Streets of Bolzano

Streets of new and strange towns are endlessly fascinating.
We stayed right in the heart of the main shopping area of Bolzano, in the historical centre.

Bikes and pedestrians only here!

Our arcaded street was filled with the brightest and best stores.

I feel right at home here!

A wonderful old-style haberdashery was just under or apartment.

Here is a peep inside - 

Another gorgeous old wool shop and haberdashery.

And of course there is the market.
This one runs every day from early in the morning until evening.

The best way to get around is by bicycle.

The main square with the Duomo and ringed by cafes and restaurants.

But this little gem was down a side street.
Unfortunately we didn't try it.

Some of the streets hint at Bolzano's past as a crossroads in Europe.

Our street where you could almost shake hands with your neighbour across the street!

But wait!
There is another market.
This one is a real local farmer's market, just on Fridays.
Where you can buy cheese direct from the cheesemaker.

And of course the locals do their shopping by bicycle.

48 hours in Milan

You do your research, ok?
But sometimes it doesn't always turn out as you expected.
I guess one of the problems is that we are not used to such crowds as you get in Europe's hot spots.
It always takes me by surprise how many tourists there are and how often you have to line up to see stuff.
Oh well, maybe we have learned a lesson.

1. Pre-book The Last supper.
Apparently it books up months in advance.
I looked the week before and couldn't get anything.
You could also try a tour which is a lot more expensive but at least you'll get to see it.
This was something that I wasn't too fussed about seeing, but it is supposed to be impressive so maybe I should have made more effort.
Next time?!

2. Pre-book the Duomo.
You can buy your ticket on-line. this saves queuing up in the ticket area but you will still have to queue to get into the Cathedral.
It costs 3 euros entry to the Duomo.
You can get various packages that include the roof terraces and the Duomo museum and other places.
Booking on-line costs 0.50 Euros more than lining up.
For booking tickets visit here.
For general info  http://www.duomomilano.it/en/
There  are dress requirements if you want to go into the Duomo, but not the terraces or the museums.
You must have your shoulders covered - men and women, and not short shorts or mini skirts ( I think just above the knee is OK). You can buy some, er, very attractive jackets to cover your immodesty. Or just bring a scarf or just don't wear your skimpiest outfit that day.

It is totally worth it to visit the Duomo.
It is totally magnificent.
It is huge and it took over 600 years to build.
When it was designed in the 1300's they didn't have the skills and knowledge to build it. They had to invent new methods.

Probably visit early in the day or later.
We went back at 2pm on Monday and the queue had gone.

Also get up onto the roof terraces.
You can climb the stairs, which isn't really very hard.
Or there is a lift option.
Just do it.

3. Some things are closed on Mondays.

4. Some things are closed on Sundays.

5. Getting around is easy. Public transport is good and cheap.
Get a 24 hour ATM for 4.50 Euros.
It's good for metro, trams and buses.
Buy it at convenience stores.

6. To get from the main international airport, Malpensa, get the shuttle bus to Central Station.
They leave frequently and cost 8 Euros. Takes one hour. There are taxis at Central Station to take you to your final destination, or buses or the metro.

Canal district - Navigli Grande

We also visited Castello Sforzesco which is another old amazing building.

It is now full of museums.
So much beautiful old treasures!
You can also see Michelangelo's last, uncompleted work.
It has a whole enormous display space to itself.
It is pretty special.

We strolled through the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, the oldest shopping centre in the world?
It's easy to find right next to the Duomo.

We found yummiest gelato at Ciacco Gelato. Pistachio (of course), lime and ginger, and fig. Oh my!!

There were lots of things we didn't do in Milan.
We didn't go shopping.
Or go to the designer quarter.
Or go to La Scala.
Or go to galleries.
But there is only so much you can fit in 48hours.

Here we go again!! Where?? There...

Europe here we come!

Yes, we are off again.
The purpose of this trip is to do some via ferratas* in the Dolomites on Northern Italy, meet up with our danish-resident son, follow the trends to Iceland and visit a place I've been waiting to go to since I was 20!

