Don’t let on but… Shawn turns 50 on August 19th this year. As a slightly early “gift”, John took her on a “Surprise” trip this summer – of course, he got to go along too!
The hints began to drop this past winter – Shawn would be going on a “special trip” for her birthday. John let on to the dates pretty early so that work arrangements could be made. The trip would be timed so that both kids would be at North Woods Camp. Initial vacation plans were approved by employers and things looked good.
In the spring, John let on that “bicycling” would be involved. This meant Shawn would be a little more motivated to get out and do some riding and have those legs in great shape for the trip!
Sixty days before the trip, the detailed hints began. They were added daily to Shawn’s Facebook page. She and her friends had a good time speculating about possible hidden meanings and potential locations. By thirty days before the trip, the destination countries of Slovenia, Austria, and Italy were revealed and the detailed itinerary began to be posted. As the trip drew nearer, more and more facts and details were revealed and the anticipation grew.
When July 13 finally rolled around, the trip was on! Our good friends and neighbors, Bob and Maureen, had once again volunteered to provide airport transportation. Sure enough, Maureen scooped us up on Monday evening and we were off! Our trip included a stop in Munich before we continued on to Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia.
Yes, we had to look it up too. But once we got there… Wow! What a great little city! We visited the ancient castle on the hill and strolled the many cafés along the cobblestone streets before settling into our comfy rooftop hotel suite for the evening!
On Wednesday morning, our adventure truly got underway. We began by meeting our tour-mates! 16 of us in addition to the two guides. Four from Canada, four from Atlanta, a couple of Navy doctors from California, a 75 year-old fireplug and her son, a couple from Salt Lake City and us. We’d have a lot of fun together over the next week – many miles and many smiles!
We met our driver and took a short bus ride with our native Slovenian guide, Samo, excitedly telling us of the history of his native country. In his 30’s, Samo had lived in the pre-independence Soviet Yugoslavia and in the new independent Slovenia and could tell us personal stories of each.
We traveled to Begunje where we stopped at the Avsenik Homestead for some traditional Slovenian cake, met our second guide, Josi, had a briefing on bike safety and tour logistics, and a final fitting for our bikes. It was then out on the road for our first ride! Learning to use the directions provided, we paused in the little village of Radovljia for a slow but scenic lunch.
It was then on to Lake Bled – a scenic resort area. On the way, Shawn had a bit of a run-in with a bus. As usual in these things, the bus won. Shawn hit the curb, flatted the front, and fell toward the sidewalk. Fortunately, beyond a bruised hip and a bit of embarrassment, there was no major damage.
We’d continue up to the little village of Bled. Warm from the afternoon heat and hill climb, we couldn’t wait to take a swim in the clear blue water before viewing the beautiful Church of the Assumption that makes this area so famous. It was pretty tempting to swim right out there!
We circled the rest of the lake before returning to the village for another short bus hop to the tiny village of Podkoren.
Here, just outside of Kranjska Gora, we found the alpine ski lodge, Hotel Vitranc. This great old village would host us for two nights. That first night, we’d enjoy a happy hour welcome reception with some traditional local beverages and snacks before settling in for a wonderful traditional dinner at the hotel’s restaurant.
Our tour the next day would begin with a brief sweep over the Italian border before turning back toward Kranjska Gora, a winter resort town and home of World Cup slalom and ski jump events. We made an optional climb to see the big 90m ski jump.
It was next into the resort village where we enjoyed snacks that were hauled in for us by a local farmer and his 10 year-old horse, Sarah.
We continued downriver to a wonderful picnic lunch along the ice-cold river in the Triglav National Park. Samo grilled us sausages while beers chilled in the water. It was great!
We soon rode back up the way we had come down and, just before Kranjska Gora, climbed a bit more to Lake Jasna for an incredibly chilly plunge before coasting back down into the resort village for a couple of beers and a bit of shopping.
That evening, we shared in some local culture as we were invited into the oldest home (500 years or more) in the village of Podkoren. We learned how the building had evolved and participated in the creation of a batch of “Krapi” – these great polenta-stuffed dumplings that we were treated to along with local music, dance, and stories! We even got a lesson from one of the local fire league leaders about the importance of this functional and social institution.
We followed that with a trip back in to Kranjska Gora for a great traditional Slovenian dinner with our randomly chosen “Dates” for the evening. We’d get to know our “Dates” and, later in the week, present them with a farewell trinket. Great ice-breaker!
The next day, we had an awesome downhill ride into Tarvisio, Italy. The bike paths here were gorgeous – gentle grades, sweeping corners, gorgeous views into the valleys…
In Tarvisio, we paused at a café beneath the lovely clock tower for some refreshing gelato before continuing to the border crossing into Austria.
We’d continue to ride along the Gail River, stopping at a fun little wilderness café for – what else? – meat and cheese! It was great and came with cold beer. How can you beat this?
We’d later pause for a refreshing swim in the Gail (heat and humidity were a recurring theme throughout our trip) before crossing the big red bridge and arriving in Villach where the hotel’s café provided cold refreshment as we watched the rest of our crew arrive.
Our room, or rather “suite”, here at the Hotel Post was gorgeous. We had two rooms, a large bath, and a beautiful view into the flowered courtyard. Unfortunately, the 500 year-old building lacked air conditioning. But, a nice fan made things almost tolerable and we enjoyed the ambiance.
