Part 3
Slovenia,
Austria,
Switzerland



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Friday October 2
A little overcast. We returned the apartment to its original state. Then gathered our trash, packed, had some coffee from our marvelous percolator and hit the road. I let Luther out of the locking car lot and returned the keys to the flat. He (with difficulty) came around to the Piazetta Sant Anna to get me.

Off to Slovenia. A very quick trip indeed. We had a picnic of left-over ham, cheese and grapes but it was drizzly and cloudy and we had trouble finding a place to eat. Finally we had 2 beers and ate in the car near Ljubljiana.

I was so sure we'd have trouble finding the parking lot but we didn't at all! The parking is startlingly expensive! About $80 for two days. We walked the 700 meters along the river with our suitcases and found the Hotel Antiq. It was a nice place right in the old part of the city.

We went out to explore and found one of the Gostlinas or traditional Slovenian dining spots. We chose Valvasor for our first spot. It was very close to our hotel so we walked by it and made a reservation. So far everyone speaks English and are very nice. I learn to say thank you in Slovenian its spelled uallah (pronounced wallah with the "w" almost breathed instead of spoken). We stopped into 2 wine bars to sample the local wines. Chardonnay, barbera etc. Not at all bad. Back in our spacious room with it's big bed, sitting area, 3 nice windows we rested and read.


Street beside the river

Dragon bridge

Valvasor was really incredible. A beautiful space with lots of modern touches. Chandeliers and stark tables and what looked kind of like a map of Ljubljiana.

Our waiter was really good. At first we were put off because he wouldn't let us order white wine until we chose our food. He did let Luther have the wine list when asked though. I had an eggplant with soft cheese and (I think) tomato and balsamic sauce. Small but exquisite. Luther had tuna in cubes with feathery ginger and wasabi. I had penne with truffles and prosciutto with cream. Luther had a steak with mashed potatoes and cauliflower with mustard and wasabi. For our red we had a Pinot Noir from Slovenia (top of the line) which was excellent. For dessert I decided on figs with melted brie and a spoonful of fig jam. Which went with the rest of the red wine. Altogether an excellent meal and we were surprised that it wasn't' as expensive as we thought it would be. 128 Euros

Saturday October 3
It dawned gray but promised to brighten. It turned out to be way colder in Slovenia than in Italy. Breakfast was the best. Most anything you'd want. There were lots of Americans at this hotel, the first we've seen on this trip. I had smoked salmon, cream cheese on a roll, fresh squeezed orange juice and a small bowl of berries (blackberries, currents and raspberries). Everything was really good. A cup of coffee rounded everything out.

We got a good map and walking tour at the tourist information stand. It's a very pretty city. The old part hugs the hill which holds the castle and meanders along the river. Lots and lots of umbrellas and outside dining areas everywhere! Right away I found a beautiful coral necklace for Cindy. I hope she likes it.

We walked to the square (Trg in Slovenian) with the courthouse, then the cathedral (very baroque). Next we visited the outside market. It was the biggest one I've ever seen. It's kind of organized so that all the flowers are on one row and all the veggies on another. All the mushrooms were together and there were lots! Honeys, jams, vinegars, oils abounded. I bought some olive oil. I loved the little wool slippers. I should have gotten some. We took the funicular up to the castle which was really very boring. Not bad views though.

Market stalls in Ljubljiana

Next we searched out Luther's Havana cigar shop recommended by our waiter last night.

We had lunch at Pr' Potic right outside our hotel. We sat outside and people-watched. It was a bit chilly still. I had polenta with Tarsk ham and eggs. Filling! Luther had tagliatelle with saffron, poppy seeds and Tarsk ham. This was accompanied by a very local white wine.

We went back to our room to relax. The sun was shining in the windows and the constructon seems to have stopped for the time being. (the whole city was torn up with construction - too bad).