It looks like we'll be all over the place.
And indeed we will be darting around.
This is due to the time of year as it will be cold already in Denmark by the time we get there and so we decided to fly south and chase the sun including Albania! How cool is that?
I'll let you know how it goes!

*via ferratas are climby things using ladders and things in norther Italy and other places around there.
They were originally built during WW1 to move troops around the mountains and are now used by outdoor enthusiasts.

Moorland Tearooms

You may have seen the sign as you zoom up or down the Pacific Highway near Taree on the mid north coast, NewSouth Wales

"Best scones on the coast"!

Bold claim indeed!!

But I bet you have never stopped.
One day we did stop, actually we had been exploring Middle Brother Mountian which is nearby and we rolled on down the hill into Moreland.
The cafe is actually very close to the highway, only about 200 metres, so there is really no excuse for not stopping.

We had one of their special home made pies as well as scones for lunch.
The pie was a rather strange affair made in an electric pie maker with a square of puff pastry. Nice enough.
There was also a choice of scones - plain, date...
With proper jam and cream in dishes not those little plastic square thingys.
They were excellent.

And it is a very quirky place.
So next time you are zooming along....slow down, turn off and try the best scones on the coast.

Moorland Cottage

So you want to buy a caravan?....or whatever

...or a camper, or a mobile home, or a pop-up tent, or....
you just want something, but what?

So here I hope I can help you come to the right decision.

How to choose a "mobile" home.

By "mobile" I mean anything you travel with and sleep in -
tent
campervan
campertrailer
mobile home
caravan
pop-up
slide-on
roof-top tent
etc....

The choices out there are mind-boggling!
And you can ask as many people as you know and they will all give you different answers.
Our needs and preferences are as different as we are!
It's a good idea to look over your friends "mobi-home" of choice.
And to visit some camping and caravan shows, or camping and caravan shops

 But there are some questions you should ask yourself before you go shopping.

1. Budget. *
How much money have you got to spend on it?

2. How often will you use it?
It is for a once a year holiday at the beach, say in a caravan park?
Are you going to become nomads and take to the road for a long time....for ever?
Are you going to use it for lots on mini-breaks, weekends away?
Is it going to be a temporary home? a permanent home?

3. How long do you intend to keep it?
Forever?
Use it and sell it?
Update it regularly?

4. What sort of place will you stay in?
Caravan parks only?
Free camps?
National parks and informal campsites?

5. Will you be moving on every day? Or will you base yourself somewhere?

6. How many people need to fit in?

7. Are you travelling with pets?

8. What will you be towing with?
Or are you dead against towing something?

9. Will you need another vehicle apart from the tow vehicle, or motorhome?

10. Think about your own personal style.
Do you like luxurious, plush interiors? Or are you a "woody" person?
How about the modern black and white look?

11. What facilities do you need?
Ensuite bathroom?
Kitchen appliances? Fridge, cooker, oven, microwave?
Water heater? Solar panel?
TV?
Air conditioner?
Heater?
Washing machine?

12. Where will you store your mobi-home when you're not away?

13. Do you want to buy a new or used one?

OK?
Got thesee questions all answered?
...then off you go!!

If you are thinking of a caravan, there a million other questions...

What size caravan do you need?
Single of double axle?
Insulated or not?
Will you need anti-sway bars or load distribution hitch?
Do you want a full annex to go with that?
Do you want an off-road version?

It is soooo confusing, there are sooooo many choices.

Here is how we came to our decision.

We have been campers and bushwalkers for years, and have had 2-man tents, 4 man tents and a huge family tent that took one hour+ to erect.
So when we decided to take to the road for a while and especially when we realised it would be our home while we built a house (which turned out to be a year), we chose a caravan.
Also because we are campers, anything was an up-grade for us!
And because we love camping in natural places, national parks and such, an on-board toilet and shower seemed useful. We have a combo-style bathroom, which doesn't seem popular any more. But it is perfect for us.

