How to Blog about the Dolomites (with pictures)

#rick #italy

Answer: Slowly

I'm about a week behind on the blog, mostly because we have been so busy in the Dolomites. Busy might not be the right word, because it is also pretty relaxing. We are in an incredibly beautiful place and have been filling our days by being outside. I'll try to get caught up over the coming days.

A slight issue is that the internet at the house we are staying at is not consistent enough to let me upload pictures, so there will be a massive photo dump later.

Day 1: Monday July 18th – Travel Day

We woke up at the Hotel Abbazia after a good night's sleep. The hotel offered a continental breakfast, so we grabbed a quick feast before packing up and heading to the train station. We were only a 5min walk to the station, so the logistics of moving through the town were much easier than the previous day. No bridges to cross with roller bags this time.

On our way we stopped at the grocery and picked up food for a train lunch. Break, sausage, cheese, fruit, all from Italy. We re-learned, for the third or forth time, that you have to weigh your fruits and vegetables prior to getting to the check-out. This caused a slight delay, but nothing too significant.

The train ride was easy. Venice to Verona, where we made Romeo and Juliette jokes, then after 20min back on a different trail to Bolzano. Italy has clearly upgraded their trains since we were here. We had our delicious train lunch while watching the landscape change from fields to mountains.

Upon arriving in Bolzano we realized that the train station is actually 2 miles from the Avis office. More correctly, the train station we were at was 2 miles from the Avis office. There is a train station a 5min walk to the Avis office, but it is two stops away, and the next train wasn't for another hour. This caused a bit of a logistics challenge as by the time we figured all this out all the taxis were gone. Everyone stayed relaxed and with Emilie walking around the station trying to flag a taxi while I stayed in the taxi queue we were able to find a taxi big enought to get us to Avis.

Avis really hooked us up. We had reserved a Mercedes A Class or Similar" car. We were mostly worried about trunk space, but excited to have another Mercedes after driving the Fiat Panda. Avis didn't have any Mercedes left, but they did have a Sierra Leon. Not kidding, the car brand is "Sierra". The model is "Leon." All the bags fit. It also has weird interior LED lighting.

The drive from Bolzano to Ortisei is beautiful, and we stated to get an idea of the landscape we were going to experience. John and Kerry were driving from Mittenwald, Germany but we managed to arrive within 5min of each other. Upon arrival we met the lovely Greta, our host, who gave us a very detailed 45min introduction to the huge house/villa we are staying at.

The pictures on the internet don't do the house justice. Airbnb: Vacation Rentals, Cabins, Beach Houses, Unique Homes & Experiences. We thought they were just promotional shots from the area and weren't actually from the house, but we were wrong. The views of the Sassolungo, a huge rock outcropping, from the garden and balconies are breathtaking.

We had debated staying at a house or at a resort, and after setting in felt very confident that with all the space and the fantastic views we had made the right decision.

John and I wandered down the hill to a small grocery to scrounge up food and drinks for dinner, and we had our first of many lovely dinners in the garden overlooking the valley. John and Kerry had heard of a wine varietal called Pinot Nero (Nero = Black) that was produced in the area in very small amounts so was not exported. We had our first few bottles to celebrate our arrival in the Dolomites.