English Breakfast - The Organic Way

When visiting a country I always make an effort to try some local food. Although one can find excellent representatives of almost any cuisine in London, I do not have a very good opinion on typical British cuisine.


When someone mentions English cuisine I think of fish and chips, jacket potato and English breakfast. I am sure there are other dishes I have not tried yet, but I have to leave something for my next visit.

During my last visit I followed a tip from a friend living in London and was pleasantly surprised. We visited Surrey Docks City Farm and tasted some delicious stuff.


First I have to point out this is an organic farm and yes, it is in situated near the city center, by the river Thames. For me it was a surprise to find a real farm with pigs, cows, ducks, goats, sheep and who knows what else so close to central London.

It was quite a contrast looking at all those animals, smelling the air full of various odours you would expect to find on a farm and seeing London city skyscrapers on the other bank of the river rising high in the air.


Everything we tried was delicious and was obviously made from organic ingredients. I have had English breakfasts before, but was not impressed. At Surrey Docks City Farm it was delicious, the portions were quite generous and prices were really affordable.
I had fresh mint tea, others had some coffee and everything was delicious. I saw some maps of Italy hanging on the walls, so I suspect there might be some kind of connection between the good food, proper coffee and Italy.

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Wordless Wednesday: A pint at Queens head pub

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World Cuisine in London

Like most large cities (at least in Europe), London offers a great diversity of food from all around the world. One of the reasons is definitely a mix of people from all over the world living there.

There are some parts of London that look like they belong to other countries. People dress according to their traditions back home. Also restaurants reflect this - in China Town you can obviously find all kinds of restaurants from the Far East.
In some other parts of the city a different pattern is easily noticed. Half of the world's countries can have their food embassies (i.e. restaurants) lined-up side by side in a single street.


In my opinion traditional English cuisine is not really something to brag about - at least compared to some other European alternatives. Nonetheless (or maybe exactly because of it) some of the best representatives of world's cuisines can be found in London.
It is not always easy to pick out the really good ones, but it is worth giving it a try. I asked for some local advice and got a chance to taste some great stuff.

All you can eat Chinese places in London China town are not really all that special. I tried my luck with one of them and I can't say anything good about the experience.
On the other hand I got a recommendation for a sushi place in the same street which turned out to be really great. It is a simple Japanese restaurant with genuine and tasty food that comes in generous portions and is reasonably priced. For two persons I suggest you try a "Bento box" (sushi selection) and continue with a main dish each. You can expect to pay between £15 and £20 for the whole deal.
The place is called Misato and you can find it on 11 Wardour Street. I suggest you avoid lunch time hours as it can get quite busy.

Apart from that I even found a place where they serve really good traditional English breakfast, but that is a whole different story. For more information on that you will just have to wait for one of my next posts.

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How to get around London on a budget?

Getting around London can be an expensive activity. When you have a limited amount of time and want to see as much of the city as possible, it is impossible to avoid all expenses.
Nevertheless you can try to choose the best travel option for your type of trip.

Arrival
The usual arrival to London is through one of its airports. You can easily spend a fortune on a ride to the city center. If you plan in advance, you can do the same for as little as £2.
I have devoted a whole post to this topic. If you want to know more, you should check out my advice on how to get from airport to central London.


Walking...
...is definitely the cheapest way to move around the city center. You can definitely walk between some of the famous sights and see the city at the same time. Tube is a great thing but you don't get to see all that much while underground.
Remember: your journey can often be the highlight of a trip, it does not necessary mean reaching the destination itself is the thing.

Renting a bike
There is a number of bicycle rental companies around London. If this seems the right thing for you, you should check out Barclays Cycle Hire.
If you use the system the right way, you can get away with paying as little as £5 per week. That is how much you have to pay in advance - renting for up to 30 minutes is free.
However you should be aware London is not the friendliest city for cyclists out there. There are not all that many bicycle lanes in the city center. Since pavements are reserved for pedestrians you will often have to use the bus lane.
You should also keep in mind driving on the right side of the street. As you should know, in UK the right side is actually the left.


