We had virtually perfect weather, good food, beautiful rooms in a gasthaus with an unequalled view of the Dolomites, and excellent roads to ride! A brief trip report follows these links. There are more links at the bottom of the page which you may find helpful. If you are planning a trip to Italy, or the other areas we saw in Europe, please contact us - we have a lot of info about motorcycling, hiking, gasthauses, etc.

Please bookmark this page before you check out these links, so you can return here.

• Plose Area - winter / skiing info links
• Brixen / Plose skiing
• Bolzano. *** This page is under construction as of 8/9/99, but it looks like a good resource, once done!
• Bolzano and area - good resource page!
• General info about the Dolomites incl. hotels, restaurants, summer activities, etc.

After the pass, we stayed on the toll road to Brixen (cost = 2000 lire = about $1.10) then continued past Brixen (aka Bressanone) towards Plose. This is a great resort for either winter or summer. We love it because it is not as congested with tourists as some of the other areas like Canazei and Corvara.

Our gasthaus was in the little village of Eores (aka Afers), past St. Andrea. (If you've travelled in Europe before, you'll know that route #s aren't always important (or available). You need to follow the road signs to the city or village which lies in the direction you want to go!)

We were so happy to get to the Gasthaus Alpenhof! Our friend, Mary Beth, counted 218 turns (some greater than hairpin) from Bixen to the gasthaus - in 9 miles! The owner, Herr Gasser, had a spot ready for the motorcycles in the garage, with a wet-room for our soggy riding gear. Our view, even in the rain, was spectacular. We could see the village below, with the Dolomites in the background! This great place cost us only about $50 per night per room, including breakfast! We can't recommend the gasthaus or the great service we received from the Gasser family enough! If you want to make reservations, send an e:mail to brixen.info@acs.it attn: Renate at Gasthaus Alpenhof, Eores. She speaks wonderful English. Here's a picture.

Here's a view of the church in Eores (aka Afers). This is the St. George's parish church and was a completely unexpected surprise. It's absolutely beautiful inside!

Renata is absolutely awesome. She gave us hiking and motorcycling guides - and helped us choose nearby Brixen and Bolzano for shopping - which was fun in both places. Remember that the shops close from about 12 or 12:30 until as long as 3 p.m. for lunch. We forgot and it really messed up our gift-buying plans! Driving in Bolzano was horrible! Very stressful. Brixen was actually more enjoyable, more relaxing to get there, and close to the gasthaus. The prices are NOT exceptionally low, so don't go expecting to get any steals. Both cities also have much to commend them in the way of sightseeing. Try this link for more Bozen (Bolzano) tourist info. Here are some pictures of Bolzano (aka Bozen).

• Teresa and Jeff with the Duomo dell' Assunta (cathedral - started in 1295 a.d.) in the background.
• Lovely street scene or "it's not a purse, it's European!"
• Sandy, Mary Beth and Teresa shopping in Bozen. The most popular shopping area is the via dei Portici (the Arcades). The street here is lined on both sides with shops much like this one.

Here are some picture of Brixen (aka Bressanone). Brixen felt more like a "real Italian town" and had fewer tourists. We had a very good time here. There were the same shopping selections here, at about the same prices as Bolzano.

• Sandy taking in the view of the Domplatz Piazza Duomo. The Duomo (church) is in the background. Gorgeous!
• We found a fest in Brixen. We enjoyed trying these local "turnovers" - Tirtle (marmalade filling) and Krapfen (spinach or kraut filling).

We'll leave Brixen with this view of Stufels, a neighborhood north of the Eisack River which cuts through town.

Of course, we rode over a LOT of passes in the Dolomites. In general, riding in Italy is spectacular. There are more castles here than in Germany! Specifically, the passes are fabulous! We headed out from Bolzano on Rt. 241 and found a great "canyon pass" (heading to the Karer or Costalunga Pass). Then we continued to Canazei, Corvara, St. Martin, and in the back way to Palmschloss and our gasthaus. My favorite part of the road was that closest to our room, a straight shot on tiny, twisty, curvy roads towards the Wurzjohn (aka Passo de Erbe), and to St. Martin. St. Martin has a beautiful castle overlooking one of the pretties churches we saw. The Sella Pass and those near Canazei and Corvara are way too congested! It took a LONG time to navigate these roads. The tour buses didn't help out any. Here are some pictures of the passes:

• Jeff at the Sella Pass. and the whole Sella Group.
• Mary Beth at the Grodnerjoch.
• Sandy at the Gardena.

Lastly, the Dolomites in all their glory!

To continue reading about Switzerland, Austria, Lichtenstein & Bavaria, or the the Black Forest, CLICK ON THE AREA OF INTEREST. You can also return to this trip's INDEX PAGE.

Our Travel INDEX PAGE	European Trips	CASTLES in Europe
Trip Reports: St. John USVI & Guadeloupe	Motorcycle Trip to Nova Scotia	UPCOMING Motorcycle Trip to the Arctic Circle
BMW Motorcycles	Shopping Links POLISH POTTERY Lowest prices on the web!	Sept. 1998 trip to Switzerland FREE EuropaBARGAINS Travel and Shopping EZINE

Wish you could go to Europe? Get it online - shopping, travel, news, contests!

Please MAIL US at munnjt@munnwerks.com

(beginning 8/5/99)