Pre-Log

This was a great week. Oma came to visit on Wednesday so Logan and Doreen were excited, but the highlight of the week was Chad’s travel to Italy to meet Jay. So, this week’s blog is going to be done a little differently. Not only do we have a guest contributor, but we are going to do it in two parts - Italy and Germany since Jay will also be traveling to Berlin to hang with the McNeills. This week we will cover all of Jay and Chad’s Italian adventure leading into next week’s Berlin part #2.

Part #1 - Ortisei

Day - 1

On Thursday both Chad and Jay traveled to Venice to meet up. Jay came from a week in Rome and Chad from Berlin. We met at the Airport in Venice and hopped in the rental and drove to Sirmione; a little town on the southern shore of Lake Garda, the largest lake in Italy. There was a nice castle and village that we wanted to see so it was the perfect first stop.

Built in 1277, *Rocca Scaligera di Sirmione* is a beautiful fortress on the southern end of the lake. It was stronghold during the Scaliger era and was a defence point that housed prisoners during the battles of the era. It’s surrounded on all sides by Lake Garda and used to have access at three points via drawbridge and boat. Today there is only one entrance on the North side, an interior dock was built shortly after 1279. The interior dock was once a place of refuge of the Scaligera fleet and they maintain it to this day in remembrance.

While we were there we saw a team of 8-10 restoration specialists working on the dock and the castle itself. It’s an awesome structure. After the castle we decided to walk around Sirmione, take break for lunch, and enjoy the village on the peninsula.

Once we had our fill of pizza and beautiful walking streets, it was off to see an old monastery in the hills. Santuario Basilica Madonna della Corona was inaugurated in 1530 after a visit from bishop Gian Matteo Giberti. It became a sanctuary in 1625 when the Knights of Malta rebuilt the church, which was then completed in 1680. At the beginning the sanctuary was known as *Santa Maria di Montebaldo*. In 1898 they decided to extend it by about two meters towards the front square; thus the Gothic style facade decorated with Sant’Ambrogio marbles. In 1928 some alterations were made to the main altar in the niche of the Madonna. In 1975 work began on the renovation of the church resulting in a sanctuary that is 30m long and 20m wide with an 18m high dome. On Aril 17, 1988, Pope John Paul II visited the sanctuary and elevated it to the dignity of minor basilica. Today this church sits high in the alps, carved into the mountain and open to pilgrims of all kinds.

The church was amazing, but the better story is how we got there. We both shared an Evernote Notebook in our planning. The church was Chad’s idea and convinced Jay to add it to the list. That went something like this; “man, this is a totally out of the way place that few people see; we have to do it.” Obviously Jay was on board after that. Having done no further planning, other than the address, we arrived at the location and parked according to the sign. After a brief walk to a set of stone stairs we encountered a sign that said 1.5KM with an arrow up. We both kind of shrugged off the distance/elevation warning - wrong decision. As we begin hiking we got an early taste of what our hike had in store over the next 60min. We were sweating, dressed in the wrong clothes and wrong footwear. The path was straight up with makeshift steps on much of it which felt like you were putting knee to chest (at least for Chad, maybe not super tall Jayski). Jeans were a poor choice as well since they provided little flex. The only saving grace was that we were going to get to see a monastery and view that very few people get to see due to this kind of access. We mused several times about how they made these steps and got all the tools and stone up the mountain to assemble such a beautiful place of worship. As we got about 100m away we thought we heard a car - no, impossible, we chalked it up to exhaustion and pigheadedness. After all we had just hiked 1.5k nearly straight up. About 10min upon arriving and catching out breath, Jay pointed out that there was no way some of these people could have done that hike. Some were overweight and some were simply too old. Suddenly it became painfully obvious that there had to be a road to drive because we saw a parking lot full of cars. Sure enough there was a road. We had just unnecessarily hiked for an hour, straight up hill, in the wrong clothes, dripping sweat with Chad carrying at least 10KG [20lb] of unnecessary things such as iPad, laptop, etc. We had a good laugh and then carried on to the Dolomites. With only one wrong direction turn onto the Autobahn and the subsequent 30 mile round trip accidental detour, two hours later we were in the mountains.

The town in the Dolomites we stayed in is called Ortisei [Urtijëi]. It’s one of three small towns that make up the Val Gardena area in the middle of the Dolomites; an Italian range of the Alps. Although Ortisei has been around for a very long time, the town really started to be discovered by outsiders around 1860 when a major road was carved through the region. Today the area is best known for its woodcarving, hiking, and skiing. The town is beautiful and quaint, with a walking-only street weaving through cafes, restaurants, hotels and outdoor sports gear stores. Although there are a lot of modern aspects to it the old world culture is still relevant.

