Skiing in the Dolomites: Nature's Greatest Masterpiece

Due to an air traffic control strike planned to start at Verona Airport at 1 p.m.  Tui brought forward our flight from a reasonable hour to a 5.55 a.m. departure!  Well done Tui you arranged for us not to miss a day of our skiing holiday.

The drive from Verona Airport to Selva Val Gardena made up for the very early start.  Road tripping through Northern Italy is a bucket list experience.  From vineyard-lined lanes to winding mountain-top passes, a road trip from Verona to the Dolomites is one of the most scenic drives in Europe.  Especially if you go via Lake Garda.

Located in the eastern Italian Alps the Dolomites span from South Tyrol to Trentino - a place where Italian and Austrian  culture blend effortlessly.  You'll see signs in both languages, menus with gnocci and schnitzel, and people speaking German, Italian and Ladin.

But the real story?  These cliffs were once ancient coral reefs, millions of years ago, submerged under the sea.  The sea retreated, the Earth shifted, and now we get to ski on the remnants of prehistoric ocean floors, high in the sky.  Amazing.

Our hotel for the week was the Serena.  A great hotel in a perfect location.  It's a small, quaint, traditional family run hotel with comfy rooms, friendly service, good food and is immediately adjacent to the slopes making for a terrific, good value holiday.  It is ski in and ski out which was a criteria for me and close to the town and buses for Tina who wasn't skiing due to a knee replacement.  The Mussner family and their daughter, Mikaela were amazing, helping with all enquiries and nothing was too much trouble.    We particularly liked the carved wood ceilings and traditional furnishings along with the personal service.  Excellent ski boot room literally five metres from the slopes! And the skiing is brilliant with direct access to the Sella Ronda.  The jacuzzi, steam room and sauna were great after a hard day's skiing.

And the view from our balcony

And the view from Stuart and Tina's superior room

Skiing is living.  Regardless of age, skill, style, and background, the simple act of skiing down the hill brings joy.  But in my 70s I am not going to ski the way I did at 20 or 30.  I'm not going to go as steep, or as deep, or as big.  I'm not even going to ski as fast, or as long.  But at my advanced age just being out there is remarkable.  But I love to watch the unbelievably strong skiers who appear to be on average somewhere between puberty and drinking age!  My body remembers millions of turns - decades of deep powder, slushy spring moguls, miserable ice, and bruising crashes.  I suppose my eyes and my feet are becoming limiting factors, my vision on low visibility is a challenge and my feet have gnarly bunions and I've gone from twinkle toes to crinkle toes.  But all skiing is good skiing.  I LOVE sunny days.  I started skiing at age 12 and am now 73.  I have had the joy of teaching my children and then my grandchildren.  I used to be "sweeper" skiing last in the line to help the little ones. 

 The aging process does weird things to the mind.  Today, in my dotage, when confronted with a steep pitch full of knee-high, well-rounded moguls, I go around.  The mind is willing but the body says "Hell no".  However, I find myself taking in the vistas around me.  There's not a photograph that does justice to the majesty of snow-covered mountains.  There's nothing like breathing in the cold, crisp air while giving your thighs a breather and admiring the work of Mother Nature.

However, Stuart and Phil are still up for double-diamond expert terrain.  They had some great skiing.

Stuff the bus pass, Stuart and Phil take the ski lift.

The famous Black Saslong men's downhill was their first run of the day with valley cloud.

Then the James Bond long run. Also called "La Longia".  The  queen of the tracks in Val Gardena.  From Seceda at 2,511 metres to Ortisei at 1,236 metres.  It stretches for over ten kilometres and 1,275 metres of elevation, marking the longest path in the entire Dolomites.  It's a white marathon that starts in the open field, with wide and sunny slopes where the Sassolungo dominates the horizon.  The terrain is perfect for making wide and fast turns.  Then the track changes its character, enters the forest, followed by one of the most scenic features the Dolomites have to offer, a narrow canyon carved into rock where icy streams cascade.  Then crossing the cabins, passing by the wooden houses of the inhabitants of Ortisei, the track descends into the valley.  It's an extraordinary track, one of those that stays in the heart. 

Sassolungo.........che spettacolo.

 Then after a lunch break the steepest run in Val Gardena called Paprika.  Stuart loved it,  Phil took the more sedate adjoining red run.

In Italy, the first days of February bring a special celebration know as Candlemas, which takes place eyery year on February 2nd.  For many Italians, this holiday marks an important moment in the seasonal transition from winter to spring.  But beyond its religious significance, Candelora also carries rich cultural traditions that are reflected in the way Italians celebrate, including a quirky custom that many people continue to observe: leaving their Christmas decorations up until the feast.

