Cycling in the Tirol

Now, first let me say this is not a photo that I took because I still have no cable and can't download my photo.  Having said that, I can also state unequivocally that my photo is far better.  It is BEAUTIFUL and I will replace it as soon as I get my cable.  I can also say unequivocally that this is the most beautiful bike ride I've ever taken, even outshining Austria.  

We started out in Bolzano this morning at 7:30 with our bikes and paraphernalia.  Unfortunately, Italian time (even German Italian time) is not the same as ours.  Also, the van drivers who were taking us and our bikes up the mountains to the Resiapass didn't seem to know where the rest of the party was staying.  So we did not actually leave Bolzano until about 8:30.  It seemed like it took about 90 minutes to get to the Respiapass, but it was worth the drive.  The photo you are seeing is the church tower for a city that was flooded to make the Resia lake.  This is what is left of the town.  It was magnificent.

For 30 miles we biked through the most beautiful land.  One of the most interesting things for us was that the farmers here grow amazing apples on trees that have been trained to grow in straight rows that do not look like trees, but rather look like vines growing in thin rows (looked like grapes from a distance).  I've never seen so many apples on one plant.  

Of course, the towns are beautiful.  As I said yesterday, this is much more like Germany than what I think of as Italy.  In fact this area WAS Germany until the first world war.  So the people here speak German and seem German to me. The houses are painted with scenes from history or the bible, the windows have unbelievable geraniums growing literally 3-4 feet down, lush and colorful.  The restaurants have great German and Italian food.  The beer and seven up (RADLER) is my favorite drink here.  The red wine is not bad either.

We are in Silandra right now in the Pension Schweitzer.  Our room has a great balcony and it is cool enough to leave the door to the balcony open for great sleeping tonight.  Friend has retired for the evening with a glass of rot vine (red wine), Motor bike and I are working on email and everything on FREE WI FI --- take that American hotels that CHARGE for WI FI.  Tomorrow will be a much more mellow day as we are on our own to get to Merano by tomorrow night.  What a life.