Running Home!

Growing up in Mooroopna I spent a fair bit of time in the bush and hanging out on the banks of the Goulburn River. Whislt I hadn't started doing much running when I first moved away from there, years later when I returned It became my favourite place to run. Back then there was as sealed bike path from Mooroopna to Shepparton through the bush. As a person who liked the solitude when running I can remember being a little disappointed as more and more sealed bike paths went in around the bushland.

Despite seeing more people whilst out bush it is still is a great place to run and of course there are still many dirt tracks to get into it. My favourite run had to be leaving near Princess Park in Shepparton and straigh across the bridge where you duck under the bridge and head off along the river towards Gemmill Swamp. Eventually you end up at the back of the Mooroopna Golf Club. If your feeling brave you can duck through the golf course and end up at the old Mooroopna Hospital. From here it is back on the bike path to Shepparton.

(Map says 11.3 but it is a bit further as I couldn't get it to show the path under the bridge)

As my parents have now moved to a different part of Shepparton I now get out on the tracks behind the Shepparton Golf Club. On a recent run there I had forgotten about the recent rain and found a billabong full and being short on time it was going to be quicker to cross it rather than back track. It made for an interesting last few KMs with wet shoes.

One thing I love about the bush tracks in Mooroopna/Shepparton is that they aren't as rocky as the ones around Bendigo and just feel a bit softer under foot.

Mt Tarrengower Maldon

It’s become a bit of a tradition at our Grade 3 camp at Maldon to run up to the lookout on top of Mt Tarrengower. The whole run from the camp is a 9km return run. Mt Tarrengower is quite well known for the Mt Tarrengower Historic Hill Climb. The climb itself is listed as a 2km climb with an average gradient of 9.8%. Of course getting to the start of the climb is nearly all uphill from the Bluelight Camp where we stay.

Each year the plan is to get to the top ready for sunrise (and then to get back down before the kids wake up). In the past I have forgotten to take my phone with me to capture the beautiful sunrise that comes up over Mt Alexander. This year I remembered and I made it to the top just after the sun had come up. Maybe I left a few minutes later than in the past, or more likely I am just slowing down.

The lookout tower provides some great 360 degree views. Pity I don’t have the time to stay there and really take in the views before the quad smashing descent. The worst thing about the way down is that when you reach the bottom of the climb you have to run up a short sharp hill that brings you back to Maldon-Bridgewater rd. Your legs are gone and you feel uncoordinated running back up the hill.

Lago Maggiore

Lago Maggiore and in particular Stresa, would have to be one of the most beautiful places in the world. Stresa is just over an hour train trip north of Milan. This video was shot the day I ran up to Levo. Round trip of 13kms. 6.5kms straight up and then quad smashing 6.5kms down. I took this little video on the way down.

Victoria Peak Run -Hong Kong

A trip to Hong Kong wouldn't be the same without a trip up to Victoria Peak to see the spectacular views across the harbour. Most people take the tram up (it is a cool trip) but I enjoy running up Old Peak Road.

The Peak is 552metres high and climbs up to this height in only a few kilometres. To put it plainly, it is brutal both on the way up and the way down.  For this run I caught a train from Tsim Sha Tsui where we were staying. I got off at Admiralty and proceeded along Cotton Tree Dr. As with every time I have ran up here I get confused with all the different overpasses and stairs but finally found my way to Old Peak Rd. 

It is just steep steep steep and it is a battle to keep moving forward. This particular morning it was hot and sticky just adding to the punishment. Just after Hillsborough Court Tower 4 you move off the road and onto a small path. A lot of the path is covered by trees offering some protection from the early morning sun, but nothing saves you from the humidity.

As you run there are plenty of others, both locals and tourists, out exercising which is great to see. It is a great relief to see the Peak Lookout up above you signalling you are almost there. If you get to the lookout and haven't smashed yourself you can keep climbing up Mt Austin Rd or you can take the flatish route around Lugard Rd. 

The way up challenges the aerobic system, the way down just smashes the legs and ensures a few days of sore quads. Make sure you take your phone to grab a couple of pictures from the top or on the way down. Unfortunately the camera doesn't capture how steep it is. I tried to take a video of cars coming up just to try to give a sense of how steep it is. 

