After landing at the Sabiha Gokcen airport in Istanbul, Turkey at 4pm, we caught the local bus to Taksim which took around 1 hour. From here, it was a short taxi to our hostel, Sultan Hostel and Guesthouse. We were annoyed and frustrated as the taxi driver ripped us off when dropping us off. After checking in, Kristy did some research and we walked to the restaurant, Arch Bistro for dinner. The restaurant is constructed in an old arch built in the 4th century which made for a cool setting and the service and food here was amazing. 

The next day, following breakfast at the hostel, we walked the short distance to enter the Tomb of Sultan Ahmet. Here there was numerous tombs of the old King and family, and afterwards we walked and entered the Blue Mosque. We had a short tour inside this massive mosque and entry to both of these places was free. After a coffee near these monuments, we tried to visit the Hagia Sophia and the Basilica Cistern, but both these places had huge lines, so we put them on the list to do the next day.

After a huge kebab for lunch we went back to the hostel to rest and escape the heat! Later we walked to the Grand Bazaar and strolled through the markets and as everyone was undecided on what to do for dinner, we headed back to Arch Bistro where we knew we couldn’t go wrong.

The first stop for the following day was the Basicilica Cistern which was a cool underground ancient water storage.

Kristy and I did the touristy thing here and got a photo dressed in traditional Turkish attire. After this, we headed back to the hostel and walked to get a Hammam bath which is a traditional Turkish bath. We all felt amazing afterwards and after yet again a massive lunch near the blue mosque, we headed back to chill at the hostel.

Here we had a bite to eat before getting a reasonably priced taxi to the bus terminal and catching the 830pm overnight bus to Cappadocia.

Once we arrived at the bus station in Munich, we walked around an hour to our hostel, Meininger. After checking in, we walked to the close supermarket and bought some food for dinner, and headed back to the hostel. It was a massive battle to cook dinner in the kitchen here as there was way too many people for the size of the kitchen.

We had a slow start the next day but this helped the cooking breakfast situation as no one was in the kitchen. After a huge cook up, we left around lunch and headed to the NS Dokumentationszentrum Munchen museum. We spent a good 2-3 hours here reading all the interesting history in relation to world war 2 and in particular, how Munich was affected during this time period. Following this, we walked another 30 minutes to the street markets, Viktualienmarkt, which also had a bier garten included. After getting a table with an awesome American couple who were an absolute hoot, we spent a good few hours here drinking 4-5 steins, eating pretzels and watching an old magician. We had a great time here and were well on our way when we headed to the Hoftbrauhaus beer hall where we had another beer and some dinner. By the time we left, we were all well and truly drunk and lucky to get an uber home.

 

After the big previous day, it was a bit of a slow start the next morning and we were up around 8am to get an uber to the airport. Our flight from Munich to Istanbul left at 1230pm and we arrived in Istanbul at 4pm.

After dropping Kristy off at the hostel, Fritz Prior Schwedenhaus, Mitch and I continued on to the airport to drop the car back. From here, it was about an hour walk back to the hostel with a couple of beer stops along the way. Kristy did some enquiries into hiring bikes for the next day and also bought and prepared some dinner as we headed home.

The next day, after a good breakfast, we walked around 30 minutes into Innsbruck and hired bikes from Die Boerse. The bikes here were reasonable and fairly cheap for the day hire. The man in the shop recommended we ride towards the town of Mils, so we headed that way. The bike path out of Innsbruck was great and we finally got into some fields with mountains on either side of the valley which we rode through. Our first stop of the day was at Wattens and we walked to the Swarovski fountain before having a coffee and strudel. After this, we jumped back on our bikes and made it to the town of Schwaz, before turning around and heading back to find somewhere for lunch. The ride to the lunch stoo was up a short but super steep hill, and we stopped at Mils for some lunch platters and a couple of beers.

On the ride back into Innsbruck, there was a small storm, but we still stopped at Baggersee Rossau for a swim before getting back into town around 5pm. We had to buy a few supplies for the upcoming hike of the Stubbai High trail which included food and some essentials for Mitch. We also bought some food for dinner and headed back to the hostel prepare some salad bowls.

Today, we started our 3 day hike of the Stubbai High trail. After another hearty breakfast, we dropped and stored some luggage in the hostel’s storage and walked around 30 minutes to the bus terminal to catch the 10am bus to Neustift im Stubaital.