We dined at Sokol - a traditional gostlina. We had a cheese plate that we split and we both had trout in "paper" which was really foil. It was good. A local red wine and a couple of glasses of white completed our meal. We walked back and stopped at our favorite wine bar where we sat outside (sort of - we were in a hallway) and Luther had his Cuban cigar. We each had a glass of red wine and Luther had a grappa.

Sunday October 4
It was always cloudy in the morning it seemed, but it burned off. We had our good breakfast and packed up. Then we schlepped our luggage that long 700m (over cobblestones! My roll-aboard will never be the same) to the garage to pay 53€ for parking for 1 1/2 days. I did enjoy Ljubljiana but if I come back to Slovenia I'll stay in the countryside and enjoy the beautiful scenery.

We headed north into the beautiful Alps passing by Bled with its castle and crossed into Austria. We drove through really pretty countryside, green meadows and pastures, flower bedecked houses that climbed high into the mountains.

We crossed into Italy to travel through the Dolomites mountains. It was lunchtime and we had a devil of a time finding a place to eat. Turned out it was the end of the season and everything was closing up until winter ski season.

We finally stopped at a pizzeria just into Italy. It was very crowded. We did get two damn good pizzas. Luther had tuna and onions (his favorite but it makes him fragrant for hours and not in a pleasant way!). I got fresh mozzarella with rucola and fresh cherry tomatoes. They had a wood oven and the crust was very thin and crispy.

We crossed again into Austria and on to Innsbruck. Easy directions right into the Alt Stadt. They even parked our car for us.

The city is very beautiful but just packed with tourists. I guess it's a no-brainer, the pretty places attract the people. The streets were lined with painted buildings, many very baroque. There were little twisty streets and lots of outside tables. It was sunny but late so the sun was low, not good for photos. It took us 5 hours to drive there.

We had a glass of wine and Luther bought 2 bottles of white wine. The Hotel Goldener Adler is a Best Western. In Europe these are usually family or privately owned and all are unique, unlike in the US. It's a four star and we were in the Goethe room which is roomy and has all the comforts you'd want.

We ate in the hotel that night. I was tired so dinner wasn't the best. We had white wine and I ordered the carpaccio which was really good. That would have been enough for me but I had ordered the venison plate with tagliatelle and a half pear roasted with berries on top of it. It was good but way more than I could eat. Luther had Schnitzel which he liked.

Monday October 5
It was really very cool, maybe you could say cold this morning. I was amazed that during the night and early morning they not only ran a loud street sweeper up and down and up and down but then a hoard of trucks of all types, construction, delivery, trash etc. filled the street. They were gone before noon so all the tables were back out. I guess this is the only way the services can take place and still have the picturesque streets for the tourists in the daytime.

We had breakfast. I decided on Muesli for a change and since I was in Austria. Then we headed out. The town is right on the Inn river (hence the name) which runs fast and very green from the glacial run-off. Just on the other side of the river there is another strip of city then the mountains rise abruptly to 7,500 feet. Solid, bare rock, they simply tower over the town. Photos don't capture it.

We walked down through the pretty streets, stopping at the Hoffburg Palace, which was really beautiful and opulent, it was just next to the Hofkirche which Maximillian I, the leader of the great Hoffburg empire had built. It was said the sun never set on his empire.

We bought tickets to tour the church and the Volkskunst museum. It was really surprisingly good. There was a 12-minute presentation which started in a room full of pictures that were spot lit during the narrative. Slowly a concealed door opened and we entered a room dominated by an enormous globe. A sailing ship circled it showing the empire and then armies circled it. Another door opened and we entered the last room which focused on the Hofkirche which a superstitious Emperor built He was trying to assure a pleasant after-life by building the church and within it, a very elaborate tomb encircled by bronze life-sized statues of all the world leaders he thought of as his forbears. The last door opened into the cloister and we entered the church to see first hand Maximillian's tomb. Unfortunately he died of an intestinal infection in the Lienz valley. I tried to imagine travel at that time through the valley which we had driven through yesterday. The mountains are formidable and I am sure the roads must have been difficult. Alas, he was never buried in his tomb.


