Tag Archives: #driving

Luxembourg 2017

Posted by mishafesto on

After our late arrival in Stuttgart, we pretty much went straight to sleep, and were up even bright and earlier Sunday to continue our #EuroHoman vacation road trip! We took the Autobahn, yes there are stretches with no speed limit, but around 170 kph (kilometers) and with luxury cars and Smart cars FLYING by still, Paul turned off and took some amazing side roads. Germany is leading in the renewables department, with fields of solar panels. Nearly every roof, including cow shacks and abandoned barn ruins, has solar. There are also wind turbines everywhere.

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We had to have a family picture, as well as caffeine (this is the first anything-not-Coke Classic I’ve seen in all of Europe) (yes, really).

Luxembourg, although small, was very modern. At least in its buildings. We drove through Luxembourg City, and the entire main road was modern architecture or construction of.

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We walked around the city center, which included the Royal Palace,viewed several ancient bridges, some war memorials, had lunch, bought Diesel Bear a pin, and continued on.

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We drove through a bit of Belgium as we continued north. Saw several signs with familiar names, some of the worst battles of WWII having been fought in the forests.

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After clipping The Netherlands and getting to our nightly destination of Aachen, Germany (the western-most city in Germany), we ventured about 10 miles out of town to the Three Countries Point. Belgium, The Netherlands, and Germany all meet there (like our Four Corners), complete with viewing tower and restaurant. There was a marathon going on, so we didn’t explore much, having already driven through all three countries today.

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Bassano del Grappa 2017

Posted by mishafesto on

Since he is here longterm, and hotels don’t have kitchenettes/microwaves/mini fridges here, Paul is in an Air BnB! It’s pretty sweet! Big bedroom, small bedroom, full bath, balcony, WiFi, super secure entryway and locks. Bassano del Grappo, about an hour north of Venice!

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Old City Center of Bassano Del Grappa was about a 1.5 mile walk from our apartment. The centerpiece is the Alpini Bridge, which you can read all about by clicking on the link! Of course it had to be under restoration while I was there, but I did the best I could with my pictures!

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And yes, that IS a self-serve wine filling station! Available in as big a size as your tiny euro-shopping-basket can carry! It was actually oil and vinegar, I think. But still!

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The Avenue of Martyrs is amazing. Following a battle here, the Nazis promised any surrendering townspeople would be spared. Many parents actually walked their sons to the city center to surrender. But the Nazis had lied and either shot or hanged 30 some young soldiers. They are known as the Martyrs and there are memorials for each along the river bank. Each ‘gum drop tree’ has a plaque and a flower planter strapped to its trunk, with a picture of a martyr. Viale de Martiri…Avenue of Martyrs.

name of the street of the martyrs killed during the Second World War in Bsasano del Grappa a small town near Vicenza in Northern Italy

Along with the river, Bassano sits at the base of Mount Grappa. It’s famous for it’s winding roads, bicyclists come from all over the world to practice on it, especially in the lead up to the Tour de France. It is also famous for it’s paragliding and hang gliding crowd. Paul loves to drive up the road, as much for the paragliding watching as for the winding roads with his manual rental car.

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The mountains around Bassano del Grappa were the scene of many battles, in both WWI and WWII. There are a LOT of remaining trenches and tunnels in the area. All hand dug out of the hard stone. At the very top of the mountain, there is Cima Grappa, one of seventeen Military Cemeteries in Italy. The following pictures are from the website in the link above. Every time I’ve been up there, it’s been foggy, or snowy. Paul has been there several times, you can still walk through the tunnels into the mountain stronghold. You can also read my blog about the Asiago Cemetery here.

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Pisa, Italy 2017

Posted by mishafesto on

We arrived in Pisa, Italy late on a Thursday evening. Our Hostel (a kind of cheap, backpacker’s dorm) was quite literally across the street from the Tower. Our room faced the opposite way, but you could see the Tower from our parking spot!

The Tower complex, inside a large medieval wall, consists of the Tower, a Church, A Baptistery, and some other buildings. The site is open all night and so at nearly midnight, we walked across the street, down a few hundred yards to the archway entry, and into the site. Between the whiteness of the Tower and the floodlights, pictures were great! There were a lot of tourists there, even at midnight, and well-armed soldiers patrolled the area. We took some pics, walked around a bit, and then returned to the Hostel via a side road.

