Travel notes:
Darren got locked bathroom, but finally got out. We bought our last espresso and crossants, returned our car at the airport and embarked on our long, eternally day, movie-filled plane ride home.
Sella Pass: Italy 2011
Travel notes:
Last coffee and bread breakfast, checked out, drove to Sella Pass (pretty and mountanous with lots of switchbacks and roadbikers) bought map, bough Fanta to be able to pee, tons of paragliders in sky (80 to 100), climbed first Sella tower: fun first pitches, unmemorable last two, but fun overall. Long, hungry descent, picnic at picnic table, drove to Milan through Castlerotto, couldn't find apartment in Milan, searched city and there was no Via Pleza 40. Asked in various places (including a Blockbuster) for a place to use a phone. Finally a guy in a bar let me use his cell phone. Andrea told me the wrong address was on the internet and gave us the correct one.
Via Ferrata on the Tofana: Italy 2011
Travel notes: hiked from fefugi up cloudy, foggy path, saw marmot and chamois goats, via ferrata to Punat Anna and partiall to Tofana but not all way due to tram not running, down ferrata to scree field to WWI camp, saw tons more chamois, hike back to refugi, drove to Cortina to return gear, bought pizza, t-shirts, food at supermarket, explored all gear stores in town, bought more pizza and strudel, packed up
Tre Cima: Italy 2011
Travel notes:
Drove to Tre Cima, paid 22 euros for toll road, climbed Grand Tower, attempted Mosca Chimney but got lost, climbed lots of choss and scree, adventury, topped out with cross and tame birds, lots of rappels and scrambling, dropped belay device, followed red marks down mountain, stopped in Cortina, rented ferrata equipment, last large supper (toned down) at refugi, finished book
Cinque Torri for Another Two Times: Italy 2011
Travel notes:
Bread and coffee breakfast, climbed two multi-pitch routes at Cinque Torri. First: 5 pitches, 5.8. Rapelled through chimney, ate at Cinque Torri Refugio (polenta and cheese and soup). It was the refugio's last day so they gave us free bruchetta. Second climb: lots of niches, different tower, 4 pitches, shady, I lead two pitches, very fun, Darren had panic attack...got to top and guidebook said 40 meter rappel...oops. We only had a 60 meter rope (that's only 30 meters for rapelling). Got help from Spanish climbers who tied on their rope so we could get to the bottom. Back to refugi for another huge supper (potatoes, ravioli, polenta, salad, bread, strudel, chocolate cake), took bread for next day and bought chocolates
Cortina and Cinque Torri: Italy 2011
Travel notes:
Good breakfast, drove to Cortina D'Ampezzo, booked Refugio Dibona, climbed Guide's Route (4 pitches) at Cinque Torri, HUGE supper, bunk beds, tokens for shower, shared room with Germans in underwear
Bolzano and Venice: Italy 2011
Travel notes:
Watched more MTV, ate good breakfast, walked Bolzano: market, book stores, gear stores, free entrance to Otzi museum because 20 year since discovery (it was better than we anticipated), bought Frog quickdraw, decided it was too snowly for Dolomites, so we drove to Venice and got a Rick Steve's recommended room outside of the city. Drove to Venice, walked through crazy rain, got lost, walked to St. Marks, looked for WC, bought espresso (standing up) so I could pee, bought boat bus ticket, listened and danced to dueling orchestras (good and bad), took boat bus up backside and partially took boat back down Grand Canal until official came on board and we exited promptly so we could see Rialto Bridge.
Milan and Bolzano: Italy 2011
Travel notes:
Woke up early but late and had to book it to the metro in the rain to get to our tour bus, took tour and saw La Scala Opera house, shopping enclosed area with bull, gothic duomo with NBA out front, castle, church with Da Vinci's Last Supper (reason we took the tour), bought espresso and pastries and ate them standing (it's cheaper that way) while waiting to enter to see Last Supper, saw Last Supper: impressed; went back to apartment, took bus to airport, rented car, lots of rain, drove to Bolzano where it was very cold, ate at dramatic, German, grissly, rude guy's restaurant...but it was still tasty. Looked at hostel, but full, stayed at Black Cat hotel, watched MTV, got locked in room, it rained all night
Waiting around in La Scala with our tour earpieces
A gals twirling on some bull's testicles for luck in Galleria Vittorio Emanuele
The Duomo
Castello Sforzesco
Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper found in Cenacolo Vinciano next to Santa Maria delle Grazie. I hadn't realized until we went to Italy that the painting is huge (30 feet wide, 15 feet high) and covered a wall in a dining room (refectory) where Dominican friars would eat their meals. The painting was done in an atypical fashion on dry plaster (instead of wet) and is therefore falling apart, but it has survived that (after a 22 year long restoration) as well as bombings during WWII (or WWI) in which walls around it literally fell down. Unfortunately, Jesus' crossed legs didn't survive, as someone knocked part of the wall down to make a door or to make the door bigger. Somehow I had never noticed the door in the past.
Ravenna: Italy 2011
Travel notes:
slept in more, breakfast with family, chatted with gal at apartment, took her bikes to tons of mosaic places and churches. First in crypt (mausoleum), second basilica with cities and life of Jesus, third big church (San Vitale) that was very impressive, then baptistry, mosaic floor place discovered in 1990s with audioguide, lunch as wine cellar place (very weird. Pork lard bread of region, fried mushrooms, and something with cheese), Dante's tomb, mosaics from old church, Dante's tomb again, baptistry, took bikes back, got stuff, watched cultural dancing in the square, book store, bought drinks, took train to Milan, trouble again finding tickets in the train station, chatted with house owners
Basilica di Sant'Apollinare Nuovo
Arian Baptistry
Theadora at Basilica di San Vitale
Medieval bearded Christ in San Vitale
House of Stone Carpets
Dance of the Four Seasons at the House of Stone Carpets
The strangest meal of our trip
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