PLACES I'VE BEEN......THAT ARE CALLING ME BACK

THUNERSEE, SWITZERLAND

   When my daughter and Classy Career Girl founder, Anna, asked if I would write a guest post for her website I was honored, and a bit perplexed as to how this vintage traveler could be of interest to young and ambitious Classy Career Girl readers. I started thinking about the many places I've traveled to, and the ones that are still calling me back for a more leisurely vintage visit. Here are the Top Six:

       I visited Trondheim (pop. 170,000), Norway, in 1967, when I was traveling through Europe with friends on $5 a day. Here, I met my grandmother's sister—her only living sibling at that time. She gave me a bracelet that I still cherish. My grandmother, Anna, left Norway for the U.S. in the late 1800s. She never returned and never saw her sister again. This wasn't unusual back in those days. They kept in touch by writing letters. Since my ancestors came from here, I would like to return for a week in the warmth of the summer, exploring the old harbor city with its wooden houses on the River Nidelva, and meeting distant cousins.

ROCKEFELLER CENTER

NEW YORK CITY

      A city that I've been to many times and would return to again in a heartbeat is New York. I can walk for miles along the crowded streets to view a fascinating mix of modern and historic architecture, and 19^th century brownstones, along tree-lined streets. With a population of 8.5 million—37% foreign-born, and dozens of parks, rivers, museums, theaters, skyscrapers, restaurants, there is never a shortage of things to explore. It's hectic and I'm always ready to leave, but there's something special about New York that keeps calling me back.

      

        We visited Greece, about ten years ago in April, a delightful time of year to be there. It was off season, and we could ride the ferries to enjoy the uncrowded islands of Santorini and Mykanos at our leisure. With over 1,200 islands, mountains, and the 11^th longest coastline in the world, this is truly an enchanted region for a long and casual vintage revisit.

CASTELROTTO, ITALY

      Another spot that I have fond memories of is a small town in the Dolomites of northern Italy called Castelrotto—located near the wonderful Alpe Di Siuse which is the largest high altitude alpine meadow in Europe. It offers easy hikes, historic nearby villages, wonderful scenery, wineries, and reasonably priced bus and train passes to explore South Tyrol. Yes, that's an area I would go back to frequently, given a chance.

 Where else?

    

AMALFI, ITALY

WATERCOLORED POSTCARD

  Once we spent a couple of nights in Amalfi on the western coast of Italy, just below Naples. I said at the time, I would like to return to the place we stayed at, with a balcony overlooking the turquoise sea, and then jump a coastal train to the southern tip of Italy. That was about twenty years ago, and it still hasn't happened. However, the watercolored postcards of Amalfi, that I have hanging in my bedroom, will ensure I won't forget about this destination.

VIEW ABOVE GUNTEN, SWITZERLAND 

THUNERSEE

      Finally, I will return to the chalet ($64 per night) perched on a mountain above Gunten, Switzerland, overlooking the Thunersee—a place we recently visited. This I could do every June for the rest of my life and not tire of it. Hopefully, I'll be hiking on the nearby trails, just as the locals do, well into their nineties. Switzerland is known for its high cost, however, we found reasonable grocery, beer and wine prices at the Coop City in Thun. Our lodging included a free bus pass with unlimited travel in the area.

       These are my brief words of travel wisdom for followers of the “Classy Career Girl”—those special women who are working everyday to make their lives better. We can all grow, and frankly life keeps getting better. Most importantly, if you wish to travel, as my father use to say, “Go while you can.

