Lago di Garda to the Dolomites

Woke to strong winds and found out the real popularity of this lake—wind surfing! We went for a long walk along the lake and up to the church before breakfast. Weather is definitely changing-kind of worrying since tomorrow is the start of our Refugio/Via Ferrata hike. We were planning a lake day, but too windy for paddle boarding and JD wasn’t sure his shoulders were up for wind surfing lessons, though he did entertain the idea. So we decided to head up a valley looking for this beautiful sanctuary JD had seen. So glad we did! The entire drive was jaw dropping, vineyards along the river and every couple of miles another stunning fortification, castle, church. The weather held out for us, cooling off enough to make hiking fun again:) Made it to Sanctuario Madonna Della Corona. And we were so moved. Both of us at different points to tears-reflecting about why, maybe it was the silence of so many, the beauty of the church clinging to the rock and the metaphor that is, the devotion of the people we saw reverently worshipping. It all combined to be a very special moment of the trip. Headed to our next spot high in the Dolomites, Madonna di Canpiglio where we found our hotel and spent some time repacking and planning for three days of hiking, sleeping in mountain Refugio’s. We are officially of an age that we should be required to take pictures of when we decide to hide something….a good 30 minutes of panic looking for our Nexus cards and an extra credit card. Found them in a really obscure and admittedly safe spot!😊 Walked through the village, a bit like Whistler, had a great dinner and then hit our hotel’s wellness center for a sauna, swim. Off tomorrow for our big adventure! Not sure of our WiFi access, so the next couple of days may be quiet. Praying for our nephew Luke and his wife who will be having a baby today and our Burke who turns 3 tomorrow. Love and miss our people!Les mer