May 28: Garda to Ptuj via Trieste

Trieste is a one night stop-off on our way to Ptuj in Slovenia, and we arrive early enough to walk along the clifftop behind the campsite. There are some pleasant sea views looking down towards Trieste although the path is made of sharp limestone and quite stumbly underfoot.

Presently we come to some military lookout posts hollowed out of the rock. These date back to the First World War. However, this corner of Italy didn’t belong to Italy at the time but to the Austro-Hungarian Empire who were the enemy. And Italy was on our side in WW1 so was fighting to capture this part of today’s Italy. Confusing, isn’t it? You could end up fighting yourself.

The information board outside the lookout cave showed a picture of the enemy observers, who were German naval personnel.

The photo looks humorously boy-scoutish, but there was nothing funny about the war in the Trieste area; it was as hard fought as on the Western Front. There were especially high casualties caused by the shells splintering the limestone into deadly shrapnel, the same sharp shards that I complained was making the path uncomfortable to walk on.

We walked as far as the next photo point where I took this silhouette of Duino castle in the falling light. It was rebuilt in 1920, having been virtually destroyed by Italian artillery in WW1.

Whilst on the walk, we met an Englishman with his wife whose father was from Trieste. His dad considers the Trieste area still as an entity separate from Italy and my guidebook states this is generally felt. Unfortunately, they don’t have any oil like Scotland to fuel an independence movement.

Mon 26 May: Mantua

We decided to tear ourselves away from chilling out at Lake Garda and visit the ancient city of Mantua, a drive of 30 miles across the flatlands of northern Italy. It’s surrounded by three lakes with a stunning skyline, best enjoyed as you walk across the causeway from the car park- as long as you ignore the ever-present cranes spoiling that illusion that you are stepping back into the Middle Ages.  

Maybe the old times weren’t so idyllic. When the Pope visited the city in 1459 he complained of heat, mud and mosquitos. Today the chemical works has topped that by lining the bed of the largest lake with mercury.  

The first building we arrive at is the castle of St George, built over 600 years ago, looking all romantic and fairy-tale. To retain that image I’m not showing the slimy green moat.

The castle is part of the Ducal Palace complex that was the biggest in Europe at one time, all 34,000 square metres of it. The average UK home today would be around 150-180 sq. metres, so it was that big. It was built by the powerful Gonzaga (wasn’t he a Muppet character?) family who ruled the town for 300 years from the 14^th century. Next is one of the palace facades in the piazza around the corner.

Moving on through the four interlinking squares that form the core of the old town, we come across an astronomical clock. Picturesque, but not very user friendly, i.e. you can’t seem to work out where the time is.

To the right of the clock tower, part of a round structure is just visible. It’s the oldest church in the city, the 11^th century round church similar to the one in Cambridge of which there is a picture inside! Round churches were apparently built that shape so that the Devil would have no corners to hide in.

The cathedral was a bit bare, so no pic, but not so St Andrew’s church. It’s a large church dating from 1472 and is covered in what appeared to be wall carvings.

An example close-up looks like this.

They are, in fact, 3-D paintings, brilliantly executed to give the effect of carved stonework.

However, the church’s main claim to fame, and the reason for its magnificence, is that it houses two vases containing the Sacred Blood, brought to Mantua by Roman soldier Longinus. The vases have attracted multitudes of pilgrims down the ages, these sorts of relics being a source of great wealth to churches and monasteries that held them. They aren’t on public display and are only brought out on Good Fridays.

Authentic or not? You pays your money and  you takes your choice, as they say.

These elegant columns next to the river allowed boats to tie up to fetch and carry cattle and fish to the market on the upper level located to the right. They needed plenty of water to gut the fish and slaughter the cattle. The turmoil and smell must have been horrendous.

We had good eats and coffee outside Rigoletto’s house at very reasonable prices. All the cafes and restaurants seemed good value, a big tick here from us compared to rip-off Florence for example, but we felt maybe the town wasn’t quite making the most of its tourist assets. It’s always a pleasure to visit this sort of atmospheric place and we had a great day out.

