At 7am on Friday I had planned to slip out for a coffee by myself, but Audrey insisted on coming on an adventure so we headed out together for a coffee and a pastry.
We got back and all packed up everything. After arguing about how to fit the new sled in the car (it was a good thing we’d swapped the Mercedes for the Volvo), Mandi and I managed to get everything in and head off to Bormio.
The fastest way from Bolzano to Bormio is through the Stelvio Pass, which is the highest road in Europe. However, it was closed for the winter so that left two other routes - one that would take us north through Switzerland and one that went south. The north route was (on paper) 20 minutes faster, but snow was predicted and I wasn’t that thrilled about driving 200km in the snow. Also, we still hadn’t resolved our uncertain immigration situation so we decided a border crossing wasn’t the best idea. We headed south.
The added bonus of the route we took was that it avoided the Autostrada and took us on perfect windy mountain roads weaving through little mountain towns with almost no traffic. It was four hours of this road:
With this view:
Broken up with another snow-covered playground.
After an amazing drive (and only one case of mild carsickness) we made it to Bormio. We found the address of our chalet and parked the car.
We unpacked and enjoyed the view before heading into town for a late lunch and supplies.
On the way the girls made friends with some locals.
And then back to our chalet for this view.
The next day we headed out early for the girls’ first ever day of skiing. Mandi and I had decided not to ski and just to enjoy a day sitting and relaxing, which we haven't been able to do much of in the past few months.
Hayley and Audrey couldn’t wait to ski.
Although Polly wasn’t quite so convinced.
We got them kitted up.
Then it time for the lesson with Ninja, their moustachioed instructor.
Mandi and I grabbed a table at the bar, ordered drinks (again, alcohol before 10am), this time a glühwein for Mandi and an espresso with Sambuca for me. Perfect for the -5 degree morning.
They all loved it, especially Polly who had been the most nervous at the beginning of the day.
Watching the girls have such a great time gave Mandi and me serious FOMO. I think we’ll be planning more ski trips over the winter. We stayed until the sun set at 4:30pm, and headed back down the mountain.
The next day thanks to Mandi’s perseverance, we managed to get tickets to the Bagni Vecchi, a health spa that utilises thermal springs that the Romans discovered in Bormio 2000 years ago. The original Roman baths are still in use at the spa today.
The spa has 36 different rooms that have been added on over the years - everything from Himalayan salt rooms to 18th-century salons to infra-red spas The views are incredible.
After that it was off to the Husky Village to spend the afternoon in charge of our own dog sleds. We had a VERY quick briefing, considering the trail we were leading the dogs on had sheer drops of hundreds of feet. It’s actually refreshing how much less hand-holding there is in Italy compared with Australia. We didn’t even have to sign a waiver.
The experience was amazing and the girls got to have lots of cuddles with the dogs afterwards.
Polly has a particularly strong connection with dogs in general and huskies in particular. It was a very special day for her.
On the way back to the car it started snowing again. We went back into town and managed to find a restaurant that was serving dinner at 5:30, which is close to lunch by Italian standards. We headed back to our chalet early to get ready for another three-hour drive to Cuasso Al Piano near Lake Lugano (where were were spending Christmas with friends) the next day.