After a frustrating start to the morning when what should have been a quick five minute exit from the town due to a diversion and the craziest one way system-even worse than Northwich- took at least 20 minutes, as you can imagine Colin was his usual calm an collected self during this time!
Once on route the landscape quickly changed back to acres of arable land some still with crops of maize ripening to gold, alongside vineyards as we followed the Prosecco wine trail for some miles. We quickly came into the foothills of the mountains and here we found quaint villages nestled in the valleys of the majestic and towering peaks. The only indication of some of these villages was the glimpse of a church tower hinting of the presence of a white washed village.
We carried on past saw-mills giving a distinctive scent to the air. We rode beside cool, crystal clear glacier streams with their blue/green waters cooling the air around us.
We began our ascent to the ski resort within the Passo Rolle, we came out of a village and climbed up a hill, to our right nestling into what looked like caves halfway up the rock face were two houses!
Colin had likened the Albanian mountain road as a roller coaster ride, this one was more a Helter Skelter with sweeping left and right hand bends as we steadily gained height. The road was busy with bikes of all sizes and descriptions along with cars and vans but every one, it seemed, was out to enjoy the experience with no haste or hassle. The mountain scenery was just stunning, with huge jagged peaks rising high above us. The colours of purples, greys and oranges in the mountain rocks was just as if artists had painted them with drifts of clouds and the sun playing across them. As we approached the ski resort and the bends became hairpins it began to rain!
Luckily we were only minutes away so quickly decided on a cafe and went in.
The cafe/bar had an American theme which struck us as odd until the owner came over to take our order and we discovered that he was an Austrian for the Tyrol region who as well as running his bar in July and August plus December to March worked for the Radisson hotel chain in mid west America! Colin and he got talking about ski runs and Colin could be making a week in the Dolomites a option, unless of course he's pulled back to St Anton next year!
Our ride down this pass and up and over the next was completed in cloud but no rain. The very last part of the journey took us through a series of tunnels and when we came out of the final one it was to be faced with a mountain side of Vineyards.
I have rebelled and instead of hiking up to see a castle; I am lying on a sun lounger around a pool doing that relaxing thing! Colin has been more energetic and done some lengths in the pool and is now sat in the hot tub! I'm sure he'll thank me for making him rest-eventually!