The Dolomites were the perfect place to unwind after two weeks of Oktoberfest. A friend recommended Val Gardena, Italy – about a 3-hour drive from Munich. It’s a ski resort area in the winter, and popular with hikers in the summer. Since we are now the shoulder season, we were able to get a great deal on a room with half board at Hotel Grones in the little mountain town of Ortisei (St. Ulrich in German).
Signs in the area were often posted in three languages: Italian, German, and another one which contained wacky things like ë. This turned out to be Ladin, a local language similar to Romansh (one of Switzerland’s four official languages) and about equally decipherable. At the hotel and around town we heard all three languages being spoken around us, and it made my head swim a little. Our waitress clearly preferred speaking Italian with us, while the hotel owners were happier chatting in German.
The roads were small and windy, which made for some heart-thumping every time a tourist bus came flying towards us. There were a lot of tour buses. I don’t want to imagine what it must be like in the high season.
We visited various little towns in Val Gardena (each with a cute little church and graveyard, some hotels, and at least one collapsed wooden barn). There was a little Sound-of-Music-style spinning involved. And a waist-tall squash. I’ll let the photos say the rest.
Holy beauty!!!! Awesome pics!! I really need to get back to Italy.
Thanks, Jennie. 🙂 The scenery is absolutely gorgeous in Val Gardena. I recommend it. (And in general I recommend trips to Italy for almost everyone at almost any time under almost any circumstances. It's hard to beat.)
Great pictures! I especially like the goats.
Eava – thanks! Glad I can help inspire some travel. 🙂
Sarah – Scott gets credit for that one. He had those goats working the camera like nobody's business.
Wow, the goat photo is fantastic! Nice work there, Scott. Somewhere to put on my travel list for next spring 😀
Holy cow – yes it is!!! I love the one of the green countryside… Is that you out there with your arms open????