Munich across the alps to Venice DONE!

We had a nice day down the Sile river bike path, and quiet country roads through Mestre to the camping area near Venice. Many of you have been here, but I'll still put up the odd picture after we've been. Up to now, we've just done a load of washing and had a beer at the bar run by the most morose of bartenders. We won't trouble him again.
I probably should have taken more stills of the Sile, it is very beautiful. But here is the only one!

Treviso

We really had a day off here, in Treviso, arrived about midday from our nice little hotel at Volpago de Montello, ready to be impressed because two people we met yesterday said it was wonderful. However, after we'd spent about an hour and a half cycling around in fairly heavy traffic looking for accommodation I was ready to get the hell out, but just as we turned to go we noticed the Carlton Hotel, which sounded a little bit friendly, so we checked in there for a gloomy €99.
We spent the afternoon walking around town, and it was OK, but really, you were battling to find anything truly worth photographing. Here's a couple anyway, the first is the Duomo (Cathedral), the second is one of the canals, and the third is the fish markets.

To Bassano and beyond

We left our haven of the night before, and continued on down the Brenta, which became narrower. I was hoping we could cut across to some lakes which had camping, but it didn't happen somehow, maybe we missed a turn somewhere, we seemed locked in to the steep walled Brenta. Camping spots are hard to come by, we've been in hotels for days now, budget havoc.
Finally we came out of the mountains at Bassano, another striking old town of Northern Italy.
Next day, we cut across country, no more bike paths, just using the brilliant iPhone ap, Pocket Earth, which gave us a bike route to follow along the quieter streets and roads. We didn't make our destination, Treviso, because of rain, and there is more forecast for tomorrow. There is really only a day's travel left to reach Venice, but because of weather it will be two, I think.
The first two pictures are of the bike route a little before Bassano, the third is of the view from the hillside town of Asolo, on our way to Treviso.

The Brenta bike path

We carried on to Trento, and on the way met a couple on a tandem, who guided us into the town, the quickest entry to a city that we've ever experienced. We booked in at a two star hotel, the Venezia, which was very good, apart from the bathroom being a little worse for wear. Later we had dinner with our new friends, Ernst and Christiana, who come this way often, from Allgau in Bavaria. We had a great night at their favourite Italian restaurant in this pleasant historic town.
Next day, although we hate trains, we followed our guidebook's advice and caught the train to Pergine, about 12k, apparently otherwise you have to put up with heavy traffic and high hills.
Because we were successful on this occasion, it was a pleasant experience.
From there, we located Lago di Caldonazzo, where we had lunch, then the River Brenta bike path, (piste ciclable) and followed it down (truly downhill), to Borgo Valsugana. We got caught in heavy rain there, couldn't find accommodation anywhere, and finally backtracked to Roncegno, where we found a hotel that was happy to take in two drenched Aussies.
Picture 1 and 2 show the Brenta bike path, picture 3 is us at Trento

Into the Dolomites

We think, but are not sure, that south of Merano, the Alps become the Dolomites. In any event, at this time the peaks have lost their snow.
We rode down the Etsch/Aldige bike path to Bolzano, and perhaps because the riding conditions were so excellent smooth, downhill etc, it became a little boring.
After lunch in the town centre, we took the alternative route in our guide book, up into the hills on the west of the main drag, which is a wine region. We passed through some old train tunnels on this route, then through the old cobbled town of Calzano, and camped at a huge camping area by the lake of the same name. The first picture is of the apple orchards in the region, the second is Merano, from the lookout above the town, the last is the Lago di Calzano. Strangely and annoyingly, now that I look at this post on the following day, the first picture is Merano, the second the Lago di Calzano and the third the orchards...

Past the Reschenpasse

Once again, we caught the shuttle through the serious pass, I don't know whether it would have been bad from a slope or a traffic point of view, but I thought it was a fair bet that and old fellow with a heavy load should avoid that bit of road, and it cost us just €6.40, the deuce! We've seen no one else up here with the gear I have, they're all limited to a couple of small panniers at the max.
We carried on then, mostly up hill, to the town of Reschen, and the Lago de Rechia, the artificial lake which drowned the town of Graun, where the Graun Turm pokes its top out of the water. If you look carefully at the first picture you might just make it out in the background.
The rain of yesterday was completely gone and we just were in brilliant sunshine as we rode down the western side of the lake. The 3rd picture shows typical countryside. We camped at Glarenza, or the Austrian variant Glurns,(last picture) and had a cold time of it overnight. Hannelore was suggesting that we go to hotels while it was so cold, but I solved the problem the next day by buying three pairs of thick bedsocks at a market in the town of Prato.
This area is famous for its apple orchards, and we avoided picking any, but finally it got the better of us, and Hannelore picked one beautiful big red one....but she asked permission from one of the workers first! Somehow this is the second picture (I can't make them go to the correct place).
We ended up in Merano, could've camped, but went to a hotel instead.

More Alps, Imst to Pfunds.

It rained all night, and I was thinking we might have a day off, but as it was just drizzling, we set off southwards again.
Hannelore had her full regalia of wet weather gear, the overshoes, waterproof pants and rain jacket, that's one of the pictures. Most of the rest feature the river Inns, which we reckon is the same one that flows through Innsbruck, and the one we visited at Passau on our trip down the Danube in 2007.
We stayed at a nice pension here, all the staff dressed in traditional gear, and they had a couple of blokes after dinner in lederhosen doing a comedy routine interspersed with Tyrollean music. Pretty good, but we went to bed before the yodeling started. The other amazing thing was that they did everything on the honour system, you kept your own tab of drinks and dinner items, even poured your own drinks, something I've not seen before.

Past the Fernpasse

After Fussen, you almost immediately cross the border into Austria. Into the Alps proper, we struck some pretty demanding hills, sometimes reminiscent of Munda Bidi. The picture below with the forest was one of those that had us puffing. We went through Pinswang, Reutte and Obergarten, then finally camped at Lermoos. The biggest mountain in the Austrian Alps, the Zugspitse, was the view from our tent site, that's the picture with the sun just catching the top. The other pictures just show the beauty of this area.
At Bieberwier, we caught the "Huckepakke" or some such name, which is the bike shuttle over the Fernpasse. Did we need to? Don't know, but it made an easy day of it, and we've ended up in the pretty town of Imst.

To Fussen

So, we came down the east side of the Forgensee to Fussen, a brilliant day, fresh from our rest with Barbara, and no hills to speak of. Green grass, bright sun and the Alps in the background.
The second pic is the view from our tent, you may be able to spot the famous castles just below the V in the Alps.

Onwards to Altenstadt

We made the latest of starts, don't really know how, then carried on out of the Sternberger See, another climb, but this time just a shortish gravel one, enough to get us off the bikes and walk though. The second picture below shows us at a lunch spot there.
There is another brilliant bike path along the Ammer River, (fills the Ammersee, famous for the town of Utting!), and we followed that until Pieting, where we had a difficult "three rest" climb out of the valley. The picture with my thumb in it shows the Ammer on this beautiful bike path, which unfortunately we were a little too tired to enjoy.
Later we passed by Schongau (last picture) to meet our wonderful friend Barbara pictured here with Minuit.

Munich to Ambach

Well, I'm having a bit of fun with the blogger ap, I should have researched it a bit before we came away. One of my posts has completely dissolved, something I did I suppose. So next time you see us, ask us about the beautiful Isar bike path from Munich to the Sternberger See, I haven't the heart to thumb it all in again.