Do you like Oysters?
Well even if you don't, I suggest you get yourself an Oyster Card as soon as you get near a Tube station (Americans would probably call it a subway station).
You can use Tube, DLR, London Overground, Bus and tram, National Rail and some riverboats using an Oyster Card and pay roughly half the price you would have payed using cash (actual ticket prices are available here).
There are roughly two options for using an Oyster card. You can load a travel card onto it, or load some cash and pay as you go.
You should consider both options and choose one depending on how much will you be moving around. For instance if you plan to use the Tube for 5 to 7 days, you should probably choose the 7-day travel card.

Moving around using the Tube is the fastest way. It is actually a bit like a teleport - you get quickly from point A to point B but don't get to see anything on the way.

Check out the Transport of London webpage for up to date London traffic info and prices.
They offer a useful Journey Planer for free. Try it out, it might come in handy.

Another very useful resource with loads of information on London is Visit London.

There are also other transport alternatives... like for instance riding in a Cycle rickshaw. I actually saw quite a few of those.
If there is another transport option I left out, please do not hesitate to comment.

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Wordless Wednesday: Royal Wedding Decoration

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How to get from Stansted airport to central London?

London is one of European cities with many low-fare airline connections. There are at least four airports near the city of London - Heathrow (LHR), London City (LCY), Gatwick (LGW) and Stansted (STN).
London Heathrow Airport and London City are the closest to the city center and also the most expensive of the three. This unfortunately means low-fare airlines usually do not use it. If you are looking for a cheap flight you are stuck with the last two.

Regardless of how much you have payed for your low-fare airline ticket, a trip from the airport to city center (and back) can easily cost you more than that.
When flying to London Stansted Airport you have many different options for a transfer to the city center.
The fastest way at the moment is Stansted Express which reaches London Liverpool Street in 45 minutes and leaves the airport every 15 minutes.
For other train options check out the National Express East Anglia webpage.


Buses are the cheapest option at the moment. EasyBus company offers rides to Baker Street from £2. If you are planning to use their services you should book online as fast as possible. If for some reason, you fail to reserve your seat in advance, they have an office just next to the exit of the airport building (you can expect the ticket to cost around £9). They will put you on the first available minibus to the city. They leave every 20 minutes and take approximately 80 minutes to reach their destination.
You can also use their services to reach the airport from the city, but you should keep a possibility of congestion and other delays in mind. Your airplane will not wait for you!
It does not matter if you are not flying easyJet. You can use easyBus services regardless of that. They use a funny slogan stating "Even RyanAir passengers welcome!".
They also offer similar services from other airports (e.g. from London Gatwick Airport there is a connection to Earls Court that takes approximately 70 minutes).

There are also other - a bit more expensive bus and coach options. Those are worth checking out if easyBus has all seats booked or their destination does not suite you.

Of course in addition to that there are many rent-a-car and taxi options available, but any of those might cost you a fortune.

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Time to visit London again

It has been more then five years since my last trip to London. I thought it wouldn't take so long to return, but it did.
Since a friend of mine is living in the city suburbs, working for a British company, I thought to myself - when, if not now?

I have always had something important to do and London, being just a few hours and a few dozens of Euro away by any of the low-fare airlines, has been postponed for many times.


So, that's that - plans have been made, tickets bought and a couch reserved. London here I come!

I have chosen the date of my visit with the royal wedding in mind. I will be just missing the event and also hordes of tourists pouring in from all over the world. I hear Brits are divided into two groups these days - those who can hardly wait for the event to take place and others reserving airplane tickets to escape the madness.
If I were a local I would definitely fall into the second group.

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Wordless Wednesday: Door Guardian

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The streets of Vis, Croatia

On a recent sailing trip we did in Croatia, we also spent a night and the following morning in the town of Vis on Vis island.


The whole island has almost 4.000 inhabitants and lies the farthest from the coast of all inhabited Croatian islands.
In the time of Yugoslavia it was one of the countries main naval bases and only partly accessible to public.
During World War II it was heavily mined and still in 2008 34 mines were cleared from the island.


Vis is a picturesque Mediterranean little town, offering many opportunities for a good photo or two. So I took the chance and went on a slow stroll through the narrow, stone cobbled streets. These are a few of many nice ones I took in a quarter of an hour.

