Bavaria at its best

After we moved to the home of our friends, we did day trips into the Bavarian countryside, including Starnberger See (lake) which was where our daughters went to school at the Munich International School. That day was particularly clear for July and the Bavarian Alps were quite visible – unusual for Summer days. The photos seen here were taken in Bernried and Tutzing, both on the west side of the lake.
The first is a church built in a style typical for Bavaria. The second is a friedhof (cemetery) chapel in Bernried. This is followed by a photo of a ‘maibaum’ (May tree), which is found in most Bavarian villages and which shouts ‘Bavarian’ as nothing else does! We had lunch at a biergarten at the marina in Tutzing, which is a village on the lake, and the restaurant was chock-full of flowers. This is true for most of the area but I happened to have my camera not only with me but in hand!
Lastly, a view of the south end of Starnberger See with the alps in the background. You may now understand why I left my heart there!! The parks in Munich and the surrounding area are soul food, as are those of Serre Chevalier and northern Italy.
And that, my friends, is that. In two days we will have (hopefully!) scraped, bundled, pulled together and packed all our belongings and begin our homeward journey, first stopping with friends in Geneva for 2 nights. Thank you for being part of my Summer 2009 adventures!!

Munich - city

July 29, 2009
Serre Chevalier

We have just returned to Serre Che from 5 glorious days in Munich and I had a chance to catch up with my heart, which I left there in 1992. The Brada family lived in Munich twice : for 6 months in 1984 and for a full year in 1991-1992. Both times were for Joe’s sabbatical from ASU, which was for the purpose of rest and research. He did the R&R part, the girls attended school …. and I played.
The first time we got to know the area quite well, made friends, fell in love with the city and its surroundings. The second time produced even deeper love. I was invited by a friend whom I met the first time there to sing in her choir and that experience was a little slice of heaven! There I made other friends, one of whom now lives in the Phoenix area and another is the mother of Katrin, whom we visited in Konstanz in early July.
Therefore, it is necessary to return from time to time to visit– and for me to catch up with my heart! This visit offered me the opportunity to spend one night in central Munich (die Altstadt) on my own while Joe attended a meeting in Regensburg – 1 hour away by train. The friends with whom we were to stay were busy until the following morning and so I walked the city and wandered in the lovely parks and rode the subway and did a bit of shopping and absorbed the sights and sounds that are Munich and that I came to love many years ago. This is not really Joe’s cup of tea, therefore the timing was excellent. The city photos here are as follows: Karlzplatz and one of the four gates to the inner city; Frauenkirche (Frauen = Madonna); Marienplatz; the Rathaus (City Hall) with its famous Glockenspiel in the tower; and the Botanical Garden, where I soaked up not only the park itself and the Summer weather, but also engaged in people-watching, which I enjoy!

Col d'Eychauda

July 22, 2009
Serre Chevalier
On Sunday we headed to the Col d’Eychauda, which is a pass above Mônetier-les-Bains. Mônetier is one of the string of Serre Chevalier villages and is the second one up the valley from our Chantemerle. In order to reach this Col, one can hike all the way up the mountain, which is a really long way, or one can be reasonable and go about half the way up in a chair lift that, during the winter, is used for skiing. We opted for the reasonable approach!
The road up to the Col from where the lift deposits hikers is fairly steep but the views – as is usually the case – make the effort so worthwhile! When one reaches the Col, there is another trail up to a very high peak called Cucumelle. From the Col side this peak looks just like a pyramid. One of us (not I!) climbed all the way up that very steep trail and, perched precariously at the tip (which it is, quite literally) took photographs. The other one of us (the smarter, in my opinion!) chose to remain at the Col and enjoy the view, keeping her fingers crossed all the while (and it felt like hours) that the other one would make it safely down that slippery, rocky path. Because the photographs that you see here made it safely home, you know that the photographer did so, too.
Monday was a rest day for us, i.e., no hiking, and yesterday Joe was a bit under the weather so we laid low, reading, working a bit and watching the Tour de France on tv. We’d planned to hit the slopes today but the rain is falling and the wind is blowing and we’re not that hardy. Getting caught in the rain while already on the mountain is one thing. Deliberately heading out into it is another, altogether! Tomorrow we’re off to Munich for the weekend, a trip we are greatly anticipating!

