A true picture of Cortina.
A true picture of Cortina.
As everyone knows, the first day is not always the easiest, but in my opinion, the most difficult. At this time, I am sitting on a soft sofa, stretching out my legs buzzing from fatigue, and scroll through the whole day in my head...
And so 3 hours... It seems to be the morning, and it seems even night, do not understand what, Toli yesterday, and Toli today... Behind the snow, the snowmag, the virtual thermometer on the iPhone shows -12º С. I don't want to get out of my warm bed. . . but, as they say, "everything is paid for" or, as my mother says, "hiba you want, musish! "
It would be superfluous to talk about all the procedures for preparing the aircraft in conditions close to those of the Far North, everyone will say "we flew, we know... ". Finally took off. 135 minutes of flight went unnoticed for some, but for me it dragged on forever. . . I managed to shoot a video, photograph the dawn, play solitaire. . . in short, I managed to try a lot of things as a "killer" of time. . .
HOORAY!!!! ! Finally Treviso!!!
But we have done only a small part of our today's journey. There is still a long road ahead to the city of Cortina d'Ampez and, as it turned out, not just a journey from point A to point B. We had to change several vehicles, overcome several passes and spend many hours on... I felt like the hero of Jules Verne's novel, Philias Fogg, at the beginning of his journey around the world in 80 days.
The first vehicle was city bus number 6, which took us to the Treviso train station. Then there was a train, I will not tell you what number, from the city of Treviso to the city of Mestre. Following again the bus Mestre - Marco Polo Airport in Venice. And only after that the bus to Cortina
What can I say!!!!!
It's not the first time I've been in the mountains, and it's not the first time in the Dolomites either, but either the previous impressions are somehow erased from my memory, or it really was so beautiful!!!! ! With each turn of the road, more and more new views opened up to our eyes, and each of them was better than the previous one. Of course, neither photos nor videos from the bus window fully convey my feelings when I see the "white nature of Italy", you just have to turn on your imagination and see everything through my eyes.
Our company did not even notice how our bus arrived at its destination. Cortina!
Cortina met us with wonderful weather. The midday sun gently warmed the frozen faces of Kiev. The eye was pleased with low, again by Kiev standards, houses with absolutely unimaginable snow caps.
For accommodation, we rented an apartment in the city center. So, apartments... We could not find the address we needed for a long time. We twisted the map of the city this way and that, found our equipment rental point, found a hotel that should be near this address, but the house itself was invisible... I had to call the owner. Actually, I thought that he would meet us, but it was not there. He said where to go (it turned out that the house is 15 meters from the place where we were standing)... and that's it. There was no one at the place, the front door was closed, no one answers the call to the apartment with the name of the owner... what should I do ?? ? I had to call again.
Finally, we were greeted. . . but not by the hosts. A couple came out to us, in appearance, I would say that they are Mexicans, in the future we called them that among ourselves. He is a porter, or more simply a concierge, she is a maid, or simply a cleaning lady. The first thing they demanded of us was payment. . . right there in the lobby!! ! We are a little stunned by such impudence!! ! We say that we have not seen anything yet, for which we will pay... We went up to the apartment. I must say that we liked the apartments both at first glance and at the second... One thing, the Internet declared on the Internet, sorry for my tautology, did not turn out, but everything corresponded to the description on the site.
The apartments are typically Italian. In no other country have I seen such a heap of various useless trifles. Only Italians love this. Moreover, in some rooms of our apartments there is a complete eclecticism of styles and eras.
In short, you can live.
The first impression of Cortine was magnificent, but in the evening the city seemed completely fabulous. There are a lot of various illuminations on all the streets, garlands hang in clusters from all roofs, from all balconies, stars of different sizes hang over the road. My soul has gone wild!!! ! Before leaving, I purchased a new filter for my camera, a beam one, now you can appreciate this beauty. . .
I want to make one anti-review right away. . . On some site we read that the resort is expensive, in the evening ladies in furs and stilettos flit along the street, head waiters in restaurants in expensive suits. . . For some reason, we don’t we saw... Everywhere ordinary tourists, all in ski jackets, sneakers, jeans. The restaurants have nimble waiters, the prices are democratic everywhere (of course, we didn’t go to Savoy, we walked through the restaurants in the center). We had dinner at the Cinque Tore restaurant for 13 euros per person, of course we took pizza, well, where without it in Italy, wine, and the famous Italian dessert - tiramisu. Pizza was just beyond praise, we have not eaten. First - the size... we took a small one, but this small one was like our huge one. The dough is super thin, the filling, we took with prosciutto and mushrooms, just fell out from each piece. And the taste!!! ! extraordinary!!!!
