Wow, what a beautiful morning! There is not a cloud in the sky and the view from my balcony is something I could sit and look at all day. It seems a shame to go off visiting somewhere else!
Before we leave I fill the coach up with fuel for the first time since we left home before we set off south to the Italian spa resort of Merano.
Within a couple of minutes we are crossing the Italian border and then stopping at the Reschensee (Lake Reschen) where there is a solitary church tower in the lake. After the war a valley was flooded for the sake of obtaining power for the area. All very well except that the communities living in the valley had to move with no alternative housing or even compensation for them. It is a very sad story and the tower is now a listed building as a memory of what happened in the not too distant past.
From here we continue through the Venosta Valley to Merano. The drive is through a beautiful valley surrounded by high mountains with apple orchards lining the road. The apples are being harvested and there are lots of little tractors stacked high with crates full of apples.
It is quite a sight and the apples look very tasty, you can almost reach out as you drive past and pick them.
We arrive in Merano just after 11 o'clock and drop the group off in the new, and very well located, coach area. Brian goes off for a walk with Kim and Lisa while I go and park the coach.
The coach park is next to the racecourse and there are plenty of trees to park under as it is extremely hot here.
At lunchtime I go for a walk to a nearby restaurant and Pizzeria. It is very busy with locals as I'm shown a seat on a table with an Italian man. We nod our hellos as I prepare to order.
The old lady who showed me to my table approaches me and in my best Italian (?) I order a bottle of water but she doesn't seem to understand me. "Wasser" she exclaims and I nod and say with gas and she goes away happy with my order.
Even though we are in Italy, German is the preferred choice of language here as this all belonged to Austria until 1918 when after the first war it was repatriated back to Italy.
I am served my water and wait to see the menu. I ask the waiter for a menu opening my palms as if reading a book to show what I mean and he shakes his head. I can have some salad or carbonara and I plump for the carbonara. The spaghetti is excellent and my table partner has followed his spaghetti with a plate of goulash which also looks very good. The waiter takes my plate away and I decide to copy my companian and have some goulash too! That is also delicious and proof that if you visit a restaurant full of locals you will not be disappointed and I am definitely not disappointed.
By the time I pick the group up everyone is tired and hot but all have enjoyed their day.
Before we leave I fill the coach up with fuel for the first time since we left home before we set off south to the Italian spa resort of Merano.
Within a couple of minutes we are crossing the Italian border and then stopping at the Reschensee (Lake Reschen) where there is a solitary church tower in the lake. After the war a valley was flooded for the sake of obtaining power for the area. All very well except that the communities living in the valley had to move with no alternative housing or even compensation for them. It is a very sad story and the tower is now a listed building as a memory of what happened in the not too distant past.
From here we continue through the Venosta Valley to Merano. The drive is through a beautiful valley surrounded by high mountains with apple orchards lining the road. The apples are being harvested and there are lots of little tractors stacked high with crates full of apples.
It is quite a sight and the apples look very tasty, you can almost reach out as you drive past and pick them.
We arrive in Merano just after 11 o'clock and drop the group off in the new, and very well located, coach area. Brian goes off for a walk with Kim and Lisa while I go and park the coach.
The coach park is next to the racecourse and there are plenty of trees to park under as it is extremely hot here.
At lunchtime I go for a walk to a nearby restaurant and Pizzeria. It is very busy with locals as I'm shown a seat on a table with an Italian man. We nod our hellos as I prepare to order.
The old lady who showed me to my table approaches me and in my best Italian (?) I order a bottle of water but she doesn't seem to understand me. "Wasser" she exclaims and I nod and say with gas and she goes away happy with my order.
Even though we are in Italy, German is the preferred choice of language here as this all belonged to Austria until 1918 when after the first war it was repatriated back to Italy.
I am served my water and wait to see the menu. I ask the waiter for a menu opening my palms as if reading a book to show what I mean and he shakes his head. I can have some salad or carbonara and I plump for the carbonara. The spaghetti is excellent and my table partner has followed his spaghetti with a plate of goulash which also looks very good. The waiter takes my plate away and I decide to copy my companian and have some goulash too! That is also delicious and proof that if you visit a restaurant full of locals you will not be disappointed and I am definitely not disappointed.
By the time I pick the group up everyone is tired and hot but all have enjoyed their day.
1 comment:
Heyx merano is like one of my favourite places when i went last year i had this amazing crepe!!! it was lovely best ever!! so jeliuos u went without me oh well hopefully next year!H.Mxxxx
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