he’s a big guy with a great view.

Jayne needs to fortify herself for the afternoon.

Simplon Pass is easy compared to the Splügenpaß. We had lots of motorcycle company. 

But Simplon is not the only pass we will bag today. As we arrive in Brig, Switzerland, it’s cooling off a lot and we stop to layer up. As we start off again, Jayne looks up and says, “Oh My God, what have I let you talk me into?”

It is a bit hard to see in the picture, but there are a lot of switchbacks up there.

The trip up the Grimselpaß goes into the clouds. It would have been amazing to have been there on a clear day. Once again, hitting the Youtube button gives a better picture.

As we made our way past the Grimselsee you can spot a crashed rider. It looks like he was too hot into the corner, lowsided and was unhurt. He gave us a thumbs up as we slowed to check on him. Another car let his fellow rider know that he was wrecked.

Nonexistent phone reception in the mountains has left us at the mercy of local hoteliers in Meiringen. Our selection ended up being limited and expensive. Oh well.

One cool thing about Meiringen is that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle set one of the last Sherlock Holmes stories there. Holmes and Moriarity fight and disappear over a waterfall. Lots of Sherlock Holmes stuff in town.

Verona to Cervesina

One of the ways I managed to pack for more than a month using only carryon luggage was to plan to buy new clothes here. I arrived with the clothes I was wearing, a dress shirt and pants, and socks and underwear. We had originally planned to spend a couple of days in Milan, but threatening weather on our planned route through Balzano and Austria has pushed us west. Thunderstorms in the Alps didn't sound like a good idea. Pass temperatures were at freezing. In Verona, we found out about a shopping complex south of Milan called Fidenza. It is a combination of designer outlet stores and midrange clothes, and was a good source to improve our wardrobe.

Starting in Amsterdam, I got a prepaid SIM for the iPhone in order to be able to connect to the internet, use Skype and Google Maps and find out about stuff nearby. It has worked pretty well, though it is hard to find a card that does data in multiple countries without costing a lot for data roaming. In addition to the card from Vodaphone in Amsterdam, I also got a data only card in Munich, and then another one when we reached France. Because I suspended our cellphone service when we left home, this has proved to be cheaper than our monthly cellphone bill.

At any rate, evening found us in the area of Verghona, and time to pick out a place to stay the night. A little research while stopped in the piazza found a room in the Il Castello di San Gaudenzio in Cervesina. The castello dates from the 15th century and is an amazing place to stay. Our room was only about $135 and was absolutely the best place we have ever stayed.  In spite of the fact that we had booked a last minute room at a bargain price, they put us in the best room in the place, with our own balcony. 

The bathroom is bigger than my office

Our balcony

Dinner in the dining room (which is the original banquet room for the castle), was 4 star, just like everything else.

Malcesine to Verona

The port at Malcesine

Looking north on Lake Garda

Malcesine is a fabulous little town on Lake Garda. For many years, the only access was by boat, since the overland routes go through some pretty substantial mountains. This is, after all, the beginning of the Italian Alps.

Malcesine from the castle

In town is a castello that dates from 590 AD, the Castello Scaligero. It was destroyed and rebuilt and went through the control of many families, viscounts and republics. Goethe made a trip into this area and stayed at the castle in 1786.  He used it as a refuge to write and do some heavy thinking, even though he was arrested as an Austrian spy.

An old musket

While we were at the top of the bell tower amongst a group of people, someone set off the bell (which dates from 1442). It was exceedingly loud. We all laughed, and one of the Germans made a comment about the “dinger-donger”. That is now our official name for our doorbell.

The dinger-donger

Apparently Malcesine is a popular spot to get married. We can see why, with it’s character and setting. We found a venue and a place to stay if anyone wants to get married.

From Malcesine, we headed south. We hadn’t given up on seeing the ruins of Grotte di Catullo on Sirmione. When we stopped to pick up picnic supplies, it was at this roadside store. The silos are full of wine. You can bring your own containers, or use theirs. A tasty Pinot Grigio was about 1,70 euro per liter.

Got wine?

BYOB

Back at Sirmione, we made it into the ruins at Grotte di Catullo. The original villa complex dates from aournd 70 BC, and was possibly the villa of the Roman poet Gaius Valerius Catullus. It had it’s own baths and running water. It got the name "grottos" in the Middle Ages, when the ruins looked more like caves. Impressive.

Verona was nearby and seemed like a good overnight stop. They were having a concert (some teen band by the looks of the crowd) in the arena that dates from the Romans. 

Juliet's balcony

We stopped by to see Juliet’s balcony and had yet another fabulous Italian dinner on the piazza.

I don’t know what it is about the way Europeans eat. We’ve violated every trendy diet rule. We split a ficelle or demi-baguette every day. We eat lots of cheese. We eat dinner at 8 or 9 in the evening, frequently pasta. We have gelato almost every day. And we’ve lost weight. Yes, we get some exercise, but many days are 5 or 6 hours riding the motorcycle. Must not be much to the trendy diets. Reasonable portions and the chef isn’t offended if you leave something on the plate. And everyone takes their time enjoying the meal. The ratio of real food to fast food is at least 10:1. While McDonalds and Starbucks (especially McDonalds) are present in Europe, by far most of the fast food is pizza and kebabs.