One the way down I went via the Mid-Level escalators. Must say the weren't as good as I was expecting. I finished off by catching the Star Ferry back across the harbour. Thankfully it was early and there wasn't too many on the ferry because I was getting some strange looks because of the pool of sweat I was leaving on the floor.

Hyde Park Running.

 

It’s funny that of the times that I have been to London over the past 23 years, I hadn’t actually been running in Hyde park, until this years trip. There had been different factors why I hadn’t done so in the past. But after finally doing it, it lived up to its reputation of being a great place to exercise.

I headed from Earls Court where we were staying and went down Cromwell Rd until Gloucester Rd and then headed into Hyde Park at the Broad Walk. I headed across passed Kensington Palace.  Despite being early in the morning it was a hive of activity.

Why I loved it? Well it had something for everyone. You had sealed paths to run on, but if you wanted there are plenty of grass tracks to lessen the vibration on the old knees. You could even run on sand along North Carriage Drive.  With a wide variety of runners getting about you could bring out the competitive beast inside and try to catch runners ahead as you went along. If you were wanting a more relaxing run then you could criss-cross through the park where is was less populated with runners.

The Serpentine was quiet on this morning and quite pretty, although you did have to weave around the duck poo. As a tourist you could run with your phone and stop for a quick pic of some of the sight around the park including Kensington Palace, Marble Arch and the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain.

If you are staying a bit away from Hyde Park then catch to tube to one of the many nearby stations. Oh one thing I did notice was that I looked out of place with my blue running shorts and bright red top, everyone seemed to be wearing Black.

London Calling

London has long been my favourite city in the world to visit. I'm not sure if I'm just being sentimental because it was my first overseas destination or the fact on another few trips it's been the last port of call after being in non English countries so it was easy. It's just always had this vibe about it that I've loved. Whilst it was still there, it seemed to have lost it's appeal, only slightly. 

I'm not sure if it was the fact that we had had such a great time and when we hit London we came to the realisation that it was coming to an end. Nether the less it was still great. We had some nice weather to walk around and look at the sights.

We started with the London Eye. The kids had been looking forward to going up in it. It gives nice views especially up to Buckingham Palace. The kids loved the fact that the queen was home. Trafalgar Square was our next venture and I was devastated that they have banned you from climbing on the lions. It was a bit of a tradition to jump on the lions back and get a photo. I was going to do it but they had people patrolling and it looked as if one of them wrote out a ticket for someone who attempted it.

Our walk up to Buckingham Palace was well timed as they changing of the guards started. Kylie was a bit shocked at the pomp and ceremony that went into it. It was also Bank Holiday weekend and they had lots of things getting organised up at the Palace and it was crowded. It was a bit of a shame as they didn't get to look at it in detail. Of course one morning when I went running it was deserted so I got to have good gander. 

Portobello Road markets were great and Kylie and Milana bought a few things. It was a great afternoon so the crowds were out and there was a really good atmosphere. We got to see the Travel Book Shop from Nottinghill movie. Of course it isn't a travel book shop but a souvenir shop. at the markets there was a fantastic performer, you could have sworn it was Ed Sheeran himself.

My favourite tourist attraction in London has always been Tower Bridge. I think it looks cool. Every time I have been to London I have always put off going up the walkways. This time Sebastian and I did it. They have a couple of glass bottom floor panels and we timed it perfectly as they opened it when we were up there. It was pretty good to watch from atop.

We shopped a bit at M&M world. It was funny as Kylie had turned her nose up when I said that we should go there. But she enjoyed it. It is spread over 4 levels. It's expensive but oh well. We did get to see a huge bust up between a mum and her 7 year old. It was pretty horrific. 

On the last morning I ran 13km around the city. It is always the best way to see the city.

The Netherlands

We had a fantastic 5 nights in the Holten, The Netherlands.  It was great to see Roy and Anita again and the kids have really grown up since last visit. We got straight into the typical Dutch lifestyle and jumped on bikes and rode down to the town square where they had a festival going on. We had dinner there and swerved, I mean, rode home at 9.30 when it was still daylight.

The kids sweet breakfasts continued. A new addition to what they had been previously having was was the chocolate sprinkles on their toast. Mmm.

We went to a Dutch Open Aired Museum on the Sunday. I guess the best way to describe it is a bit like Sovereign Hill in Victoria. You can walk around and look at old buildings including farmhouses, windmills, a brewery and even trams. The kids enjoyed it, almost as much as the flying fox that was there.

