June 6: Tre Cime di Lavaredo

 What a crazy day — especially the start and end but in between was absolutely amazing! We had to wait until 10:00 am to pick up our rental car but we eventually got a really nice vehicle — can you say Audi?  

We finally left Salzburg at 11:15 am and headed toward Rifugio Auronzo – the starting point of our Tre Cime di Lavaredo hike.  The four hour drive plus a lunch break meant that we didn’t arrive until 4:00 pm.  With many people leaving at this time, we began the 10.3 km trek with basically no one else around –  leaving this incredibly picturesque spot virtually to ourselves to enjoy.  This trek is definitely a bucket list one with moderate difficulty but spectacular views in every direction.  The highlight was the viewpoint at a hut behind Tre Cime. We took full advantage of this scenic spot as we posed, videoed and photographed from every angle possible.    

When we got back to our car, we noticed many campers who recently finished their hikes and were settling in for the evening as they ate, drank and relaxed before spending the night in this beautiful spot. Ashley and I were so jealous.  I especially felt the pain as I settled in for a 2 hour drive.  

The drive home went pretty well for the first 2 hours before I missed a turn, which added another half hour to the challenging journey.  To make matters worse — we couldn’t find our place when we arrived, which added another hour to the train wreck.  We finally got into the apartment — which is awesome — at 11:30.