Bovec - Slovenia

Monday 28^th

After a monster sleep we had breakfast and decided to go and visit 2 WW1 fortresses up the valley towards Italy & Austria. We scooted up a really nice road and parked opposite Fortress Kluze. It has been here in one form or another since 1500. Napoleon strutted through at some point, then latterly it was the scene of bitter fighting in WW1 along with Fortress Hermann  which is some 200m above it. The museum inside is being developed but had lots to see and read. A fascinating insight into the hardships the soldiers had to suffer. The Germans were also here in WW2 and destroyed the bridge which the Allies rebuilt.

Kluze entrance

Fortress Kluze

 We then walked up to Hermann which was destroyed by the Italians in 1915. It was obsolete the minute it was completed by the Austrians as the concrete was not reinforced!  200 / 3408 bombs was all it took to flatten it. A chilling reminder of the horrors of war. 500,000 Italian soldiers were killed in the bitter fighting when their army was defeated in the Soca area

tunnel on way to Hermann

.

ladder to gun posts 14m below Hermann "at your own risk!"

Hermann - with bomb damage visible

are you sure?

We had lunch then went for a walk above Bovec which was longer than planned. We passed this bar on the way back – did they really want to call it this?

Sun 27^th

Bit of heavy rain when we packed up then an absolute monsoon deluge on the autostrada heading towards Slovenia. Good to see that the normally excitable Italian drivers were very steady. It soon passed as we drove along the very lush plain just inland from the Adriatic.

The drive into Slovenia was very easy, the roads were good all the way to Bovec in the Soca valley. This has to have the most centres offering rafting I have ever seen. The Soca river is a very vivid turquoise blue – it was used in the Disney film Narnia: Prince Caspian ( go on, admit you have seen it!  I have)  Wild camping is not allowed in Slovenia so we went to Kamp Polovnik on the outskirts of Bovec. Empty when we arrived – but we were joined by a Dutch caravan whose choice of pitch was dictated by where he could get a satellite signal. It takes all sorts………

Kamp Polovnik

Bovec centre

Bovec has been rebuilt several times, after WW1 and after earthquakes in 76 & 98.  It is pristine and has a very calm (or is that empty?) feel about it. The tourist board guy was very helpful and told us that the cable car to the Kanin ski area was closed indefinitely due to it having failed in Jan 13. Gulp. This may explain the lack of people about in town. Maps purchased we scooted back to plan what to do tomorrow.

Friday 25^th

We had to spend another night on Como (what a pain) as the road didn’t open until late Thursday afternoon. On Thursday our German neighbour returned from the hospital having been given the all clear – excellent news. They brought over some home brew schnapps which was very fiery!  Friday morning we packed up and left for Venice.  First stop was a supermarket where Tina got a bit flustered with the range of choice and not fully understanding the labelling.  Me – no problem if it looks ok and the price is good – bung it in the trolley. Wine at €2 was very good.

We arrived at the autostrada to chaos – made the M25 look like an expressway. Temperature was hot – 29 deg C. We tootled along and reached Camping Serenissima late afternoon. The site is in Venice and only 20 mins by bus to the centre. Brilliant location, quiet and shady.

Sat 26^th

Venice here we come – tickets bought for bus , we strolled out to the stop in the warm sun. Sardine like crowding on the bus, no seats. We arrived at a large bus terminus with what seemed like the whole of Italy! Crikey it’s popular. 

back street canal

We had booked a free guided tour online of “hidden Venice”.  This was a great decision as we had a very interesting 4 hour walk around the much less trodden parts of this amazing place. We did however stop for coffee and ice cream. Our guide confirmed that if we wanted to avoid queues March or October are the times to visit. 

view across to St Mark's

My favourite spot was by the old custom house – Punta Della Dognana. The views of across to St Mark’s and the other way to Isla Di san Giorgia Maggioore with all the chaotic boat traffic was fantastic. 

panoramic view from customs house

We then took the €2 traghetti gondola ride back across ( the posh gondolas cost €80 / 30 mins) – we can honestly say we have been on a Venetian gondola! It was a short and very wobbly journey.  8 hours later we were back at camp for tea with aching feet.

