Burgundy and Alsace

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We spent the last few days driving through the wine routes of Burgundy and Alsace.

I didn’t really like Burgundy - it was cold and the wineries weren’t very accessible. They were either boring tasting rooms or exclusive estates. The town of Beaune (major town along the wine route) was not very lively. We entertained ourselves by visiting the old hospital in Beaune and touring the Chateau Meursault, along with a few smaller estates. My favorite part was seeing the underground cellars of these wineries. We walked through rooms after rooms filled with bottles arranged by vintage, most of them covered in a thick layer of dust. Wine from the region is fantastic.

The Hospices de Beaune

Wine cellar at Chateau Meursault

Alsace, just a couple of hours northeast of Burgundy, was fun. Although I have to admit, I liked it more for its cute German-style towns and pretty hills rather than its wine. Starting from Colmar, we drove through at least half a dozen picturesque villages, each only a few kilometers apart. Most of these villages look like they have not changed for hundreds of years. They were wonderful for quick strolls or as starting points for walks through surrounding vineyards. We walked a couple of short trails up to castle ruins, with great views of the vineyards and villages.

Enjoying a bretzel in Colmar, France

View from a vineyard walk

One of the more lively towns on the Alsace Wine Route

Hiking the Italian Alps

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My favorite part of the trip so far is the Alps!

We had the best day hiking the Parco Nazionale del Gran Paradiso in Italy. This national park isn't like those in the US in that it doesn't feel remote. It's only a couple of hours from Milan, and even within the park, there are mountain villages everywhere. We started the hike from the Valle di Cogne, which is centered around the small town of Cogne, surrounded by several smaller villages. We camped in one of those small villages, Lillaz, for the night.

We stopped by the tourist office at Cogne when we arrived mid-day, bought a map, and picked a 6-hour hike up to Lago di Loie. It was a beautiful day - warm and sunny at the base. The hike is fairly steep the entire way up to the lake, although I didn't even notice because the views were breathtaking from the start!

Within ten minutes of the start, we arrived at a beautiful waterfall. Already, there’s a view of the village, and that view just keeps getting better the further up we go. About 2 hours and several more waterfalls later, the landscape changes dramatically. We left a temperate forest for what seemed like the arctic tundra. The land was barren and partially covered in snow. We reached the lake half an hour later, and had our lunch there. The way down started with traversing through snow, followed by a gradual (but long) descent along a river to the town.

This definitely one of the best day hikes I've been on, and I highly recommend it to anyone who is near to the region. It has beautiful and varied scenery along the entire route, it’s challenging but not too strenuous, and it’s easily accessible (compared to other hikes of similar grandeur). Plus, if you go during the early summer, the mountain fields are filled with wildflowers.

First of many waterfalls we encountered on the hike

About an hour into the hike. We started from the valley below us. 

At Lago di Loie, the midpoint of the hike.

Dave looking very happy

On the way down. We couldn't get enough of the views!

We’re back in France now, after driving through the Mont Blanc tunnel to Chamonix. Can’t wait for more alpine adventures!

Venice

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We’re at Lake Garda in Italy, after spending the last 2 days in Venice. Venice is beautiful, as always, but it was so hot while we were there! We actually left early today because it became unbearable to walk around.

What we liked most about Venice: pretty canals everywhere, water taxis and bus systems, and very impressive architecture. It’s amazing to see such a densely populated city that existed long ago. And it was very photogenic - our favorites are below.

What we liked least about Venice: crowded, expensive. and very touristy! The buses into the main island is always packed and the main streets are super crowded during the day. I remember it being much more quiet when I was there in December last time.

We happened to be around during the Biennale, a contemporary art festival that takes place in Venice every two years. Not sure how ticketing actually works, but we were able to wander around a bunch of the exhibits freely, which was pretty fun. Modern art in Venice is an interesting mix.

San Marco Plaza

Venice is beautiful at night! (and has more comfortable temperatures)

A random square with a leaning tower

Art exhibit from the Biennale

And last but not least, the Grand Canal

Tuscany & Mishap #2

See ALL the photos from this segment here!:
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I feel so well rested! Dave and I spent the weekend with his cousin Catherine and her family in Santa Vittoria in Matenano, Italy. They have a beautiful house overlooking rolling hills of the countryside. We got treated to a day at the beach and a couple of home-cooked Italian meals. Plus, Dave and I had so much fun hanging out with the girls :)

Hanging out on the patio before dinner

Pizza in Pedaso

We had another small mishap with the car while in Greve in Chianti a few days ago - a flat tire. This wasn't as exciting as the incident 3 days ago, but we still lost two hours waiting for a mechanic to put on the spare (the instructions were in French). We had to exchange the car (again!) the next day in Siena. Hopefully that last incident for awhile...

Flat tire :(

Aside from Santa Victoria, we probably did a bit too much driving and got lost too often. Still, we loved the wine tasting and tour at Castello di Verrazano, our dinner in Panzano, and the towns of San Gimignano, Siena, and Assisi.

Post-dinner in Panzano in Chianti. This was taken right outside the restaurant at around 9pm. 

Main square in Siena

View of Assisi from Rocca Maggiore

Cinque Terre

UPDATE 6/21: Follow the link for ALL the photos from the Italian Riviera and Tuscany:

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First night of the trip spent in a hotel! We’re at the Renaissance Tuscany Il Ciocco Resort & Spa, near the tiny town of Barga, Italy. We just had lunch and I’m writing this blog poolside overlooking the rolling hills of Tuscany. It’s wonderful having reliable power and internet for a change.

