until the clouds and above

griaß-enk!

living in south tyrol, getting up in the morning looking at the mountains soaring up toward the blue sky, breathing the clear air, believe me, it's a big big gift of life. experiencing the beauty of mother nature to that degree is literally intoxicating for us guys-from-the-big-city.

first advent, the last sunday of november, was supposed to be sunny again after a whole week with no sunshine – yeah things like that may happen here too. after a couple of days they also become a real talking point in the news. so, anyway, we decided to take that opportunity of nice weather returning for a hike to hochmut, a farmer hamlet at 1,360 m above see level, that we already visited several times during summer over the years (for those who activated the link: i wrote "a hike", not a cable car ride to the upper station). we started our tour up 1,000 m in a strange low sky scenery: low clouds were covering the valleys and mountains around, letting just the merano basin appear as there was not a thing behind, like in a minisphere, one little piece of earth. we walked up the first 300 m under the cloudy sky, the next 400 m in a cloud, on a strenuous steep path… until being rewarded for all the effort and getting up early – exiting the forest at some point around a high of 900 m, seeing the blue sky and the mountains with their white peaks, looking at the valley and its dissipating clouds. like when you sit in an airplane and you look through the window. but having done the job yourself by your only willingness, your own legs and feet and ambition. with no kerosene but the pure air. and some water too. a wow-experience. and then, when reaching the end of your trip, there is nothing better than having a break on the panoramic terrace of a lodge and enjoying the breathtaking panorama, the silence and a snack with fresh made farm products. nothing fancy but so delicious. my favorite is the appel strudel (aka apfelstrudel in german).

still no wi-fi at home. not nice.