Italy Day Five - On To Bolzano

 (A multi-part recap of my mid-April to early May Italy trip.)

All good things must eventually come to an end.  I'd enjoyed a grand four days exploring the unique city of Venice.  However, on day five of my Italy trip (and second full day of the tour) my friends and I packed our bags and bid this city a fond farewell.  

All smiles leaving Venice on a water taxi

Although the staff at our Venice hotel had been wonderful, both Kim and I agreed we wouldn't miss the place itself.  Besides the mosquito issue, (which we'd unfortunately discovered on our first night after leaving the windows open) the beds in our room were rock hard, and the bathroom old and outdated.  Our shower was so pathetic it only sprayed water out of two holes in the shower head, forcing Kim and I to spend an inordinate amount of time trying to rinse our hair under it's meager stream,  (It didn't help that Debbie's room had a recently renovated WC.)

A girl and her cow

But today it was time to see more of Italy.  Suitcases in hand, our group followed the main guide (MG) through Venice's narrow city alleyways back to the Grand Canal.  There three water taxis were waiting to transport everyone back across the lagoon to our waiting bus.

One last look at the Venice canals

Many Venetians own beautiful wooden motorboats that are used as private taxis to ferry people around the city.  Three of these very boats were waiting for our group.  After everyone was loaded into one of the boats, we took off for one last ride along the Grand Canal.

Boats heading upriver on the Grand Canal

Although most everyone in our taxi chose to sit inside the enclosed cabin, Kim, Rashi and I perched ourselves outside on the back of the boat.  Kim and Rashi wished to experience the city's canals a final time, and I of course wanted to take pictures.

Worn buildings reflect on the boat hull

It was another beautiful, blue-sky morning.  As our boat slowly motored through the water, I took one last gander at all the ancient, shabby buildings sitting at water level.  During my stay I'd so enjoyed capturing all this interesting urban landscape.  A city unlike anywhere else in the world, I was really gonna miss it.

We passed under many bridges

Being the nerdy civil engineers we are, Kim and I oohed and aahed every time we passed under a bridge.  Naturally, we managed to get a few selfies with bridges in the background.

It looked like a bridge intersection

Every day I'd spent here in Venice, I visited a different part of the town.  Today was no exception.  Our boat went down new canals and under bridges I'd not noticed before (at least from canal level.)  I think I could've stayed here an entire week and not seen everything.  (That just means I need to return again someday.)

Boat cabin interior

It was really nice to be outside in the fresh air.  I felt sorry for our tour-mates crammed inside the boat cabin.

Industrial area of Venice

After passing under a very long, very high pedestrian bridge, our boat took us past the industrial part of Venice.  Large cranes, containers, and every type of watercraft were lined up at these docks.  This was where a lot of the freight came into town, before it was broken into smaller loads to be delivered by the local boats.

On the bus - Andiamo!

After straightlining across the lagoon, our boats arrived at a dock on the opposite shore.  Luggage in hand, our tour group then followed our MG to a waiting bus.  We were introduced to our driver, who went by the nickname "Pino."  Suitcases loaded into the bay below, passengers loaded into the seats above, it was time to head to our day's destination - the Italian Dolomites and the city of Bolzano.  Our MG cried "andiamo" (Italian for "let's go!") and we were off.

Lotti is buckled in - with her cookies

And so away we went, zipping along the flat plains surrounding Venice.  As our bus traveled north, the topography began to transition into rolling hills, and then outright mountains.

Stunning scenery as we approach the Dolomites

Mountains tower over a small village

The green, tree-covered mountains were quite stunning.  Tiny villages nestled in the valleys below.  Although I'd vowed not to try to take photos from our moving bus (from previous tours I knew most of them didn't turn out) the scenery was so pretty I couldn't help myself.

More steep peaks

The scenery was definitely not boring!

Our trip to Bolzano took most of the morning.  Luckily, our bus made two stops for restroom breaks.  The first was at an Italian truck stop called the "Autogrill."  (Ubiquitous across Italy, we'd get very familiar with these places by the end of our tour.)  The second was at our first official Italian rest area.  It was clean and spacious, a bit better than the American version (in my opinion.)

At a rest area

As we motored along, our MG got on the microphone to give us a bit of Italian history and information about the town and area we were about to visit.  Compared to other guides we'd had on previous tours from this company, this guide wasn't near as interesting.  Our MG seemed to like to hear the sound of their voice and talked way longer than I was willing to listen.

Bolzano main plaza, Piazza Walther

However, our MG did inform us that Bolzano, and the surrounding area of mountainous northern Italy (the Dolomites) was until recent history, part of the Austrian empire.  Called the South Tyrol, because of its proximity to Austria and Germany, this area has retained much of the Bavarian food, language, and customs.  German is spoken here nearly as much as Italian.  Much of the food is German-themed:  bratwurst, spaetzles, dumplings, pretzels, apple strudel, and of course beer.  Known as the gateway to the Dolomites, this town has a distinct alpine feel.

Green mountains frame the city

As our bus pulled into Bolzano proper I noticed the difference right away.  It did remind me more of a Swiss or German town than an Italian one.  The architecture was definitely more Bavarian in nature.

