Prior to hooking up with the bike group at the Milano airport, Ken Kirk and I spent three days in Stresa on Lago Maggiore. (See map.)
Day 1 photos include scenes from the plane window as we flew from Frankfurt to Milano over the Alps, scenes around Stresa, and a boat ride to Isola Bella, one of the Borromean islands near Stresa in Lago Maggiore.
Weather was hot and very hazy during our stay in Stresa.
Round trip ferry boat ride to Locarno, Switzerland, at the northern end of Lago Magiorre.
Funivia (cable car) ride to top of Mottarone overlooking Lago Maggiore and the Borromean Islands. Stop at Alpine Gardens on way back down.
Meet up with Peter, the tour leader, and other members of the bike group at the Milano airport. Bus from airport to our first hotel. Get acquainted with each other and our bikes.
Hotel Certosa 2, Villanova di Giussago
Dinner at hotel; "Raw ham and melon, home-made ravioli in tomato sauce, taste of our pizza, escalope of veal in white wine, mixed salad, mixed boiled vegetables, strawberries with ice cream"
Mileage: 1 (bike fitting, test ride)
Morning lecture on safety and IBT biking rules. Ride to Pavia and back. Simonetta leads guided tour of Pavia: Visconti Castle, University of Pavia, and Ponte Coperto, a covered bridge over the Ticino River.
Hotel Certosa 2, Villanova di Giussago
Dinner at hotel; "Caprese (tomato and Mozzarella), risotto with mushrooms, taste of our pizza, mixed fried fish, mixed salad, assorted vegetables, home-made cake"
Mileage: 11.8
Morning: Short bike ride to Certosa di Pavia. Guided tour of the Certosa.
Bike ride to Vigevano (vee-JEH-vah-noh). Pass by lots of rice fields. Cross Ticino River on floating bridge. Peter leads us on walk around Vigevano.
Hotel Europa, Vigevano
Dinner at nearby restaurant
Mileage: 33.7
In the morning, Simonetta leads guided tour of Vigevano: Castello Visconteo Sforzesco, Piazza Ducale, and the Duomo. Ride from Vigevano to Fumo. Cross Po River to south side. Rice fields replaced by fields of corn, sugar beets, soy, oats, tomatoes, and potatoes. A few small vineyards and orchards as we approach Fumo. Accordian performance and singing after dinner.
Albergo (Hotel) da Angelo, Fumo
Dinner at hotel
Mileage: 39.4
Morning lecture on agriculture (rice, wine, cheese) of Lombardy region. Ride from Fumo to Piacenza, mostly on levees along the Po River. A national holiday in Italy.
Hotel Milano, Piacenza
Dinner at hotel
Mileage: 41.5
Bianca Maria leads field trip to Piacenza center. Ride from Piacenza to Cremona. Ride along big canal.
Hotel Astoria, Cremona
Dinner at Ristorante Duomo: Huge antipasto buffet
Mileage: 28.2
Lecture and walking field trip to town center. Lecture on violin making. Visit Stradivari Museum. Museum curator plays a 1715 Stradivari for us.
Hotel Astoria, Cremona
Dinner at Ristorante Martinelli (in the Palazzo Catteneo Ala Ponzone): Giant T-bone steak served on a very hot stone.
Mileage: 0
Bus ride from Cremona, Italy, to Krimml, Austria. We do not cross the Alps at Gerlos Pass as the tour description states, but take a route through Lienz, then cross through a 5-km long tunnel at Matreier Tauernhaus. From there we descend to Mittersill, then climb slightly to Krimml. Before dinner, Peter leads us on a stroll around Krimml backroads.
Hotel: Gasthof zur Post, Krimml
Dinner at hotel: pancake soup, salad bar, veal, strudel
Mileage: 0
Morning: Taxi ride to near top of the Krimml waterfall; hike down.
Ride from Krimml to Niedernsill, through region known as the Pinzgau. Beautiful valley meadows and hillside farms. Occasional glimpses of Alps in distance. After dinner, lecture on Hohe Tauern National Park.
Hotel: Landgasthof Kehlbachwirt, Niedernsill
Dinner at hotel: cream soup, salad bar, sole with potatoes, ice cream.
Mileage: 31.0
Morning bike ride to Kaprun. Hike through gorge, Sigmun Thun Klamm. Hydroelectric power lecture at Tauern Kraftwerke.
Ride from Niedernsill to Leogang. Stop in Zell am Zee for lunch. Beautiful scenery. Cold with occasional rain, sleet, wind.
Hotel St. Leonhard, Leogang
Dinner at hotel
Mileage: 31.8
Ride from Leogang to Lofer. More gorgeous scenery, along with cold and occasional wind, rain, sleet. We make a long uphill climb (from 750 m to 1000 m elevation), disheartened to see water rushing down as we bike up! Another few hundred meters of elevation and we would have been in fresh snow. From our 1000-m peak, it is a net downhill run to Lofer, although many short uphills remain. Beautiful mountains on either side. High, narrow, marshy valley. No hillside farms, just dense forests. Large part of bike trail is through woods.
Hotel Post/Brau, Lofer
Dinner at hotel: soup, salad bar, wienerschnitzel, palatschinken
Mileage: 25.5
Ride from Lofer to Salzburg. Cross into Germany. Lunch in Bad Reichenhaller. Tour Alte Saline. Cross back into Austria. Mostly downhill, through woods.
Hotel zum Hirschen, Salzburg
Dinner at hotel: red lentil soup, vegetable strudel, marzipan parfait
Mileage: 34.3
Morning lecture on Mozart by Brigit, who then leads tour of Salzburg. Afternoon free.
Click here for a large panorama view of Salzburg (3957x1312 pixels, 616 KB)
Hotel zum Hirschen, Salzburg
Dinner at hotel: clear soup with small dumplings, fish or beef (with applesauce/horseradish)
Mileage: 0
Morning walk to Salzburg Zentrum, then catch plane to Frankfurt, overnight there, then plane to Miami, Florida and rental car to home in Satellite Beach.
Hotel: Mercure Frankfurt Airport Hotel
Dinner at nearby Hessan restaurant, Bembelsche: liver dumpling soup, gypsy-style breaded pork cutlet, pear soufflé dessert.
Mileage: 0
to Wayne Matchett (wmatchett@cfl.rr.com).
Posted 20 June, 2005