From Ski Gondolas to Venetian Gondolas

We left the slopes this morning, trading our Tyrolean mountain gondolas for Venetian gondolas and enjoy the city’s famed carnival. In hindsight we should have taken the more circuitous and longer highway route avoiding the up and down winding road through the mountains, as picturesque as it was.  The car was well stocked with plastic bags and paper towels as it was only a matter of time before we would have to make a pit stop so Madeleine could clear her stomach and overcome her nausea on the side of the road.  Gravol or no gravol, poor kid doesn't seem to fare well on these road trips but she's quite the trooper, never complaining. 

While the girls were very excited to get to Venice we all regretted having to leave Val Gardena so soon.   With the exception of a bit of cloud one day and cold windy weather another the weather co-operated and Hotel Pralong far exceeded our expectations for a 3 star hotel. The food was excellent and the service was even better.  While we’ve generally taken the more economical route of preparing our own meals on these trips, it was a real treat not having to prepare meals after long days on the slopes.  Located in the village of Selva, Val Gardena, 150 meters from one of the main chair lifts, accessing the Sellaronda ski trail was quick and easy without having to touch the car all week.

Before arriving in Val Gardena we had all agreed that 5 consecutive days of skiing would be more than enough and after 2 full days of skiing I thought I wouldn’t make it past day 4.  As the week wore on however, the girls and I and to a lesser extent Nancy wished we had bought lift tickets and rented skis for the Friday as well.  By that time however, we had our minds set on an unplanned, quick visit to Innsbruck, Austria for the day.  A short 90 minute drive across the border, we spent a few hours walking, as always, aimlessly through the old town and taking in the Tyrolean architecture before heading to Bolzano, Italy to do the same before returning back to Val Gardena. 

We all agreed that our week of skiing ranks up there as one of the best parts of our year away - so far!

Sal