July 18, 2009
Serre Chevalier
On our last two days at Pedraces, we walked up either side of the slopes over Pedraces, from which the views were lovely but, perversely, the camera sat forgotten in the flat. That last day dawned warm and hazy with large cumulus clouds above the mountains that often mean rain. We hiked up a grassy slope that had scattered about drying sheds and small summer huts, and noted that a couple of these huts had covered porches. As we walked the sky became more overcast and the wind picked up. To be on the safe side, we walked over to one of these porches for our picnic and, sitting there, watched a storm move through the valley. Good thing, too - rain came down in sheets but, under our overhang, we stayed dry! It’s not often that we are lucky enough to find shelter from the sudden mountain rainstorms!
On Thursday we drove from Pedraces south to Verona and then west past Milano and Torino back to Serre Che, arriving here in the late afternoon, at which point the temperature was in the mid-90s. Our building has no air conditioning and the flats have no cross-ventilation so, when it’s that warm, sleeping isn’t very comfortable and, of course, we were grumpy about it.
However, one should be careful what one wishes for – a low pressure system moved in last evening bringing heavy rain, then the temps dropped considerably, we awoke this morning to see snow on the upper elevations, and it’s CHILLY out there!

Konstanz, Germany

July 9-12, 2009
Konstanz, Germany
After I spent 3 days in Innsbruck while Joe spent 3 days in Skopje, he and I met again in at the Innsbruck airport and drove across Austria and Switzerland to Konstanz, Germany (Constance), which sits on the Swiss/German border at the Bodensee (Lake Constance). Our purpose was to visit our friends Katrin Lazar and Bjőrn Graf. Katrin is the daughter of Munich friends of ours and she lived with us for one semester of high school when she was 16, the result of which is that she has tucked been tucked under the Brada wing ever since!
Neither of us had ever visited Konstanz and, with Katrin, we had a tour of not only Konstanz itself but also Meersburg just across the lake, reached from Konstanz by ferry and the main jumping-off point for those traveling from Konstanz to the rest of Germany. Bodensee is a deep lake, similar to Lake Tahoe, that is quite long – reaching from Bregenz (Austria) to Konstanz and beyond – and is a tourist destination in the warm months. Konstanz dates back to the 1400s and was location of the Council of Konstanz (Constance).
We ate and drank our way from one end of the area to the other during our 3 days there, after which, on Sunday, we returned to Pedraces, Italy - via Switzerland and Austria - for another 3 days. I was reminded of the smallness of Europe because our return trip to Pedraces only took 4 hour, during which we started out in southwest Germany, crossed much of Switzerland and Austria and landed in Italy!
One of the best parts of being first in Innsbruck and then in Konstanz was the delight in speaking German. After living in Munich for the better part of two years, the German language is comfortable, but it will mean that the return to French-speaking areas will be traumatic!

Wednesday July 8, 2009
Innsbruck, Austria

Left to my own devices as I was, I did the sorts of things that my spouse would not care to do – ride the strassenbahn (streetcar), walk through the Hofgarten (royal park), and head for the zoo. If the word 'productive' may applied to tourism, this was a productive day. There were severe thunderstorms at night but the day turned out to be a mix of clouds and sunshine. Humid but cool. I had a walk through the innenstadt (as opposed to the altstadt) and then found the Hofgarten and had a lovely walk there The garden has the biggest chestnut tree I have ever encountered, and I thought I had seen some biggies!

