Vantastic Voyage

How could i have forgotten to include the details of my last receipt of bird droppings while in Berlin? This would would mark the 4th instance during this trip which I believe brings my lifetime total to 6, maybe 7. As we sat along the river waiting for our food to arrive, I almost felt a sixth sense kick in as I looked into the little song birds’ eye just before he took off and may have even had a bit of a propulsion boost as he released his bowels on the shoulder of my fresh shirt. Three times I chocked up as lucky, I’m not sure what to do about number 4.

After Krems, we made our way to Vienna and had a rendezvous with our friend Meinrad, whom we met in the desert town of M’Hamid, Morocco. I had spent a somewhat early morning with him there driving his Defender through some sand dunes and we all hung out a few times thereafter. He was on a two week trip and was alone doing all of the driving from Vienna down to the Moroccan desert. He gave us a warm welcome in Vienna and free reign to come and go as we pleased. We spent a few days with he and his family and were able to show his boy Mac, who had been anxious to see it since Meinrad informed him of our intended visit. We (Ratha) cooked them tajine one night and would eventually retire it from our van and bestowed it to Meinrad. **Just in case anyone is reading this and also driving to Vienna, the only free parking is in district 10. Otherwise, everywhere you go has parking times and restrictions but you must pay for that parking online (through your phone) making it impossible or a huge hassle to do so. Additionally it is expensive and you can’t stay all day in paid zones. So, district 10, unless otherwise marked, is free street parking.** Meinrad is a photographer and we were able to help him setup his studio one day and get some interesting photos of ourselves as well. My birthday came to pass while we were visiting and I would get quite a surprise at the end of a meal. Ratha had spoken to the waitress while I was in the restroom and arranged a cake and candle for dessert. I guess the waitress had said, “I don’t have to sing do I?” which didn’t happen, but the ‘candle’ was more like a fountain firework that seemed to last 30 seconds. I was overwhelmed by the surprise and the size of the firework that was shooting up foot high flames at the table. Some locals stopped by to wish me a happy birthday on our way out at the traditional Austrian restaurant. Meinrad had also taken us out around Vienna for some birthday drinks and at the second establishment, I received a spilled beer by the staff that emptied entirely on my lap. Ratha’s beer would be replaced and we were given three rounds of drinks for the mishap.

We would continue to head south and went through the windy mountain roads towards Slovenia. The grade was 15% for a long time and the breaks down one of the mountains had nearly completely lost function. We had to go down in 2nd gear the rest of the way as our momentum was too great and brakes hot. Some added perspiration is what we got by avoiding the tolled roads, though our views were likely far better than the highway. We made it to the recommended Lake Bled, Slovenia and found a free spot on the opposite end of the lake from the town center. We decided to spend the next day there and enjoy the stunning views. The water was clean, clear and surprisingly warm. There are no motorized boats allowed so it’s quiet, tranquil and really relaxing. The weather was hot and we had a refreshing jump in the lake before heading out of town. We decided to have some food in a little village before we were out of Slovenia again and missed trying the food (see picture below). The orange colored sauerkraut with pork and cheesy dumplings were full of flavor. The big ones were good but were overshadowed by the flavor packed in the sauerkraut dish. As we continued down the road and followed the river, we could not help but stare at the turquoise water that flowed for miles and miles from the mountain. We had to stop to cool off in the icy water. That would keep us cool until the heat took over 20 minutes later at which point we were sweating again inbound for Venice, Italy.

Unsure of how we were going to attack Venice, we stopped by a shopping center to get wifi and do some research on parking and planning. The mall closed at 9pm and the awesome guard on the Segway who was storming from end to end would not kick us out until 11pm. We initially drove over the bridge to the city and realized that parking would cost 37 Euros for 24 hours. not knowing how long we would stay and the parking just being a simple, unattractive space, we looked for other options. Our parking application (Park4Night) came through and got us a spot just outside the island next to a park for free. We hopped on a bus the next day and brought an overnight bag into the city. We would be balling out of control and staying at the JW Marriott for a night. After a boat ride through the canal and a hot walk trying to locate the hotel, we discovered that it is in fact located on another island. Fortunately there was a free shuttle to and from the island running every half an hour. What a contrast, living in a van and then going to an island that has another island where your hotel will be. My years traveling for work and earning hotel points paid off and we only paid 10 Euros in taxes, otherwise it would have cost over 400 Euros. No doubt after leaving the hotel, we would reach a level of cleanliness that surpassed all former feelings of clean these past 9.5 months. We made good use of the showers and pools. Things were undoubtedly very expensive on the hotel’s island (7 Euros for a can of coke was the cheapest beverage). We avoided meals there and with some craftiness managed to get away without spending any money on the island. Our time in Venice was mainly spent exploring the city’s many alleyways and streets. We skipped the 100 Euro 40 minute gondola ride this go around and later found that the Italians don’t indulge much either. Our 2 days in Venice ended in a reality check when we came back to the van. We went from AC, hot showers, pools, white robes and slippers to a hotbox with little ventilation and peeing outside again. Contrast is what makes us appreciate things and while they’ve both got something to offer, the van has provided much more than a perfect sleeping climate, a porcelain throne, and a temporary clean sensation.