The bus took around an hour due to some roadworks, and after a coffee we started the 3 to 4 hour uphill hike in the heat to our first nights accommodation, the Starkenburger hutte.

The views over Neustift for todays hike were fantastic and upon arrival at Starkenburger hutte, we had great views over the surrounding mountain ranges. After a wash, we enjoyed a coffee and strudel outside before a big storm rolled in and we retreated to the restaurant inside. Here we enjoyed a couple of beers and playing card games until dinner and retreated to bed at 730pm as we were tired and the chairs were a little uncomfortable. We were woken around 9-930pm by a large young group of people here who didn’t show any respect for the at least 6 people asleep. It was quiet frustrating!

The following morning, we left the Starkenburger hutte at around 730am as today’s hike to Franz Senn hutte was supposed to be around 6-7 hours.

The temperatures in the morning were a little cool, but we were all soon warm once we started hiking the short uphill section which opened up to a large steep rock face. We continued hiking underneath this large rock face before we traversed up and down along the ridge into the valley to the Franz Senn hutte.

We stopped along the way for a snack after Mitch grazed his hand, and then we stopped shortly after at another small rifugio, Seducker Hochalm, for a coffee. The man here was lovely, and it was only 2 hours from here to the Franz Senn hutte.

This last 2 hours of hiking was pretty steep and we had to cross a number of creeks, land slips and snowy sections along the way. The rains came in for the last half hour of the days hike, and we arrived around 2-230pm. We were lucky to get accommodation here, even though we booked some prior to arrival, and we shared a mattress for 4 on the floor in the roof. The rain continued all afternoon, and we enjoyed coffee, gnocchi for lunch and lazing about in the afternoon before having the half board for dinner with some beers and wine with some fellow friendly hikers. Yet again we hit bed early as we were all fairly tired.

We woke on the last morning of our hike to an extremely cloudy and foggy day. Our original plan was to hike again around 6 to 7 hours via the Neue Regensburger hutte before heading down, but the weather changed this plan. Instead, after breakfast at 630am, we left at 730am choosing a quicker route to Innsbruck which was via Oberissalm and Neustift.

The downhill walk to Oberissalm took around an hour and we had a coffee here before getting a lift to the bus stop in Neustift im Stubaital. From here, we caught the 10am bus back to Innsbruck, walked to the hostel to collect our luggage and freshen up before heading back into Innsbruck to get the 115pm bus to Munich. We did some souvenir shopping before getting on the bus, and we arrived in Munich around 330-4pm.

After lunch at Adnet in Austria, we continued driving to Mojstrana, Slovenia and arrived in the mid to late afternoon. The drive took a few hours, and the air BNB had great views of the surrounding mountains and a real Slovenian vibe. The manager of the air BNB also met us here and gave us some sites to visit in the area. We had a stir fry, some beers and wine before heading to bed.

The next day, we jumped in the car around 730am and headed to Lake Bled which was about a half hour away. We did some short hikes in the area including Ojstrica, Mala Ojstrica and some others nearby, which took around 2 hours. By this stage, the lake and foreshores were packed with people, so we grabbed a coffee and headed another half hour to Lake Bohinj. Here we had some lunch in a much quieter spot and swam and lazed for a few hours before heading back to the accommodation. Both these lakes were amazing.

Once back in Mojstrana, we were all hungry, so we had a snack before heading to the nearby Pericnik waterfall, which was only 10 minute drive and the largest waterfall in Slovenia. We enjoyed a beer here taking in the views of the surrounding mountains and river. Big Mitch and Ben had a swim in the freezing water before heading back to the air BNB for some nachos, beer, wine and cards.

Today was our last day in Slovenia, and we had to be in Innsbruck, Austria by 6pm that evening to drop the hire car back. Therefore, we left the air BNB around 10am and headed to Jasna lake for a swim and coffee. The water here was freezing and we were entertained by some kids jumping and flipping off a high platform. The mountains and surrounding creeks and rivers here were again beautiful. After our stop here, it was a big drive in afternoon to Innsbruck and we got to the airport to drop the car off just after 6pm.

