Saturday 21st May
Early exit from Munich, and along the way get our first view of the alps in the distance.
By 9:00 am we have crossed into Austria. As we will end up in Venice, this will be a 3 country day.
The scenery along the drive through the Alps is nothing short of spectacular. There is a good chance that I will wear the shutter button out before I finish this trip.
To help pass the time on the long drives, Stephane has introduced a game called ‘Dobble’ and set up a championship competition.
For a simple game it produced a lot of intensity, and blood nearly flowed.
Innsbruck
We finally reach Innsbruck in time for lunch – what a place. So vibrant and full of life, with a backdrop of the alps that is just stunning. Walking the streets, the feeling is just one of comfort and je ne sais quoi.
There were musicians playing on the streets, food and an extremely friendly atmosphere. Scenic beyond belief.
In short – I could happily live here!
As we leave Innsbruck we are treated to the site of the ski jump from both sides
On the road again, driving through the alps, and more fantastic scenery, further enhanced by the pristine creeks everywhere – pure runoff from the mountains.
Finally a short tunnel lets us cross the border to Italy.
The traffic is the worst of the trip so far -extremely heavy, in part from every car, truck and bus having to stop at tollgates for manual processing. Time is now getting short to fit dinner and the boat cruise in. Robert and Stephane fortunately do a magnificent job of organising and driving.
On arrival had a quick dinner,then off to the gondolas.
The ride started in daylight, but the light had faded to darkness by the end.
A most ‘interesting’ experience was boarding the gondola – they are not the world’s most stable platform. Not sure if it is more pulse-quickening for those boarding, or those already aboard.It rocks alarmingly, and a quick swim for all certainly seems on the cards. It is not helped at all by the mirth of those on terra firma, but their turn will come.
The small sense of stability is not helped by the gondolier deliberately rocking the boat.Nevertheless, it navigated the choppy waters of the Canal Grande without a problem, even comfortably riding the wake of speedboats.
And finally the moon says hi to a wonderful Venice night