Then I took the funicular up the mountain to the Alpenzoo. The Alpenzoo is touted as being the highest zoo in the world and has animals, etc., from the Alpine areas. The catch is that one must climb half a mountain to see the whole zoo, which feels like it's built vertically! True, the views over the city are spectacular, but I really got one heck of a workout! I saw steinbock, (a version of bouquetin that Joe and I had encountered one time as we came around a ridge in the French Alps), elk, wild boar + babies, lynx + baby, wolves, a variety of mountain antelope or similar called (I think) gämmse – all incredibly interesting! One photo shows a steep mountainside with a track and a train coming down – that slope is just like the slope on which the zoo is built, which shows that the mountain creatures are right at home – but that does not necessarily hold true for the visitors! I find it very humorous that, when I’m not climbing mountains, I still seem to climb mountains!!

Tuesday, July 07, 2009
Innsbruck, Austria

Joe is in Skopje, Macedonia on U.N. business until Thursday. The airport closest to our apartment in Pedraces is Innsbruck and, rather than driving to the airport, back to Pedraces, here to pick him up, etc., I opted to stay in here for the 3 days. I recall Innsbruck from about 40 years ago as being rather small. It’s not small anymore! It’s situated in a valley between 2 steep-sided mountain ridges so everything is either pushed up or down the valley or built on any space that can be (literally) carved out of the hillside.

I’m staying in a hotel on the river Inn just across from the altstadt and need only cross the bridge to be in the thick of things. I do love church bells and Innsbruck has many church towers, one of which is located just down the street. Of course the bells all strike hour and quarter-hour. This, I found out, is one heck of an alarm clock at 7:00am when the first bells of the day ring! Yesterday I found myself in front of the dom at noon – for a church bell-lover, that was a treat!

For one who loves the architecture of Austria and Bavaria (and I do), Innsbruck is eye candy. A good bit of the altstadt dates back to the Hapsburg Empire (1400s and on) and has been carefully restored. Yesterday was damp and chilly but, umbrella in hand, I did a quick overview.

The first photo is what we see from our terrace. On Thursday we headed to the Passo di Campolungo, which is above Corvara, for a hike. Seems we misread the trail markers and, instead of walking up a winding, albeit steep road, we ended up climbing nearly vertically (or so it felt!) through a field underneath a ski lift to (finally) reach the elusive road! The view was worth the effort! We ate our picnic lunch perched on the steps of little building at the top of the ski lift. On our way up that mountain, we had noticed large black clouds heading our way and, sure enough, just as we finished eating, we noticed here a drop, there a drop – then a bit more - and more - and that shower continued all during our trek back down the winding road. As we reached the car .. yep - the rain stopped and the sun came out again …..!

On Saturday we returned to the Campolungo area to hike up the other side of the pass. At least this time we found the right trail! Getting to that trail was a bit tricky because of the huge number of bikers on the roads: hundreds!! But the day was bright and sunny and the views spectacular! Each time we hike up a mountain, on the way up we ask ourselves what on earth we are doing and why we are working so hard – but the answer is always found at the top.Standing there gasping for breath, sweat running down our faces - and gazing at the wonder spread out before us.

Just for the record, in case you are interested: that brand-new knee of mine is working so well that, for the first time in some years, I am not even aware of having a knee!! HALLELUJAH!!!

Tuesday – June 30

Northeastern Italy : Südtirol : Alto Adige : Alta Badia

Anyone of these words will give you an idea of where we are now.

After a 7-hour drive from Serre Chevalier via Milano, Trento and Bolzano we reached Pedraces, which is a tiny village in a string of tiny villages that stretches from near the Austrian/Italian border to Corvara. Corvara is not far from Cortina d’Ampezzo, famous for skiing, which tells you what this area is like, and it’s also the entryway to the Val Gardena, which is noted for high passes and spectacular scenery! This is the Dolomiti where the color and contour of the mountains is quite unlike the French or Italian Alps. The sides of the valleys have grass and trees growing up quite far up the slopes and one sees ski lifts everywhere. The architecture of the buildings and churches reminds me of Austria, although from time to time we see an Italian-style church. In this region – the Alto Adige – the locals speak Italian and/or German and a local dialect called Ladino. We see signs in one, two or all three languages. We had rented a little apartment that turned out to be one room but the room is big and has two balconies and a terrace, so there is much light and wonderful views. The downside is that it’s on the main road and, given the traffic, tends to be a tad noisy, especially in the mornings when we’re awakened earlier than we would like.