The final point of dinner, and in general the whole day, was tiramisu. . . Ummmm. . . we didn't lick our fingers, but we scraped the bowls, and almost swallowed the spoons.
Sunny morning came to replace the quiet Dolomite night.
The city woke up. Numerous shops and cafes have been reopened. Our skibus cheerfully drove us through the narrow streets of the city. We drove to Socrepes.
á Everything comes to an end sometime, and here we are at the end point. . . or rather, at the starting point of our skating.
A wonderful landscape opened up before our eyes. A mountain range with, in some places growing, and in some places fallen down by last year's avalanche, fir trees, a chair lift and a blue track. I must say right away that at first the track seemed difficult, but having studied its topography, and having determined the most optimal trajectory for myself, I skated the first day without incident.
The next morning we were "pleased" with a leaden sky. After consulting, our trinity came to a common opinion that it is not worth interrupting skiing due to bad weather, but going to a new place is risky. We again went to Sokrepes. Be that as it may, but still the same track bothers. Once again, looking at the map, we decided to move a little. . . Nearby, go up on one lift and go down the track to the next lift, there is another Pokol ski area.
What nice blue runs there!! ! We rode several times with great pleasure. The only pity is that the day was coming to an end, the sun did not appear from behind the clouds, and we had to end the day.
We spent the evening shopping. I decided that I definitely need to buy a mask for skiing (before that I skated in regular sunglasses).
Sports stores hit a scant choice and huge prices. So without buying anything, glancing at the local public, we returned to our apartments.
Oh!! ! What a joy!! ! The next morning began with a breathtakingly beautiful dawn. The tops of the surrounding mountains became pink, and gradually this pink enveloped everything around. Only now we understand what the Pink Dolomites are. . .
But, unfortunately, the beauty that surrounds us is poetry, but there is also the prose of life. All this time we were missing one. Unfortunately, we can no longer do without the various benefits of civilization, and without the Internet, we are like without hands, without eyes, without ears, and. . . God knows what else. Yes, my dear reader, with the Internet in Cortina strained. The news agency told us that there are 2 free Internet points in the city, one in the Royal cafe, and the second... in some other cafe. Immediately warned, take a cup of coffee and use. Why they told us so, we understood only when we approached the cafe. There is no internet on the street. Yes, and inside, you also need to sit in a normal place to draw.
*
On this day, now I won’t say which one, all the days were similar to each other and differed only in the place of skiing... So, on this day we decided to climb Tofana. The weather was sunny, quiet, and only the top of the mountain was covered in some kind of white dust.
We did not attach any importance to this phenomenon, and, having put skis and boots on our shoulders, we boldly moved to the lift. Having overcome the first part of the route, we came to a small platform. Down in the valley lay our city.
From this point on, he looked like a toy. Small houses in white hats, narrow streets, and the central church, along the local Duomo, and all this is flooded with the rays of the morning sun. Beauty!!!
The
Everything was fine until the booth began to rock, so sharply and tangibly! Finally, we landed. The sign on the wall said that our altitude was 2470 meters above sea level. As soon as the doors of our air gondola opened, we were greeted by a piercing wind and small snow crumbs. It was even colder on the observation deck. It seemed that the wind penetrated to the very bones. Snow crumb small needles dug into the face. About climbing to the very top of Mount Tofana,
to a height of 3243 meters above sea level, there was no question. A small trailer with a huge snow cap swayed lonely on the pier, its appearance evoked melancholy, and at the same time instilled fear. We arranged an express photo shoot and set off on our way back.
— The age of the lift was very easy to determine. It had a large poster that said the lift was open for the 1956 Olympics. This fact somehow fell out of sight, and we boldly began the descent. . .
The track turned sharply to the left from the start. I boldly stepped on it and began my descent. Everything was fine, we were driving along a narrow road with a slight slope. Huge fir and larch trees grew to the right and left. Peace and quiet were our companions. But here the track began to gain inclination, at the same time turning to the right. What's around the corner? It became somehow uncomfortable. I slowed down and then stopped completely. It was too late to go back, there was only one way out, scramble forward along the slope. So, alternating the normal descent with the scraper, I got to the lift. An old spruce armchair pulled us up. I understand everything, a rarity, a reminder of the former sports glory. . . but it's time to replace this armchair!!!