As a family we got into the Dutch tradition of riding everywhere around town. On the Monday we all rode the kids to school. We also rode and did the groceries and things like that. I really liked this side of the culture. The Dutch motto is - There isn't bad weather, just bad clothing. So even if it is raining you still ride. Of course, they didn't wear helmets.

The school had just over 200 students. They are getting a new school soon. There current school is looking a bit old. There were a few noticeable differences from our schools. One was that they didn't have uniforms. Their day is structured differently, they started at 8.30 and finished at 3.15 but they had a longer lunch. In fact parents choose if they come home for lunch or stay. If they stay the parents can choose to send lunch or pay to have it provided. They all have there own bag that that hangs at school that they put their coats in so that lice don't spread. On Wednesday they finish by 12.30pm. Most of the kids ride or get a dink to school. It is funny to watch the parents come in and and stand around the courtyard in the afternoon. They back their bikes in and stand there lined up and wait. It was a shame I couldn't understand what they were saying, it would have been interesting to see if they were just paying out on the school and teachers, which is often the case in Australia. It's very orderly. When the bell went the kids came out and grabbed their bikes. Many of them raced around the school yard on their bikes before leaving. I didn't see a teacher on yard duty, if there was then they didn't have the fluro vest which is common in our schools.

One day my kids got to go to school for a few hours. They really enjoyed it and Viggo and Elin did the interpreting for the kids. On the day they went one of the classes was having a birthday party for the teacher which was basically going for the whole morning.

We did a day trip to Amsterdam. Despite leaving after peak hour it still took over 1.5 hours to do the 110km trip, then negotiating the city traffic took a bit more time out of the day. The number of trucks on the highways is amazing. Apparently they are only allowed to do 80kmh and the engine is restricted to 90kmh. For most part it is ok until they decide to pass someone, which they aren't meant to do. This then takes considerable time and it banks up the rest of the traffic as they can't put their foot down and pass quickly. When you have cars doing the allowed 130kmh speed limit it doesn't take long for a bottle neck to occur.

Amsterdam is an interesting city and most would know some of the famous things about Amsterdam, but having the family their we kept away from those famous sights and indulgences. It doesn't matter how many times you visit Amsterdam it amazes you how they crooked buildings don't topple over. It is a must do location!

We are so grateful to our friends for their amazing Dutch hospitality. You can often hear that the Dutch are rude, but the times I've been I have found the opposite, warm and friendly, especially in the city.

Related - Holten

Holten

As the Dutch countryside passes you by on the train to Holten, it is hard to believe that The Netherlands is the second most densely populated country in Europe(behind Malta). Most of the time when I have been been in the Netherlands I have been in Holten, a town surrounded by beautiful countryside.

Holten is a town of 10,000. As someone from Australia it would be hard to believe that there are 10,000 people living there as you pass by. But there are and most of the houses in the town are joined duplexes, meaning it is a compact,but beautiful town.

Holten is a very popular town in the summer months because for the Holterberg and the surrounding Sallandse Heuvelrug National Park, which is stunning. I do have a giggle when the locals talk about going up the mountain as it tops out at 65 metres, never the less, it is beautiful.

In the summer months Holten's numbers swell with holidaymakers. The town is well serviced by camping parks.  It is popular with hikers, runners, cyclists and nature lovers.  As a runner it is sensational. You have a beautiful mix of running  and cycling paths that go through the beautiful forest. You can choose whether you want to stick to the narrow, asphalt tracks or the dirt ones that often run parallel with them. The main paths are very well marked out with signposts and a lot of the paths are intersect like a grid. Of course you can take the winding walking and mountain bike paths. These eventually wind their way back to the main tracks, so you don't get too lost.

Related - Running Levo

Holten is also famous for the Canadian War Cemetery which is situated in the forest just out of the town centre. Over 1800 soldiers, mainly Canadian soldiers are buried there. Canadian soldiers helped liberate the Netherlands in World War II. Two Australian soldiers are buried here. There are a number of ceremonies at the cemetery during the year and locals take part in looking after the tombstones.

Oh and the locals are extremely friendly. I have visited 3 times now and the last 2 times I have stayed with a very generous family who looked after me on my first trip there when I did the Holten Triathlon in 2002.

