Day 17 - December 26 (Boxing Day)

Ron and Mike had a tiring morning returning the old rental car and picking up the new one. The new one was not to be found at the Hauptbahnhof, but at the Ostbahnhof. It wasn't a big worry, as we are familiar with the language and the subway, but involved lots of walking and many stairs.

It turned out that the owner (or manager) of the Avis agency was a LINDER, and was delighted to meet Mike. He even produced his driver's license to show that he was a Linder, and introduced his son, who said "I am a Linder, too". 

The van was a VW multi-transport (7-passenger van), and it was fabulous for our needs.  Not only did all the luggage fit, but the van had an automatic transmission - very unusual in Europe. It also had a great GPS system, and comfortable "captain-style" chairs with arm rests.

Pat and I had met for breakfast around 9 AM. The guys got back with the van around 10:30, and we were soon on the autobahn south through the Brenner Pass. It was nasty weather with rain followed by snow and fog, and temps dropping close to freezing. 

We had a "surprise" for Pat and Mike - a stop-off near Sterzing - at the Pretzhof, a farm that is known for using only home-grown foods and local produce. I can't remember how I first learned of the place. We followed a small road that wound upwards about two miles beyond the small village of Wiesen - a narrow farm road through meadows and farms. We couldn't believe we were really going the right way, and were surprised when we finally arrived to find the parking area full. We walked past the barn and onto a slushy path to the entrance, only to be told there were no tables available! I had corresponded with someone, who had written that they were open all day December 26, and looked forward to welcoming us, not mentioning that a reservation was required. As we didn't know what time we were leaving Munich, I had not made a booking.

A long story, but after reading my printed e-mails, the owner, Karl Mair, kindly said we should have an aperitif, wander in the little store, and as soon as someone finished dining, he would accommodate us. We waited about 45-minutes, and were given a table in the beautiful old stube. As I knew, there is no menu, and you are offered whatever "Mama" is cooking that day.

We were first presented with a beautiful antipasti platter consisting of all products produced from their own farm animals - carpaccio, roast beef, smoked venison, their "famous" home-made speck (a kind of bacon), and smoked sausage - along with a plate with four kinds of cheeses - and a big basket of breads.

Herr Mair explained in English exactly what each item was. Having products with no chemicals or hormones is their passion. The restaurant has been open 33-years, and between the farm and the restaurant, he said they work 18-hours a day. Four family members work in the business with 16 additional staff. He and his wife are increasingly frustrated with government bureaucracy, especially since the advent of the EU, and are concerned that it is more and more difficult for small businesses to survive.

A rich gulash soup - made from "mountain cows"

Home-made raviolis with cheese

We requested "small" portions of the main courses - spanferkel (suckling pig) for Ron, lamb chops for Pat, "mountain cow" for Mike, and, of course, chicken for Mary. The chicken was the only item not produced on the farm, and it came from the farm of nearby friends.

It was getting late (and dark), and we had an hour more to drive, so we opted not to have dessert. We were invited to go into their kitchen to have a look and to meet "Mama" (Frau Meir). There we found her busily hand-making knoedel of some sort.

"Mama" in the Pretzhof Kitchen

Pat & Mary waiting for the guys to pay the bill 

We all agreed that it had been a unique experience and well worth the wait. We returned to the autostrada and continued toward Val Gardena, an area of the Dolomites famous for its skiing with over 100 miles of slopes and 83 lifts.
We exited the autostrada and had to drive about 12-miles on a steep, narrow road up the mountain. This area of Italy is called Sud-Tirol, and originally belonged to Austria. It was after WWI that it was ceded to Italy, and no one has been happy about it ever since! Over 70% of the people speak German. It is actually tri-lingual, and all signs are in Italian, German and Ladin. Ladin is an ancient Romansh language (part Latin and part German) which is also spoken in the area we love in Switzerland - the Graubunden where Arosa, Chur, etc. are located. It seems that there has been some agreement giving the area of Sud-Tirol some degree of autonomy from Rome.

By the time we arrived in Ortisei it was dark and neither the van's GPS nor our own Garmin could find the location of the hotel or the street address. Ron was very stressed, as Italian drivers are noted for their tail-gating, and no one would give him an inch of room to slow down and look around. When we finally spotted the hotel, a quick u-turn was called for - to the accompaniment of much horn blowing from those tail-gaters!

The Hotel Digon staff were very welcoming and showed us to our rooms. Ron said he was not touching a single suitcase until after a warming Scotch with his "International Herald Tribune". 

Recovering from the stress of the drive - Hotel Digon 

Once we finally settled in, it was time to eat yet again, as our room rate was "half-pension" meaning that dinner was included. Generally if you don't eat the meal, you receive only a very nominal discount. So, we all gathered around the table around 7:30 PM. We filled our plates from the salad bar, which also had a liver dish and a boiled beef. We did not realize that four more courses were yet to come! We felt like the entire day had been spent eating. Knew we needed to do some walking the next few days!

The second course was a mushroom lasagnette, followed by potato soup with truffle aroma. The main course was braised saddle of veal. And the piece de resistance was the home-made apple strudel with vanilla cream.

Having been worn out by so much food, we were off to our rooms by 9 PM.