Yesterday was a big day exploring the villages of Cinque Terre, which is composed of five small villages on the northern-western coast of Italy linked by hiking trails and a train line.

We got an early start at 7am and after a quick 20 minutes later on the train, we were in the last village of Riomaggiore. The plan was to hike backwards towards our campsite. I was pretty disappointed to learn that the first two sections of the hike, from Riomaggiore to Corniglia, were closed (they’ve been closed for a year with no scheduled reopening date!). Instead, we took a mountain pass to Manarola and then a train to Corniglia.

From Corniglia, we hiked the park trail to Vernazza, which was more difficult than we had expected - it went over mountains that lined the ocean, instead of around them in a flatter terrain along the coast. However, the views were spectacular along the entire hike! I loved looking at the villages as you leave and approach them. The trail is also lined with wildflowers and offers stunning views of the Mediterranean. By the time we got to Vernazza, we were too exhausted to hike any further, so we hopped on the train to Monterosso, the village closest to our campsite, where we had a relaxing sit down meal.

The villages themselves are all very photogenic, even on a cloudy day. They are no more than half a square mile in size and have colorful houses lining narrow cobbled streets. My favorite was Vernazza, with its quaint harbor filled with cafes and gelaterias. I’m so happy we finally made it here! I’ve been wanting to visit Cinque Terre for years.

We’re taking it easy today. There’s no plan other than to relax and catch up on pictures and planning. I’ll probably take a short afternoon hike to the nearby town of Barga.

View of Corniglia

Along the hike to Vernazza

Overlooking the town of Vernazza, after a 2 hour hike

From our hotel room in Tuscany, with a view of Barga, Italy

First day in Italy (and our first mishap...)

We had our first little incident of the trip yesterday morning (only 4 days into the trip!). It ended up being not a big deal, but was super scary at the time.

We had packed up and were driving to Italy for the next couple of weeks so our car was stuffed full. We were low on fuel from the past 4 days of driving. Right before the highway entrance, Dave pulled into a gas station to fill up. We spent some time struggling with the French only instructions, and there were no attendants around, but we finally managed to fuel up. All was on schedule, and we headed off on the highway by 9:30am.

First indication that something is wrong: at the tollbooth into the highway Dave heard strange knocking noises coming from the car. About half a mile later, the car started feeling sluggish, and the knocking worsened. At first, I thought Dave was just having difficulties with the stick, but soon the check engine light came on; the car slowed to a snail's pace, and we pulled over to the shoulder.

We both knew what the problem was - we had put the wrong type of fuel into the tank. The car required diesel but we had used something called "Diesel 95," which in France, is apparently not diesel at all. Whoops! But we had no idea what to do next. How badly is the car damaged? What and how long would it take to get back on the road? Do our phones work in France??? Luckily, a highway maintenance vehicle saw us stranded and called a tow truck for us. And our US cell phones did work (although roaming was expensive).

The worst hour was waiting for the tow truck and not knowing where we were going or what was going to happen. Fortunately, the tow truck driver was able to get us to a nearby Hertz location, and a little more than two hours later, we were back on the road in another car. Whew! What a relief. The cost to us: 400 euros plus 2.5 hours of down time in Italy.

Lessons learned: always double check what kind of fuel to use, and rent from a major car rental company! :)

The rest of the day was great though. Once we made it into Italy, we stopped at the picturesque waterfront villages of Camogli and Portofino, before spending the night in Levanto.

We finally arrived in Camogli! Took a nice walk through the town and had crispy focaccia sandwiches and gelato by the harbor. 

Beautiful harbor at Portofino, reached by a 30 minute drive along a windy coastal road. 

French Riviera

UPDATE 6/14: If you want to see ALL the photos from this leg of our trip, check them out here!:

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What a great start to the trip! Over the last 4 days in the French Riviera, we saw many cities (Nice, Cannes, Monaco), small towns (St-Paul de Vence, Eze, Castellane), and beautiful scenery everywhere. The entire region is lined with the shimmering Mediterranean on one side, and mountains on the other. It has great food everywhere since the area is dotted with towns everywhere. Plus, the weather is absolutely gorgeous. Sun dresses (or t-shirt and shorts, if you prefer) during the day, plus a light sweater at night.

It did rain once since we got here. There was an afternoon thunderstorm in Monaco yesterday afternoon. Timing worked out for us since we had seen most of Monaco in by that time. It was a little nerve wracking though, when we had to run back to the car in the middle of the storm, in the middle of which Dave thought he lost his car keys. Just a small mishap to prepare us for bigger ones that I’m sure will come.

Here are some of my favorite pictures from the trip so far:

Beautiful view from Parc in Nice. We walked to up to a waterfall in the part, just east of Old Town.

Le Suquet (old town) in Cannes

Hiking in Le Massif d’esterel, west of Cannes

Dinner in St Paul de Vence, a cute hilltop town overlooking the Mediterranean and the surrounding hills

Driving and hiking Le Gorge du Verdon

Birdseye view of the gorge

The harbor at Monaco

It’s 7AM on Monday morning now, and we are about to leave our campsite in Antibes for Cinque Terre. I’m sure there will be lots of stops along the way. See you in Italy!