July 2009
Day one: Stau!
We arrived in Selva di Val Gardena (aka Wolkenstein) after a 22-hour journey. Despite
some pretty bad forecasts (here, there and everywhere), the flying part went pretty
smoothly, and we touched down in Munich only about 25 minutes late. Claiming
luggage, getting cash, picking up our rental (a small Mercedes)—equally smooth. Not
so smooth…the traffic most of the way down from Munich, as we joined a legion of
Germans and others headed south for their holidays. Very quickly, we learned the
meaning of “stau”—a word we saw frequently on the autobahn signs all the way south
through to the Italian border. To make matters worse, a steady rain fell throughout the
drive. Unlike our trip through this area 18 years ago, there would be no speeding tickets
on the Austrian autobahn this time.
The worst was yet to come—a back-up of several miles leading into the autostrada
ticket plaza just south of the Italian border that lasted a good 45 minutes or more. Once
we cleared the toll plaza, though, some good things began to happen—and not just with
the traffic. The rain stopped, the sun began to peak through and the temperature rose
(from a low point of 5C going over the Brenner Pass). By the time we were driving up the
Val Gardena, we could actually see a few blue patches of sky.
The Val Gardena revealed itself to be more lush, green and beautiful than we’d even
imagined. We found our home for the week, Residence Carin, with little difficulty and
checked in.
We did a bit of exploring and some grocery shopping and enjoyed our first dinner back
in Italy, at Pizzeria Rino (a recommendation from our proprietor; delicious!).
Although it was a bit of a struggle, we stayed up late enough to re-set our clocks—
watching the light change on the stark stone walls of the Sella Massif and enjoying
some local wine.
Today's photos
Next: Day 2-THIS is why we wanted to visit the Val Gardena!
All of our trip photos
Home
We arrived in Selva di Val Gardena (aka Wolkenstein) after a 22-hour journey. Despite
some pretty bad forecasts (here, there and everywhere), the flying part went pretty
smoothly, and we touched down in Munich only about 25 minutes late. Claiming
luggage, getting cash, picking up our rental (a small Mercedes)—equally smooth. Not
so smooth…the traffic most of the way down from Munich, as we joined a legion of
Germans and others headed south for their holidays. Very quickly, we learned the
meaning of “stau”—a word we saw frequently on the autobahn signs all the way south
through to the Italian border. To make matters worse, a steady rain fell throughout the
drive. Unlike our trip through this area 18 years ago, there would be no speeding tickets
on the Austrian autobahn this time.
The worst was yet to come—a back-up of several miles leading into the autostrada
ticket plaza just south of the Italian border that lasted a good 45 minutes or more. Once
we cleared the toll plaza, though, some good things began to happen—and not just with
the traffic. The rain stopped, the sun began to peak through and the temperature rose
(from a low point of 5C going over the Brenner Pass). By the time we were driving up the
Val Gardena, we could actually see a few blue patches of sky.
The Val Gardena revealed itself to be more lush, green and beautiful than we’d even
imagined. We found our home for the week, Residence Carin, with little difficulty and
checked in.
We did a bit of exploring and some grocery shopping and enjoyed our first dinner back
in Italy, at Pizzeria Rino (a recommendation from our proprietor; delicious!).
Although it was a bit of a struggle, we stayed up late enough to re-set our clocks—
watching the light change on the stark stone walls of the Sella Massif and enjoying
some local wine.
Today's photos
Next: Day 2-THIS is why we wanted to visit the Val Gardena!
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