Our last full day in Vienna was rainy and blessedly cool, so we wandered around the old town awhile, and paid a visit to the crypt of the Habsburg Kaisers, an eerie and strangely moving experience.
Then we got J's hair snipped at a Turkish salon right on the same street as the flat.
And did a bit of final watering on the terrace...
And on Sunday we were ready to pick up our rental car. J settled nicely into his new car-seat.
Soon we were blasting The Sound of Music score from the iPod, as we traveled southwest through Austria to the Friuli-Venezia-Giuli region of Italy.
Our destination was the tiny mountain village of Sauris di Sopra, 1400 meters up in the Carnic Alps, where we'd arranged to borrow the chalet below. Owners Augusto and Daniela gave us the warmest welcome imaginable, and even helped ferry our luggage to the doorstep in their car. The last 100 meters of road is unpaved and perilously steep and narrow. Because our rental did not come with 4-wheel-drive we had to park it on the flatter road well above the chalet.
Above: Sauris di Sotto, the nearest neighboring village. The name literally means "Sauris Below."
Sauris di Sopra, "Sauris Above," is the highest settlement in these Alps.
(Sauris di Sopra)
One of many village shrines, with Mount Bevira in the background.
The chalet, as seen from our parking spot above.
A view from the kitchen table.
The Tagliemento River bed, feeding into the incredibly turquoise Lago di Sauris.
On Tuesday, we took a daytrip to Forni di Sopra, about an hour's drive away, and found some lovely municipal ponds.
And a view of the Dolomiti from the backside of the Carnic Alps.
Above: the house of Giuliano, the chalet's nearest neighbor. He's lived in the village for 60 years, and like most of the locals here, his second language is Deutsch.
1 comment:
What an amazing trip you've been having. Thanks for letting me come along.
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