venetian masks

Excitement & sadness :-(

The sun was warm enough today to have our first breakfast out side which was very nice indeed. I then braved the roads on my road bike for an hour. If Italians are so keen on cycling why are they so inconsiderate to cyclists ? They skim past you with cms  to spare. I diverted off the main road and up a steep and winding back road. This was more like it, great views and very little traffic. I returned to help Tina hang out the washing and get ready for a walk.

breakfast in the sun

What started out as calm day was thrown into disarray as we heard our lovely German neighbours voice shout for help from the beach. I rushed down to find her husband with his face cut and grazed from falling face first into the pebbles. He did  not look good. He had suffered 2 strokes previously and his wife was obviously concerned he just had had another. A passerby had phoned for an ambulance so I ran up to the camp office to get the owner. With lots of help and 3 languages we helped the ambulance crew who had arrived within 5 mins. Tina had checked him out and was certain he had fainted. Next drama was that the main road back to Lecco was blocked by a landslide, so a helicopter duly arrived.

helicopter arrives

Exciting but for all the wrong reasons and very sad to see somebody suffer. All the campers of all nationalities rallied together to calm his wife down and reassure her. The helicopter pilots spoke German and did their best to calm her down. She was able to go with him in the helicopter. All the professionals involved were very friendly,  efficient and extremely well equipped.

lunchtime walk

After a brief walk we visited the Moto Guzzi Factory Museum in nearby Mandello Del Lario. I think Tina found it interesting?

1950's Guzzi racer

We might be unable to leave tomorrow for our planned next stop in Venice due to the blocked road - but not a bad place to be stuck in!

Lake Como

Tues 22nd

We scooted to Varenna to catch a boat across to Bellagio - "the pearl of lake Como". It certainly had lots of character and lovely corners to explore. Some of the villas were huge and had amazing gates, drives, out buildings and that was all I could see by peering through the gates!  We returned after lunch to Varenna and strolled about. Another town full of hidden surprises and a calm atmosphere. The ice creams we had were to die for. There are loads of boat routes all over the lake but getting on the correct one is a test as the info board often doesn't match reality.

view towards Bellagio

Steep streets

view back to Varenna

Varenna from the boat

The return scoot ride was more enjoyable as I now had the measure of the Italian drivers - just ignore them.  The sun was still out so we returned to have tea - at 5pm of course. (Our tea bag supply is on schedule to last until Dec)

Sun, snow and Italy

Sun 20^th

The sun made a welcome return so we quickly packed up and left Brig heading up and over the Simplon Pass into Italy. The views were stunning with all the mountains coated in a fresh layer of snow. Not a lot of traffic but surprisingly a few very slow Italians ? The descent into Italy was long and the average was 10% so caution and lots of gentle braking brought us to the bottom with only a tiny whiff of hot brakes. The road surface was instantly worse when we crossed the border.

summit of Simplon Pass

The drive down to Lago Maggiore was easy. We found a whole “strip” of campsites at Feriolo and selected Camping Holiday as it looked the quietest. Just opened, the pitches were soft, so caution when parking. Great views down the lake.

We set up camp and then cycled into Baveno along a rather hectic lakeside road. Italian drivers seem to have no idea what a pedestrian crossing is as they totally ignore them, stop on them or continue to drive at you when you are on them!  They made the French look positively courteous drivers…………..  J  Very busy with people promenading, preening and of course eating ice cream. The cycle back was easier as the traffic was mainly going into town.

Monday 21^st

Rain. The weather forecast was correct – heavy rain all day. Decision made to travel as no laundry facilities yet setup and sitting around for another day didn’t appeal. Lake Como was selected as our next stop. The route around the north of Milan was surprisingly easy in the rain, probably due to the fact it was a  Bank Holiday.  We drove through countless tunnels and felt like moles when we arrived at Abbadia Lariana north of Lecco. We had  found a campsite on the web – Spaggia. We drove past as the entrance looked very steep & narrow. The next campsite at Mandello Del Lario  (where Moto Guzzi motorbikes are manufactured!) was horrible. So back to Spaggia.

