September 16, 2018
Cortina - Hiking in the Dolomites
Cortina
We had a leisurely breakfast this morning, so much so that they were tidying the breakfast room and packing up before we left. Breakfast at the Hotel Pontechiesa was a good one, but neither of us were ravenous after last night’s huge dinner.
We started the day by checking out the road to our next destination and the amount of traffic. The CN wants to go a little rogue with the route tomorrow rather than going straight to Toblach. It was hard to say how much traffic we will encounter. It seemed busy, but is it because of time of day, is it because it is Sunday and the tourists are out? It was impossible to speculate so we gave it the Italian shrug and decided to worry about it in the morning.
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We took another leisurely wander through the pedestrian zone and to the tram that runs up in the opposite direction from yesterday.
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It was just breathtaking at the top. We loved it. We set out on a well marked hike and honestly, it was just so gorgeous. We weren’t as high as yesterday but the views were just as amazing. Keith has been talking about the Dolomites for a year and he is getting a really good look. It makes me happy. We have been so fortunate with the weather.
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Then came the best bit. This was breathtaking hiking (in terms of scenery and vertical metres) and we felt like we were having a wilderness experience, but arrived at the top of the trail and what should appear?
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Seriously, happy, happy, happy. It was wonderful. The woman who made my cappuccino was a treat and we had a wee google translate discussion that had us both feeling good. It was so much fun.
Anyone who hikes won’t be surprised that going down can be as challenging as going up and we chose a route where we were very much missing our hiking poles, but we made it unscathed. Then we set off to see where the Sylvester Stallone movie Cliffhanger was filmed. Quite funny really, because until we got off the tram we didn’t even know about the movie, but we might have to watch it when we get home.
After our movie set hike we headed back to the tram for the ride back into town. We had a short wait which was perfectly enjoyable.
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Back in town we had a very late lunch and a wander through town again. We headed back to the hotel to relax. We are just back from a wonderful evening which was enhanced by meeting a group who are just starting out on a supported bike tour. Oh my goodness they are going to have fun. Such a nice group of people from the States and they have a fabulous itinerary ahead. Much to Keith’s pleasure one of them even plays hockey. Instant bonding 😀.
My gimpy leg feels less uncomfortable by the moment. We wrapped it in a ziplock bag sealed with electricians tape and I had a longed for shower after we got down from our hike. It felt so good. So, to quote Mickey Mouse, I feel all clean and pretty and ready to roll in the morning. It is going to be fun! We are so lucky to be doing this.
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We are all lucky. Maun and I love your enthusiastic reminders, keep them coming.
In our good fortune we got to spend our wedding anniversary in Cortina in 2016, where we had pedaled from Toblach. We are indeed lucky.
5 years ago
Someone to do it with
The health to do it
Be able to afford it
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