The first one is taken from the boat moored on the seafront of Vis. A Franciscan monastery looked really nice across the bay but I unfortunately ran out of time to take a closer look.


The other two photos are from one of many narrow streets. I hope you like them.

For those of you in doubt about the object on that last photo. It has obviously seen better days but it is still a door knocker.

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Dolphin encounter in Croatia

Seeing dolphins in nature is not something that happens every day. I consider myself very lucky for encountering them quite a few times.

If you have been reading through my previous posts, I guess you guessed it already - my last encounter with these beautiful animals happened during my last sailing trip in Croatia.


While we were on a course for Jabuka island, they suddenly appeared in the distance on our port (i.e. left) side. Unfortunately a few moments later they were gone. When we already thought that was the end of it, they reappeared just next to the hull of our boat. We were sailing at around 6 knots without the motor. It seemed they liked this fact and swam with us for a while. There were around 10 dolphins in this group - some small and some quite large ones.

After five minutes of playing around and under our boat they decided to get back on their way.
I had just enough time to take a few photos, but none of them came out very impressive. It is quite hard to guess where and when is a dolphin going to come out from under the water. When it does swim to the surface, this happens just for a moment and then it is gone again.
This means luck is quite a factor when trying to take a good photo of a dolphin.

I hope one day I will be lucky enough to actually swim with dolphins in their natural habitat.
This time water was not really all that warm (it was just under 11 degrees Celsius) and I didn't even think about jumping in.
I am not sure doing that out on the high seas is such a good idea anyway. After all, those are wild animals I am talking about and anything can happen.

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Wordless Wednesday: View of Hvar seafront

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Sailing to Jabuka island

One of the goals of our last sailing trip was to sail around Jabuka island. Actually it is not so very special. This rock in the middle of the Adriatic sea can hardly be called an island. It really is small.


Jabuka in Croatian language means Apple. So if Apple corporation will ever be thinking of changing that bitten apple logo of theirs - a silhouette of this Apple island might be a good idea. I should probably put copyright on that one...

We tried to sail there a couple of times before but never made it all the way around.
Well this time I am proud to say we did it.

When we were closing in on the island we noticed an interesting thing... Some of the navigation devices on our boat started to act weird. For instance autopilot kept loosing direction. At first we thought it was some random electronic fault but after a while we realized only compass-based devices were having problems.
It was not a coincidence. Jabuka island was to blame.
As we learned later on, it is a volcanic island and one of its main building materials is magnetite - the most magnetic of all naturally occurring minerals on Earth.
When they hold a sailing regatta in those waters competitors even have to switch between radio channels because some of them simply stop working around the island. I guess this is a bit like what the Bermuda triangle must feel.


As I said all of this didn't stop us and we made it around there and back without much trouble. We had perfect winds and nice sunny weather. Nevertheless this trip took most of the day. When we were looking for a place to spend the night it was dark already.

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The best fish is a fresh fish

Adriatic sea is a perfect place for tasting some good quality, fresh fish. While on a boat, there is a good chance you even catch your own meal. When doing this, you should always keep in mind local rules and regulations (e.g. in Croatia you need to purchase a fishing permit).
I have posted a thing or two about fishing before. Since I am no expert in the field of fishing, don't expect too much.


If catching your own food is not your thing, you can always buy fresh fish from local fishermen, but you can trust me that the one you catch yourself always tastes better then any other.
If you do not come across any fishing boats at sea, you can visit fish markets in early mornings. Almost every coast town in Croatia has one. Prices may vary between seasons (demand is rather high in summer months).


During our last sailing trip we also tried catching our own fish and almost got lucky. We sailed right next to a large school of tuna fish. They were jumping out of the water in feeding frenzy. They were obviously engaged in a group fishing activity, probably chasing sardines or some other kind of tuna food. One of them was obviously fascinated by our bait. It swallowed the bait and went on its way. The line twitched hard and then unfortunately - snapped. It was all over in a couple of seconds and our dinner swam off.
As unfortunate as this might seem, I can't imagine what would we have done if we (by some strange miracle) lifted a 10 kilo tuna onto our boat. I am pretty sure at least the whole deck would be bathing in blood if nothing else.

