We had a few mishaps in the car on our way to the Dolomites,
(an unexpectedly gooey chocolate tart)
(classic raspberry stain on white pants)
but we saw incredible things on our drive,
and all of the mishaps were eventually resolved.
(Thank heavens for Tide-to-go!)
A few hours after we left Padua, we arrived at the Hotel Arnaria in the Italian Alps. I was immediately in love. The air was cool, clouds were approaching, and the moment I walked into the hotel I got that comfy-cozy feeling you get when you walk into a lodge at a ski resort. Or, having not skied at a ski resort and subsequently retired to the lodge, it's what I imagine that feels like. This was way more of a "home sweet home" than any of our other hotels, and I absolutely loved that.
My fabulous fiance was willing to carry my purse.
How sweet, and so stylish too!
That night after we got back from our stroll, and every night we were in the Dolomites, we ate dinner at the restaurant inside the hotel. We had our own table that stayed the same during our entire stay. It even included a little place holder with the family name on it.
Each night there was a menu on the table that looked like this:
We had access to a salad and bread bar to start, followed by one appetizer, then our choice of a second appetizer (one of three options), then our choice of entree (one of three options), and finally dessert. As far as I'm concerned, the whole setup was one of the greatest things since sliced bread. I looked forward to that dining experience every day because the atmosphere was perfect (and we were right by the opened door, so it was fresh and breezy and lovely), the service was wonderful, and the food was fabulous. Here are a few samples of things we ate. I apologize for not including it all, but when you have five courses a day it's a bit excessive, especially once you include everyone's different meal choices. So here is a tasting:
I remember this being a type of corn-egg dish on a bed a mushrooms
spinach meatballs (or something...)
potato soup with a flower garnish
strawberry custard tart thingy of amazingness
an unknown species of fruit that was surprisingly tasty
We had options that covered just about everything under the sun: chicken, salmon, steak, beef, shrimp, pasta, soup, fresh vegetables, tuna . . . mhm. Everything. And that was just during our three night stay! Absolutely incredible.
We woke up on our first morning in the Dolomites, rolled out of bed, and were all set to go hiking. The four of us had breakfast downstairs at our usual table, grabbed our stuff, and set out on our first wilderness adventure. I won't go into all the logistical details of our hiking adventures during the two full days we were there, but just know that we rode trams and lifts a lot and walked a lot. We also saw a lot of cows, but that's just an interesting side note.
one of the many cows along the trail
We got off of a tram and started along our hike that Colby and Ron had mapped out for us. The trails were a bit hard to follow because the numbering system and the signs that were supposed to direct us one way or the other weren't exactly clear. But with the help of the occasional painted rock, a vague map, and an arrow pointing us in the general direction we wanted to go, we figured it out.
the super helpful signs
and map
But it's hard to complain about anything when you're surrounded by views like this. I have never been somewhere this gorgeous in my life. The temperature was absolutely perfect, the air was crisp and fresh, and the cloud cover made for amazing hiking weather.
the giant mountain we ended up climbing
(even though we had no idea how we were supposed to make it to the other side)
a "small" rock on the giant mountain
The scenery was incredible, which was a major plus when the trail kept getting steeper and steeper. There weren't too many exciting events that happened while we were hiking, so I think the pictures will do our trek justice.
making the ascent
the secret passage from one side of the giant mountain to the other
at the top
(holla!)
the view on the other side
the descent
Once we got back to town, we wandered around and decided that it would be nice to take the bus back to our hotel instead of walking there. After waiting for the bus for what seemed like a really long time, we'd almost settled for walking when our bus finally came. For the next couple hours we relaxed. Colby and I changed and headed for the hot tub. As soon as we got in, we realized it wasn't much of a hot tub, at least as far as hot tubs go in the US, and that's why they had labeled it "whirlpool." Apparently whirlpools are chilly, but it had jets, so it was enjoyable, even though it was outside and the clouds started dropping rain on us.