 

Wed 21st May: Troyes to Lake Garda

Garda is too far to sensibly travel in one day, so we break the journey near Geneva. It’s a beautiful evening and we seize the opportunity for a walk after having sat in the car all day. From the site we soon reach open countryside, as the photo shows, but are in fact only four miles from the centre of Geneva which is directly in front of the camera, and even the tall fountain in Lake Geneva is just visible (ever so just visible).

Day two sees us through the Mont Blanc tunnel and into Italy. Weather is thundery and misty but we reach the campsite on Lake Garda by 5.00pm. The next day the clouds rolled back and we’ve since enjoyed several days of warm sunny weather. We were lucky enough to be allocated a lakeside spot.

Looking to our left, there’s still some snow on the mountains that seems out of place with the sun bathers in the foreground.

At the weekend the fine weather brings out the residents and visitors in droves. The sun worshippers are joined by every type of pleasure boater: pedaloes, yachts, inflatables, jet skis, and especially powerboats. Here are two macho men racing across the bay. Hope you’re impressed, girls.

Tue 20th May: The City of Troyes

Troyes is the main town for this region, 15 miles from the campsite. We’ve driven past it numerous times over the years on our way south but never stopped, so now’s our chance to remedy that oversight.

It was founded by the Romans at a junction of several roads, but there’s little remaining from that era. It really came into its own as a commercial centre in the Middle Ages when it established a system of weighing gold that is still used today, called Troy weight.

We had no trouble free parking near the centre, in the vicinity of the 12^th century cathedral, an impressive building. Near the entrance is a plaque commemorating the reconquest of the city from the English in 1429 by Joan of Arc.

The inside is fairly plain and austere, with massive pillars, but has some beautiful early 1500’s stained glass. This is the rose window, with the sun shining through but you just can’t properly catch those colours in a photo. Well maybe the professionals can. And anyway, who was this Rose after whom all these lovely windows were named?

The most artistic church feature wasn’t in the cathedral, but at the Sainte-Madeleine church. It’s a rood screen, superbly carved from stone, but don’t go looking for naughty carved figures, it’s not that kind of rude!

It was carved by a certain Jean Gailde who had been turned down for more major construction work on the church, but was allowed to do this bit. It is said he focussed all of his skill on making a superb job as a kind of ‘up yours’ gesture to the church authorities. He was even buried beneath it. No it didn’t collapse on him as he chiselled out the finishing touches to the underside.

Despite a disastrous fire in 1524, central Troyes has all the appearance of a well preserved medieval town. There are more medieval buildings than I have ever seen in one place. Here are some examples of the hundreds still standing.

You could hardly swing a cat in this alley. It’s called Rue de la Chatte, or cat street. Yes it’s all a bit touristy with numerous cafes and restaurants but it does at least generate enough cash to preserve the buildings.

There are also fine parks and buildings from later periods on the edge of the old quarter. It all gives the city a really nice-to-live-in feel.

As ever, small details catch the eye. This is a carved wooden beam support; I’m not sure that a photo taken from a window above the beam would have been publishable.

Spring 2014: to Poland

Start: Wed May 14^th

Disaster on the first day! Our friends Trish and Paul have a tyre blow-out on the way to meet us. This was no ordinary blow-out: the tyre shredded and ripped off essential pipework attached to the underside of the motorhome. It also gouged a two-foot-by-one hole in the camper floor.

We are nearly at Folkestone, where we planned to meet, when we get their phone call. They are north of Peterborough and waiting for breakdown recovery to be towed back home to Bradford. Looks like the end of their holiday, but maybe not. We talk later, and agree that Jane and I will carry on to the first planned stop and await their repairer’s report.

So now we’ve arrived at this first destination, near Troyes in France. The site is in a regional park with three big lakes, and the weather is fine. We really don’t mind resting up here for a while!

Here’s an idea of what it’s like, with an artificial beach on the shore of the lake nearest the site, 300 yards away.

Nice walks too on all-weather walking/cycling tracks, even if some of the cyclists seem to use it in Tour de France practice mode!

 

The local village of Geraudot has many picturesque half-timbered houses and a good number of semi-derelict ancient dwellings being done up, as in the photo. The satellite disk looks kind of out of place.

Even the church has timber framing at the entrance making it look rather like a barn, but it is 12^th Century and this was the local building method of the day.