Day 6: Hiking in the Dolomites / Saying Goodbye (September 14-15)

Today was supposed to be a half-day of work for Julia but we decided that it would best to get out hiking early and work in the afternoon. We knew we wanted to be in the Dolomites and a Facebook friend had just posted some photos of what looked like exactly what I wanted to see. She suggested the same national park that Julia had already found so we headed there.

Though rain had been forecast for our entire week before we arrived, we had had nothing but beautiful blue skies (except for right in the middle of the chess match) until this one day that it really mattered. As we were driving up (on a road that often went to a single lane road with two-way traffic, which was a little scary at times), Julia caught a glimpse of the mountain we were headed to peaking out above the clouds, but that was the last we saw of it.

We went to the trailhead and asked the man working in the little cafe for a two-hour hike. He didn't have any maps but showed us the huge map of the entire region and a little tiny section of it that would take us two hours.

As we headed out on our walk, which was really quite steep, there was a woman in yellow pants carrying a matching purse behind us and we couldn’t figure out for the life of us what she was doing on our hike. We tried to talk to her at the first stop we took but she didn't speak English so it was a lot of international signs for heavy breathing/steep climb, but she kept on going. I definitely didn't want her to beat us up the hill, but she did an impressive job.

We knew were hiking near absolutely majestic mountains but they were totally obscured by clouds. We made ourselves feel better by focusing on all the beauty down below we would have certainly missed had it been clear skies and our attention only up.

When we got to Gampen Alm and show there was a little house, we assumed it was going to be a bathroom stop, but it turned out to be a full restaurant and hostel! And apparently people hike up specifically for the mountain cheese they make there and sell (I think that is what the woman in yellow was after). We hadn’t really planned to have lunch but since we were there, we decided why not. We sat outside and a beautiful dish of spinach ravioli in a butter sauce and apple strudel — a much heavier lunch than was advisable on our hike, but it was delicious.

Here is what our view from lunch was meant to be:

Then we set out again, and that is where the steep trail we’d been on got really steep! (and our heavy lunch started to feel like a bad idea)

We followed the directions given (really the trails are incredibly well marked) and came to another similar restaurant with hotel (Malga Gampen Alm?). I think it would be great fun to stay in one of these places and hike from there for a few days. We got back to the car after almost exactly two hours of hiking.

Julia and I both needed to work and it was getting late; we still had a three-hour drive back to our place near the Venice airport for our flight out the next morning. We stopped in Balzano and tried to go to a cafe but the wifi was a problem. So we decided to use the wifi of a fancy hotel on the edge of the square. We ordered a couple of drinks and spent a few hours on their patio. We then headed back to the Venice airport area and couldn’t find any food along the way. We stopped one time to get a banana at a grocery store, but even that didn’t pan out. We found our hotel and walked up the street it was on (very late at night). Nothing looked good or quick enough but one of the little convenience stores had a Magnum White bar — I got it and a bag of chips thinking I would just have a bite for old time's sake, but I thoroughly enjoyed the entire thing (and the bag of chips too!). I can’t remember another time I’ve eaten that poorly.

The next morning, we got to the Venice airport three hours before our flights (as is Julia’s preference), after losing 20 euros at one gas station before figuring out the system at the next. Julia was able to check in immediately but I couldn’t drop my bag until two hours before my flight. There was a super long line for security and I worried I wouldn’t make it but it actually only took me 30 minutes to get through. Julia was already through (flights direct to the US had a special line) so she had time to get me a blueberry croissant. We said our goodbyes; we had such a special time together — it was sad to have it end! She flew back to NYC — I flew on to Edinburgh to meet my brother, sister, and mom the next morning to start our birthday celebration for my mom!