Entrance negotiated we were led to a pitch directly on the lakeside under a strange looking reverse hair netted tree. See pic. I asked the cost - €35 as “primo site”  per night.  After Scott negotiations this was reduced to €22. Much more budget friendly!  Never any harm in asking. All the other campers are German as this area seems very popular with them. We have yet to meet any fellow Brits on sites or aires.

primo spot under hair net tree!

happy budget holder.......

Sat 19th

It's snowing!   We awoke to 0.5 deg C and rain which quickly turned to big, fat snow flakes.  The snow  line is considerably lower than yesterday with the forecast for the day of rain & snow higher up. We checked out the Simplon Tunnel times. BIG problem - after measuring the van width we were too big by 9cm.  No problem we will drive over the pass.  Checked weather - problem!  Advice is for trucks and vans not to use it due to heavy snow at top of pass.  Plan B, stay another night and drive over top tomorrow.  You cannot plan  good weather in the mountains.  Still, we are warm and comfortable unlike the young Aussie couple in a tiny tent on the terrace in front of us. Glamping for us!

before the snow

today!

Friday 18th

We moved along the valley to Brig (alt 795m) to a campsite by the river above the old town. Very laid back owner who just let us get on with installing ourselves. We eventually paid in the evening. Views again were great with snow on the very top of the mountains. The main A9 road to the Simplon Pass towering above the site.  Nice old part of the town with an air of affluence about the place. The train / bus station was busy with  lots of local trains and Poste buses.

bottle art!

After lunch we went for a stroll above the site.

just above campsite

view back to site

Swiss Switzerland!

Thurs 17th

After a scenic if bumpy drive along the lakeside through Evian ( very posh ) we arrived at the Swiss border. I was pleasantly surprised when the border guard advised me to buy a 10 day toll pass for the van as it was valid for one year and could be used as single days. Good value when you can use any of the motorways without further tolls.

Our planned stop was Camping Botsa in the Valais , valley bottom if you understand what I mean?  We were a bit concerned when the sat nag guided us into an industrial estate close to the motorway. The site was enclosed by lots of trees so if you  looked up you could see splendid mountain tops with ski lifts clearly visible all around you. if you looked closely at your surroundings you could make out huge sheds and cranes etc.  Eyes up!

The Basil Fawltyesque campsite owner was very chatty and introduced us to his Cuban wife and his Swiss daughter (?) whilst we paid our ACSI rate. He tried to reassure us that the Valais region was the cheapest in Switzerland.  When paying I noticed the huge King Kong statue / waterslide by the empty pool, it made the fibreglass dinosaur by the playground seem positively tame.

After a cycle ride to explore the surroundings we showered and retreated to the bar for a local beer and glass of red. Both were very good. The campsite was fine for an overnight stop but we wondered what all the permanents did when there?

eyes up for the view

Monday 14^th

We packed up earlyish and the plan was to move to the shores of Lac Leman – or Lake Geneva as the Swiss call it. After a brief stop for some food we drove the 50 miles on the route national to avoid tolls. Good decision as the road was very good and passed through really interesting countryside. The mountain range of the Portes Du Soleil ski area. Towering, snow capped monsters in the distance above the lac. We found the aire at Anthy Sur Leman easily. It was 100m from the shore – great. Lunch was followed by a cycle ride into Thonon les Bains 5km away. Nice cycle path and a stylish town full of expensive houses and a cute port.

 lac leman in the wind

arty shot of near the aire

Tues 15^th & weds 16^th

We have stayed on the aire but moved into the “premier spot” with a brilliant view across the lake to Switzerland. We witnessed a very bizarre event whilst sat people watching on the lake side in the lovely warm evening sunshine. A very normal looking guy in jacket & trousers etc decided to go for an impromptu dip. He duly stripped off to just his pants, waded into the obviously icy water and submerged himself completely, then walked out. After a few minutes he very calmly got fully dressed again. No towel involved. He then walked past us as nothing had happened and sat at a picnic table in the shade (?)  When he walked back again he had a very obvious wet arse!!!!!  Takes all sorts J  We love people watching.

first cream cake of the tour