Having not received any pleasure either from skiing or climbing, we drank a cup of bombardino, took a couple more photos and went home.
I think it would be superfluous to tell a story about each of the usual days of our skating. All of them were like two peas in a pod, with the only difference being that the weather was either better or worse. We rode mainly on Socrepes and Pokol, got a lot of pleasure from the slopes, from their diversity and multitude, as well as from the nature of the weather and all other factors.
. . . Under this case, the red track was closed on Sokrepes for 2 days and a slalom track was arranged on it. For us personally, the competition went completely unnoticed. But in the evening we did not miss the awards ceremony.
On the main square, near the Duomo, they staged a big stage. It was climbed by the best students of the ski schools of Cortina, accompanied by a local brass band. Two colorful presenters, with jokes and jokes, announced the winners. The orchestra played solemn music. The winners climbed onto the stage, took their places on the steps of the pedestal, they were given... a glass plate, and... that's it!!!
The next day, when ancillary workers were in full swing dismantling the stands on the track, I tried to slide down this very competitive track. What can I say!! ! In some areas I felt like the very winner who stood on the first step, I even joked about whether they would give me a plate at the end of the track?? ? But in some places I felt like a slow turtle, which was put on skis, but they didn’t tell me how to go. A shame! In places I scraped so hard that I was ashamed of myself. But still, I passed the track, and even several times.
The tenth day has come, not the last, but the most important in our entire trip and in my entire "fascinating" story. It should be noted that the day before the above mentioned date, the weather deteriorated sharply. Heavy snow fell. It became difficult to ride, the snow cover on the slopes was rising, the ski-borders did not have time to roll it. But we did not lose our presence of mind, we rode with pleasure, and at the end of the day we even had a video session.
This morning did not bother us at all. I took out my camera again and started taking pictures of everything around me. The landscape has changed a little, but it even made me happy.
After breakfast, we decided to go to the bus station and buy bus tickets. Tomorrow we must set out for Treviso. According to the plan, we have another sightseeing day in Venice.
The first unpleasant moment was that our short road to the bus station, along the steps between the houses, was so covered with snow that it was impossible to walk along it. This fact did not stop us, and did not even alert us. We went around. At the bus station we were greeted by ringing silence. Several buses stood forlornly in snowdrifts, it became clear that no one was going to get on them. . . At the window of the Cortina Express company, we were taken aback by some unexpected news. . . Cortina was blocked!! ! We were trapped high up in the mountains. No transport, even local, does not go. Local residents, accustomed to this state of affairs, are not particularly discouraged. Tourists who have recently arrived are calmly walking around the city... In short, there is no panic. And we have an ambush!! ! Yesterday we left the skis for storage near the track. Well, Tanya and I, we have rental equipment, we can go in and agree with the rental point, but Natasha has her own, she needs to pick them up by all means, and the sooner the better. But skibuses don’t go, and it’s an hour’s walk to the lift. What to do?? ? We decided to walk and ski back. No sooner said than done. But in our case, not everything is so simple. We hit the road.
The streets of the city are more or less cleared and we, joking and laughing, went through the center in the direction of the ski lift. After a while, the jokes and laughter ended for me. I fell. The most annoying thing is that I never fell on the track, but here, almost on a flat road, I crashed so much, and even on my hand. The first impression - well, everything jumped! broke her arm. I tried to move my hand, it turned out - it seemed. Everything ended with a bruise and a slight sprain. The rest of the way I did very carefully, periodically massaging my bruised arm.
What was the surprise of the luggage storage workers when our trinity appeared on their doorstep. Imagine three girls, tortured by a long cross-country crossing, covered in snow. . . The picture is not pleasant. The most interesting thing is that they had no idea why we stuck to them. . .
But the boys were humorous. They gave us skis and boots and watched as we packed. It turned out that my backpack did not include two ski boots. One is just great, but two are not! What to do? I had to put one boot in a backpack, and attach the second to a carabiner outside. The guys fussed, brought me a bag and tied it over my boot.
I'm ready.
Tanya deftly managed her boots, they fit into her backpack without any problems. Natasha generally expected to carry her shoes in a bag, but the guys convinced her, fastened them with Velcro straps, packed each one separately in bags, and hung it over her shoulder. Having nicely said goodbye and putting the skis on our shoulders, we set off on the way back.
The snow did not think to stop, cars came across the road from time to time, we slowly moved down. I would like to say that the road passed without incident, but still one event happened. At some point, I didn’t even understand how, Natasha slipped. It would be very funny if it weren't so sad. Poor Natasha, scattering sticks in different directions, dropping her skis, stretched out in the middle of the road.