Paris to Amsterdam on Thalys Train

Travelling between cities in Europe by train is a pleasant experience compared with the ridiculously slow speeds that Australian trains go. By booking early I got us a seat in 1st class of the Thalys train for not much more more than a regular ticket. Was it worth it, yes. Heaps more room, unless you were the angry Australian that was across from us who refused to put is luggage in the storage area. He sat with his suitcase between his legs for the 3 and 1/2 hours. The seats were comfortable and we got served quite a lot of food and drinks. Much more than the Business class on the Frecciarossa 1000.

Many European countries have spent a lot of money on renewable energy and you could see this as the train whizzed along at 330kmh between Paris and Amsterdam. There were wind farms everywhere. Yes I think they are ugly and take away from the beautiful landscape, but they are necessary for the environment. Come on Australian government. 

Despite stopping at a few more stations than the regular Paris - Amsterdam train, it still only takes 3.5hrs to make the journey. A change at Amsterdam Schipol and we were on the way to Holten, a small village around 100kms east of Amsterdam. We had to take 3 regional trains to get there. Each train was easy as you just hopped off and walked across the platform to the waiting train.

Holten's population, according to Wikipedia is around 10000 people and is famous for the Holterberg, but more on that another time.  

More On Paris

The Louvre Carrousel and the Passage Richelieu are two lesser known entrances to the Louvre. To avoid long delays these are better alternatives than lining up at the glass pyramid entrance. If you arrive just before opening time you will be inside the Louvre extremely quickly. The Louvre Carrousel entrance is directly off the Louvre Royal Palais metro stop. If it's a day like the one we had (wet) this entrance was a saviour as we stayed nice and dry.

If you want to get a peaceful look at the MONA LISA then head straight to it. It's in the Denon wing, floor 1 room 6. Both times I have been there we have been able to get great photos and soak it up before the crowds arrived. 

We spent a few hours at the Louvre looking at the artwork but the kids started to get a bit bored, especially Sebastian, although he sparked up when we saw some suits of armour. The Lourve is huge and it would take many visits the even come close to seeing most of the exhibits.

We made our way up to Montmarte, my favourite place in Paris. I like the small cobbled streets with the coffee and crepe shops. The square with the artists has a good vibe to it. There are also a few delicious looking pastry shops. The views from up there are quite good to. 

We walked around to Sacre Coeur which dominates the landscape and has a nice view down into Paris. Unfortunately when you get down to the bottom of the hill it is just souvenir shop after souvenir shop, although we did the Griswalds family Paris thing and bought Berets! I did like seeing the older lady with her scooter, especially when I cop a little flack for riding one around at home.

We walked along to Moulin Rouge which was a huge disappointment. The whole area is just sex shop after sex shop. Not the best walk with young kids. I did expect it but not to the extent.

The next day we headed off to Notre Dame. We prepared the kids by letting them watch The Hunchback Of Notre Dame the night before. Sebastian was enthralled and it was amazing how much he had taken in from the movie. As we were walking along passed the Palace of Justice he started saying how that fitted into the story. It was actually packed that day as they were trying the survivor from the terrorist cell that was allegedly involved in the Paris bombing. I was surprised by Kylies interest in the building. In fact it was her favourite thing in Paris. We didn't get to go inside as the line was extremely long, I was a bit shocked. 

We wandered the Latin quarter and had some delicious cakes. Lunch was at a restaurant overlooking the Seine River. Then we headed for the Galleries Layette which has a tremendous rooftop terrace on Level 7. On the first trip to Paris it was an undiscovered hidden gem, which you only ever found out about with some local knowledge. Nowadays it is a bit better known.

Our last excursion for the day was back to the lawns around the Eiffel Tower so the kids could run around a bit. They had fun and accidentally photobombed Gregor Dimitriovs photo shoot. He laughed and said it was fine.

Now we are on the train to Holten, The Netherlands. I'm looking forward to seeing Roy and Anita and the kids are looking forward to having some kids to play with.  

How To Avoid Eiffel Tower Queues.

How to avoid a queue at the Eiffel Tower - simple, get in early. I know, a lot of people want to see the sun go down whilst on the Eiffel Tower or watch the lights come on in Paris from their. If that's the case, book online but just remember that you have to arrive within 30 minutes of your nominated time.