A popular saying goes. "Se piove o tira vento, dell'inverno siamo dentro", which translates to: "If it rains or the wind blows, winter is over, but if it's sunny or clear, winter is still here."  Essentially, it's a weather predictor, based on the idea that Candelora signals the midpoint between the darkest days of the winter and the onset of spring.  Similar to ground hog day in America.  Well it was a glorious sunny day and the next day it snowed!  A day wrapped in white and plenty more snow on the way.

In the coldest months of the year, Selva Val Gardena and Ortisei turn into open-air museums, where snow and ice become artistic materials.  The theme for this year was "Winter Games", a tribute to the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralmpic Games.

Tina visited the magical pathway lined with ice sculptures in Ortisei.

And Phil and I found the sculptures in Selva.  Spectacular.

The Dolomites are simply our favourite ski area.  The views will stun, the refuges satisfy, the mountains inspire.

 

 

Waves in Barbados

As the winter chill settles in, thoughts of escaping to a sun-soaked paradise become irresistible.   I started to picture myself lounging on powdery white sand, sipping a pina colada while listening to the gentle lapping of waves against the shore.  But with so many islands beckoning which destination did we choose?

We arrived in Barbados for sunset.  Standing on the aeroplane steps on arrival is one sunset I will never forget.  I was absolutely mesmerised by the clouds and colours.  Apologies to the other passengers behind me but we just had to take a photo.  Triple wow!!!!

We were staying at the relatively small all-inclusive Waves Hotel, set on a small but peaceful bay on Barbados's Platinum Coast and styled like an upmarket beach house, with bright-white walls and pops of turquoise, wicker chairs and lampshades and beach inspired wall art. 

With just 70 rooms, there's no huge, mass-market feel to this Marriott-owned hotel.  When it comes to decor, simple is the word: wooden floorboards and headboards and a super comfy bed. Our ocean-view room (210) on the second floor was beautiful with a balcony overlooking the ocean.

Where to start with this hotel?  Firstly the staff make this place feel so very special, going above and beyond to make sure we were happy and comfortable.  The food was delicious, I really enjoyed the catch of the day every day and a big shout out to Ether at breakfast, we miss her smile.  She also taught me how to make perfect poached eggs!!

Grackles (Barbados Blackbird) also enjoyed breakfast here.  A glossy black bird with a yellow eye known for its loud, varied, and often human-like sounds, including calls that can sound like "say what".  They are very vocal and mimic sounds, very bold too despite the staffs best efforts to chase them away.

 There are two restaurants Seascape, where you also have breakfast, and Dosa for Indian dishes.  The wicker chairs on Seascape's wooden deck let the view do the talking:  towering palms, sand and gently rolling waves and in the evening flaming torches.

We also joined Chef Diight in the Seascape Restaurant for a Caribbean Cooking Demo one day. Yummy.

We would wander to the deck for a sundowner every day arriving about 30 minutes before sunset and staying 30 minutes after because you never really knew what the sky was going to do, and this photo is an example of exactly that.  When we first arrived there looked like way too much cloud coverage, especially at the horizon.  It was so thick that it entirely blocked the view of the sun going down.  But we hung around drinking our cocktails and suddenly the sky decided to gave us this magical sunset.  The various cloud formations with just a bit of grey near the horizon made for a dynamic and colourful display.

The beach is relatively small with drinks service to our loungers and water sports on hand.  There is a slight step in the sand (possibly still from a recent storm at Christmas when Father Christmas was unable to land and had to arrive by taxi) entering the sea but it was mostly calm crystal clear water and there is a roped off safe area.  Phil enjoyed water skiing and hobie cat sailing.

Chickens would often wander from the nearby roads and peck at dropped crumbs or even drink from unattended glasses of alcohol then stagger home late afternoon.  An endearing quirk we will remember as part of our holiday.

We even caught a glimpse of some monkeys playing one afternoon which was fun.

We were fortunate enough to watch a turtle hatchling being released to the sea.  One of the staff had found him wandering in a nearby car park.  It was so uplifting to watch this little creature fight it's way down the beach.  The struggles it will face are tremendous.  The odds truly are against them.  In fact only about one in a thousand will reach adulthood.  That makes the effort to save this hatchling even more important.  I'm thrilled it made it safely to the sea and said a quiet prayer that it will survive to continue the Hawksbill species.

We took advantage of the free water taxi to Waves sister hotel, Treasure Beach.  A totally different feel to Waves and made for a different day out with a change of scenery and delicious lunch.

We also did a paid for turtle trip which was a special experience - Phil saw a turtle, a ray, several tarpon, a shipwreck and lots of fish.

Three excellent spa treatments were included.  The spa is reached across the busy road behind the hotel and feels like a hideaway with its fantastic hot stone massages, facials and Waves Salt Scrub and adults only pool set in the garden. 

What a wonderful week.  Felt like we were visiting a friend's beautiful home.  Terrific staff - so friendly and helpful.  Not crowded and very relaxing.