*
At last our caravan reached the main square of the city. And then Tanya and I came up with a brilliant idea, to arrange a photo shoot on skis in the middle of the city. Having amused the local public enough, having made a couple of more or less successful shots, we went to hand over our skis.
The rest of the day was spent shopping. It's no secret that the best souvenir from Italy is a grocery bag. Sausage, cheese, bombardino, coffee, sweets - this is a short list of my suitcase.
The next morning brought no change. We checked out the apartments, took our suitcases and went in the direction of the bus station.
What a miracle!! ! The pass is finally open! Having bought tickets, handed over things to the left-luggage office, we went to make the last promenade along Cortina. Naturally, everything ended in a supermarket. And the most interesting thing is that in the last couple of hours we spent more money than the previous evening.
The last souvenirs are bought, things are loaded into the trunk of the bus. We took our places. Hooray! The return journey has begun.
Departure from the city took a very long time. Our bus was moving along the snow-covered streets. We armed ourselves with cameras and a camera and started filming everything through the windows of the bus.
Gradually the landscape changed.
The snow was getting smaller and smaller, at some point I realized that the bus was somehow bouncing. Our driver made a technical stop and removed the chains from the wheels. The bus drove briskly along a clean freeway.
Treviso met us with cloudy weather.
Thank you very much, they did not let us down, when our bus arrived at the intermediate stop, they were already waiting for us.
Having packed our things, we got back on the bus and, already light, went for a walk to Venice.
There was no predicted flood in Venice. We, slowly walking, moved towards the Realto Bridge and Piazza San Marco. Narrow streets, canals, frequent bridges and bridges, gondolas, swaying measuredly on the pier, this is how I remember Venice after my first visit...
Nothing has changed, it seems that time has frozen, and that it is worth turning the corner and Marco Polo will appear to meet you, the noisy crowd of the Venetian carnival, even Giacomo Casanova himself. .
It's getting dark. The city has changed. The evening lights came on. Piazza San Marco was especially good.
The fog that descended low, enveloped the Campanile of the cathedral, dimming the light of the lanterns, created the impression of something not real, not explainable, not even fabulous, but rather chimerical. The bell on the clock tower struck 7 times. All the shops began to close one by one, the city began to empty. We moved back. The further we delved into the narrow streets, the more terrible it became.
After wandering around Venice at night, and making a short detour, we went to the railway station. Legs hummed with fatigue. We had one desire, to quickly get to the hotel...
The last morning was gloomy. It was raining lightly in Treviso. After breakfast, we decided to take advantage of the kind offer of the hotel owners and take a short tour of the city. We loaded our things into the car so as not to return for them, we went to the center. On the way, Lorenzo, combining two positions of a driver and a guide at once, was talking about something. Since I did not understand him well, I listened with half an ear and at the same time enjoyed the views of the old part of the city.
It should be noted that Treviso is undeservedly forgotten by tourists. The close proximity of Venice overshadowed its brilliance and beauty.
At some point, it even seemed to me that I had already seen him, and only then I realized that I saw Verona, and Treviso is very similar to her.
In a few hours, Lorenzo managed to show us the most interesting places, told some interesting stories.
It was felt that this man loves his city, and wants to share this love with us.
Time passed unnoticed and here we are at the airport.
We said goodbye to Lorenzo like an old friend, although we knew him only a day. There was something touching about this farewell, as if for us it personified all of Italy. But saying goodbye, we hope for a new meeting with both Italy and Lorenzo.
Analyzing these 12 days, I can say that despite minor troubles, our trip was a success. We skated on "Hurrah!!! ". Gained new impressions, tasted a new skiing region, felt how it is to be cut off from the world (I don’t know how in Ukraine, but in Italy this situation didn’t frighten or strain), walked around winter Venice, left a piece of my heart in Treviso. . . in general, they fulfilled, and even somewhat overfulfilled our program. To be honest, new plans for the next vacation are already ripening in my head.
My thoughts are confused and confused, I would like it to come from the impressions of the ending journey, but, to tell the truth, the turbulence, which has not stopped for an hour now, is to blame for everything...
Finally, it was announced that our plane had begun its descent and was landing at Zhuliany airport.
The rays of the setting sun turned the earth red. We are met by snow-covered Ukraine, and with it new everyday life, new difficulties, and new hopes for new adventures.
END.