We arrived nice and early in the morning and got took some photos of the tower from Trocadero. The kids were hyperactive, this was the thing they have been looking to the most over the past 6 months. Our arrival time was just after opening time, I haven't pre booked but it didn't matter as it took less than 5 minutes and it wasn't much longer and we were on the top level of the 324metre tower. Milana and Sebastian were in awe of the tower, wanting to know how many bolts and beams are in it. The views from the top are great, it is amazing that Gustav Eiffel had an apartment up there. 

Whilst the views are amazing I was glad we're there when we were as it wasn't too crowded. Even with small crowds it is amazing how many people will just crawl over the top of you to try to get a picture. And don't even get me started on Selfie Sticks. I wonder how IOT's upcoming roam-e flying selfie will fair up there. We made our way down to level two, the kids had some Macaroons and Kylie and I had a champagne - from the kiosk. We had been there a while and when we come across 58 Tour Eiffel. We had a table near the window with a nice view across the river. We wondered from the tower to Champs-Élysées and to the Arc De Triomphe. Kylie jwas a little underwhelmed with the famous shopping strip, in fact she was surprised and saddened by the amount of beggars. My highlight was the Renault F1 car.

Italian Toilet Seats, What's The Go?

What's the go with Italian toilet seats? I love Italy but one thing that annoyed the, um, well annoyed me a lot was the toilet seats. I think it took us to the last place we stayed at to get a toilet seat that was secure. I don't know how many time early on where (especially in the middle of the night) you would thump your behind down on the toilet only to have it move and you nearly nearly fall on to the floor. It almost seems like the plumbers were having a little bit of a laugh at tourists and only tightening one bolt.

I must say that the traditional old squat toilet seems to have disappeared in Italian toilets. I only used one in the time we were there, not that I have a problem with them. Although the very first time I used one I almost ended up in it.

But the toilet pictured above gave me the biggest laugh. It was spring loaded to go up after you've stood up. I had to take a picture for my wife who has gotten fairly upset with my seven year old son and I for leaving the seat up this trip! This picture was taken in an Italian train. I actually found it strange as it encourages men to stand up to take a number one whilst moving. I was alway told that was a no-no on trains and buses and I found out why once in Cannes when the bus driver hit the brakes right at the wrong time. Bit embarrassing.

Venice-Milan-Paris

Originally we were going to catch a sleeper train from Venice to Paris, but at the last minute my wife changed her mind (after booking the accomodation in Paris). All the flights out of Venice were were expensive so we decided to spend a night in Milan after getting some cheap airfares with Alitalia. I really like Milan and it is where I derived my daughters name from, Milana, as it's a special place to me. So I was up for the change of plans.

I went for a run on the last morning in Venice and it was a unique experience. I found my way to St Marks square after taking a few wrong turns and hitting some dead ends. The reward was a very quiet square, which is a rarity. The way home was easier although I pulled up with a bit of a sore ankle from the uneven ground and bridges.

The trip from Venice to Milan was comfortable. We had a bit of a laugh at the expense of the American Tourist who for some reason couldn't see the clear as day seat numbers. She got herself all worked up. Thankfully her son came to the rescue. 

We found our apartment which had a drop dead gorgeous view of the Duomo. Sebastian and Milana loved the bath and couldn't wait to have a bubble bath. It was time then to do some quick exploring. I like Milan a lot hence it is why I named Milana after it. 

The kids thought the Duomo with all its statues was pretty cool and they couldn't wait to get home and research it. They later found out it was 108 metres tall, has 3400 statues and is the 3rd largest church in the world.

We made our way down to the Castle and park, after a detour shopping. Milana and Sebastian got to burn off some energy. 

Being into bikes I took myself off to Bianchi Cycles and Cafe in the evening for a quick look, I would have loved to walk out with a new rig but..... Maybe next time. It is a fairly flash set up over four levels. It has a restaurant, bar, lounge, coffee shop and of course bikes. On the way home I saw a lady on a Vespa collect a pedestrian. Both were OK, but the male was more worried about his suit making sure it wasn't ripped.

That evening we got to watch the street performer sing until about 10pm. He was fantastic. This was the downside of the awesome view, it was a bit noisy.

