TRAVEL. HIKING. ITALY.
Hiking to the Lake at the Foothills of the Alps
The start of a great adventure in the mountains
After the spectacular landing in Innsbruck, we quickly walked through the tiny airport and were greeted by my parents waiting out front in their car. We loaded the bags and off we went.
Over the Brenner Autobahn (highway between Austria and Italy) we entered South Tyrol and the mighty mountains of the Dolomites.
We passed castles and quaint villages as we were climbing in altitude.
The sky was covered in clouds but the meadows were shining in lush green.
Not even a two-hour drive later, we arrived in Dobbiaco, a town located at 1200 meters (4000 ft) in altitude. My mom had booked us a room in a guesthouse with the most amazing view of the mountains.
We dropped our bags and quickly refreshed ourselves before heading into town but not without me taking my camera out and capturing the flowers on the balcony with the mountains in the background.
Heavy clouds were rising all around the city and we felt some rain drops while walking around looking at spectacular South Tyrolean architecture but that didn’t stop us from enjoying the holiday vibe.
We knew this was the only day to relax and enjoy the valley since we’d be going on a big hike the following day. We just wanted to get warm and decided to walk-in those heavy hiking boots.
We passed the tiny train station and a grass runway seemingly made for light aircraft and gliders.
Then we left town on a 20-minute walk to the nearby lake.
The rushing sound of a mountain river pulled me off the trail.
And then there was Lago di Dobbiaco. A lake at the foothills of the Dolomites.
It was a peaceful scene all around.
We watched, marveled at those mountains, and took in the views.
Since the clouds were still promising rain we decided not to have dinner at the lake but walk into town instead to have a short walk back to our accommodation in case it should start pouring down later.
We stumbled through the streets before we found the Winkelkeller. A beautifully decorated restaurant with delicious local foods. The four of us didn’t even need the menu, we simply ordered their daily special.
My mom and I took the deer gulasch with polenta and my husband and my dad chose the pork knuckle with coleslaw and roast potatoes. It was more than a hearty meal. Too delicious to leave even a drop of it on our plates.
An excellent way to start the vacation and end the first day of our trip.
“Laughter is brightest in the place where food is good.” — Irish Proverb
And watch here the full video of our hiking adventure through the Dolomites in South Tyrol, Italy:
More about our trip to the Alps:
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