The European Chronicles 2024 - Prologue
The Plan With Krisanne
aka
The Greatest Hits - Volume I
The luxury of time.
The plan is to take full advantage of Krisanne's new post-retirement freedom. Her suggestion: "I want to experience all these great places you keep talking (and talking, and talking) about...can we do a 'greatest hits' tour? Would you mind seeing them again?" No, hell, no! Let's go!
No list was necessary; there are certain places that are etched in my memory. Certain hotels, too. All in the Alps and Dolomites. I started playing around on MyDrive to come up with a semi-logical route order, and places to stay along the way. With a few interesting newbies thrown in.
We've got five week-long stays planned at different locations, all offering breathtaking scenery, fantastic riding and hiking right from the hotel door. By staying for a week at each location, we have daily options based on weather and desire, with the only required riding days the transits to and from. And a chance to "go a little deeper" into each place. The luxury of time.
It's been awhile since Krisanne has traveled internationally, so I'm a bit worried about Customs.
Assuming we make it through 😂, the trip lays out like this:
We of course fly into Frankfurt and reunite with Mia at Stefan's Heidelberg Moto B&B. When last I saw her:
The luggage and gear already tucked away.
We'll spend two nights getting Mia and ourselves sorted, then head out toward Heiligenblut, Austria, the Grossglockner High Alpine Road, and Austria's highest mountain. We have a few days to get there, so there are scenic route options, as well as the possibility of dropping in on Chris, our friend in Switzerland.
The Grossglockner is more than just an interesting road, it is a national park offering world-class hiking. Our hotel is directly across from a lift to take you up to the trails.
Although I've been to this area before, the hotel is new, we'll see how that works out! They have underground parking for Mia and, like most Alps hotels, cater to "petrolheads." 😂
Then, off to Italia, specifically Valdobbiadene, the heart of the Prosecco wine region, literally on the "Prosecco Road" lined with DOCG wineries.
Our accommodation is fairly unique, Roggia dei Cedri, a small group of eco-friendly buildings a few hundred meters from the town piazza.
They even offer wine tours by Land Rover!
How could we not take advantage of this?????
In addition to being tasty on its own, you know what you make with Prosecco...that's right!!!!! The official drink of The European Chronicles. Krisanne even likes them now.
After sobering up, we head to Collalbo, Italy, in the Dolomites, perhaps the most beautiful riding area on the planet. Bemelmans Post is our base camp; I stayed here in 2022 for the Edelweiss Alps Riding Academy. A fantastic hotel in a beautiful little town.
This trip, we'll have the time to take the historic train and cable car into Bolzano, and do some hiking in the Ritten.
Ritten Historic Railway
The train meets up with the cable car in Soprabolzano.
And the riding is awesome.
Including hiking to the Earth Pyramids
Next is the Goldenen Rose, in Certosa (Karthaus), Italy, on the Austrian border. AKA, "Krisanne's Hotel" because this was one she had identified early on as a place that offered unique hiking opportunities. I stayed once in 2019 to check it out, and she was right. A great place, in an out of the way location, that offers the possibility of staying in their "Hut" on the glacier. Of course.
In 2019
The Goldenen Rose
This should be a fun, unique experience. Staying a week, with a night at the Hut.
Next up, "my" hotel, the Vier Jähreszeiten, in Pitztal, Austria. I just love this place, a great hotel at the end of a beautiful valley, steps away from the Glacier Express.
Lot's of hiking and riding opportunities, we're actually staying here for ten days.
Then a few days back to Stefan's, a few days there to get Mia and our gear sorted...and home!
Can't wait!!!