Pisa has a 20,000+ college student population and all the area Squares (courtyards/intersections) were packed with pubs, clubs, and people out on the streets drinking and socializing. The Hostel was really nice (all IKEA stuff ) and at $18/per person, was a great place to crash on a bunk bed and have a hot shower the next morning. Friday morning, we walked around the Tower site a bit more, already packed at 8 am, and then drove off towards the Mediterranean coast to go south to Rome.

Some postcards and history about why the Tower of Pisa leans. You can actually see the curvature of the Tower, as they tried to straighten it in later layers by making one side a little taller. So each layer isn’t quite a perfect disc.

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Giorno de Vacanza 41

Posted by mishafesto on

Sunday morning, we slept in and were generally lazy. We had dinner plans with some coworkers that evening, but what to do in the meantime? Not far from here (Vicenza), is Lake Garda. The biggest lake in Italy. You can read all about it here. As usual, we took the mountain roads there, but it is only about 45 minutes away by highway. So this is mostly pictures of the drive there, then the drive around (one side of) the lake. Paul has been before, and you can easily spend hours driving around the entire lake. Not only because of its size, but because of its popularity. Anyone that has driven down the PCH in California, will know what I’m talking about. Miles of cars, going really slowly, either to gawk or to look for a parking spot. Surfers and swimmers changing and loading up on the side of the road. A million scooters squeezed in anywhere they can park, legal or not. Basically a never-ending row of tourist shops, rental places, and pizza restaurants. On a giant scale. Very much reminded me of Highway 1 in California, which Paul and I have driven many times.

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The rock walls, complete with built-in steps to who knows where, easily date back to WWI times. All hand hewn, hand laid.

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But anyway, the drive up was very switchback-y, and filled with tiny towns where you *literally* step out your front door and onto the road. 😮

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Pretty sure I found Jabba’s Palace, transported from Tattooine! 🤔🤔

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I’ve decided the ever-present dashboard sticker reflection is my new photographic watermark. 📸

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And finally, the lake. ⛵

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We managed to find a parking spot. Notice there are no guard rails or anything. Unlike Americans (I’m looking at you, idiots that drown at Yosemite), Italians seem to know not to act stupid and fall into an obviously open waterway. They don’t see the need to block out natural beauty with a million signs and an electric fence. #Darwinism

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We had to get back for dinner, so after a quick walk around (a small area), we headed down the side of the lake. The traffic would soon come, though. 🚗🚙🛵

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Once we got away from the end of the lake, the water wasn’t quite so choppy (it was a pretty windy day for here) and all of the kite boarders were out in the middle. 🏄‍♂️

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There isn’t a sandy beach in site. Everything is basically aquarium gravel! Tiny rocks, and tiny slivers of land, no real deep beachy areas. But that didn’t stop people from shoe-horning into every available space.

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And of course, what’s a drive through Italy without a Castle on every hill??

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Giorno de Vacanza 33

Posted by mishafesto on

Saturday was warm and sunny. Paul worked til about 1pm, and although I had a little bit of a headache, we had already planned to drive over to Verona and look around. Verona (think Romeo and Juliet) is about a 45 minute drive down the highway, but of course Paul wanted to take the back, mountain roads. So it was a four and a half drive. It was a beautiful drive, full of switchbacks and valley overlooks. Of course, headache + swerving = motion sickness. So I didn’t take as many as photos as I normally do. But you’ll get the idea!

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The drive to Verona was pretty amazing, even with an upset stomach. Every mountain drive here though, is. One small town after another, with a tall church tower, brightly painted houses that are crumbling, cows free-ranging so abundantly that there are street signs warning of cows in the roads everywhere. We stopped a few times, trying to get scenic shots, but the best shots never seem to be where the turnouts are. And when you can get parked…trees. In the way. So, most of my travel shots are out of a moving window.

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As with last weekend’s trip to Asiago and the war memorial, there are remnants of hand-dug trenches and caves pretty much everywhere you look. Every wall you drive past, still bears the tool marks of hand carving. And the occasional poppy. #LestWeForget

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Eventually, we arrived in Verona. As the sun was setting. We had really come here because Paul had heard there was a Coliseum. And there is. The sixth largest one in Italy, or something like that. You can read all about it here.