Fate would have it that we would then venture to Trento, Italy and we would rendezvous with Ralf’s sister, Carina in a small town of Villazzano in the hills adjacent. En route, we stopped for a night in Bassano del Grappa, where we soaked up some sun and swam in the chilly river. Carina welcomed us warmly as the rest of her family had and joined her roommate Silvia whom we also met in Bochum and her coworkers for her goodbye party. After dinner but prior to meeting Silvia for her party, we returned to our van to find a window smashed and the obvious signs of rummaging through our belongings. To our delight, they appeared to have not stayed long and made off with only a few electronic nicknacks. They were considerate enough to break just the small window (insert sarcasm), unfortunately, that window could not be purchased in Italy, and even if we had a replacement sent, the CarGlass specialists could not guarantee they’d be able to install it. So we have fashioned a protective screen for the time being (see picture below). Our first day with Carina involved searching for solutions for window, going to the police station and meeting her friends Anica and Matteo for a hike 20 minutes away. What was initially supposed to be Matteo and Anica hiking to a refugio in the mountains to visit a friend, turned into the 5 of us and 3 more friends of Matteo whom hadn’t seen one another in 4 years who joined last minute as well. The hike up to San Lorenzo Dorsino, was just under 3 hours and was surrounded by white limestone mountains at the mountain refugio. We would hike another 2 hours into the mountains to have lunch at another refugio (which was really good) the next day. The area is in the Dolomites, which is a mountainous region that has awesome limestone mountains stretching for roughly 100 miles west to east. It is an outdoor mecca for hiking, climbing, biking, skiing and has many activities to keep you busy in winter or summer. What we discovered is that there are these huts that have basic lodging and food scattered all throughout the mountains there and in the Dolomites region. I’d only ever used one in Patagonia hiking the Torres Del Paine circuits (Chile, South America) and love them. They are, in my experience, places set with amazing natural beauty, where you can enjoy the company of others (yes, without wifi!), while consuming a much deserved hot meal and a beer, which tastes all the better when you’ve worked up a good appetite. That was my first time luxury hiking and having a bed and a meal that was provided.
We would also take a trip to a couple of lakes in the area for swimming and join Matteo, Anica and friends for what I guessing will be the best gelato I’ll ever have. We shared our last meal with Carina and her roommates who cooked us carbonara and talked at length about the bidet culture in Italy which at least Ratha and I found to be very interesting.

On our day out, we made it over to Arco, Italy, just west of Trento 40 minutes by car. We just missed the annual rock climbing festival held there by one week, but were able to view the areas vast range of climbing spots and did a couple of climbs before the sun went down on us. There is a ton to do there, nice places to stay all along the gorge with hundreds of climbing routes that are very accessible. We ventured to the Dolomites and stayed in the town of Ortesei after 9 hours of hiking and 16.5 miles. The landscape is gorgeous there at Sassolungo and rivals Torres Del Paine’s beauty in Chile. The lush green valleys and panoramic mountain peaks could be explored for weeks and wish we had more time to do one of the 7-10 day treks. There are gondolas connecting to the small villages throughout this portion of the Dolomites and could save you a couple of hours and get you quickly positioned for some higher altitude exploration. There are many refugios here as well and luxury trekking could be easily arranged. I’m not sure about the tent camping possibilities there. Mac has been working hard the last few days in the mountains and we have crossed 4 large mountain ranges in a two day period with an average speed about 18 miles per hour. I’m impressed with the guy and hope we can sail smoothly back to flat ground soon.

P.S. We were told it got dark in the Dolomites at 9:00pm by a fellow hiker, in fact this was not true and it was completely dark at 8:00pm. We spent the steep part of the hike in pitch black dark in the woods coming down. We stumbled upon a cross with Jesus, whom we’d seen in the day, but only him. The arms coming from the ground were only discovered when we passed on our way down. Yeah, what the heck is that?! WHY?!?!