      "Don't pass up any opportunities that come your way—some of them only come once in a lifetime."        -The Vintage Mom

ALPE DI SIUSI

SOUTH TYROL ITALY

CASTELROTTO, ITALY -- SOUTH TYROL

HIKES NEAR CASTELROTTO/KASTELRUTH

It's Sunday evening, May 24^th, and we were about to board the bus in Bolzano for our trip to Castelrotto, Italy (elev. 3,510 ft.), where we have an apartment reserved for the week. It is located in South Tyrol (pop. 511,750), a province in the mountainous northern region of Italy, bordering on Austria to the north and Switzerland to the west. The alps in this region are called the Dolomites which rise to over 9,800 feet and cover 548 square miles. The spectacular gray vertical peaks and sheer cliffs are enhanced by the dense green forests, and narrow-deep valleys below. The dolomite rock is a unique variation of limestone.

CASTELROTTO/KASTELRUTH

We chose Castelrotto for our base because it was known for easy hiking and reasonable prices. Rick Steves Italy book describes Castlerotto as the “ideal home base for exploring Alpe di Siusi, Castelrotto . . .has more village character than any other town I know in the region.” The 50-minute bus ride involved dozens of hairpin turns which the bus driver took at a pretty good clip. I soon learned for future trips that it was more pleasant to sit in the back and enjoy the scenery, forgetting about approaching cars and near misses.

Our small studio at the Villa Tanya was booked seven months ago through booking.com (€420 per week). Once again we were at the mercy of the website for our lodging which provides numerous photos and descriptions; however, there is always that little bit of doubt that it will not be quite what you had hoped for.

It is nestled in the mountains with a lovely mountain view, a patio for my morning coffee, birds that never stopped singing and a short walk to the town center. We were pleased with our choice. The proprietors were friendly and invited us to their home for a visit when we arrived. They showed a genuine interest in us and were extremely helpful in directing us to the easier hikes in the area. We also had fun neighbors from Stuttgart, Germany, whom we had brief conversations with using our limited German and their limited English.

SOUTH TYROL

On our first day, we headed out for a casual downhill walk to the neighboring town of Siusi/Seis. We would have been satisfied walking along the sidewalk and taking the bus back, however, the proprietors advised us to take a more scenic path through the farmlands and meadows. It was uphill to start, but then a gentle downhill walk along a dirt path which we thoroughly enjoyed. It was our first hike in the area. I returned on many late evenings to leisurely walk the beginning of the trail again.

I enjoyed the small town of Castelrotto/Kastelruth (pop. 6,500). Most of the people spoke German. The town was hilly and had a lovely main square called Piazza Kraus with a church and free standing bell tower with bells that ring on the hour. There was a small cemetery next to the church where the locals take great care in watering the plants and keeping the place perfect. There was always some activity here, even during the early morning when the rest of the town was empty. The sparkling gold crosses on the grave sites were impressive. I couldn't help but wonder how they keep them safe. Perhaps a bit of utopia exists here.

SPRING FLOWERS - SOUTH TYROL

We purchased a one-week train, bus, and museum pass (€34) for the entire South Tyrol area. It was great value and provided unlimited access to hundreds of miles in the region. Each day we picked out a place to visit or hike. We took day trips to the world famous ski resort of Cortina in the Venteto region of Italy, and to the South Tyroleon Wine Road for tastings and sightseeing. We also rode the bus to Brixen with its medieval old town and Val Gardena, famous for woodcarving and skiing. It was also convenient to visit nearby Siusi/Seis for hiking and the cable car to Europe's largest high-alpine meadow, Alpe di Siusi (elev. 6,500 ft.). On our day of departure, we used the bus/train pass to get all of the way to Brenner, on the Austrian border. Here, we purchased a ticket (€8) to Innsbruck where we spent the next three nights.

Hopefully, we can return to South Tyrol again someday. I would probably chose to base in Castelrotto again, however, Ron might prefer a larger city like Bolzano. I guess I'm realizing that a small town in the mountains, where I can walk out the door and enjoy a mountain hike, is very much to my liking.  I was glad we had another week ahead of us in Gunten, a small town in the Swiss Alps.
                     