We arrived in Vienna fairly late as the flight was a little delayed and once we picked up our luggage, we picked up our hire car and drove to our hostel, Vienna hostel Ruthensteiner. Once we arrived and checked in, it was a short walk to Mozart Stuberl, a nearby restaurant where we had a typical Austrian meal of schnitzel, goulash and dumplings.

The next morning, we met our Austrian friends from Patagonia, Veronica and Andras for typical Vienna coffee and strudel with vanilla sauce at around 10.30am at a the fancy  cafe Schwarzenburg. This was the best strudel ever, and the coffee was also great. It was really good catching up with them  and hearing their travel stories. They also helped us with the perfect itinerary for our day in Vienna and for the upcoming few days in Salzburg.

Our first stop after our catch up was the Belvedere gallery where some of Gustav Klimt’s famous paintings were displayed (such as the kiss) and the surrounding gardens. As we had to wait for an appointed time slot at 330pm, we walked into Vienna to look at some of the old buildings, monuments and churches and have a schnitzel for lunch at Lugeck. It was a whirlwind walk, and we made it back to the Belvedere where we spent a couple of hours wandering through the gallery. Following this, it was a fairly big walk back to hostel, and we bought some food before jumping in the car and heading to the Muffin hostel in Salzburg, where we arrived at 1030pm.

The next morning, we drove to the local supermarket to buy some breakfast and lunch before heading to Fuschl am See, which was about a 30-45 minute drive. The scenery here was amazing, and after breakfast and a coffee, we walked around the lake stopping for lunch and a swim about 3/4 of the way around.

After lunch, we walked back to the car and drove another 30 minutes to Lake Wolfgang where we spent about an hour swimming and lazing about.

On the way back to the hostel, we stopped to buy some dinner supplies, but found out the hostel was having a free ‘wurst’ bbq when we got back. We enjoyed a few beers with the bbq and had a few more in the bar afterwards.

We planned to leave Salzburg early this morning to do some exercise, swim and have breakfast on one of the lakes. This all changed once we started doing some planning for the next part of the trip, which ended up taking around 4 hours. Once we left the hostel, the drive to our swimming spot on Lake Wiestalstausee was along a back road which was narrow and windy but well worth it as the spot was great. Here we had fruit, some snacks and a swim before heading off and stopping at Adnet to grab some food for lunch. The view from this town was amazing and after lunch we continued onto Mojstrana in Slovenia.

We arrived in Rome around 130pm from Florence. It was a short walk to our hostel, Funny Palace, and after dropping our luggage off, we walked for a pizza and salad for lunch. As we had been in Rome previously, we had a bit of an idea of where we wanted to take mum, dad and Mitch. First stop after lunch was gelato at Gelateria la Romana, which was again amazing and then was followed by the Spanish steps, the Trevi fountain, the Forum and finally the Colleseum. Kristy and I still had a great day as we spent more time at the Forum and Colleseum than we had on our previous visits. On our way home from the Colleseum, we found a sneaky wine bar where we enjoyed a couple of drinks. One of our favorite restaurants in Italy was Andrea, and it was a great place to spend our last night and dinner with mum and dad before they headed home.

After one last breakfast with mum and dad, and a big farewell with a few tears, we boarded our train for Sorrento at 1015am.

The train stopped at Naples after around an hour or two and the local train to Sorrento took another hour. We caught the local bus from Sorrento train station to Sant’Agata where we bought some food supplies before going to our great friend, Gianni’s house. It was great to catch up, and we enjoyed one of our many delicious home cooked Italian meals here. Today we cooked and enjoyed a pasta and salad.

During the afternoon, we had a few white wines and a coffee and cake at a cafe, before walking down the hill around half an hour to a fjord, Crapolla, where we could swim. It was great to cool off, and on the steep walk back up, we stopped at an old castle and enjoyed fantastic views up and down the Amalfi coast while the sun was setting. After getting back to Gianni’s, we cooked and ate dinner with another of his friend from Norway, Emma, before heading to the local wine bar in town for some wine and nibbles. We didn’t get to bed until around 330am.

