July 2009
Weather and packing
Now, this was a challenge. We’d been watching the weather for awhile before the trip—
and we weren't liking what we saw. Rain. Cool temps. Even—shudder—snow in the
mountains. Aside from the potential disappointment of a rainy vacation, this made it very
difficult to pack. Nevertheless, we did some research and had some “Plan B” ideas...
and hoped for the best.
It was pouring down rain as we crossed the border into Italy, but we never saw
raindrops again (save for a brief thunderstorm during our drive from Merano back to
Selva and one other overnight thunderstorm) until we were well back in Austria on the
drive up to Munich.
We really did luck out with the weather this time. It was a bit cool the first few mornings,
but the temps rose pretty quickly. To be honest, we weren't carrying around a
thermometer, it is safe to say that we were in short sleeves for the most part on this trip.
At a few points, it was downright hot—close to 30C (Bolzano).
Given our planned activities—mountains and cities—this was a very different type of trip
in terms of packing. Combine that with our usual desire to pack light--we don’t carry on
usually, but our bags are typically carry-on size or just slightly larger--and this required
some extra thought and planning.
We’re glad we brought:
We wish we had brought:
Useful resources
Sunflower Books: Landscapes of the Dolomites and Eastern South Tyrol, Complete
Guide with Walks
Cicerone Guide: Shorter Walks in the Dolomites
Tabacco Hiking Maps (1:25,000) #05 (Val Gardena), #07 (Alta Badia), and #3 (Cortina
d'Ampezzo)
Val Gardena
Next: Wrap up-Food and closing thoughts
All of our trip photos
Home
Now, this was a challenge. We’d been watching the weather for awhile before the trip—
and we weren't liking what we saw. Rain. Cool temps. Even—shudder—snow in the
mountains. Aside from the potential disappointment of a rainy vacation, this made it very
difficult to pack. Nevertheless, we did some research and had some “Plan B” ideas...
and hoped for the best.
It was pouring down rain as we crossed the border into Italy, but we never saw
raindrops again (save for a brief thunderstorm during our drive from Merano back to
Selva and one other overnight thunderstorm) until we were well back in Austria on the
drive up to Munich.
We really did luck out with the weather this time. It was a bit cool the first few mornings,
but the temps rose pretty quickly. To be honest, we weren't carrying around a
thermometer, it is safe to say that we were in short sleeves for the most part on this trip.
At a few points, it was downright hot—close to 30C (Bolzano).
Given our planned activities—mountains and cities—this was a very different type of trip
in terms of packing. Combine that with our usual desire to pack light--we don’t carry on
usually, but our bags are typically carry-on size or just slightly larger--and this required
some extra thought and planning.
We’re glad we brought:
- A computer (and had Internet access); it was vital for day-to-day planning
- Our books (see below) and particularly our Tabacco maps
- Printed maps from the Internet with parking instructions for Bolzano, Merano,
and Cortina - More than one pair each of sturdy hiking shoes with good traction
- Tall and short hiking socks (and plenty of band-aids to ward off blisters)
- Daypacks sufficient for carrying water, jackets, food, etc., during our hikes
- Plenty of sunscreen, hats, and sport-type sunglasses that stay in place well
- Layers, particularly t-shirts with light jackets or hoodies (we also had rain
jackets, but really only used those for sitting on) - An iPod with portable speakers for our apartment
- A German phrasebook (our command of German is not quite up to our
command of Italian—which is not saying much) - Fabreze (for items worn too many times)
- Starbucks Via instant coffee; this was for Munich, where we just had a hot water
pot - Three Italian (three pin) plug adapters and two regular European (two pin) plug
adaptors for our large collection of electronic items—two cameras, three
phones, three iPods, computer...
We wish we had brought:
- More shorts, fewer long pants
- Hiking poles (Marisa, in particular, could have used them for the downhill parts)
- Small hotel-sized bars of soap (our apartment had two showers, three bathroom
sinks, and one kitchen sink—and we only brought one bar of soap) - Allie wishes she had a pair of sandals or flip flops rather than ballet flats (not for
the hiking part, of course)...and more books, but then again, she never has
enough books along - Duct tape (for the broken suitcase and the broken video monitor on the plane;
fortunately the purser did have some tape...)
Useful resources
Sunflower Books: Landscapes of the Dolomites and Eastern South Tyrol, Complete
Guide with Walks
Cicerone Guide: Shorter Walks in the Dolomites
Tabacco Hiking Maps (1:25,000) #05 (Val Gardena), #07 (Alta Badia), and #3 (Cortina
d'Ampezzo)
Val Gardena
Next: Wrap up-Food and closing thoughts
All of our trip photos
Home
Climb Every Mountain:
Our long-awaited trip to the
Dolomites...and Munich
Our long-awaited trip to the
Dolomites...and Munich
Overview: Plenty of options, but where to stay?
Overview: Hiking in the Val Gardena
Day 1: Stau!
Day 2: This is why we wanted to visit!
Day 3: Sprechen zie...speck?
Day 4: Bolzano, Merano and a date with Ötzi
Day 5: The flying telephone booths
Day 6: I love a parade
Day 7: One little victory
Days 8-9: Munich
Wrap up: Weather, packing; useful resources
Wrap up: Food, language and final thoughts
Home
Overview: Hiking in the Val Gardena
Day 1: Stau!
Day 2: This is why we wanted to visit!
Day 3: Sprechen zie...speck?
Day 4: Bolzano, Merano and a date with Ötzi
Day 5: The flying telephone booths
Day 6: I love a parade
Day 7: One little victory
Days 8-9: Munich
Wrap up: Weather, packing; useful resources
Wrap up: Food, language and final thoughts
Home