The morning was gorgeous and did the usual stand up coffee and cakes then wandered through the Duomo. Kids liked the link between the fact that Sant Carlo's crypt was there and it was him and his family who built the palace and gardens on Isola Bella.

As a lover of planes and airports I was happy to visit a new airport, Milano Linate. Although I had been passed it as the Milan International Triathlon occurs just outside its boundary. Being the smaller of the two Airports in Milan and it was a very quick check in and customs clearance. Milana commented, "Is that it!"

The flight on Alitalia was extremely smooth, especially considering we flew straight over the snow capped Alps. They seemed close enough to touch.

Customs at Charles D' Gaulle was also smooth and soon we were trying to figure out the tickets for the train. It kept rejecting our credit cards and would take my coins. It turns out you are not meant to spend over €20 in a transaction. Soon we were on the train which turned out to have a bit of action. A male and female transit police officer were in discussions with a traveller. Suddenly she pushed him and gave him a clip over the head. She was very fired up and had to be restrained by her partner. Would be interesting to know what the man said, I have my thoughts on the general nature of his comments. Anyway they dragged him off the train at the next stop.

Not long after we were at our apartment near Gare De Lyon. Kids were exhausted so a quick wander of the streets to get some food and home. Big couple of days.

Beautiful Venice

We boarded our train at the beautiful Milano Centrale and it was a bit of a struggle to find anywhere for our luggage partly because of lack of space but also that the train had come from Geneva so it already had passengers on it.

I was a pretty relaxing trip, one of the things that stood out was around Brescia where all the hills that you could see had stone sections mined out of them. I guess our desire for Italian stone is insatiable.

When we arrived at the station the kids were instantly wowed by the canal. Vaporetto travel is extremely expensive for short trips so we grabbed a 3 day pass and vowed that we would get our monies worth. If you weren't travelling with children you could probably get away with not having one as you could walk everywhere.

As it was the start of the weekend it was very busy but as it turned out it was the weekend of the Vogalonga, which is a non competitive boat regatta which made it even more hectic. Vaporettos were extremely crowded.

Our first stop was the famous Rialto bridge, which was being renovated and it was covered, you couldn't take the obligatory picture on it looking down the Grand Canal. Fortunately I knew this before hand so the disappointment was dulled a little. Although I have been here a couple of times before it was a long time ago and I had forgotten about the little details like the mosaics on St Marks Basilica and the clock building next to it. St Marks Square was busy as usual and it was funny to reflect on my first trip here when we had the whole square to ourselves, it was early morning in winter!

On our second day we did some souvenir shopping at the Rialto Market took another ride down the Grand Canal, which was amazingly busy. In the afternoon we headed out to Murano to watch some glassblowing, which the kids loved. Sebastian wants to be a glass blower now (he has also wanted to live in Rome and be a Gladiator, a flag thrower in Cortona, an Artist in Florence). I swear it was the same glass blower I had 17 years ago, I'll check the pictures when I get home. 

We finished the day with a gondola ride. It was great and Sebastian is now torn between a Gondolier or a Glassblower. He enjoyed being able to wear the gondoliers hat and whistle along with him. It is crazy to think how they were able to build these buildings 600 years ago, let alone do it in the mud. There are over 400 bridges in Venice, my favourite is one of the ones that doesn't have any sides. The ride cost us 80 Euro. 

Our last full day started with a wander down to the Cannareggio canal to watch the boats come in. We sat ourself down at a cafe on the canal edge, drank lots of coffee to keep the shop owners happy and watched the festivities happen on the water. It was a great morning. In the afternoon we headed out to Burano, a famous fishing village that also specialises in lace work. The houses are all painted colourfully. The story has it they did this so they could identify their house on foggy days. It was spectacular, as was the lean on the bell tower! It was a shame that we couldn't stay longer.

The trip home ended with the good wife and I not really talking as we both blamed each other for getting on the wrong ferry and probably adding over an hour to the trip home!

We stayed in the Cannareggio area, which I can highly recommend, it is a lot quieter and is more of a residential area so you get a better feel for the place.

Running Levo

I started my day with in a rewarding way by running up to Levo.  It is 6.5km up to Levo and all up hill and steep.  I started up with phone in hand, having ridden up there a number of times on the way to Mottarone, I knew how beautiful it can be. Half way up the view had disappeared as I was surrounded by clouds. I contemplated turning around. I thought it wasn't going to be worth going through the pain and possibly having very sore legs by continuing up, but alas thankfully I kept going. 