Statue of Walther von der Vogelweide, a famous 12th century poet

Our bus stopped beside a large public plaza with a prominent white statue in its center.  We learned this was called Walther Square, after Walther von der Vogelweide, a well-known12th century poet that lived in the area.  The statue in the piazza commemorated this famous man.  Our MG pointed out a large, pink building to the left of the plaza and identified it as our hotel for the next two nights.

Lots of bike riders here 

We all piled out of the bus and unloaded the suitcases from the undercarriage compartment.  Then, luggage in tow, we followed our guides across Plaza Walther to our pink hotel building.  It was just past noon, so our MG wasn't sure if our tour's rooms would be ready yet.  It turned out that almost everyone's rooms were ready - except for Kim and I's.  (Strike two for hotels on this trip!)  Although we could've left our suitcases with the front desk, Debbie generously offered to store them in her room for the time being.

Pretty flowers in the Piazza Walther

Our tour now had a couple hours of free time to explore the town and get lunch.  I had a hankering to photograph the area around Plaza Walther, so my friends and I headed over there first.  It was such a pretty place - huge planters full of colorful blooms, tables and chairs for adjacent restaurants lined three sides, and there was a lovely view of the nearly vertical green mountains surrounding the town.  Across the main street, a beautiful cathedral rose above the plaza.

How do the owners access that house?

Just me, Lotti and Walther

The red mannequin on a nearby balcony intrigued us

Bolzano street scene

Then, after my photograph itch was satisfied, Kim, Debbie and I headed out to find a bit of lunch.  We also invited our new friend Rashi, who was traveling by herself, to join our merry group.

Time for lunch!

Bolzano was a cute town.  Tidy, colorful buildings lined the streets.  Flowers bloomed in large planters and hanging baskets.  The roadways were paved with cobblestones and many were pedestrian only.  However, this restriction didn't include bicycles.  Right away we noticed there were plenty of two-wheeled travelers.  Most of the bikers sped through the crowds, weaving around pedestrians, which was quite unsettling.  After four days roaming the wheel-free streets of Venice, I wasn't mentally prepared to dodge traffic again.

Gotta have beer and pretzels

Sidewalk cafes lined the cobblestone lanes.  My friends and I walked along, checking out posted menus as we went.  At first, it was a bit of a struggle to find a place to eat that we all agreed upon.  But then everyone got famished enough that we randomly chose a nearby restaurant, and were promptly seated.

Lotti is feeling right at home

Bring out the beer!  Everyone ordered a glass of the local brew, and Kim included a couple of pretzels.  (You can't drink beer in Bavaria without a pretzel!)  Lotti, my Swiss cow, was enjoying the alpine atmosphere - made her feel right at home.

Cheers - or Salute - or Prost!

My friends all ordered flatbread pizzas - sort of a mix between and Italian and German style of the dish.  Not me - I wanted something more regional and opted for a plate of beef goulash accompanied by some Bolzano dumplings, called either canederli (in Italian) or Knödel (in German.)  Both the dumplings and the goulash chunks were quite tasty.

I tried the beef goulash with dumplings

After stuffing ourselves with our meals, my friends and I finally waddled away from the restaurant.  Having a bit more time, we explored the nearby gift shops, where Lotti found a new bovine friend.

Lotti found a friend!

Back to the hotel, Kim and I were happy to find our room was finally ready.  After fetching our luggage from Debbie's room we had just enough time to settle ourselves inside before we needed to rejoin the tour group for our afternoon activity.

Lots of sidewalk cafes here

Our tour had scheduled an afternoon visit to the nearby South Tyrol Museum of Archeology.  The main exhibit and focus of this museum was the mummified body of an ancient hunter found in the nearby Dolomite mountains. 

Walking through the town market

Off our group went, weaving through the bicycle and pedestrian traffic of Bolzano.  It was market day, and we passed several blocks of vendor booths set up in the street, selling all sorts of enticing products. There were many flower booths, fruit and vegetable stands, but my favorite were the ones selling all sorts of colorful dry pastas.  I wished there had been time to stop and explore, but our group had a schedule to keep.  We had a date to meet the area's most famous resident - Ötzi the Iceman.

Lots of colorful things to buy

The discovery and resulting analysis of this ancient hunter is quite the story.  In 1991, two German tourists hiking in the Dolomites discovered a body frozen in glacier ice.  Thinking it was a recently deceased hiker, they called the local authorities.  The body was recovered and sent to Innsbruck, Austria (the nearest city) for inspection by a medical examiner.  In a stroke of luck, an archaeologist happened to be on site and determined the remains were not from a modern human, but of someone who had lived over 5,000 years ago.  Tissue samples from the corpse and tools found with the body confirmed this finding.