It was a slow start as is usually the case at Gianni’s, and after a coffee and croissant at his house, we headed out to the local wine distributor to refill the stocks. Once back at Gianni’s, we made some sandwiches and ventured to the local beach club near Sirenuse around 3pm. We enjoyed the afternoon here, swimming, eating and drinking. It was a pretty fancy beach and beach bar and there was a heap of big flash boats anchored off the beach. Big Mitch, Ben and Gianni all jumped off the rock jumped, and big Mitch managed to do a solid back slap attempting a bomb.

We headed back to Sant’Agata in the early evening and had a coffee and cocktail at one of the local cafes before heading back to Gianni’s. Once back, we cooked dinner together and Kristy and Emma bought some gelato for desert. We continued drinking on the balcony and roof before calling it a night which was semi early.

The next morning, Gianni had pilates in Sorrento, so we entertained ourselves by heading to a local cafe, Panifico Nonno Paolo for a coffee and croissant. The lovely Chilean owner remembered Kristy and I from our previous visit, and following our breakfast, we headed back to Gianni’s and made a massive fruit salad. Once Gianni arrive home, Gianni had planned a big full moon party so we had some preparing to do in the afternoon. We needed to fuel up before we started these preparations, so Gianni cooked some spinach and cheese ravioli which was our favourite meal during our stay. It was so good and we walked down to Orlando bar for a coffee and the gelato shop for desert.

After lunch, we headed into Sorrento to have a look around and to buy some supplies for the party. This included some candles, fireworks, wine and some limoncello deserts (chocolate balls filled with limoncello). Sorrento was extremely busy and we were glad to head back to Sant’Agata to prepare for the party.

We bought some more food and wine from the local shop and had another caprese salad for dinner and a few wines as we prepared the roof for the party. The roof looked great, and people arrived for the party around 1130pm and we made some bruschetta and prepared the deserts which were all a hit. Gianni surprised everyone with the fireworks and they were amazing. Kristy and I went to bed as we were tired from the 3 big nights of drinking, but big hand Mitch powered on until the early hours of the money.

On our last day, at Sant’Agata, Gianni took us and some of the American dancers, from the party the night before, to the beach near Roncato. The water here was a beautiful blue, and we thoroughly enjoyed our time swimming and jumping off the rocks here. We had our last caprese salad here and a little more wine before Gianni dropped us at the bus stop to head back to Sorrento and Naples around 5pm. It was a sad farewell and we fit one last espresso in before saying goodbye. After 2 buses and a train back to Naples, we arrived at hostel of the sun before heading out to the pizzeria, Da Attilio for one last pizza and gelato as this was our last night in Italy. We were all buggered after our stay at Gianni’s but had such an amazing time again and we could not thank him enough for his hospitality and generosity.

He is a legend and we miss him already!

The next day, we caught the 1030am train back to Rome and hung around the airport most of the day before getting the 5pm flight to Vienna. Mitch woke up with a sore neck but managed to battle through.

After a lazy start and breakfast, we met Mitch at the train station and caught the1030am train from Belluno to Florence, which had 3 changes along the way. Mum and dad managed to fit in some quick souvenir shopping in the morning and collect our Alta via 1 pins. The day was a long day of travel, especially since we missed one train (due to the est platform) and we got off at the wrong stopped near Florence Airport. Once we arrived in Florence, we caught the tram to the airport then a shuttle to the car rental place where we picked up our pretty run down Ford rental car from Hertz. 

The drive to San Casciano in Val di Pesa took around 45 minutes and we finally arrived at the air BNB around 9pm after some searching. Everyone was starving, and the restaurant recommended by Mari, the air BNB host was Cantinetta del Nonno. The dinner here was absolutely delicious and everyone thoroughly enjoyed it after the long day of travel.

We started the day with a yoga session above the vineyards and olive trees. After a coffee and snack at the air BNB, we drove into San Casciano in Val di Pesa (around 5 minutes) for a walk and another coffee. We also did some food shopping here from the local delis and co-op before heading back to accommodation to settle in for the afternoon. Lunch consisted of a huge platter of nibbles and the wines started to flow from here. We just couldn’t get enough of the amazing Tuscan views, and the nibbles and wine continued all afternoon and into the evening. There was a storm during the afternoon, but it cleared and we witnessed a fantastic sunset. The drinking continued well into the night.

