Castelbello to Ora

August 9, 2016

Rain fails to dampen our journey south to the Dolomiti- through apples, day tripping hoards and the city of Bolzano.

August 9 Tuesday 68kms

Castelbello to Ora

Rain fails to dampen our journey south to the Dolomiti- through apples, day tripping hoards and the city of Bolzano.

We farewelled hotel manager/ owner and Stephanie our friendly waitress who has traveled around Australia and regrets not making it to NZ. A surprising number of Austrians and Germans tell us of their NZ memories- all very positive. Another family owned hotel- how they manage to keep them so beautifully and also be so welcoming and have such a commitment to hospitality is something of a marvel. The buildings themselves are often massive in size and would require considerable maintenance. We also meet the manager, a charming chap, who has travelled in New Zealand. His father’s portrait is on the hall table behind a burning candle- it is his anniversary.

The weather turns cloudy, as predicted and while there are many family groups as well as hard core lycra clad racers at the start, by 11:00 when the rain began to descend in buckets, most retire to cafes for shelter. We plough on as lightening flashes and thunder rents the air. Rubber tyres protect you from lightening strikes – right?

The Adige beginning to look a little agitated.

We eventually stop at a train bahnhof (no Italian yet!) and escape the deluge for a few minutes. Here, after a break, I espy a very strange museum- part art work and part memorial. It is a celebration of Franz Josef and his wife Elizabeth, or Sissi, as Austrians call her. She is much beloved still. (The 1970s film Mayering tells of her only son and his suicide along with his mistress). The museum has many photos of the two and is a small dark building seemingly hewn from local wood. A small chapel glowing with burning candles festooned around its stone exterior with peculiar symbols that look to be a mixture of Christian and pagan symbols adds to the bizarre nature of the place. (Erach) The area encompassed by the Austro-Hungarian empire was much more vast than I ever realised and Swabian and Tyrolean cultures cover a huge area. Their religious belief seems to be conservatively Catholic and from the state of churches and shrines, ‘religiously’ observed.

In the continuing rain we reach Bolzano. Descending the hill into the city is spectacular with the track forming a spiral to take some of the peril from the gradient and the tumultuous Adige river crashing down the hill beside us. The noise is tremendous and the rushing water sensational.

Approaching Bolzano, the river and rain combine in watery rage.

Bolzano itself deserves a stay as it is here that ‘the iceman stayeth’. But, a little guiltily we wend our way through the city following the cycle path signs which are a model of what a good cycle path should be- few stops, clear signs, good track- it delivers us from one side of the city to the other as efficiently as one could wish. In Bolzano, graffiti appears, hinting that Italy and big cities are approaching. Once out the other side of Bolzano, the track is fast and straight.
We stop for a break at Terlano and look at the frescoes in the gothic church of Mary’s Assumption or Chiesa dell Assunta or Maria Himmelfahrt. Take your pick. The sun struggles through here and start to feel human, especially after finding food.

Sun makes a show at Terlano and we start to dry out.

Frescoes by Hans Stockinger around 1399 - 1407, painted over in 19th century, have been restored recently.

On the horizon, hints of the massive Dolomiti peaks to come loom as blue shadows against the skyline, gradually taking on the reality of colossal shapes. The height and size of these limestone hills/mountains almost beggars belief and they have all given rise to legends and historical tales. They formed impregnable fortresses in the past.

In one of the small towns to the west of the track, Ora in Italian, or Auer in German, we find our accommodation- Garni Meinrad. This beautiful, homely building is just off the piazza and close to the church (more bells- who needs a watch?). It has a restful garden behind its stone walls. The room is a wonderful mixture of Italian design and Austrian practicality- it looks good and it works. Best of all, we have a substantial balcony wide enough to accommodate a good sized table, our drying clothes and large comfortable chairs. Overhead, large wooden beams support a tiled roof which provides protection from sun, wind and rain.

Garni Meinrad, our accomodation after a damp day.

Drying out with liquid refreshment on the wonderful balcony.

Italian design, Austrian functionality- the glass bifolds worked wonderfully in a small space.

The owner, and her son Richard, welcome us with a handshake – Austrian hospitality. We set our Jetboil on the balcony table and brew up.

Today's ride: 68 km (42 miles)
Total: 2,864 km (1,779 miles)

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