Sunday, October 10, 2010
Villeneuve to Evian
Abandoning Courbet's old town and resolving to drop in on Kokoscka's (Vevey) we retrace our steps to Lausanne to catch the ferry to Evian and take the waters. The way seems short and the lunchtime swan unusually grumpy. We enjoy the day embarking with all the tweeds one of whom we are to meet again at dinner. 37 minutes later we are disembarqued beside an enormous Casino. Finding the now French Office du Tourisme is easy and shortly we are ensconced in a two star with free whiffy and magic a lift. The bikes are packed away in la salle des pamphlets and the manager fluent.
Dinners Pizza oven is inspiring and brings a flush to our cheeks, We will stay again tomorrow as sheila is under the weather and we need to get our bearings.
Friday, October 8, 2010
Montreux gold dust and Chillin Chillon
Lausanne to Villneuve splendrous again with another start in the wineyards Du Chasse this time and then past the grinder with his portable set up and couteurs who offer us some of the sweetness....
The best apricot and rhubarb tart I've ever eaten in Vevey where it turns out Nabokov spent his time among others like Kokoschka and Dostoevsky Hindemith and Rousseau.
Then through at a rapid pace the 17 star Montreux where old Chet Baker fell to his demise. No wonder the hill is steep and steeper still with the gold dust/ The places there are ostentatious. The poor handicapped woman hobbling over the crossing while the impatient bus and mercs rev uncaring. The trees and flowers are wonderfully kempt and the tennis pace fast. Lunch with a toast to Lord Byron and chet Baker who lives were entangled by this glorious lake.
Did Dumas use the Chatau Chillon for his start to the Count de Monte Christo? The scene is dour and the stories dire. We skip the tour and head for the dungeons to escape the cruelty. Back on the bikes on a velo
We stop just before the Rhone to discover the road to Evian is dangereux and a ferry must be caught to Thonon les Bains. This means that we will retrace our steps tomorrow to Luasanne.
Fonue au frommage for dinner was a treat.
The best apricot and rhubarb tart I've ever eaten in Vevey where it turns out Nabokov spent his time among others like Kokoschka and Dostoevsky Hindemith and Rousseau.
Then through at a rapid pace the 17 star Montreux where old Chet Baker fell to his demise. No wonder the hill is steep and steeper still with the gold dust/ The places there are ostentatious. The poor handicapped woman hobbling over the crossing while the impatient bus and mercs rev uncaring. The trees and flowers are wonderfully kempt and the tennis pace fast. Lunch with a toast to Lord Byron and chet Baker who lives were entangled by this glorious lake.
Did Dumas use the Chatau Chillon for his start to the Count de Monte Christo? The scene is dour and the stories dire. We skip the tour and head for the dungeons to escape the cruelty. Back on the bikes on a velo
We stop just before the Rhone to discover the road to Evian is dangereux and a ferry must be caught to Thonon les Bains. This means that we will retrace our steps tomorrow to Luasanne.
Camping at last
Thurs 7th Oct
Rolle to Lausanne what a beautiful ride. Starting out steep in the wine yards and ending in Samaranch's park.
St Pres with the choclatiere who'd been to Aus and reminded us of the pangs of Air travel down under..the metal owl on he corner by the fountain was odd.....Lunch in a small foret on the side of the lac and a 4star camping ground to get close in in my little aunt.
The night proved a tad smelly at first with broken drains in the Olympic fountain park.....however we survived to dawn amongst the trees and loiseaux
Rolle to Lausanne what a beautiful ride. Starting out steep in the wine yards and ending in Samaranch's park.
St Pres with the choclatiere who'd been to Aus and reminded us of the pangs of Air travel down under..the metal owl on he corner by the fountain was odd.....Lunch in a small foret on the side of the lac and a 4star camping ground to get close in in my little aunt.
Geneve trainspotting
Wed 6th Oct
4star hotel next door to the stadium is all we can book ahead on line. Spend the trip though the alps listening to two old ducks who pinched our window seats complain in Italian about their errant relatives.
The bike path to Lausanne is very easy and before very long we are out of the city and amongst some very fine houses on a busy road with bike path. Then we follow the signs for the bike path no1 off the main road and promptly get lost. The general map does not help much and before long we are back on the highway. Then a beautifully perfect public beach for a perfect lunch...most things in Swisse are perfect and a pave from the choclateer in town. The lake is fresh water and duck filled, the sun warm and the grass green....
The ride yo Rolle was a tad crowded on a single lane road with dome impatient mercs. Rolle proved marvelous with a delightful B+B conference centre owned by the tiurist info woman who dissuaded us form camping.. a bit too easily it turned out. Nice breakfast with multilingual Piaget meeting dicussing how to prevent frraud....oats again yay.
Beautiful late night walk after a coop dinner par excellence with a sunset to die for....