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The Arena, as it is known, still hosts concerts and operas regularly. It was closed, either for the evening, or to the public in general, while we were there. But some of my pictures through the gates show the props and setup for the current opera.

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We took a quick stroll around the Arena, which sits inside the old city wall. Like most cities around here, the city center is still the actual city center! Inside the fortified, former castle walls, where the medieval bustle would have been.

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By this time, I was getting pretty snippy, having tried to power through day three of a bad headache. It was pushing 8pm and I was hungry and cranky. As we were driving to the Arena, I happened to see a street sign saying “Steak & Shake 2km” and an arrow. Of course that caught my attention, because not only is fast food not a big thing here, but Steak & Shake?!? Of all the places. But I wanted something familiar, and quick, and then to go home to my pillow, so we Googled it And sure enough…

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It was just as slow, and mediocre, and full of screaming brats as the American ones. But it had an actual self-serve soda machine. That is absolutely unheard of here. Even the McDonald’s (which serve beer for Pete sake) don’t have self-serve machines! So I had a Coke, a lumpy chocolate shake, and some really old fries. But my steakburger was great!

Vacation Day 2

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After spending a restless night in Tucumcari, NM (why must hotel A/Cs be so loud 🤔), I was up bright and early and on the road by 8:30. Took a quick spin around the town, as it is on Historic Route 66…but it is definitely past its prime. Not even a cafe! Nothing but dilapidated and abandoned roadside hotels and disintegrating billboards 🙁 So after a McGriddle and OJ, I hit the highway. The real highway.

Running parallel to Interstate 40, but to the south, is Highway 60. It’s actually a very nice route! Two lane, but with a lot of long passing lanes, nice blacktop and zero traffic! I mean, (proper use of) literally no other vehicles for 30 or 40 minutes at a time! It’s 65mph, too, although every little town drops down to 35 😑. But all the neat things are down there! The V.L.A (Very Large Array) of Radio dishes. You can read about it here.

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And Pie Town! A town that literally consists of two pie restaurants and a campground! 😍 It was a small kitchen and three family dining tables. The owners, a couple, were extremely friendly and conversed with all of us as we ate. One couple was hiking a well-known trail, having started at the Mexican border 8 days before. Another couple made a Dorothy joke, but I let it slide because he said he was actually from Ozawkie, a town near Topeka! But he had become a snowbird, fleeing to Arizona, forty years earlier 😂 They serve food as well, and I had a homemade chicken pot pie, before my amazing Pear-Ginger dessert! 🍐🍰 Read all about Pie Town here.

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After a few more fuel stops, I made it to far east Phoenix about 6:30pm (they’re on Pacific time right now). The sun was setting and I couldn’t see where I was going, so I just exited and found the first decent hotel I could. 😂 Paul will fly in tomorrow night, and we’ll have Friday to explore Phoenix, then a friend’s wedding on Saturday!

Vacation Day 1

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Woke up with a headache. At 5:30am. Because of course. So after laying around all morning, I got on with my final, procrastinated chores and actually drove away at 3:30pm. 😞

The drive west was uneventful, and by that I mean boring. It was cloudy, which was nice for driving into the sunset, and the traffic was non-existent! The two lanes nowadays are so much better, both surface and passing-wise, anyway. After a quick stop in Liberal, continued south on 54, through Guymon, OK and Dalhart, TX. Managed to shoot the gap between two thunderstorms around the OK/TX border, but did get a nice lightning show! 🌩

Made it to the near-halfway point of Tucumcari, NM about 10:30 Mountain Time. So a solid 8 hrs on the road. Tomorrow, gonna check out the downtown here…it is on Historic Route 66! Then taking highway 60 across NM and into Arizona. It runs parallel to Interstate 40, just to the south. It also goes through a place called Pie Town, which I saw on a PBS travel show 🍰

Random Fact of the Day: Interstate numbers go up as they go north and east. Also, even numbers run east/west, and odd numbers go north/south. I knew this already, but this link explains it in more depth.

You can read about the Interstate system here.