Church at work scaring people

Maximillian's tomb

Wine break

Gold roof and flowers

Next we enjoyed the folk art museum. The first part focused on how the people lived and worked throughout the year. Everything was tied to the seasons and moons. There were fests, religious holidays celebrated amidst the planting and growing and reaping - all it the proper season and time making life in the difficult times as predictable as possible. It made me realize what we've lost in our modern world.

I re-thought it in the next part of the museum, which focused on the hardships and fear that the people lived with daily. Because of this there were all sorts of rituals that people performed in the hopes that things would go well. It started with marriage. The dressing was very proscribed. (maybe this is where "something borrowed, something blue" came from...) Next came childbirth, a very dangerous thing for a woman. I can imagine the fear she felt of pregnancy. They had something called childbirth vials that "helped" with the pain. Uh-huh.

The church was a huge part of the lives of the people. The priests really kept everyone scared to death constantly. Hell and purgatory were seen as real dangers to the people. And finally death had its own series of rituals. There were statues of skeletons; one even had a decomposing body in a coffin. The body was covered with maggots.

Also in this museum was a fine collection of whole rooms called Stuben which were the rooms in which people spent the winter. Each was equipped with one of those big porcelain stoves. Some of these were in private homes, others in public places. Many had a bench around the whole room. There were magnificent carved panels on the walls and the ceilings and carved beams. After all, what else was there to do during the winter (for the men)? The women would cook and care for the children, wash clothes and hang them around the stove to dry, card wool, spin and weave the cloth as well as do beautiful needlework and embroidery. The smell was described as horrendous. I guess the damp clothes, body odors, food smells, waste smells and the fact that they never, ever opened a window would all contribute and concentrate the odor. Whew!

The rest of the museum had wonderful examples of all the tools, clothes, and furniture of the times. There was tracht - the folk clothes, butter churns, wool carders, shranks, chairs, chests, looms, baby furniture and cradles, sleighs, cow, sheep and goat bells and much more. They had lovely examples of the fine textiles, laces, embroidery and needlework too.

We walked back and bought some toothpaste for $7.00 (!) as well as ham, strawberries, and bread to go with our cheese for a picnic. We had the picnic in our room. We tried to visit one more museum but it was closed. So we had a gelato! It was the BEST one we had. We window-shopped and had a cup of macchiato and headed back to our room.

We had picked another restaurant to try and it was quite nice. We each had Wiener Schnitzel.

Tuesday October 6
Another nice morning. Very cool. We had breakfast, paid and headed out. I always have loved the drive from Innsbruck to Switzerland. It follows a beautiful valley between enormous rocky crags. Lots of tunnels and very little traffic. We drove around the Bodensee which was very slow going. Lots of trucks. The scenery was really pretty after Frederickshoffen. There were acres and acres of vines as well as huge orchards where the trees were sagging with beautiful red apples.

We stopped for lunch in Meersburg. It is a beautiful town. Almost too cute/quaint/kitschy for words. We had a nice fish from the lake with potatoes and a salad along with a local white wine.


Meersburg garden

Meersburg street

Winebar for lunch

It took another hour to reach Stein am Rhein which is in Switzerland but only just. It's right on the Rhein (duh!). Another old, quaint, flower filled town. Our hotel was very creaky. The room was ok. We took a stroll around the town (very small). Parking was challenging. We put the car in a two-hour slot but we had to feed the meter once before the 6PM cutoff.


Stein am Rhein fountain

Bridge across the Rhein

We dined in the dining room. Again we had the local fish. It was lovely. We rose early and drove to the airport to drop off the Skoda and fly home.

The trip was fun. In hindsight I would have flown into Milan and cut out all the extra stuff except the apartment and maybe a day or two at each end. I loved the Ferrara part best.