Since that fish took our only hook with it, that was the end of our fishing.


Luckily after a while we saw some fishermen returning from the sea and bought our lunch from them. We opted for two large tuna-like fish. We got them for a really nice price and they turned out to be extra delicious when taken out of the oven a couple of hours later.

We did not complicate with preparation. We simply cut them opened, cleaned them, chopped them in nice thick pieces, seasoned them with some freshly picked local rosemary and put them on a bed of already half baked potatoes. It was delicious!

All there was left were a pair of heads and a pair of tails.


On the photos above you can see phases those two fish went through. Unfortunately the most important phase - dinner served on a plate accompanied with a glass of excellent white wine is not there.
With food like that around, people tend to forget all about photography...

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What to cook on a sailing trip?

When we go sailing we take care of cooking by ourselves. Actually one of the crew members is usually chosen as Master Chef and the menu is then mostly up to him.


Our sailing crew-list usually consists of friends who know each other pretty well and are not too picky when food is concerned. This means the menu mostly consists of simple dishes, that do not require much preparation. Our scope is on other things... well, mostly it is drinking. This simply means we usually eat a lot of pasta and similar simple dishes.
However, if there is a chance for a gourmet pleasure, we don't think twice to take it.

When at sea there is a good chance you come across some tasty fish. Let us just say we got our hands on some really tasty fish this time, but more about that in my next post.

Well let me get back to those simple dishes... We usually don't have a problem with preparation and cleaning the dishes but I know quite a few that think even little cooking is too much cooking.


I have a two word tip for all the lazy chefs out there: Microwave Owen. Yes, that's right. A microwave oven usually isn't on the standard equipment list for various types of charter sailing boats. I guess that should not be a problem - you can always bring your own.
With a right list of microwave-ready dishes all of you lazy sailing chefs out there will have a bit easier time preparing food and more time for other activities.

Before you get too excited... there is actually a reason why they don't put microwave ovens on sailing boats as standard equipment. When at sea there is only 12V electric current available on board (standard 220V current is available only when plugged-in to an outside source). This can also be easily resolved - simply bring a 12V to 220V converter. Be careful that you do not empty the batteries completely (after the meal you might need to start the engine again).

As far as I am concerned, I vote for the good old-fashioned way. Chicken in creamy sauce, cooked au gratin and seasoned with some fresh picked Mediterranean rosemary looks extra-delicious on those photos, doesn't it?

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Wordless Wednesday: Sunset fishing

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Sailing Checklist

Let me just point out this is a sailing list I use for colder months. This one was used for a sailing trip in southern Adriatic (Croatia) which took place at the end of March. You should probably have that in mind when adjusting it for summer sailing trips.

Sailing Checklist

Item	Quantity	Packed
Passport & Passport copy	1	Y
Passport copy	1	Y
Cash (EUR)	200	Y
Cash (HRK)	1000	Y
Credit cards	2	Y
GSM & charger	1	Y
Digital camera & charger	1	Y
Maps	2	N
MP3 Player	1	N
MP3 Music CDs	20	Y
Sunglasses	1	Y
Swiss army knife	1	Y
Books	1	N
Board & card games	3	N
Pen & paper	1	N
Teva sandals	1	Y
Trekking shoes	1	Y
Rubber boots	1	Y
Diving mask, snorkel & fins	1	N
Sailing suit (jacket & pants)	1	Y
Gloves	1	Y
Towel (bathing)	1	Y
Wind jacket	1	Y
Cap (wollen)	1	Y
Cap (baseball)	1	Y
Underpants	3	Y
T-shirts	3	Y
Socks	3	Y
Sweat shirt	2	Y
Trekking pants	1	Y
Zip-off pants	1	Y
Long sleeve shirt	2	Y
Backpack (30 l)	1	Y
Short pants	1	Y
Toilet set bag (toothbrush, etc.)	1	Y
Sunscreen	1	Y
Lip gloss (protective)	1	Y
Medicine (pills, plasters, etc.)	n	Y
Condoms (pack)	1	Y
Schnapps flask (full)	1	Y
Food & drinks for the road	n	Y
Head lamp	1	Y
Cigarette lighter	1	Y

All of the items listed above are to be taken into consideration. Unfortunately because of lack of space I decided to leave a few (not so essential) items behind.