On our last day at the air BNB, we were booked into a cooking class. Everyone was a little under the weather from the previous days activities, but this all changed once the cooking started at 10am. The meals we cooked included tiramisu, freshly made pasta, zucchinis stuffed with ricotta and herbs and eggplant parmaggiana. The food was some of the best we ate in Italy! It was so good. Everyone was super full after this feast, so we lazed about in the afternoon, again taking in the view. Mum couldn’t help herself and went for an hour or so walk, and we had nibbles and a couple of pizzas for dinner.

We said our goodbyes to Mari, the lovely air BNB host, before heading back to Florence. The traffic was hectic, and Ben battled the crazy Italian drivers to make it back to the airport safely. From here, it was a shuttle back to the main station in Florence before we caught a train around 11am to Rome.

Day 8 – Rifugio Vazzoler to Rifugio Passo Duran

The hike to Rifugio Passo Duran was another day that wasn’t too long. The weather was a little overcast and cloudy, but the scenery still looked amazing as the clouds were nestled around the steep cliffs of the Dolomites. The morning hike started down along a dirt road before a short steep hike over a pass. It was a few hours of hiking over old creek beds/rock slides and forest sections to lunch at Rifugio Bruta Carestiato. Here we enjoyed a minestrone soup and a pasta.

The hike after lunch to Rifugio Passo Duran was only around 20-30 minutes, and some torrential rain made for a nice cosy afternoon and evening in. We enjoyed a coffee and pastry in the afternoon after a shower and playing a spinning ball board game before dinner and bed.

Day 9 – Rifugio Passo Duran to Rifugio Fontana

Today was the longest and hardest day of the hiking trip, which took us over the highest pass at 2451m. We were up early, and after breakfast we started hiking down along a sealed road before heading into forest for the first of a lot of uphills for the day.

The path for the morning switched back and forth from forest to gravel, until we reached a large opening where we traversed along and looked out over the impressive mountain ranges. Following this traverse, we descended to Rifugio Pramparet where we enjoyed a cheese gnocchi for lunch and had a weak milky coffee. This was a well needed break, as immediately after lunch we began our ascent to get over the highest pass of the Alta Via 1.

It was a fairly long haul, and some sections in the final stages of the pass were very steep and exposed. We stopped here for another drink and snack break to take in, the yet again amazing views of the Dolomites, even though it was a little cloudy.

The descent to Rifugio Fontana was extremely long for us and quiet steep in some places. Looking at the marmots and beautiful flowers kept us distracted, but we were all happy to arrive, even though the showers were cold. Everyone was buggered, but the afternoon coffees, good hearty dinner and warm cosy common room ensured we were all merry after the big day.

Day 10 – Rifugio Fontana to Belluno

This was our last day hiking and the first hour or so consisted of an uphill section before the long 3-4 hour descent to the bus stop. We stopped at Rifugio Bianchet for a hot chocolate after about 2 hours of hiking and worked out we needed to pick up the pace to make the 1250pm bus at the bottom. Most of the remaining descent was a gentle gravel road which we had no trouble hiking at the quicker pace, but the last section near the end was quiet steep. In saying this, we made it to the bus stop with around 30 minutes to spare.

The bus to Belluno took around 45 minutes, and upon arrival, we walked to our accommodation, Albergo Cappello e Cadore, which was quiet fancy, but well and truly appreciated after the 10 days in dorm beds. We enjoyed a coffee at the connected restaurant before lazing around eating some snacks and drinking vino in the the hotel until 430pm which was when the finishing celebrations were to commence.

The celebrations started at Bar Ricci where we caught up with Big Mitch, one of our mates who would be joining us for a part of our travels. After a couple of bottles of bubbles, it was a wine crawl to the restaurant, La Fenice. The food here was delicious and after one last bottle of vino and a gelato near the busy centre of town, it was time for bed and everyone was exhausted after the 10 day hike.

Day 5 – Rifugio Averau to Rifugio Citta de Fiume

The morning started with a steep downhill section, which was quiet tough as we weren’t warmed up. After an hour or 2 of downhill hiking, we stopped at a cafe/restaurant, Passo di Giau for a tea and coffee break.

The next section of the days hike involved about an hour of tough uphill hiking, and the track was quiet busy here with day hikers. Once we reached the top and had a little break, the next section of the hike was through lush green fields scattered with colourful flowers. We stopped here for lunch and took in the view, also watching a couple of rock climbers on a massive nearby rock face.