Outside the South Tyrol Museum of Archeology

Since the glacier ice had quickly encased and preserved the Iceman's body, Ötzi was extensively studied.  Researchers were able to determine how the man died.  From an arrowhead embedded in his left shoulder, as well as various other wounds on his body, it is believed Ötzi was killed by another person.  Analysis of his stomach contents provided insight to what this prehistoric man ate for his last meal.  Pollen on the grains in his stomach were used to determine where he lived.  Some of the Iceman's clothing was also preserved in the ice, which provided clues to his lifestyle.  And since most of Ötzi's skin was intact, scientists counted 61 tattoos on his body.  I was fascinated that so much information could be obtained from this ancient iceman's frozen corpse.

Model of what scientist think Ötzi the Iceman looked like

Through many interactive exhibits, the museum explained in detail the discovery, investigation, and findings from Ötzi's mummified body.  After winding through the various displays, visitors were directed into a tiny, dark room to view the actual body of the Iceman (which was kind of creepy.)

Ötzi's story was very interesting, but after an hour of wandering through the museum, we'd seen everything there was to see.  My friends and I were ready to move on - so that's what we did.

Evening in Piazza Walther

Kim and I went back to our hotel room, and were disappointed to discover our air conditioning wasn't working.  As a matter of fact, it didn't appear we had AC in our room at all.  We compared notes with Debbie, who said not only did she have AC, but it was working great.  (Why did she always get the good rooms?)  I suggested opening our windows, but after the Venice mosquito debacle, Kim wasn't in favor of that.  In the end, after calling the front desk to complain, our hotel merely sent us up a large fan. 

Backside of the statue

Having a bit of time to kill before our evening's group dinner, I made a second trip out to Piazza Walther.  The place looked even better in the late afternoon light and there may have been more images recorded on my camera's memory card.

Bolzano Cathedral

Across the street from the plaza was a stunning church.  Dating back to the 14th century, the Assumption of Our Lady Cathedral was a Bolzano landmark.  The main Catholic church in town, it had a beautiful bell tower and unique roof covered with colorful tiles in a diamond pattern.  I had intended to visit the inside of this cathedral during our stay in Bolzano, but Kim and I were so busy we didn't get around to it.

The Cathedral roof tiles were beautiful

Walther looking down on me

Soon it was time to leave the Cathedral and Walther behind and join our fellow tour-mates for our first official group dinner.  Our MG enthusiastically explained we'd be dining in one of Bolzano's favorite local beer halls.

Walking to dinner (notice the bike?)

So off our group went, through the narrow city streets, dodging more cyclists.  After a long walk we ended up at the beer hall.  The initial plan was to sit at the restaurant's outdoor patio.  But the sky was threatening rain, so we got moved inside into a tiny, semi-private room.  

Dinner in a local beer hall

My friends and I ended up at the largest table, with nine people crammed around it.  It was a bit crowded and I found myself elbow to elbow with my adjacent seatmates.  To pass the time I made small talk with the tour-mate seated next to me, a lady that lived on the Oregon coast part-time (we had a total of six other Oregonians on our tour!)

Although the beer was brought out rather quickly, the rest of the food lagged quite a bit.  A half hour after our beer was delivered, we all got a first course of onion soup (which I didn't eat because onions and I don't get along.)  After the soup, we probably waited at least an hour more for the main course to be served.  With 27 people crammed into this small room, I became uncomfortably hot.  I was far away from a window - and the people sitting next to the nearest windows got cold and closed them.  Ugh - I was dying!  And my throat, which had been bothering me a bit for the past couple of days, suddenly became very sore.  

Enjoying the local brew

Finally the wait staff brought out our main course - a huge platter full of all sorts of meat.  There were sausages, turkey legs, and pork ribs.  To top it off, the platter also included several Knödel dumplings and a huge mound of french fries.  This tower of meaty goodness was supposed to be shared amongst the nine people gathered around our table.  Starving by now, we all dug in.  It was a bit awkward (and kind of unsanitary) to have everyone grabbing food off the same platter.  And the meal was a disappointment.  The meats were all dry and the dumplings weren't anywhere near as good as the ones I'd had for lunch today.

Waiting for our food....and waiting

After the meaty mess was cleared away, our MG told us dessert was next - German style apple strudel.  We waited, and waited, and waited....but nothing came.  By then we'd been at the restaurant for over three hours.  I was extremely hot and uncomfortable and not feeling well at all.  Kim, whose dietary restrictions included apples, decided she wasn't waiting around for a dessert she couldn't eat, and got up to leave.  More than ready to leave this sauna-like room, I immediately followed, as did Debbie.  As we exited the restaurant, thunder rumbled and lightning lit up the sky.  It started to rain, so we three ladies hustled back through the streets of Bolzano, getting lost once and having to consult Google maps to get ourselves back to the hotel.

Our meal was very "meaty"

Back at our stuffy room, I came to the sad realization that I had a cold.  I'd felt a little throat congestion on our last day in Venice but chalked it up to allergies.  But tonight I wasn't feeling great at all, and now knew it wasn't allergies.  Kim shook her head and commented this tour was starting out just like our Switzerland trip.  Then she donned a mask in hopes of avoiding my plague.  After downing a bit of cold medicine, I turned the fan to blow onto our beds and settled down to get some rest.  

Would this illness doom my second day in the Dolomites?  In my next post, our tour would have a full day to explore this iconic Italian mountain range.  Come back and see what happens next.