A tiny cup of caffè. My coffee taste follows the doctrine of the Red Army: "Quantity is quality". Italians would beg to disagree.
Good news, it is January! January means that it is time for our (almost) annual skiing trip again. For a good while it seemed that we will have to skip the trip as usual due to mismatching schedules. Fortunately things worked out, and our motley Italian-Japanese-Finnish group headed out to Val Gardena in northeastern Italy. We spent a long weekend skiing on the stunningly beautiful Dolomites, clocking every day (save for the last) over 40km on the slopes. I arrived a day later than the others thanks to work but 3½ days of skiing was more than enough for me anyway since I'm chubby and I don't exercise. Every morning a new set of muscles announced their existence by causing me additional pain.
Le Dic'Otto Lune - my precious souvenir.
I really like Italy in general and the Südtirol/Alto Adige region in particular. It is such an interesting mishmash of languages and cuisines. A trip in South Tyrol is not only a journey on skis but also in culinary experiences. You get to enjoy really good Bavarian beer together with delicious Italian mountain food: what could possibly taste better? Combined with a little bit lower prices than in Switzerland and Austria, Italy is definitely the Alpine destination number uno!
As the pictures below prove, we got very lucky with the weather. I was positively surprised with the inaccuracy of local forecasts: we were promised clouds and snowfall for most of the days but fortunately the reality was brighter.
I also feel more comfortable on the skis now than a couple of years back; if I can now fully enjoy black "expert skiers only"-slopes instead of just trying to survive them, does it mean that I have become an expert? If yes, then YAY me! A big thanks to our Italian friend (who is an actual expert skier) for doing all the research, planning and organising. It was such a great trip! If this is our last winter in central Europe, I'm really glad we got to end our stay on such a high note. Grazie mille!
The Dolomites are a heaven on Earth and a UNESCO World Heritage site, located in northeastern Italy.
Our hotel was in a little town called Urtijëi/Sankt Ulrich/Ortisei. Many places in the region have different names depending on which language you speak (Ladin, German, Italian).
Südtirolean or South Tyrolean flag waving proudly in the wind. Provincialism (or Provinzialismus) is alive and well in here.
Two asses and a third wheel llama. Plus a moose on skis behind the camera.
I don't always eat steaks, but when I do, I prefer Filetto di bue al pepe rosso con “rösti” casereccio. Money well spent!
Local dessert.
We got very lucky with the weather. Only one morning was a bit gloomy (triggering an instant homesickness in me).
The next time I shall wear spandex and break the 100km/h barrier (along with all fashion rules)!
My wife noticed an advertisement for a local Alpine Hockey League game and insisted on going even though hockey is not her thing (I love her so very much!). HC Gherdëina vs. their local rivals from neighbouring valley SG Cortina. It was a very entertaining game: what the players lacked in skill and tactics, they tried to compensate in effort and passion. Great fun!
Some of the views reminded me of Lapland.
Saslonch / Langkofel / Sassolungo.
The bunker on the mountain is a crypt that contains the remains of some Austrian and German soldiers who fell in WW1 and WW2. The Italian Front in WW1, known as Gebirgskrieg or "Mountain war" in German, saw fighting in some severely extreme conditions between the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Kingdom of Italy.
Sass Rigais - my favourite photo of the trip.
I gained 2kg during the trip. We did so much skiing that it must all be just new muscle.