Honeymoon days 3-5: Mist meets mini golf

Day 3: we finally hit the slopes! Only got half a day, though, because C was still jet lagged. We took the gondola up up up into the mountains. It really begged the question: why did we do all that climbing the day before? C kept trying to find the cross we had climbed up to in the mountains across the valley.

After lunch and a nap, we explored the town. (C vetoed another hike up the mountain). There are buildings here from the 1300s. Some houses are made of stone that's crumbling on top, but people still live in the bottom half. Sometimes they build beautiful wooden additions on top of a few stories of stone.

There are remains of frescos everywhere, on all the walls. Some had been covered in plaster that was then removed to bring them into view. It's a fun game to spot them all.

We ate at an amazing restaurant. The room was like a cavern. We made the (delicious) mistake of ordering risotto, after which the was absolutely no room for a meat course.

Day 4: a full day of skiing. (Correction by C: a full day of skiing with a late start, long lunch break and early finish). We actually made it to the very very top of the mountain. This is the only place where there was a bit of wind. We found a secret trail with few people that led to a secret lift with no line.

It was my turn to feel tired, so on our way down, we stopped at a mid-slope bar. C got hot chocolate and I got an espresso, and we watched the mountains.

That evening, we went to the hot springs. This is a misnomer. They reminded me of the video game Mist. You wander around outside in a bath robe, and come upon thermal baths lying in ancient sites. Then you have to figure out what to do. There was one where you had to cover yourself with mud, step into a sauna to let it dry, then go back outside to rinse it off in a shallow pool of muddy water and then in a hot outdoor shower.

It also reminded me a bit of mini golf. There were lots of activity areas, and you want around. No score card, though.

Then you get to the indoor activities. My favorite was this sequence of two shallow pools paved with smooth, small stones. One was hot and one was cold. You walked through them, anti clockwise, five times. After the second time and, you get used to the cold water, and it feels quite nice.

Day 5: lazy walk day. We made veal tail soup with fresh tortellini. The woman at the produce store taught me the name of the veggies in Italian! Time to eat!