The area is SO GREEN! We’ve had a fair amount of cloud and rain mixed with sun, which must account for the greenness. On Wednesday we headed out for a quick look by car and were surprised not only by the beauty of the area but also by the large number of bicyclists on the roads. The roads are quite narrow and very heavily traveled by everything from huge construction vehicles down to motor scooters - passing bicycles with cars coming the other way on narrow roads is something of an adventure! It seems that we pass the bikes and the motorcycles pass us and it’s a bit like leapfrog. There appears to be numerous bicycle events here every weekend and there are far more bikes than cars. We’re accustomed to seeing bikers on the mountains of France (think ‘Tour de France’), but we’ve never seen anything like this!

Thurday, June 25 – A truly vertical waterfall hike! To the Col d’Arsine via the trail from above Villar d’Arene. The Col d’Arsine spans the ridge between our Serre Che valley and the next one over, which includes the La Meije Glacier and Villar d’Arene. We had driven past the road to this trail countless times but, aside from a quick trip up the lower part of the trail maybe 25 years ago when the girls were small, we’d not done this climb. The first 20 minutes and the last 20 minutes were fairly easy, but the intervening territory was a Stairmaster from hell climb!! It felt like 45 degrees! Probably wasn’t, however my legs thought otherwise! But the VIEWS! I could not look down on the way up without serious anxiety and the same was true on the way down. That parking lot was a LONG WAY down!!

Saturday, June 27 – Back to the Vallée de la Claret for a short hike up to the Grotte des 50 Ȃnes (Grotto of the 50 donkeys). The grotto was so named in 1815 when Austrian troops were moving up the Vallée de la Claret and the villagers moved their donkeys (then used for both farming and transportation) up to the grotto to prevent them from being commandeered by the approaching troops. The climb was up a ravine that, like Arizona washes in rain storms, can be dangerous because of the volume of water coming down from above, however, although we had dark clouds overhead, the threatened rain did not happen. And the view was wonderful! This, too, was a new trek for us. Despite having come here for most of the last 23 years, each year we discoverer new trails in the area – it’s a bit like Brigadoon - new trails appear during the intervening year!

Interesting: the Weather Channel and the France météo (weather forecast) had both indicated rain for this area today. Yes, there were dark clouds overhead from time to time, but the overall weather was bright and sunny. The Briancon region is at the confluence of 5 valleys and Briancon’s claim to 360 days of sun/year seems to pan out.

Photos taken at Vallee de la Claret ...

Sunday June 21 - Today dawned with clear skies that almost immediately became overcast. We had planned a hike to the Vallee de la Claret, which is the next valley to the east of Serre Che. The temperature was in the mid-60s with a fair breeze blowing and we weren't sure how much time we would have before rain began.
We drove to Pamplinet and started walking up the fairly steep rocky road toward Chalets des Acles - a hike of about 4km each way. We had discovered this road last year. It becomes a track at the top of the pass and leads toward Italy and is very much worth the effort. As we climbed, the skies cleared and the day became a lovely one. Near the top of the pass the road leveled out a bit and we had a clear view across the valley to the Fort de l'Olive, one of the fortifications that pepper the heights in this region. Whereas many of the forts are reachable without too much effort, this one is perched such that the way to it is either very long, very steep or very rocky. Joe has gotten there once, leaving me perched precariously on a rock somewhere along the trail.

