We walk on in beautiful Merano 2000

After yesterday's marvellous trip to Alpe di Siusi we were excited for another day of hiking. However, our somewhat tired apostle horses required a little respite so we started the day with a visit to the beautiful spa town of Merano. You can read more about it here.

Efter stadsbesöket tog vi oss vidare till den närliggande linbanan, som var av en lite annan modell än de vi åkt dagarna innan. Här var det istället stora vagnar som rymde 30 personer och gick enligt en fast tidtabell. Turen tog en stund och det kanske mest spännande var varje gång vagnen skulle passera en stolpe vilket genererade ett ordentligt ”gung” och ett efterföljande ”ooooiiiiiiiii” från alla resenärerna.

As the name suggests, this area is part of the natura 2000 and you can see that our EU money has been well spent. Incredibly well maintained roads rather than trails and all possible facilities without spoiling the nature experience. There are also significantly fewer tourists here, which was nice after the more popular and well-visited Alpe di Siusi.

There is active farming in the area, which means that some parts are fenced off, but this is not a direct limitation as there are still more than 100 km of trails available. When we planned the trip, I said a little tired ”Det där området är nog bara en panoramatur för turisterna som vi gör på en kvart” but that turned out to be completely wrong as it can satisfy any hiker.

I can't resist mentioning the cows, again. You run into them all the time and they really seem to have a good life. They graze freely and loll around at a slow pace, which must be optimal if you are a cow. I also get the feeling that they belong to a breed that has not been bred so hard as they really look like cows rather than deformed food monsters. In addition to their appearance, the difference in the products produced from their milk is remarkable. We highly recommend you try one of them as there are a number of milk products that are unique to the region.

The area is also home to a number of streams, making it even more picturesque. You can imagine that many artists have been inspired by this landscape.

Of course, we could have published a hundred pictures, but in order not to bore you, we have chosen a small selection of the amazing mountains and valleys we experienced. It's almost like you get a little tired after a few days in the Dolomites as it really is beautiful wherever you turn.

I det här området fanns det ”bara” 17 refugios men även om det räckte gott och väl så var kanske den största skillnaden att de flesta hade tysk mat snarare än italiensk. Vi skriver lite mer om skillnaderna från söder till norr i det här the post. Exhausted after a long day of hiking, we passed out in a couple of deck chairs and were rewarded with some ice cream and another breathtaking view.