Our Austrian-native guide, Josi, briefed us here on many Austrian traditions. He graciously shared his personal family stories of traditions, history, his grandfather, his leather shorts and more. He spun eloquent and scholarly tails of Hitler, lederhosen, schnapps and sausage. It was great.
We’d soon retire to the local Villacher Brauhof for local beers and traditional meals in the garden on a warm summer evening. Awesome.
The warm night meant a rough sleep for many of us but we were up and on our way the next morning. We headed up the Drau River Cycle Path through some gorgeous corn and wheat fields with views of the Alps throughout.
We’d stop along the way at the organic farm, Buschenschank Egger, where the pig was roasting, the meats were local, the vegetables from the garden, and the cheese cured on-site. The food was great and the animals fun! (Shawn tried to tell one of them that it “smelled like a goat” but got no response!)
After lunch, we continued on into the village of Spittal. Though it was mostly closed for the weekend, we looked around a bit and then found the train station where we’d drop our bikes and board our ride back to Villach.
It was a lovely clear night as we’d head out on our own to find dinner and adventure – and boy did we!
Our first stop was at a random café on the pedestrian way where we were treated to the site of a naked woman (who obviously suntans topless wearing only a thong) running through the square carrying high-heeled shoes and being filmed by both video and still photographers – we assume for a commercial of some sort. So this is what Austria is about!
We had nice, though quiet, traditional dinner at the Goldenen Lowen before finding a table in a semi-quiet café on the street with the local club scene. We sipped beers and enjoyed watching the local youths before moving on…
We eventually arrived at lovely café table in front of Duke’s. Here, we met the owner, Martin, a fan of all things American. He treated us to nachos, schnapps, and then, coincidentally, the entertainment of a bachelorette party that was strolling the streets of the city, selling kisses, thongs, and schnapps. Yah, it was a little weird – but great fun!
A bit slower, perhaps from the schnapps, we rolled out in a light rain the next morning but it was shortly gone and the day warmed again. We followed a lovely route that looped through the local villages and fields.
We’d eventually arrive at the “Monte Carlo of Austria”, the great town of Velden. We’d soon find ourselves surrounded in luxury at the 5+ star Schloss Velden. The courtyard view from our room (after we used the bedside touchscreen to open the curtains) was amazing as was the exquisite service – what a place!
Drinks in the Schloss Bar preceded an evening on the town. We’d dine at a nearby steakhouse before returning to the Wörthersee lakefront for a cool fountain, light, video, and laser show!
We’d retire to our room to find a fine snack set for us…
We’d arise (well rested this time) for a loop of Lake Wörthersee the next morning. Delayed only once by a train crossing, we enjoyed biking through Klagenfurt and seeing all of the road graffiti from the recent Ironman Austria.
We’d continue leisurely to the beautiful church at Maria Wörth before stoking the fires for a brisk ride back to Velden.
After a relaxed lunch looking over a sailboat from a lakeside café and a swim in the pool, John would enjoy the waterfront and village while Shawn melted in the spa – pampered to the max.
We’d meet up at the Seespitz for some Schloss Brau and wine – totally relaxed!
We’d later participate in the presentation of awards to our assigned “Dates” – a great exchange of trinkets from the trip. This was followed a by a bizarre Austrian schnapps-drinking tradition introduced to us by our wonderful guides. We’d then share a farewell dinner prepared exclusively for us at a nearby delicatessen.
We’d pause in front of the hotel the next morning for a group picture before bidding farewell to our guides and boarding a bus for our three-hour transfer to Venice! Thanks Samo & Josi – you did an awesome job for us!
Arriving in Venice to continued heat and humidity (though they claimed it was cooler than the week before!), we took a private water taxi to our hotel where we dropped our bags before venturing out for an orientation walk around the city. We’d enjoy a bit of Café-hopping before a nice dinner in a traditional local restaurant.
We linked up with our four Canadian friends in hiring a guide for a tour of the city the following day. Little did we know that Roberta, a true Venetian, would teach us of the long history of the Venetians from their times retreating to the swamp to avoid the barbarians to their prosperous times as merchants of the sea. She taught us about cisterns, the theft of St. Mark beneath forbidden ham, the man with three testicles, and all sorts of other stories that greatly enhanced our appreciation of the city. She was great!
Our feet tired, we requested a recommendation for a nearby restaurant from the hotel and enjoyed a relaxing evening at the Trattoria Storica enjoying fish, pasta, and wine. What a lovely night!
Our final morning in Venice, we’d again dine with the Birds of Giorgione in our hotel’s lovely but well-flocked courtyard before we sallied forth to visit more churches and museums and cafés and shops. We walked for miles and had a blast.
We’d find a nice café for a cocktail and then enjoy a fine final vacation dinner at L’Osteria di San Marina before retiring for our last night away. Perhaps the most formal meal of our trip, our “goodbye” dinner included fine wine, table-smoked tuna, cicchetti, fresh pasta, a lamb chop that fell apart, and more. It was classic and enjoyable!
The next morning, we’d sadly catch our final glimpses of Venice from the back of our private water taxi to the airport as we prepared for a long flight home and a return to civilization.
Can we go back?
It was a great trip. Lot’s more higher resolution pictures are here. We’d highly recommend VBT to anyone contemplating such a venture and could offer only trivial complaints about any of the providers along the way – it was really a well put-together itinerary that left us thoroughly relaxed, suitably fed, somewhat exercised, and, for some of us, ready to turn over the birthday clock for the big five-oh!
Intorcio News 