Food and drinks are to be provided separately. This also includes bottled drinking water which is usually not available on-board.

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New Blogger dynamic templates look best on blogs filled with photos

As some of you might have noticed already, Google Blogger has introduced a set of new, dynamic templates for all blogs hosted on Blogger platform that have feeds fully enabled.
It might not be all that obvious, but yes - Blogger is also my blogging platform.

This new feature is obviously meant to be used with blogs that contain lots of photos.
I must admit it looks great on mine!


If you would like to try it out yourself, simply add “/view” to the end of the blog URL, e.g.: http://www.travel-pb.com/view

There are a few different templates available and you can switch among them by clicking on the blue drop-down list in the top right corner of your screen.
You can also access all these different layouts directly through the blog URL - for example:

• http://www.travel-pb.com/view/flipcard#!/


• http://www.travel-pb.com/view/mosaic#!/


• http://www.travel-pb.com/view/sidebar#!/


• http://www.travel-pb.com/view/snapshot#!/


• http://www.travel-pb.com/view/timeslide#!/

This new feature really looks great as it is. However I just can't help wondering if Google has some plans for upgrading it later on. Let us just wait and see.

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Wordless Wednesday: Ready to set sail

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Sailing the Adriatic

I am finally going sailing again! It was a long pause, during which I was invited to join a group of friends for more then a few times but there was always another priority to take care of.

Now I have decided I have had enough of it. Everything will have to wait for 5 days. It will not be a long trip, but I am sure we will have a great time.


End of March is still quite early in the season for a sailing trip, but this means we are not going to spend a fortune on boat rental.
I am hoping for some sun, but I guess it is all up to weather gods and their generosity.

We are starting at Rogoznica (Croatia) and will probably be sailing in the direction of islands Vis and Jabuka. Precise sailing plan will be based on actual weather conditions at the time of departure.

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What to eat and drink in Berlin?

Almost everywhere I go I first try some traditional local cuisine. I like good food, but usually I'm on a tight budget so I have to make some compromises.

In most cases locals know where to point you to if you explain what you are looking for. Good food guides are usually also a safe bet.

In Berlin we took that approach only one time - when we were looking for some decent local restaurant with traditional food.
From the praise of everyone we asked, we expected something really special. Well it wasn't. Don't get me wrong... it was OK, but still far from delicious. Traditional dishes mostly consist of pork and sausages in countless variations and are usually offered with cabbage and potato.


Every other place we eat at was chosen by lucky chance and all were excellent.
We tried Vietnamese, Italian and Turkish cuisine. If you like to try something new, you can find almost everything in Berlin.
Of the places I have visited so far, only London had such variety.

If you want to eat for a few Euros, there is a fast food restaurants almost on every corner. Most of them are Turkish kebab places. In some quarters of Berlin they are situated literary one next to another down the whole length of the street. Along with that nicely goes a glass of beer.
I was surprised how cheap actually beer was. A half litre bottle was usually between €2 and €4, but during happy hour in our hostel we drank it for only a Euro and those were not some no name beers, but brands like Augustiner beer and Erdinger Beer

The thing Germans know well is definitely beer. They know how to brew it and they also know how to drink it - a lot of it. Every year they drink 110 litres (that's 29 US gallons!) of beer per capita.


Berlin also offers a lot to those who like to enjoy themselves no matter the price. Everyone can get a taste of luxury and treats himself with a cup of coffee overlooking the largest German city. You can do that on the top of the Berlin TV Tower (Fernsehturm). The elevator ride to the revolving restaurant near the top of the 365 meter high 'toothpick' will cost you 5 Euro which is probably still better then the 986 stair alternative.
Tempting three-course meals at the highest restaurant in the city start at 27 Euros or splash out on a Büfett from 42 Euros per person.

