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So our European adventure is coming to an end, as we are waiting for the aircraft to push back and start our first leg home - Venezia to Dubai. 6 hours.
But since the last blog, there is much to remember and enjoy. We had planned to spend a few days up in the Dolomites with Raimondo and Sally but for a couple of reasons, that was not to be, which was just as well because at the time, the weather was all rain. But fortunately, we were all able to go the following week, and took time out of our busy schedule of doing very little, to spend a couple of days in Asiago, a town 1000m above sea level in the Dolomites on the Asiago plateau.
Known for its dairy production, especially cheese, Asiago is a town with a very alpine feel. Being close to Austria, the chalet style houses with their geranium flower boxes completed the scene. After an incredible drive up into the Dolomites, we arrived at our destination and found our hotel and headed into the town to explore, finding what was definitely the best gelateria in Italy. Flavours included frozen Greek yoghurt with honey and walnuts, and white chocolate and meringue ( no prizes for guessing who had that one).
Fully fuelled after gelato and coffee, we indulged in a little more retail therapy, and found a great little restaurant to enjoy our evening meal. The next day started at 6:00am with a procession of sheep, goats and donkeys being pushed up the road right outside of our room, no doubt to better pastures, all with bells clanging and dogs barking.
After a leisurely breakfast to start the day, we set off for a walk to the next village, just because it was there. Then more gelato, coffee and off to Marostica for lunch and back to Lozzo for dinner.
As for the cycling, it was up hills, down canal paths through vineyards, corn fields and wheat fields, with more than the occasional stop at a cafe for an Expresso and pastry.
At some point during all of this, one of those riding with us gave Jean a pair of bike shoes that could be fitted with cleats, meaning that she could "clip in" to the pedals and power up those hills. After swearing black and blue before we left home that she would never use cleats, she relented and after a few false starts, managed the art of cleating in and out without two much trouble, meaning that the riding was far less strenuous and therefore more enjoyable, that is until a couple of nasty falls. Undeterred, too much, we were out and about the next day and ended our time in Italy with a trip to a most beautiful medieval hill top town, Arqua Petrarca. I'll leave it to you to google all there is to know about it, but even a world traveller like Mrs Google can't describe the very special feeling of a glass of prosecco on a cafe terrace at sunset. Bellissimo!
All of this mixed in with a day trip to Padua, shopping, lunch, gelato and coffee, and on another day to Vicenza, more shopping, gelato and coffee, also to the renowned wine producing town of Souve, more of the same with lunch in another great restaurant followed by a climb up the hill to the castle. So much to see, magnificent hills and valleys, walled towns, spectacular villas, and all within a very small radius of Lozzo and rarely a tourist bus insight, if at all.
I'm sure that there is much more that I haven't mentioned that made this trip so wonderful, and despite the 1000+ photos, all of this can't describe the sensation of being in moment when all of this is unfolding before our eyes. So clearly, there's nothing for it other than to do it all again next year.
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