4star hotel next door to the stadium is all we can book ahead on line. Spend the trip though the alps listening to two old ducks who pinched our window seats complain in Italian about their errant relatives.
The bike path to Lausanne is very easy and before very long we are out of the city and amongst some very fine houses on a busy road with bike path. Then we follow the signs for the bike path no1 off the main road and promptly get lost. The general map does not help much and before long we are back on the highway. Then a beautifully perfect public beach for a perfect lunch...most things in Swisse are perfect and a pave from the choclateer in town. The lake is fresh water and duck filled, the sun warm and the grass green....
The ride yo Rolle was a tad crowded on a single lane road with dome impatient mercs. Rolle proved marvelous with a delightful B+B conference centre owned by the tiurist info woman who dissuaded us form camping.. a bit too easily it turned out. Nice breakfast with multilingual Piaget meeting dicussing how to prevent frraud....oats again yay.
Beautiful late night walk after a coop dinner par excellence with a sunset to die for....
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Lac leman
Tuesday 5 Oct
Milano to Geneve
Woke slowly after the sleep of the dead. The breakfast was wonderful and swept all before it.
A quick meditation in the very wet park after the real downpour which occurred for most of the night and then back into the grandest station in Italy with it’s huge and very significant portico. Sush spleandour . We are on the train now with power to the seats so can write the blog before experiencing it. Yay…let’s imagine hopping off in Premosello here and with magically empty bici zoomin up the wonderful lowering mountains beside us with their streams of last nights rain still pouring down…..wreathed by clouds like Mantegna’s babes with the sun peeping through the little blue holes above…….
Milano to Geneve
Woke slowly after the sleep of the dead. The breakfast was wonderful and swept all before it.
A quick meditation in the very wet park after the real downpour which occurred for most of the night and then back into the grandest station in Italy with it’s huge and very significant portico. Sush spleandour . We are on the train now with power to the seats so can write the blog before experiencing it. Yay…let’s imagine hopping off in Premosello here and with magically empty bici zoomin up the wonderful lowering mountains beside us with their streams of last nights rain still pouring down…..wreathed by clouds like Mantegna’s babes with the sun peeping through the little blue holes above…….
A very helpful pink line drawn by an equally helpful Tourist bureau person has enabled the cycle path to the stadium and our fancy and (last available hotel bed ) to be reached in record time. And then the most expensive Italian food ever ...time to break out the thermarests we reckon.....the mountains round here are staggeringly beautiful and large......
monday 4th Fiorenze to Hotel Flora
Monday 4 Oct
Firenze to Milano on the super fast treno. We are getting good at bagging bikes in 10 minutes flat on the binario. The day started well with a long postage stop to create vacumes. The shoes went, the books about Venice went and the museo cyclisme tee also…..all via the last form for the long road home.
Once again we emerge at the Hotel Flora and Angelo who is a steady and real soul with his apartment plans on the navigli to keep his ageing brain sharp with tourist talk.
We enjoyed the green décor again and sumptuous breakfast of oats. The first and last in Italia…..
Then off to shop for some Milanese fashion..shoes of the right size at a shop discovered on line in Canberra proved shoe flurry fulfilling….then a big bieri with snacks and décor of two tone purples and plasti marble.
Then a crowd for Pizza and a very correct and tigt bodied gentleman to serve us a plate of spinach which proved the lovely Italian way of cucina which we will miss as we roll off around Lac Leman.
Firenze to Milano on the super fast treno. We are getting good at bagging bikes in 10 minutes flat on the binario. The day started well with a long postage stop to create vacumes. The shoes went, the books about Venice went and the museo cyclisme tee also…..all via the last form for the long road home.
Once again we emerge at the Hotel Flora and Angelo who is a steady and real soul with his apartment plans on the navigli to keep his ageing brain sharp with tourist talk.
We enjoyed the green décor again and sumptuous breakfast of oats. The first and last in Italia…..
Then off to shop for some Milanese fashion..shoes of the right size at a shop discovered on line in Canberra proved shoe flurry fulfilling….then a big bieri with snacks and décor of two tone purples and plasti marble.
Then a crowd for Pizza and a very correct and tigt bodied gentleman to serve us a plate of spinach which proved the lovely Italian way of cucina which we will miss as we roll off around Lac Leman.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Sunday Chianti ride
Today a Tuscan hill proved no match for our legs as we spent a day cleaning bikes and riding up Chianti covered hills.Then back to indulge in pestou pasta at the Pitti (again an enormous marble pissoir with satisfying dam buster load of water)..We shamefully confined our day to garden pursuits .and the earliest renaissance gardens boboli did not disappoint. Terrace dinner consisted of Chianti and sloppy cheese and crunchy bread and olives, old tomatoes and bananas and Tiramisu and canole...whooo whoo we are in italy and have the Duomo in sight to prove it.
Tomorrow we are leaving for Milano and thence somewhere french or swiss who knows....
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)