The next morning we got up, had our respective breakfasts, and went off to get the rental car.
It’s not a long drive, our destination was just a couple hours south in Trento where we would relax, spend the afternoon as a staging ground so we can start the next day bright and early.
It was a tough balance, trying to find the right rental car as we needed one that could fit everything, but not so big we had to deal with difficulty parking. It’s because of the car too that we specifically had to find hotels that had parking, preferably free.
Car acquired, time to hit the road!
Trento is the third largest Italian town in South Tyrol, and also a university town. We got settled in, wandered around town went out for dinner before starting on our trip tradition – to hunt down gelato every night.
After a very relaxing stay at Castel Frasburg and a memorable birthday celebration with our friends, it was time to wave goodbye, and head over to Bolzano to meet up with my bud’s parents.
My bud’s dad and his wife Jane had always wanted to explore Italy, so as a treat since we were there already we decided to road trip from Northern Italy down through Tuscany over to Rome.
First stop, Bolzano.
Bolzano is the capital city of South Tyrol in Northern Italy. It’s also a region known for it’s high quality of life.
We went to the train station to pick up my bud’s dad Bob and his wife Jane, had a Bavarian style dinner of meats and sausages, and retired in preparation for our road trip!
Situated above Castel Frasburg was the original castle. Or maybe it was some sort of hunting lodge. Well we were determined to explore it.
So up the trail we went. It’s definitely less maintained. Fascinating exploring. After wandering the grounds, we noticed an unlatched door and decided to go in —
That is until we saw the ceiling full of scorpions and promptly booked it back down.
The grounds around Castel Frasburg seem much nicer after all.
Much nicer.
It’s pretty nice here. I wish my bud would get me a castle.
Today was a leisurely day with the gang where we got to stroll around the trails and go on a hike. My bud spent some of that time going on an ebike instead. I stayed with the group.
But first breakfast, which was an excellent spread.
After a nice few weeks in London, it was time to head onwards!
We boarded a flight near London and it was onwards to Bolzano for a transit over to Merano.
I’d never been to this neck of the woods, but Northern Italy runs a lot more like Germany than it does Italy. Merano is in South Tyrol, and there are more German speaking Italians than Italian. It has something to do with how much the border changed hands over time.
The place we’re staying is a place called Castel Frasburg. It was our friend’s 40th birthday, and for his celebration he invited a number of close friends to celebrate with him at one of their favourite destinations. We were glad to go! We got settled in, and went out to explore the grounds. I think I’m going to like it here.
Slowly over the course of the day, people began to arrive. It was a fun blend of meeting new friends over a delicious meal.
When we got back, there was a cookie and a nice note for us.
It was time for our Europe trip! I was pretty excited. Unlike most of our past trips where we were running around in a mad frenzy, we were taking it easy for the first couple weeks.
Pokin was still recovering from her surgery and the doctor had advised lifting “no more than 10lbs.” I guess her usual backpack loaded with camera gear is well over 10lbs, so she agreed to “no plans” other than to camp out in a Doubletree in London, and to just see what happens.
Flight over was pretty smooth. Everyone shook their head as Pokin busted out Costco sized bags of Strawberry popcorn and keto snacks. I approved of none of her selection and didn’t touch any all trip long. The others shook their head but partook. Weak souls.
After the customary expected flight time and an incredibly smooth arrivals through customers, we were in London.
At first when we got to our hotel I was pretty worried. We had arrived early, and we got a pretty awful room. There was barely a window and we were looking into a boiler. Some things were also not working. Luckily because the room was a bit broken, they had to upgrade us to a better room, with a much better bed.
While I laid claim to the bed, my bud and Pokin went looking for food. Looks like lots of good options around. They found a crepe place pretty fast.
Now since the trip was meant to be pretty laid back, my bud didn’t think much about wardrobe. Which is a mistake in London. Me, I’m usually a dapper bear, so I was all set in terms of attire, but my bud was not at all equipped for the typical standards in London.
Pokin wanted to go for tea with their friends… and my bud did not have anything but tech startup tshirts.
And London has a dresscode. Especially for high tea.
And thus came about the great London makeover. So my bud stepped out.
And came back a new bud – clean shaven, hair cut, mysterious bags.
Turns out his bags contained a whole new wardrobe, suit and all. Look at that transformation!
We were in London during the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, and there were decorations everywhere. It looked so festive!
(I’m glad we came too as the Queen would pass away later this year)
The rest of our trip was pretty uneventful. Saw some pubs. Went to some tea shops.
Perfect low key start before we continued on to Italy.
Oh here’s also a photo of the red door where Pokin spent like an hour trying to record a birthday tribute video.
We’re going on a big trip to Europe! First to London, then to Italy. We’ll be gone for almost a month! But first, priorities.
It’s my bud’s friend’s big 4-0 birthday. And my bud’s bud has great taste. He appreciates fine cocoa products.
Alas it’s already hot in Vegas, so my bud had to set up production in a bedroom where he could drop the room temperature sufficiently to make fine cocoa products.
I think they turned out pretty well! Now time to pack for our trip!
Among the many hobbies Nicholas and Pokin have, one of them is chocolate bon bon making. I approve.
Because chocolates are finicky and require very precise temperatures for handling, and because by May Vegas is really hot, we were limited in where we could set up chocolate production. In one of the small rooms where we could really drop the chocolate temperatures it was.
And so it came to be, that it’s late at night and here we are making chocolates in a bedroom.
While the beach was the main draw, we did spend some time walking the complex a bit.
But mostly we just wanted to hang out on the beach.
I told my bud I wanted to visit more beautiful beaches like this, so he’d better get to work some more. He told me to work myself. I ignored that. I’m too relaxed to smack him.
And just like that, we’re headed back home tomorrow.