After lunch, we ran into our German mate, Max and continued up for a short section before having a long flat and downhill section to Rifugio Citta de Fiume. Once we arrived to the busy rifugio and took a cold shower, we enjoyed a coffee and strudel, taking in the views of the massive Mount Pelmo. A storm rolled in just before dinner which was impressive and we enjoyed another early night.

Day 6 – Rifugio Fiume to Rifugio Coldai

Today was a short day of hiking, so we took our time leaving the Rifugio in the morning. The first 1-2 hours of the morning were underneath mount Pelmo and we stopped for one of the best hot chocolates of the hike at Rifugio Passo Staulanza.

Following the delicious hot chocolate, we continued walking along a sealed road for a while before starting on a dirt road to a small farm with goats. From here it was nearly all uphill to Rifugio Coldai and it was a fast hike as there was a storm brewing overhead, which ended up not eventuating into anything.

Upon arrival to the Rifugio, we enjoyed a delicious lunch of gnocchi and salad before settling into an afternoon of beer, red wine and games. The view and sunset were amazing, and our friend Max joined us for dinner.

Day 7 –  Rifugio Coldai to Rifugio Vazzoler

Lots of other hikers had a huge day of hiking today, but our hike was broken into 2 smaller days. Therefore, we were not in a rush to leave again. The days hike started with a small uphill, before we had stunning views of Lake “Lago di Coldai”.

The weather came in a little after the lake, and we were glad to reach Rifugio Tissi after climbing the hill, for a coffee and cake. From Tissi, we continued downhill before going over a pass and getting great views of the valley and the massive rock formations surrounding. It was a perfect spot to stop for a snack.

After the snack, we continued downhill to Rifugio Vazzoler, arriving mid afternoon. We just reached the Rifugio before the kitchen closed for lunch, and we enjoyed another serving of gnocchi, salad and some coffees. Yet again, we lazed about in the afternoon waiting for dinner. The panna cotta and freshly baked apricot cake we had for desert was the best desert of the hike.

Day 3 – Rifugio Fanes to Rifugio Lagazuoi

Today was a massive day and we were one of the last to leave the rifugio, even though we left at 815am. Even though today was a massive day, it was one of our favourite and most memorable. In the morning after about 30 minutes, we came upon the beautiful lake, Lago di Limo. Following this, we spent the next hour or two hiking through an unbelievable valley between enormous rock faces.

After hiking through the valley, we began our ascent over gravel and snow to Passo Tadega. We stopped along the way for a snack and drink overlooking the mountains in the distance. It was a great rest stop and once we reached the pass, we were rewarded with fantastic views on the other side of Lake Lagazuoi, the distant mountains and Rifugio Lagazuoi up the mountain ahead. This was a good spot to stop for lunch.

Rifugio Lagazuoi did not look far from our lunch stop, but the steep hill and heat made for a long 2 hour hike. We hiked past some world war tunnels and remains before arriving. Upon arrival, we enjoyed the great view from the large deck with a coffee and coke. The dinner at the rifugio was fantastic and we enjoyed this with an Israeli father and son. There was a big hail storm just before bed and the sleep through the night was disrupted by the most hectic snorer.

Day 4 – Rifugio Lagazuoi to Rifugio Averau

The weather the following morning was a little cool, and after another good breakfast, we began the long morning of descent. Everyone was a little slow due to the poor night sleep and after a drink break, we took a short cut through forest, which turned out to be a great decision later in the day.

Once we reached the bottom, we stopped for a snack before starting the uphill climb through the ski resort to the top chairlift Scoiattoli. Once we reached here, we enjoyed our packed lunch while watching rock climbers (Scoiattoli translates to squirrels) ascending a steep face nearby. It was only about another 45 minutes to Rifugio Averau from here.

We arrived at Rifugio Averau early afternoon, and Kristy and I were keen to keep ourselves busy, so we went for another hour hike around the Averau peak. We originally planned to try and summit the peak, but after a wrong turn, we just did a loop around the mountain, finding some old world war trenches along the way.

Mum and dad enjoyed some wine taking in the view.

The dinner at this Rifugio was the best of the trip and was also topped off with an amazing sunset.

We enjoyed the view again the next morning with coffee outside on the deck chairs before heading off.