There was a lovely breakfast buffet with eggs to order and Prosecco.
Around 10 AM there were Alpine horns playing near the hotel. We couldn't determine exactly where, but it was an enchanting sound.
As we were checking out I asked the helpful concierge (who lived in the US for 26-years and was based in Miami with Delta) if they sold the tote bags they have in the room for spa use. She said yes, right there at the desk. I inquired if they came in other colors. She laughed, as I had commented earlier that I did not like the chartreuse color of the hotel (Ron said I would never make a diplomat). She replied, "No, only the color you don't like." I bought one anyway, as I am a sucker for tote bags.
It was a rainy day, one of the few we've had. In nearby Kufstein is the Riedel Glass factory. We would have enjoyed visiting, and maybe even buying some seconds, but it was closed weekends. The entire area is famous for glass-making.
We left around 11 AM and drove the back roads of the Tyrol, through many small villages. We wanted to stop and wander the ancient streets of Rattenberg (another village famous for glass), but it was a cobble-stone pedestrian zone and with the rain, Ron didn't think it would be a good idea. It has been many years since we last visited. Continued through more familiar villages and towns, including Wattens, which is the headquarters for Swarovski. It has grown by leaps and bounds since our last visit there. The factory dominates the entrance to the town with their name proudly displayed atop. There is a Crystal World exhibit, which is supposed to be fantastic. Over 13 million people have visited it. But, as we are travelers, not tourists, we did not set aside time to visit - and maybe we should have.
We passed a beautiful Baroque Abbey (St. Karls) at Volders. Finally got on the autobahn immediatey before Innsbruck.The rain stopped, but there was a lot of construction so it was slow going. We crossed the Brenner Pass, and remember the very first time we did and the excitement of it. Now there are signs that indicate a Brenner Tunnel is being constructed. When I researched, I discovered it will be a rail tunnel, 34 miles long, one of the longest in the world. They hope it will relieve truck traffic in the Brenner, by shifting transport more to rail.
At least it was Sunday, and no trucks were on the road in Austria. Hundreds of them were parked at the rest stations near the border. Despite no trucks, the traffic was appalling. We crawled along. There were long, long delays at toll plazas and elsewhere, including in tunnels. We were going about 5 mph at most, and often at a standstill.
We exited the Autostrada at Bressanone, and it took about 40-minutes just to traverse the toll plaza. They need to get rid of toll plazas and go to the system used in Austria and Switzerland of vignettes.
Once off the Autostrada, we stopped for a "bathroom break", where they charge 50-EU cents if you are not buying anything. We needed a break by then, and sat out back on the terrace looking at the mountains while enjoying a wine and beer.
The road up to Corvara was more mountainous than expected. We had been told by the hotel (email the previous day) to avoid four major passes, as they were closed that day for exclusive use of bicycles preparing for a Marathon. Based on reviews (and price) I had chosen a family-owned pension, Albergo Pradat, which is operated by a mother and daughter.
I was surprised that the Albergo had an elevator. Our room was on the first floor (which is the second floor in American terminology). Ron was not happy with it because it shared a big balcony with several other rooms, and the bathroom was tiny. We ended up moving to the third floor, which was less modern and airy in appearance, but did have a larger more accessible bathroom - and the balcony was separated from others by movable wooden walls.
Ron was complaining that I had chosen a "biker's hotel", as one of the guys down the hall had clothes and parts of his bicycle spread out in the hallway! It turns out that during this time period almost every hotel caters to bikers, as the entire week is devoted to bike events, culminating in a major marathon July 2. It is 83-miles and encompasses five major passes at heights of 6,000 feet. One of the major sporting events in Europe, and all roads lead to Corvara, where the Marathon ends up. Who would have thought to ask if a bike event was taking place in your destination village? Unfortunately, it did make things very difficult, as everywhere you would go in the car you had to dodge hundreds of bikes, both uphill and down.
That evening Ron wanted pizza, but misunderstood the elderly "Mother", who spoke no English, and thought she said "La Tambra". (We later decided she must have said "La Table" which was nearby. The waiter was rather insulted that Ron asked if they had pizza. He said they had been a "fine-dining" restaurant for 48 years!