Day - 2

Jay did some great research and discovered a beautiful area for us to go hiking - Alpe Di Siusi Seiser Alm, the highest alpine meadow in Europe. The altitude in the meadow ranges between 1680-2350m [5,511-7,709 ft] and is 52 km² [32 miles²]. The entire area is filled with ski lifts and chalets. There are a few roads connecting one chalet to the next and you can see how in just a few months this place will transform into a winter wonderland.

We set out to hike to the South ridge which took us down into the meadow. About 1/4 of the way into the hike we made a wrong turn (it’s where we took pictures on the giant bench). We ended up going down into the bottom of the meadow’s elevation (passing an angry stray cow) and realized our mistake pretty quick once we were at the bottom. So, like the day before, we hiked straight up hill directly under the ski lift - about 1,400 feet straight up according to Jay’s watch. Once we were finally back up and on the path we proceeded to the lookout point. We should’ve known better; in Europe the hiking trails are as well kept as roads and if you are on what seems to be a mud path then you are likely going the wrong way. With our daily 1 hour detour out of the way, we headed down the correct path. The views were awe inspiring and the weather couldn’t have been better.

A little way down the road we reached our destination, a look out point down into the valley. We stopped for some meat and cheese we procured in town and took in the sights. Having 4 cameras between us, we also took the time to take some shots of the scenery.

On the way back we didn’t get lost and managed to see the path we were previously supposed to take, which was also gorgeous. A winter return for skiing is a definite possibility.

After a long day, we took a break and then eventually ventured out for dinner at a wonderful Italian sandwich and wine bar in town. They had delicious sandwiches and beef tartar that just complemented the day perfectly.

Day - 3

With then first wonderful hiking day behind us, we filled it up again. This time we were on the road shortly after 7:30 with a mind to summit one of the majestic peaks in the distance. Jay drove us down one of Italy’s most famous highways (The Great Dolomite Road, SS48) in the Dolomites. We saw countless sports cars racing by as they reversed the narrow switchbacks - our VW Golf just couldn’t keep up.

We finally got to our destination; Passo Pordoi, a small village with Sass Pordoi - a gondola that would take us to our starting point and the upper base of the mountain. Piz Boe, is the highest mountain of the Sella group in the Dolomites - it’s 3,152 m [10,341 ft]. In order to get to the summit you need to hike down and then back up to the peak. You also need to be comfortable with cables and petons along very narrow ledges.

In keeping with the theme of the weekend, we went the wrong direction shortly after beginning, costing us about an hour and proving to be the much harder route to the summit.

Unfortunately the morning light had not yet broken into the high valley and we didn’t see the switchbacks at one of the checkpoints. Not wanting to have a repeat of the day before, we stayed on course. As it turned out it was the hard, steep way, with sheer drops throughout. By the time we finally made it to the top we were 2 of the first half dozen or so to have summited for the day and we immediately looked for another way down. Once we found there was a better way down, we took a moment to take some photos, eat more local meats and cheeses, and take in the gorgeous views - they were spectacular. Jay was even able to use Google maps to pinpoint other Italian and Austrian mountain ranges in the distance - we’re pretty sure we saw the range The McNeill’s hiked with the Benedict’s in Innsbruck back in July.

After our snack and viewing, we set a path for the gondola and back down the mountain. The other (originally planned) route was easier and more enjoyable. We got down just in time to greet many other tourists getting after it. It was a great hike and wonderful experience.

Day - 4

At 5am the cell phones buzzed us awake for an early morning departure from Ortisei. Our destination for Day 4 was Venice, where our afternoon flight would later carry us to Berlin. Knowing we only had a few hours to explore Venice, an early rise was necessary for the 3 hour drive from Ortisei.

As the 10 cups of coffee shared between us flowed through sore and tired bodies, we drove and listened to great music from playlists curated just for the trip. Deviating from the theme of the trip thus far (wrong turns galore) the drive to Venice was a breeze.

Arriving and parking at the outskirts of Venice around 9am, we jumped on a water taxi to take us to Piazza San Marco, home of the iconic Basilica San Marco. The water taxi took us the length of the Venice Canal, allowing for a nice overall impression of the city from the water.

Piazza San Marco and the Basilica are beautiful. They are also incredibly crowded. Basilica San Marco is the most famous church in Venice and one of the best examples of Italo-Byzantine architecture in the city. With a history starting in 1094, the building is a conglomeration of architectural styles, artwork and statues collected through the centuries of political and cultural change in Venice.

Quickly deciding the crowds were too much to handle, we decided to wander (with the help of Apple maps) for the three hours we had to explore through the always winding and dead-ending streets of Venice. With Chad at the helm, we saw countless beautiful canals, gondolas, beautiful wooden boats and lost tourists. In three hours (with a stop for lunch) we managed to see, photograph and absorb much of what Venice has to offer.

Leaving Venice was sad, but we were excited to get to Berlin to see Logan, Doreen and Maya. While one part of the adventure was over, another was just beginning.

Until Next Time,

The Mcneill/ Ratchfords