This trip came about from a couple of different plans. Two years ago I met Beth at a professional development day at school and friended her on Facebook. She soon headed off to Italy to hike the Alta Via route and everyday she posted the most gorgeous photos! I scrolled through and told Steve that I really wanted to do a trip like that! Steve being Steve, he researched on how to make a simple thing more adventurous and next thing I knew, we had a trip scheduled for Alta Via 4 which includes routes of via ferrata along the way! The via ferrata (Italian for “iron path” routes are protected climbing routes in the Alps that provided cables, steel steps, ladders, and railings, all designed to arrest a fall since the climber is clipped in with a harness and set of clips.

Day 0 – 2

The excitement of our trip began before we even left when we were notified that due to “industrial action” by Aer Lingus, our flight was going to be thru another company, SmartLynx, and that there would be no inflight amenities available. Not a big deal for us, we just downloaded movies ahead of time. Then on the day of the flight we had a series of small delays leading up to the big delay where we sat for almost two hours on the tarmac waiting to take off. At this point we had zero chance of making our connection in Dublin, which started the cascade of what needed to be cancelled. Just as the flight attendants were getting ready to bring some drinks around we received clearance to take off! For all the ugh of delays and waiting, I will say that our fellow travellers were super chill, no one got upset, no kids were crying. The other nice part was the rented plane must have been a lot bigger than the original one because it was maybe 1/3 full and everyone had an empty seat in the middle!

Once we landed in Dublin the Aer Lingus desk crew had everyone’s missed connections figured out and rerouted to the next option. This gave us a three hour layover which meant we could experience our first airport lounge! We recently changed credit cards to one more geared to travel rewards and this gave us access to the lounge for free. Behind the closed doors was a welcome haven of cushy chairs, free snacks and drinks, including alcohol! The old guy beside me commented, as I was perusing the bottles, “it’s a bit early for that”, to which I replied by pouring some whiskey in my coffee… As we snacked the decision to cancel our first hotel and the subsequent via ferrata hike that was planned for Day 1. This decision was made mostly because the hotel did not allow cbeck ins after 10 pm and we were looking at a 1 am arrival. In hindsight, I’m glad we cancelled because even the short three hour drive we made to Arezzo was challenging with our jet lag.

The flight from Dublin was full but short and I think we all managed to get a nap in. Landing in Rome, we spent way too long trying to use the crappy Wi-Fi to activate our eSIM cards. We finally got 3 out of 4 phones working and then the next stop was the rental car station. Josh had reserved the car and our fear was that due to being so late from our original time, that we might not have a car. His name wasn’t showing on the reserved board so we waited in line with the other customers instead of flexing the Gold Club pass. When we finally made it to the counter the lady said “sir, you can go straight up, the car is waiting for you”! Score one for us! We stuffed, and I mean STUFFED, our gear in the car and hit the road. The first stop was the grocery store which is always one of my favorite stops but one I’m always rushed through. Food acquired we headed north while Steve made reservations for a hotel in Arezzo. Ten pm found us enjoying our selfmade snack bar and wine in the hotel lobby thanks to the forethought of Steve and Tserka! By midnight we were all snoozing and dreaming of hikes to come!

Thursday July 18 |Driving Day

Due to the plane delays that caused us to cancel the first hotel and hike, we now had a day to be a little more chill but still having a really long drive. We left the hotel and stopped at a cafe for breakfast. My first attempt at ordering resulted in a cup of steamed milk. Attempt number two I used Google Translate to order a double shot espresso, which I mixed with my cup of steamed milk! The result was fine and I’m pretty sure I could have had two more but it was time to go. We had around 6.5 hrs to cover as we made our way up to the Austrian border. Our first stop for gas we learned how to use the pay station kiosk and then Steve passed the knowledge to the next traveler. Josh and I traded off driving, stopping at the frequent autogrills, which provided tons of food options and tiny souvenirs coffee mugs! The roads to our hotel area were incredibly twisting and had each hairpin turn number for some odd reason. The Italian word was something that resembled tornado, which we felt was apt for the feel of the road!

As we got closer to our destination, Steve found a roadside sausage shack for dinner. I doubted his choice but it was not bad at all! I told Steve that maybe at the 30 yr mark I might trust his decisions… The proprietor was super friendly and directed us to his favorite dishes. We enjoyed a nice beer with beautiful country side views. Just 10 mins down the road we came to our hotel, which was actually an air B&B and truly a gem of a find! The owner, Andre, welcomed us and showed us our rooms and we set to the task of burping the car and packing for the Alta Via start the next day. I was mostly packed but decided I deserved a drink so I headed down to the reception area. The proprietor was super knowledgeable and turned out to be a somlier. He suggested a spirit distilled from the local crabapples that was smooth, hints of almond coming through. His spirit cart was packed and I would have loved to spend an afternoon sampling more of them. Flipping through the options, I remarked on a particular one with a name that I could pass by! He offered a small taste and it was interesting but not something I would want a full glass of. I finished off the evening with a class of the tangerine spirit. The distillers he brings in are all local and artists in their craft! The tangerine one for example, was made from an heirloom variety that is not sold in stores due to the very thin skin and large seeds. But it packed a huge flavor! Back upstairs, we put the final touches on the packs, remarking again that they seemed waaay too heavy.