When it got too chilly we explored the spa area and sweat off our body weight in the sauna. But it was awesome that they had a sauna, so we had to take advantage of it. Little did we know that there were three completely different spa-type rooms, which we discovered the next day with Ron and Kristy. There was a Turkish bath (I still don't understand why you would douse yourself with frigid cold water), a heat sauna (lots of wood, very dry), and a steam sauna (damp, humid, and aromatherapeutic) . I'm probably referring to them all wrong, but I don't remember what the signs next to doors said and I don't have pictures.
It really is unfortunate that I don't because then I could take a poll of what the "do not" sign on the door meant. It looked like either a bikini or a bra and panties and there was a big circle around it with a line through it. Does that mean what I think it means? Because if it does, we definitely broke that rule.
Day two of hiking was pretty similar to day one. We rolled out of bed, ate breakfast, and headed for a completely different tram in town.
the cute town of St. Ulrich
lovely English translations
"Please forward here"
Ah, yes, of course!
the view (which was completely different and just as magical as the day before) before we even walked anywhere
another lift before we got started
And this is where our walk actually started. We made our way through fields and meadows with the mountains in the distance,
but before too long we had made it to our next ski lift and were headed up the mountain even more.
Once we got to the top of that lift, it had gotten a bit chillier and the clouds seemed darker, but we went on our merry way down the trail. It was probably about 2 minutes before it started sprinkling and another 20 seconds before it started pouring rain and we had to book it back to the restaurant where the lift dropped us off.
We stood under the roof of the restaurant until the storm let up.
After about fifteen or twenty minutes the sky had cleared up and we were on our way once again. It's kind of crazy how quickly the weather changes up there. During our next chunk of walking, we saw a pretty church, a herd of horses, more cows (of course), and all of that in front of this beautiful backdrop.
Then we came to this gate, which was interesting,
and then we trudged on, up a pretty steep incline.
Once we got to the top, we enjoyed the view and then found Colby's favorite thing: hammocks. Colby and I relaxed on the porch of this adorable little restaurant until we were ready to go inside and eat.
This was our menu.
None of us spoke either of these languages, but with the help of our server who spoke a decent amount of English, we were able to order some delicious food.
one of the best burgers I've ever had
our chicken salad with a crazy-flavorful asian-type dressing
Kristy's stew-like stuff
our amazing apple strudel
And then it was time to head back.
Colby, being the champ that he is, cranked up our stroll a couple notches after we made it past the first lift (and by "couple" a mean "a whole bunch-a"). I managed to keep up most of the way, but I hadn't realized how much we'd gone downhill on our way there, so the way back involved a lot more of an incline than I was expecting. Even so, it felt good to have some extra fresh air in my lungs and some endorphins swimming through my body.
During our jaunt across the last stretch of meadow, it started raining while we were completely covered with blue skies. Go figure.
We made it to the second lift alive and pretty far ahead of our trekking companions, so we got to sit on a bench and enjoy the scenery together until they caught up. We got back to the hotel, enjoyed the whirlpool and saunas again with Ron and Kristy, showered and got ready, had a splendid dinner, and relaxed in the lobby while attempting to do some group blogging. Colby got his hands on some of the literature on the shelves nearby and he quizzed me on my knowledge of typography maps, which is more advanced than he expected, I'm sure. After a short turn around the hotel grounds (shown below), we went to bed.
this pond was the view we had from our dinner table
We arrived in Padua, parked the car, and hop-skipped quickly to the market so we could return the car on time. I snagged a great deal on some more scarves and then we wandered around to find something for Colby, but we came up empty. Regardless, the courtyard where the market was located was lovely, so that's always a nice bonus.
There was a significant amount of drama hunting for the location where we were supposed to return the car, but Ron and Colby figured it out right on time. Let's just say I have no desire to drive in a foreign country.
We ended up being right next to the train station, so we bought our tickets to Florence and grabbed the best sort-of-like-a-pizza lunch I have ever had. I can't remember what these things are called, but I'm sure one of my traveling companions does. Can I get a little help here?
No matter, this little baby was absolutely delicious.
It's all about the crust, my friends.
Yum.
1 comment:
I can't wait to go back and do a hut to hut trip there. This was best vacation destination I have ever been to.
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