The south end of the beach at Hua Hin, Thailand.
Where are Kevin and Ruth now? Hua Hin, Thailand.

Where are Kevin and Ruth going next? Maldives on March 23rd.

Saturday, March 11, 2017

Great first day in Italy!

We woke up yesterday morning to a clean blue sky, sunshine, and warmer than normal temperatures. It's usually a high of around 16C (61F) at this time of year in Bergamo, and they were calling for a high of 22C (72F).

So it didn't take long for us to decide we were going for a hike up the mountain behind us!

We were overdue for a nice hike, and with the perfect weather and the fantastic scenery, we enthusiastically set off at about 10:05am...

We had to walk through some residential areas to get to the trails.

We're headed up to the top of that hill.

The church in the village of Sorisole.

The side door of the church.

Heading uphill.

Every step of the way.

There's a big cross on the hill we are heading up to.

Starting to get some nice views.

As we made it up to the first ridge, at a place called Canto Basso, I was expecting to see a beautiful view of the Italian Alps. And, we weren't disappointed. I videoed the experience for you to enjoy with us! Turn up your volume...


And of course we took a few still pictures as well.

Wow.

We could live here. Easy.

Yep, this looks like a good spot to sit and have lunch!

It had taken us two hours and twenty minutes to get to the first ridge. But, the climbing wasn't done yet. We had to go further up to get to Canto Alto where the big cross was located. Refreshed from our lunch break, we set off again...

Yep...more uphill.

Almost there!

It was another 45 minutes of climbing to make it to the top, at 1,168 meters (3,800 ft). We had started out at 359 meters (1,177 feet), so we had climbed 809 meters (2,623 feet) in  three hours and twenty minutes. And here is the reward we got for our hard work...

Looking north towards the Italian Alps.

And in the opposite direction.

There were six other people at the top, all relaxing and enjoying the views. There are lots of trails in these hills, and many of them converge at this one spot.

Then, it was time to head down. We took a different route down, and it was steeper so we're glad we came up the way we did.

This cabin has a nice view!

So does this one!

This path is probably hundreds of years old.

Couldn't have asked for a better day.

The trail system reminds us of Slovakia. Lots of markers.

We made it back to the apartment at about 3:45pm. 

We had done 14 kms (8.7 miles) in five and a half hours. What a great day we had.

We put our feet up and relaxed with a glass of wine (or two) for the evening!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trouble sleeping? Try a "white noise" machine...


And in Canada, DEWALT woodworking tools are on deal of the day...




19 comments:

  1. What a marvelous hike! Gorgeous photos! Just think how many people must have walked along that trail over the 100 of years. Amazing. Great start to your Italy visit.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was a fantastic hike which offers the things we like, great exercise and wonderful views! Definitely a great start to Italy. :-)

      Delete
  2. We loved Italy, Inthink the most stunning views we ever saw where in Tuscanny and Umbria with the rolling hills. A suggestion for you when in the Cinque Terre is to take the boat ride out of the first bay to the last town and walk back. You get the most fantastic look at the towns from a great perspective plus a boat ride is always fun. Ciao

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't know, it will be hard to beat the view we had on this hike but we are looking forward to those rolling hills as well.

      We will look into the boat ride, it will of course depend on the price.

      Delete
  3. Take advantage of the good weather!

    ReplyDelete
  4. That was an awesome hike and the views amazing. Thanks for the virtual hike.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hope we didn't tire you out with all that hiking! ;-)

      Delete
  5. What a wonderful post. Beautiful scenery, gorgeous terrain and a glass of wine (or two) at the end of the day. PERFECTION!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We couldn't have ask for a better start to our trip here! It was a wonderful day.

      Delete
  6. Replies
    1. Italy is another place that you would love Chris!

      Delete
  7. You guys disappointed me! When I turned on my volume, I was SO sure I'd here one of you chirping, "The Hills are Alive with the Sound of Music!" (haha) Beautiful day to be outdoors enjoying views from heaven!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You must not have heard me say in the video, "If only I could sing" because that is what I was referring to but I can't sing and I didn't want to embarrass myself. ;-)

      It was a perfect day for a hike and gorgeous views to boot!

      Delete

There are more comments on our facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/TravelwithKevinAndRuth

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.