Suddenly I was on top of the clouds and the mountain tops that had been covered for days revealed themselves. Many of them were covered in snow. Even though I could no longer see Lago Maggiore below I had decided it had all been worth it just to see the mountain tops this way. 

As I continued the cloud and fog started to disperse. You couldn't wipe the smile off my face as I could see the beautiful lake, Islands, Stresa and Verbania below me. I finally made it to Levo with a few early bird locals giving me a bemused look. I stopped at the cool little drinking well, had a quick drink before the leg pounding return. 

If you were on a bike you would continue along the ridge before tackling the rest of the brutal Mottarone climb.

The way down was fantastic, stopping at a few points to take some pictures. It was a great way to finish what was a little frustrating week with the weather. Oh yeah the legs did ache for a few days.

Isola Bella

Isola Bella- Translation Beautiful Island. It is every bit that, although name is after Isabella, countess of Borromeo. The Islands of Stresa and Verbania were the things that made me go wow many years ago when I visited the area, but it wasn't until this trip that I visited them.

Today was our last full day in Stresa and Kylie was really looking forward to visiting Isola Bella after seeing that the gardens of the Island featured in the Worlds top 10 gardens and after today's visit it is easy to see why.

First stop on the Island was the Palace which dates back to the mid 1600s and we were blown away. The rooms and flooring was sensational but for me it was the grotto rooms that were like nothing I had ever seen. The floor, walls and roof were decorated with small rocks set into concrete. It was just amazing and mind boggling thinking how long it must of taken to complete the rooms (about 6 of them). All the rooms in the palace were filled with art works and relics. Kylie thought the saddles dating back to the 1500s were great. It was interesting to walk around rooms that have housed the Queen Margherita, Napoleon, Mussolini and more recently Princess Diana had visited.

We were lucky that the rain held off and we could explore the terraced gardens with its architecture. Anyone who has seen my house will attest that I am not much of a gardener, but it was easy to admire how much work was put into these gardens. As the island is rock all of the soil was brought in 100s of years ago. I can't believe that it had taken me so long to visit the island. Sorry dad for not going out there when we lasted visited.

The afternoon was spent wandering and of course getting our gelati. The evening finished with our best dinner of the trip at Cafe Torino. It was sensational. Kylie had freshly cooked rabbit and my ravioli was topped of with Tiramisu- yum.  It was a great way to finish our time in Stresa. This area is stunning, it is a pity for Kylie and the kids that a lot of its beauty was hidden by clouds for the majority of the trip. Tomorrow Venice and the kids can't wait to go for a ride in a Gondola, but the bank balance can.

Rain Rain Go Away.

The sound of rain was disappointing when I woke yesterday morning. But what was devastating was when I looked outside and I couldn't see anything, not even one of the biggest lakes in Italy that was only 20meters away. Why so devastating? We had a car booked and I intended to show the family the local sights including driving up Mottarone, down to Lago Orta and down through the valley I used to love riding through. So in the end we decided to cancel the car, no use spending the money and not being able to see Jack Sh#te. Instead we headed to Verbania for the morning. Kylie did some shopping and I walked around in the rain wishing she would hurry up. 

Lunch was back in a little bar back in Stresa and Sebastian loved his Spaghetti Bolognese although he seemed to get more on his jumper than in his mouth. We did some wandering around before having the usual gelato. 

This morning I woke up with optimism, it had stopped raining and there was reasonable visibility. We had decided that today we would take the Lago Maggiore Express  (not a very good description of the speed) to Locarno and get the ferry back.

I had a quick run and the one down side to Stresa is that if you want to have a flat run you almost have to do loops up and down the main drag or brave the road with no edge or footpaths. If they have footpaths around here they aren't in very good condition. Unfortunately by the time I had finished running it had started to rain and clouds had rolled in. We decided to go for it anyway.

