The toilet at Bergamo airport shows how many folks are inside
Picking up the car, the heat is brutal
Italian contrasts: a sports car and a rusty local "Zaporozhets"
Took a walk along the shore, the beauty here is indescribable. Pics later.
Rode e-bikes, fun, but they are way too powerful. Like a moped. The youngest barely managed the hill, but didn't give up. In the end, we got a bit separated, wandered off, but it all ended in a reunion. Rode down over some rocks, not bad, but I want something harder.
Settled down for a few days in the village of Murlo, in Tuscany. The house is from 1100, no drilling the walls allowed, no AC.
But there are two pools, a nice patio, a gym, and a grill. And a toilet for every bedroom!
The fridge is retro, simply hellish, with the freezer inside the main fridge compartment.
July 8: arriving in the Dolomites and the ascent to Tofana
Arrived in the Dolomites, finally it's not 36, but 18 degrees. The views here are incredible. We're staying in a house whose owner, Luca, is clearly a bit of an OCDer or on the spectrum. Everything is very neat, well thought out. The mattresses are good, the shutters are thick, the soap dish is special, there are lots of cabinets, and everything is wooden. The Wi-Fi password is on a piece of paper in big letters. There's even a foil and cling film cutter in the kitchen!
The cleaning lady met us and told us that we can't adjust the fridge, we have to shut off the gas when leaving, no need to turn on the thermostat as it's warm enough already, etc. etc. Luca is clearly craving savings and control. There are also plenty of drawers labeled Privato, and they lock with a key. There are about ten Turkish coffee pots, which are called cezve here. But there's no electric kettle.
Part of our crew got altitude sickness, and so I went up to the Tofana Di Mezzo peak, 3200 high, alone, and even hiked almost to the very top. Oddly enough, it wasn't as scary this time as it was in Romania. Maybe because of the cables stretched along the trail, maybe because of the sunglasses making the surroundings less real. Met a friendly dog along the way, she doesn't have altitude sickness, and the height doesn't scare her. Up top I drank some tea, as one should. Just as I roughly estimated, the cable car to the top and back cost me 60 euros. Not cheap, but you can barely get up there on foot, and the beauty is stunning.
July 9, eighth day in Italy
Noticed that photochromic glasses (chameleons) darken here instantly. If memory serves, it's because of the UV, which is here in vast quantities. I slather on 50+ sunscreen, and still get a tan.