Related posts:  Vintage Walks--Lake Bled & Lake Bohinj, Slovenia

                             Bridges of Ljubljana
                             Anticipating a Month in Europe

                      Hay Baths in the Dolomites, Northern Italy

COVERED BRIDGE - CASTELROTTO

CASTELROTTO PIAZZA

CASTELROTTO

HIKING TRAILS SOUTH TYROL

ANTICIPATING A MONTH IN EUROPE

Studies indicate that people like to plan their vacations as much as they like to take them. I'm not so sure that's true for everyone, but I am one of those people that likes to plan. In fact, I'm probably guilty of overplanning, and I have a great time doing it. Years ago we traveled to Europe with no reservations, a Eurail pass, and one guidebook; we bounced from city to city. However, this vintage traveler now seems to need a plan that includes reservations and leisurely stops for a week or longer.

Six months ago I secured free flights using our United Mileage Plus points. We fly into Ljubljana, Slovenia, and depart from Zürich, Switzerland. The apartments and hotels were reserved through booking.com, except for one. I like to use booking.com because the reservations are cancelable, and I'm familiar with their website which also means that I am less likely to make a mistake. Ron likes the flexibility of hopping on and off trains as he pleases, so we purchased ($424) the five-day Switzerland/Austria Eurail pass when they were offering an extra day for free.

PAINTED BEE HOUSES
SLOVENIA

Now everyone is asking, why Slovenia? I've had it on my radar ever sense I heard Patricia Schultz say that it was one of her favorite places. That's saying a lot when you are the author of the bestselling book 1,000 Places to Go Before You Die. It has alps, mountain lakes, caves, castles, painted bee houses, and the old capital city of Ljubljana—sounds enticing to me. Our base is Ljubljana for the first week followed by three nights in Piran on the Adriatic Sea. Our guidebook will be Rick Steve's 2014 Croatia & Slovenia.

HAY BATHS - FIEALLO SCILLAR

From here, we are planning to take a ferry across the Adriatic Sea to Venice, then transfer to a train, and head to the Dolomites in Northern Italy. We have a reservation for one week at an apartment with a mountain view in Castelrotto, Italy. We are anticipating leisurely walks through the alpine meadows with views of the jagged gray spires of the Dolomites. Many years ago we passed through this area, and have always wanted to return. There are many small villages to explore, and I'm anxious to find out about traditional hay baths in nearby Fieallo Scillar. Fortunately, we will also be there during the annual Oswald-on-Wolkenstein Riding Tournament, a three-day celebration and parade.

When we leave this area, we're heading north to Interlaken for two nights before traveling by train to Gunten, Switzerland. Gunten is a small village on Lake Thun with two restaurants, one bakery and a fancy hotel. We have a ground floor apartment on a hillside overlooking the lake—rented through Airbnb. It looks lovely, but it may be a bit isolated for us. There is a free bus to the town of Thun (pop. 43,763), six miles away. In addition to the nearby mountain hikes, I'm looking forward to gentle walks along the lake with the Bernese Alps in the distance. I was pleased to discover that the Way of St. James, a pilgrimage route to the grave of St. James in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, actually transverses Switzerland where it is called Via Jacobi. It happens to pass right by our apartment in Gunten. Perhaps, I will finally get my chance to be a pilgrim for a day.

Our final three nights will be in Constance (Konstanz), Germany, located on the scenic Lake Constance (Bodensee), the third largest lake in central Europe. It also borders Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. In 2012 we stayed at in Wasserburg, which is at the opposite end of the lake and a much smaller town. (See April 27, 2012 post.) The university city of Constance (Konstanz), with a population of 80,000, is the largest city on the lake. It has colorful painted frescoes adorning the buildings that date back to the tenth century. Just a short ferry boat ride away are the spectacular gardens of Mainau Island that I will try not to miss this time. Another benefit of staying here is the direct train service to the Zürich Airport for our return to the US.

I expect we will be tired and ready to come home as usual. However, all of this anticipation makes me wonder if I could ever be ready to head back.

SWITZERLAND

PAINTED BUILDINGS - LAKE KONSTANZ