Cortina de Ampezzo
Cortina de Ampezzo
This trip was all that I hoped it would be. The bicycling was good, scenery fantastic and the food excellent. The roads were better than I had expected and the drivers courteous. Roads were free of litter and glass. We only had one flat on the trip - Scott picked up a tack. The weather was very good for cycling, just 3 days of rain and occasional afternoon cumulous with cloudbursts. There were a number of tunnels, especially in Italy. I carried a taillight, which I switched on for the tunnels and a helmet mounted light that I didn't use.
I had originally planned on taking front panniers. Upon packing, I found they weren't necessary. The rack and empty panniers would have added almost 6 ponds empty. Rear panniers, trunk, and a handlebar bag were adequate. I found the bell mounted on my handlebars very handy. On bike trails we would come up on numerous slow moving riders out for a day ride. Bike paths were usually very good. Some were hard to follow and added mileage and climbing as they wound along the foothills. Some were rough but manageable. The highways usually followed the valleys with less elevation change. I used 26" X 1.25 tires, Scott used 700C X 28. The reduced speed on the bike paths was usually mitigated by the beauty of being able to ride through the farms and forests versus adjacent to them. Marking for the paths varied from very good to poor. At times, I felt we were spending too much time trying to follow paths when the highway was adjacent and straight. Scott had bought bicycle path maps in Germany and we used them extensively in Austria and into Germany along the border. Riding the backcountry in the forest on dirt roads added a sense of adventure in "The Land of Music".
Lodging was reasonable and the inclusive breakfasts were often delicious. We enjoyed a favorable rate of exchange with the strong dollar. I had reservations for the first and last night at Como. When I arrived at Como, I had my hotel make reservations in Aprica. Scott had made reservations in Trento. Other than those days, we found accommodations at the end of each day's ride easily. I had worried that we would have trouble being it was toward the height of tourist season.
I studied basic phrases in German and Italian before the trip. Being language challenged, this didn't help that much. If I knew the word, I would mispronounce it so badly that it was unrecognizable. Once we got away from the major tourists area, we found less people who spoke English. In Austria, there were plenty of English speakers along our route. Even when we had to converse with non-English speakers, we were usually able to exchange information successfully.
My only real disappointment was the quality of the pictures I took. I used my old camera on a trip down the California coast 2 months prior and the pictures came out fairly well. I took the cheap camera because I was afraid of damaging or losing my better camera. When I had the pictures developed upon returning to the U.S, I realized more practice with the camera was necessary.
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