Our trip to the Austrian Tyrol in June/July 2009 was our first with Leger Holidays and our drivers were Andy and Barney. We met good friends Ken and Sylvie from Wales, however, we learnt recently that Sylvie has passed away as it is some 14 years since we went on this holiday. Our condolences to Ken and the rest of their family - such a lovely and funny couple for us to meet on our first coach holiday. Ken made us laugh all the time and I will always remember the joke about the dead cat. The hotel we stayed at was run by an Austrian lady who took no nonsense and got me hooked on unlimited bowls of great soup which I laced with pepper and had several helpings. I still do this now when I have soup.
On Day 2 we were taken to the Dolomites which are also known as the "Pale Mountains", and take their name from the carbonate rock dolomite. This was named after the 18th-century French mineralogist Déodat Gratet de Dolomieu (1750–1801), who was the first to describe the mineral. Barney took us up the windy road to the 2,950 m high Sass Pordoi mountain, which is more of a plateau-like rock summit, and we were told on the way up that this was his first drive up to the cable car base on the Sasso Pordoi ridge. It reminded me of Michael Cane in the Italian Job when the coach, laden with gold they had stolen from the Italian mafia, ends up balanced on the edge of the road, the film ending with his famous line "Hold on lads, I've got a great idea" The scenery at the top is quite stunning and I often use one of these photos as a screen saver on my PC. As a keen cyclist myself I admired the guys on their bikes tackling the windy roads up - their own Tour de France challenge.
On Day 3 we went to Lake Garda which was the first time for us although we have now been several times and is my favourite Italian Lake, especially the town of Simione at its south end, which we didn't see on this occasion. Lake Garda is a great place for water sports and the towns at the north end, Riva del Garda & Torboli are beautiful. We were taken by boat across to Limone sur Garda which is an ancient village, rich in history and with many old houses huddle around the historic harbour and is well known for Limonaie (lemons) as well as olive groves and both these apparently contribute to the longevity of its inhabitants.
Day 4 was spent at Innsbruck where we passed under the famous Europabrücke completed in 1963, which was the highest bridge in Europe for 10 years until 1974 when the Sfalassa Gorge and Italia Viaducts opened on Italy’s A3 motorway followed by the Millau Viaduct (now the highest); spanning 623 feet (190 mtrs) above the Sill River, the “Bridge of Europe” is located just south of Innsbruck on the Brenner Highway. Innsbruck is also famous for the The Goldenes Dachl (Golden Roof) located in the Old Town (Altstadt). Completed in 1500, the roof was decorated with 2,657 fire-gilded copper tiles for Emperor Maximilian I to mark his wedding to Bianca Maria Sforza and the balcony was used by them to observe festivals, tournaments, and other events that took place in the square below.
On Day 5 we went to Venice, our first time together although I had spent time there on business. We have since been several times but the first is also the best. We had our friends Ken and Sylvie for company and spent most of our time around St Marks Square, the waterfront (Riva degli Schiavoni) and the Grand Canal. Half a day visit doesn't allow much more than that. We had a very expensive drink on the waterfront as we were all exhausted and couldn't walk far to get refreshments. Venice is a must see City but, of course, is very touristy and 'smells a bit' in the summer. Venice is indeed a lovely city, full of amazing places, including normally the famous Bridge of Sighs although on this occasion we were disappointed as it was undergoing restoration and was covered with hoardings; I have included a photo I took there on my previous visit for comparison. The Rialto Bridge and the busy Grand Canal was well worth the visit; the bridge was built at the end of the 16th Century by Antonio da Ponte (who won the right to this in a competition in 1587) and his nephew. It has been said that the bridge is where east met west when Marco Polo traded spices from the east. A very tiring day for Sylvie but we all had a very enjoyable time in Venice and one day will spend longer there to see much more of it.
Our last day was a bit more relaxing as we visited a town in Austria which I have forgotten after all this time but in the afternoon Barney and Andy had arranged a journey further up the valley as the road ended at Casere where we had strawberries and cream, explored a small church and Jane helped a local farmer to rake in the hay. This was our first experience travelling with Leger, before we befriended two of their drivers (John and Tony) and before we met up with our regular holiday friends Nick & Olwen, Marion & Ed and Gaynor & Jean. It proved to be a great holiday and led to lifetime friendships.