You want it Berlin has got it! An authentic kebab for a couple of Euros next to the subway entrance or a posh dinner in the sky for a little bit more... the choice is yours.

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Wordless Wednesday: Berlin in Snow

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Celebrity polar bear Knut has died

I didn't know about this, until one of my readers pointed it out in her response to my article about many attractions Berlin has to offer.

Knut became popular soon after his mother rejected him. He was adopted by his main caregiver, Thomas Doerflein. Ever since many visitors kept returning to the ZOO just to see this cutie of a bear.
The celebrity of Berlin ZOO died on Saturday afternoon (19th of March) in front of hundreds of visitors. Witnesses reported that after the bear's left leg began shaking, he walked around in circles before falling into the water.

Even with one of Berlin's attractions gone, the capital of Germany has a lot to offer.

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Berlin Highlights

There are so many things worth seeing in Berlin, I am just going to focus on the things I saw myself.

The Berlin Wall (Die Berliner Mauer)
The Wall together with the most tourist landmark - Checkpoint Charlie and the museums on this topic are definitely things worth visiting. If you are into such things you can even acquire a visa allowing free passage through the checkpoint to the other side and also buy a peace of the famous wall to take home with you. Both are available at rather high prices.
Even after seeing it in person one can only begin to imagine how it looked back then when the Wall was still performing its task. A few sections are still standing today. For a more genuine impression I recommend you check out one of the non centrally located sections of it.


Museums and Galleries
There are countless museums opened around the city. One can easily find at least a couple to his liking. Of those visited I just have to point out the DDR Museum and the Deutches Technikmuseum.
Both of these two house a vast number of expositions and if you want to pay any attention to detail, you should reserve at least half a day for each one of them. Even then I suggest you make a list of what to see first. If you don't run out of time, your feet might let you down in the process.
Both museums offer a highly interactive experience to their guests. I must say they do a great job!


Nightlife, Club Scene and Festivals
Berlin offers a great variety of socializing opportunities. I had a feeling there is always a club opened nearby. Many of them are building their reputation on some kind of a weird or even bizarre offer. In some cases their reputation is based on their setting inside some old power plant or something like that, in other cases it is all about the happening.
It is always worth asking around for something of your liking. Bizarre does not necessarily go together with enjoyable!
If you find the right club and enough energy, it might just happen you start the party late in the afternoon and don't stop until one next day... and by one I mean one o'clock in the afternoon!
In the warmer months many festivals also take place in the opened. Love Parade is probably the most famous of the bunch.

City ZOO and Aquarium
Zoologischer Garten Berlin houses the most diverse range of species in the world. Among its inhabitants is also the captive-born celebrity polar bear Knut.
Although the ZOO itself is still just a big cage it is well worth visiting if this is your thing. However if you have a choice, you should perhaps not plan a visit in winter time. During other seasons you will be able to see more animals out in the open.
A large city aquarium also features the AquaDom - the World’s Largest Cylindrical Aquarium. At 25 meters tall, and 11 meters wide, it is the largest acrylic glass cylinder in the world and contains 900,000 litres of sea water. Divers jump in every day to clean it and to feed the 56 different species of fish living inside.


Glühwein stalls
However cold it might get during winter in Berlin, it always feels good to warm up with a cup of mulled wine (yes, that's Glühwein if you were wondering).
Usually there is also a sausage stand nearby offering many variations of this traditional German food.

I guess I should also mention some other things... but this time I will leave it to you. So please point out some of the highlights you liked the most.

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Berlin - A reunited city

If you are thinking of visiting an European metropolis, Berlin can be a good choice.
With a population of around 3.4 million it is not just the capital but also the largest city in Germany and it can offer almost anything you have ever wished for.


The second most famous wall on the planet (right after the Great Wall of China) can still be seen in the German capital.
Authorities sealed off free passage between East an West Berlin in mere two days in August of 1961 and started building the Wall which stood for the next 28 years until the army finally started dismantling it in November of 1989.
Even now there is an obvious difference between the two parts of once divided city.

Whether you are on a tight budget, or you are looking for a luxury destination - Berlin can offer you both and everything in between.