We caught a train to Domodossola that rolled passed Lago Mergozzo, a lake I used to love swimming in and through the valley to Domodossola. We then bordered the Lago Maggiore express that wound its way up the mountains and back down to Locarno in Switzerland. Despite not being able to see all of the tops of the mountains the scenery was unbelievable. There were many sheer cliff drops and valleys, plenty of rivers and waterfalls and numerous small mountain villages. Some of the houses were so remote that they seemed to have a cable line across a huge valley with basket attached. At the border Swiss border patrol boarded the train, they didn't bother to look at our passports, they just saw that we were Australian and kept wandering, they did however give the German couple behind us a good grilling.

Lorcano was a nice town, unfortunately we didn't get to really explore as much as we would like because of the weather. I had forgotten how expensive Switzerland was, our Maccas lunch (I know we shouldn't have eaten that junk) cost the same as $57 Aus. We found an awesome chocolate shop and spent up. Sorry none of it will be making it home.  We wandered some more and we aghast at some of the prices for shoes etc. 

We jumped on the ferry for the slow 2hr trip home, pity the hydrofoil wasn't going at the time we need it. No passport checks on the way home. The fog was probably worse on the way home. I was disappointed for the family as I know how beautiful the area is and it was a shame they couldn't see it in all its glory. 

Turning 40 in Style

After being shown the ropes by our AirBnB owner Rosanna we wandered along the lake as they had a market on showcasing food and produce from the Piedmont region. We fell in love with some local salami and ended up going through that on the first night, luckily the market was still going the next day and we bought more. 

We walked down to where the cable car used to run from (it is getting repaired and should be operational again by July), along the way getting some great snaps of the 3 Borromean Islands, Isola Bella, Madre and Superiore.

The cobbled town centre was the next destination on our wanders. It is a beautiful little area of narrow streets filled with restaurants, shops (particularly clothes and leather goods) and of course Gelaterias. Straight away we found our favourite Gelateria. If you wander the back streets more you can find out more of where the locals hang out playing bocce. 

The next day was Kylie's 40th and of course Mother's Day. It was great to look out across the lake from the comfort of the bed. Here in Stresa they were having the I Love Mumma festival in the pedestrian centre of town. It seems every where we have gone we have come across a festival.

For lunch we headed out on a ferry to Isola Superiore or as it is now known, Isola Pescatori. It is only a small island that is cram packed with lakeside restaurant and hotels. We booked in to one of the highest rated restaurants on trip advisor, Hotel Belvedere restaurant.  Whilst the meal was good I didn't find it as spectacular as I was hoping. But the views are amazing. The highlight for the kids were the fact that there was a cat wandering around and also when the lady on the table across from us spilt red wine all over her partner. Thankfully he had a sense of humour and laughed along with the kids. 

That evening we headed back into the town centre and they had a number of singers performing outside some of the restaurants. We ended up drinking beer and cocktails on the street (oh how much more relaxed the liquor licensing is here) whilst the kids danced around the some classic English songs. It was a nice way to end Kylie's 40th.

Onto Stresa

I had two excited kids who were looking forward to travelling from Florence to Milan on the new Frecciarossa 1000. Check out the Trenitalia Frecciarossa 1000 HERE  According to claims it is capable at travelling at 400kph but is still waiting for signalisation upgrades across the Italian lines to do this.

We arrived at Florence Santa Maria Novella station and nowadays they don't seem to tell you what platform it the train is leaving from until it is just about to leave. That way they can group you together and check your tickets before you get on the platform instead of on the train. 

We lashed out a bit and got seats in Business Class. If you book early enough you can actually get business class seats at the same price as standard seats. The train was nice and new and the carriage was roomy and quiet, but all this didn't help it get off on time. Grrr

Once we were underway the Tuscan countryside whizzed by at 300 kph. Every time Sebastian tried to get a photo of the speed over 300kph it would disappear off the screen like they wanted to keep it a secret how fast we were going. It was a remarkably smooth ride.

It would be fantastic if we had trains that travelled this fast in Australia. Imagine the growth of regional centres like Bendigo or even Shepparton if it was possible to get to Melbourne in under an hour. Anyway!!!!

We changed trains at Milan and headed to Stresa which is around 80kms north of Milan. It was great to travel along a train route I know reasonably well and as the train gets to Arona it runs along the shores of Lago Maggiore. Kylie and the kids enjoyed this part of this slow train. 

We arrived in Stresa and headed for the house we had rented for the week. We had rented an apartment on the lake which has sensational views from both bedrooms and the the lounge room. I'm looking forward to Stresa, I love coming to this area.