We started with a fried mountain cheese, followed by soup, and then shared a pasta dish with sausage ragu.
Around 10 AM there were Alpine horns playing near the hotel. We couldn't determine exactly where, but it was an enchanting sound.
As we were checking out I asked the helpful concierge (who lived in the US for 26-years and was based in Miami with Delta) if they sold the tote bags they have in the room for spa use. She said yes, right there at the desk. I inquired if they came in other colors. She laughed, as I had commented earlier that I did not like the chartreuse color of the hotel (Ron said I would never make a diplomat). She replied, "No, only the color you don't like." I bought one anyway, as I am a sucker for tote bags.
It was a rainy day, one of the few we've had. In nearby Kufstein is the Riedel Glass factory. We would have enjoyed visiting, and maybe even buying some seconds, but it was closed weekends. The entire area is famous for glass-making.
We left around 11 AM and drove the back roads of the Tyrol, through many small villages. We wanted to stop and wander the ancient streets of Rattenberg (another village famous for glass), but it was a cobble-stone pedestrian zone and with the rain, Ron didn't think it would be a good idea. It has been many years since we last visited. Continued through more familiar villages and towns, including Wattens, which is the headquarters for Swarovski. It has grown by leaps and bounds since our last visit there. The factory dominates the entrance to the town with their name proudly displayed atop. There is a Crystal World exhibit, which is supposed to be fantastic. Over 13 million people have visited it. But, as we are travelers, not tourists, we did not set aside time to visit - and maybe we should have.
We passed a beautiful Baroque Abbey (St. Karls) at Volders. Finally got on the autobahn immediatey before Innsbruck.The rain stopped, but there was a lot of construction so it was slow going. We crossed the Brenner Pass, and remember the very first time we did and the excitement of it. Now there are signs that indicate a Brenner Tunnel is being constructed. When I researched, I discovered it will be a rail tunnel, 34 miles long, one of the longest in the world. They hope it will relieve truck traffic in the Brenner, by shifting transport more to rail.
At least it was Sunday, and no trucks were on the road in Austria. Hundreds of them were parked at the rest stations near the border. Despite no trucks, the traffic was appalling. We crawled along. There were long, long delays at toll plazas and elsewhere, including in tunnels. We were going about 5 mph at most, and often at a standstill.
We exited the Autostrada at Bressanone, and it took about 40-minutes just to traverse the toll plaza. They need to get rid of toll plazas and go to the system used in Austria and Switzerland of vignettes.
Once off the Autostrada, we stopped for a "bathroom break", where they charge 50-EU cents if you are not buying anything. We needed a break by then, and sat out back on the terrace looking at the mountains while enjoying a wine and beer.
The road up to Corvara was more mountainous than expected. We had been told by the hotel (email the previous day) to avoid four major passes, as they were closed that day for exclusive use of bicycles preparing for a Marathon. Based on reviews (and price) I had chosen a family-owned pension, Albergo Pradat, which is operated by a mother and daughter.
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| Albertgo Pradat (Corvara in Alta Badia) |
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| Beautiful view from our balcony |
Ron was complaining that I had chosen a "biker's hotel", as one of the guys down the hall had clothes and parts of his bicycle spread out in the hallway! It turns out that during this time period almost every hotel caters to bikers, as the entire week is devoted to bike events, culminating in a major marathon July 2. It is 83-miles and encompasses five major passes at heights of 6,000 feet. One of the major sporting events in Europe, and all roads lead to Corvara, where the Marathon ends up. Who would have thought to ask if a bike event was taking place in your destination village? Unfortunately, it did make things very difficult, as everywhere you would go in the car you had to dodge hundreds of bikes, both uphill and down.
That evening Ron wanted pizza, but misunderstood the elderly "Mother", who spoke no English, and thought she said "La Tambra". (We later decided she must have said "La Table" which was nearby. The waiter was rather insulted that Ron asked if they had pizza. He said they had been a "fine-dining" restaurant for 48 years!
We started with a fried mountain cheese, followed by soup, and then shared a pasta dish with sausage ragu.
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| Fried Cheese |
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| Pasta Sausage Ragu |
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