Saturday, June 28 Alpe di Seceda

 We had a nice breakfast. They opened at 7:30 am.  

Nathan and I headed out at about 8:30 am to catch the 172 bus to Ortisei. Rick Steves had handed out bus passes, which were good all day.

The bus stop was very close to the hotel.  We got off at Ortisei.  We did not have far to go to get the moving sidewalk walk then the escalator to the gondola. Nathan bought the round-trip tickets up to the Seceda.

Looking down

Alpe di Siusi

We learned abourt the differences between the dolomites and the rest of the alps. The Dolomites are made of limestone from ancient coral reefs, resulting in pale, stark, dramatic, almost vertical rock faces, sheer cliffs, and unique formations. The Alps are a diverse geology from tectonic plate collisions, featuring classic alpine scenery, glaciers, green valleys, and higher peaks.

Part way through the walk I shifted to my sandals.  That was much more comfortable.

By this time it was time for a sit-down.  We had hot chocolate at Sofia's. 

While were were relaxing we saw a truck come up and it let out about 6 cows.  I guess that is an example of free range.  

Nathan still had some energy.

We walked a little more and then headed to the gondola to head back down.

We passed over a cemetery

Ortisei is a very cute little town.  A lot of art.

We picked a place for lunch.  We just wanted to split a sandwich.

I had  a Hugo, with my half of a veggie sandwich.  It is very refreshing.

We walked through Ortisei to go to a different gondola to go to Seizer Alm, which went up in a different direction to Mont Sëuc. 

Sharon (J), I took this for you.

More gorgeous views.  

Big decision.  Should we go back down on the gondola or walk over to an entirely different gondola by Compatsch?  This is the area that most of the rest of the group went to. We were told that it was a 2-hour walk, plus a wait for a bus.  I nixed that idea, so we paid for the round trip on the gondola. I did get the senior rate.  But when we were up at the top, we saw a sign that said it was 1 hour on a paved trail.  So off we went, even though we had already paid for a round trip on the gondola.  The downside was that it was gradually getting hotter and hotter.  It had been so nice and cool up at Seceda.  

Llama

 1 1/2 hours later, we arrived in Compatsch.  You guessed it - time for another Hugo!! The Hugo is a combination of Prosecco (sparkling wine), elderflower cordial, mint, and lime wedge.  There are some variations.  It is very light and refreshing. I think that we were at Restaurante Zentral.

Nathan had a lemonade spritz.

I definitely was ready to sit down.  

We had to pay again.  The tickets are not exchangeable.  It was a long ride down.  The last few times we have had the gondola to ourselves.  Of the 3 areas we went to I thought that Seceda was the most stunning.  

Bus 170 had just pulled up when we got there.  

It was a short ride back to the hotel.  

Showers again.  I am not used to the 2 showers a day habit I seem to have developed.  I brought clothes for when it would be cold, but not enough for when it was hot.  It is supposed to be 96 degrees tomorrow in Castelrotto.  I am glad that we were leaving.  

After relaxing, we headed off to find a place for dinner.  We ended out at an Italian restaurant just down the street.  We had the same type of red wine that we had on our first night here. St Magdalener.  We also ordered a pizza with seasonal vegetables.

Very interesting design!!

Zucchini, tomatoes, asparagus, and spinach.  It was good, but we each rearranged our veggies.

There was a festival starting while we were eating.  It is the consecration of the church.  It is supposed to go on all evening.  When it was starting, they had some loud cannon sounds.  About 5 different sets of 3!!  Very loud and shocking.  Locals were beeping their car horns.  Then the music got going.  We checked it out but decided not to stay.  

We headed back to the hotel. We walked 10.3 miles today.   It is 9 pm, and it is 80 degrees.  Nathan said that he did not sleep much last night because of the heat.  I hope that he sleeps better tonight.

Local fountain with drinking water. We saw these drinking water fountains everywhere.