We didn't want a pop-top van as I like the solidity of walls. And we didn't have to worry about storing it in a low carport or garage.
I wanted an oven as well as cooktop, a fridge, and comfortable seating.
Our caravan also came with a microwave which you need 240 volts to use, so we use it as storage.
Also it came with a great little TV/media player which we didn't think we wanted but have used a lot.
We forewent the airconditioner (not going to be pluggin in much) but got solar panels, which have been great.
Our hot water, the cooker and the fridge run on gas.

We didn't want a huge van, as I said any size was an improvement on camping!
So we got an 18 footer, which was the smallest one with the bathroom thingy.
It is a Coromal Elite 550, which is made in Western Australia.

Although we like getting off the beaten path we didn't go for the total off-road thing.
We got a slight up-grade, to a rural terrain package, which has slightly bigger wheels and a more solid frame.
We reasoned that if we wanted to go off-track, we'd un-hitch and take a tent for a few days.

Having a mobi-home is a good chance to down-size your life, de-clutter, and take only the important things with you.
It's tempting to buy a bigger rig than you actually need.

Our smaller van is more manouverable and will fit into a lot of camping spots.
It comes with an awning which is great in hot or wet weather. But we never felt the need for an annex, although it might have been useful the first Christmas we moved when we had 3 extra bodies and it poured with rain!

Times we have really appreciated having a caravan to shelter in -
when it's wet.
when it's windy.
when there are mozzies/flies.

Other pluses are -
caravan is easy to set up. Just park it and level it and if you are moving on the next day, you don't even need to unhitch.
Also easy to pack up and get on the road. No wet or dusty canvas to wrestle.

Minuses.
Towing.
We always travel more slowly, about 80 - 90 kph.
Fuel costs increase....a lot!

The caravan we chose has worked really well for us.
We travelled for 3 months and then lived on the land for another 9 months while the house was built.
We have been to Western Australia, up to Cairns, and roamed around Victoria for 2 months.

And we are still not sick of it!

* consider if you spend $50,000 on a caravan, say you could stay for 250 to 500 nights in cabin/hotel/motel
accommodation for that amount of money.
You would need to use your mobi-home for many years to get it to pay or itself, and that doesn't take into account
 increased fuel costs!

An Alternative Lakes Crossing - another journey in South America

There is a classic trip in South America - Cruces de Lagos - the Lakes Crossing.
It straddles the Andes between Chile and Argentina in the beautiful Region de Los Lagos (Lakes District).

Lago Nahuel Huapi

It seemed like a really good idea.
But it is also a really expensive idea.

You start in Bariloche, chocolate capital of the world! And finish in Puerto Varas, Chile.
(Or the other way round)
The trip involves a bus, a boat, a bus, a boat, a bus, a boat and a bus.
It's a long day, and in winter it takes 2 days apparently.

It costs $375!!
Too much for us.

But I feel that we saw most of it anyway apart from the middle bit.

This is what we did....

Lago Nahuel Huapi

In Bariloche we hired a car and drove out along Lago Nahuel Huapi.
It was gorgeous.
We stopped at Puerto Panuelo where the first lakes crossing boat departs from.
And luxurious Hotel Llao Llao where president Obama had just stayed.

There are also boat trips on the lake, leaving from Bariloche or Puerto Panuela, but I can't remember why we didn't.

Bariloche

To get from Bariloche to Puerto Varas we took a bus.
It was a lovely ride along Lake Nahuel Huapi and through other towns and villages.
Up and over the border where we had a very interesting experience at the customs post.
All our luggage was subject to sniffer dogs, as you cannot take food, most foods from Argentina into Chile.
The dogs were unable to detect my cheese and tomato which I had previously declared!

The border sign as we zoomed past.

The bus is very comfortable!

Lago Llanquilhue

Volcano Osorno

From our base in Puerto Varas we hired a car and drove to Petrohue, where there is a boat voyage on Lago Todos Los Santos (All Saint's Lake).
You get off the boat at Peulla, where there is a hotel and restaurant. Most people had lunch here but we had a picnic in the grounds.
Lovely.

It is the most spectacular boat journey as you can see Volcano Orsorno most of the way, and others pop into view.
Lovely, just lovely.

Petrohue with Osorno behind

Approaching Peulla

Peulla

Hotel at Peulla

Valley behind Peulla