There is no true top season for a visit. During every time of year Berlin has something to offer. Most of many festivals and other outdoor activities take place in warmer months, but even during winter (when temperatures can drop way below zero) there are many cute stalls offering Glühwine and Schnapps set up all over the city. These stalls really add-up to the whole December holiday spirit feel. Streets literally look like they were taken from a cheesy movie, with cheesy Christmas carols playing in the background and loads of useless souvenirs on offer.
Don't get me wrong, I actually liked the whole thing. Everything else would have looked out of place.

Recently an opportunity to visit this interesting city arose and I took it. Last December I decided to join a group of friends visiting Berlin. Obviously it was the right decision.


It was a five-day budget trip. We stayed in a very nice and clean hostel for a very reasonable price. It is called EastSeven Hostel and is situated at a great location. I would easily recommend it to anyone looking for such an option.
We simply tried to enjoy ourselves while there. I must say we succeeded in doing just that. Berlin is definitely a place I could definitely visit again.

Stay tuned for more!

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Village of Coi di Zoldo in Italian Dolomites

The Italian Dolomites are not just a skiing destination, there are also many other activities one can enjoy. Hiking and climbing during the summer are just two of them.

As I have been told, tourist accommodation facilities within the main tourist centres are usually sold out for half a year in advance. If you are thinking of making a reservation in the top summer season you should start doing something about it even much earlier.
I suggest you do your homework and look for some useful information before you start your holiday in Italy.


Even if you are not a sports person, there are many opportunities to simply enjoy the nature and local Italian culinary delights.

Among many interesting things to do is also visiting some of the unspoiled little villages just off the beaten path.


In the close vicinity of the town of Zoldo Alto, just 3 kilometres from ski lifts in the centre of Pecol (Civetta ski area), there is an old little village of Coi. It lies at 1494 m on a sunny side of a hill above Val di Zoldo. It is really small and really cute.


Even though most of the buildings are rather old or at least built in traditional style, there is also a hotel where one can stay. I did not have time for a closer look and can't really say if it is any good.
I have also noticed that many traditional barns have been renovated and transformed into fancy holiday retreats. The only thing giving them away are glassed windows. Some of the old ones appeared to still be on sale.

The village offers an opportunity for a nice afternoon walk and a load of details are just shouting for a photo. Here are just two of the many photos I took during a short stroll around (the first one is taken from the top of one of the nearby ski-lifts on the opposite side of the valley and offers an interesting perspective of the village).

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Wordless Wednesday: What's on the menu?

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Passo Giau in Winter

To get from Zoldo Alto, where we were staying for a week, to Cortina d'Ampezzo we had to cross Passo Giau. The trip took us a bit lees then an hour one way. Passo Giau is a mountain pass at 2236 meters above sea level and it offers nice views views on both sides and high mountains surrounding it.


However, to get to the top there are numerous hairpin bends to conquer. Going down the other side on both sides.

You can imagine I just could not resist the temptation of a short photo stop.

I would definitely recommend a stop to anyone. I also suggest you even take a short climb up the hill behind a small parking lot (just past the little chapel).
Views are even better from there.


The second photo was taken just from up there. On the far left side the first few hairpin bends can be seen.

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Wordless Wednesday: Freeride Skiing over Cortina

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A Perfect Week in the Dolomites

We did it again! Another winter skiing vacation in the Italian Dolomites is behind us.

It was a week of a clear blue sky, beautiful vistas and excellent skiing. The sun was shining like crazy and only on the last day we saw a couple of small white clouds somewhere on the horizon.


We stayed at our standard apartment we adopted over the years. Civetta has been the area of our choice for some time now and we are still not tired of it.

Nevertheless each year we go check out another nearby ski area. This year we voted for Cortina d'Ampezzo and tried most of the slopes. Cortina is also called "Queen of Dolomites", but I got an impression that this queen is getting a bit old and many "princesses" in the neighborhood are trying hard to take the crown away from her.


Some facilities already seem a bit out of date and it looks like the old glory has faded a little over the years.
Despite all that we had a great time there. Especially those slopes at higher altitudes are truly stunning.

The two photos published in this post are from Civetta ski area.

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