Tuesday June 23 – We tried another new (to us) trail today – one above Villiard St. Pancrace, which is just south of Briancon and on the opposite side of the Serre Che that we see from Chantemerle. This area is a bit lower and not good for hiking in warmer weather but yesterday’s high was about 68F. In general the weather has been much cooler than usual and we’ve lived in sweatshirts and polaires. The climb was easy at first and then really got steep but it was through trees and smelled of pine and the sky was blue and the views over Briancon made it worth the effort. As usual, we brought a baguette, slices of meat, a jar of Amora mustard, and a bottle of San Pellegrino and that, after a good climb and eaten while perched on a stump, was a veritable feast in a delightful dining room.

Our food prep and consumption is simple here: we are addicted to French bread and have bread for breakfast and/or lunch most days. Eggs & lardons (a kind of chopped bacon) or cereal constitute non-bread breakfasts. On non-hiking days we usually have soup and bread (yeh, again…) with cheeses or fruit. We don’t go out for dinner very often but enjoy meal prep at home. It’s a bit of a challenge because the apartment is very simply furnished and counter space is a 2’x2’ square with a 2-burner cooktop on one side and a sink on the other. The kitchen itself is just over 3 feet in length, the fridge sits below the counter, and it’s normal to see one of us crawling around on our hands and knees trying to find something in it!

Monday June 15 - Today we drove from Tignes over the now open Col d'Iseran (2740m) into the next valley and then over the Col du Telegraph to our next residence at Serre Chevalier. This area is prime Tour de France territory and, if you've ever watched the Tour, you've probably seen our village. Serre Che, as it's called, is a string of ski villages that cluster around the base of the Serre Chevalier massif. Our village is Chantemerle and is about 6km from the medium-sized town of Briancon. As the crow flies, we are about 7-8 miles from Italy. Being so close to a functioning metropolis of sorts makes life fairly easy. Briancon has several supermarkets, hardware and sporting goods stores (natch!), restaurants, and a computer store that has seen our trade on several occasions.
On our way to Serre Che we had our picnic at le Redoute Marie-Therese, which is a type of fortification that was built for the Italians by the French. Throughout history the French-Italian border has shifted, first one way, then the other way, then back again, so one finds bits of history on one side or the other or even straddling the current border.
Unlike Tignes, Serre Che is below the tree line and the area is full of wonderfully green deciduous trees as well as evergreens. We desert rats truly enjoy the green and the numerous tumbling waterfulls. The area had more snow than usual this winter so many of the upper slopes are still white.
The apartments (studios, really) in our building have a view of the massif of Serre Che. During one of our 2-week segments here the view from our balcony is up the valley and during the other, toward Briancon and the mountains beyond. Briancon is at the junction of 5 valleys and the hiking possibilities are great! It's also an area that has numerous fortifications built over several centuries to guard the (shifting) border with Italy. The most recent of these date to WWII.

Wednesday June 17 - Yesterday, our first day at Serre Che, was a shopping/errand day and today we were eager to stretch our legs. We drove to the 20 minutes up to the Col de Granon (2471m), which lies opposite the Serre Che massif and above our village. It, too, was a former border fortification and has a gently sloping rocky road that was used to transport materials to the fort. Whereas we usually hike from bottom to top, in this case we started our hike at the top of the Col and walked about 4 miles down the road, then back up, which meant we were tired puppies by the time we got to the car! But the views are so worth the effort!!

Col Petit St. Bernard

Sunday, June 14, 2009
We started out looking for a particular trail but, after hunting for it unsuccessfully, we decided to drive to the Col Petit St. Bernard (little St. Bernard pass) instead. The col marks the French/Italian border and is high enough to be closed in Winter.
The first photo was taken while we were hunting for the trail and it shows ‘our’ valley with a view back towards Tignes. The second photo was taken at the pass itself showing the altitude and the next two are just plain fun to look at. There actually is a building, or hospice, that used to house monks who would send the St. Bernards out looking for people stranded on the mountains!
The last photo was taken at a ski village, La Rosiere, which very close to the col and, when we stopped to buy a bottle of wine for dinner, we found a pen with two – yep – St. Bernards inside.