Aosta Valley, Italy

We have spent the past week galavanting through this region of the Italian Alps where the hills are alive with the sound of music… My fictitious god this area is beautiful. We have been warming up and getting ready to hike the Mont Blanc trail, this Monday! I’ve heard all you need is one week of hiking to prep for this nine day, 111 mile hike. 😉 So we should be good, right?

In hindsight, we wished we had stayed in Cogne, which is a small idyllic mountain town, complete with the most spectacular mountain backdrop in the valley. It’s essentially a full frontal shot of the Grand Paradise National Park. If this mountain was a centerfold, it would definitely make the cover:). Side note, the roofing for the houses uses slate, which makes them look like the back of a stegosaurus or dragon. Really cool.

The area offers free buses for the hikers, love it. The mountains are impressively steep. Most of our hikes included around a 3,000 foot climb and the mountains wasted no time in getting us there. The views are pretty overwhelming with the photos doing it no justice.

I find it impossible to write or photograph the area in a way that reflects the experience. Like the old saying goes, you just had to be there. A picture may say a 1,000 words but can’t emulate the effort and satisfaction or feeling and serenity that mountains leave with you.

European quirks. Everyone smokes! Okay, maybe not everyone, but damn it’s a lot. I think I have inhaled more second hand smoke in the past few months than I have in the previous decade combined:)

According to the WHO, Europe as a whole, obviously varies by region, has a smoking rate of 26%, while the US is just under 12%. Anytime we sit outside trying to take in something incredibly beautiful, it never takes long before the carcinogens start wafting their way through.

Bathrooms. European cities charge for bathrooms. Come on Europe:) You have so many things going for you, your public transit system should be a world model, great work-life balance, parental rights and benefits, but where is the fight for bathroom rights😂? Where is your bathroom Churchill, who is your William Wallace screaming you may take our hearts, but never our freedom, to…

Italy has possibly been my favorite country we have visited thus far. The people are so friendly, the sights and history and culture, both the beaches and the mountains, the food 😋 and for god’s sake, it’s the birthplace of gelato. I mean, come on. It’s been so fun, but now it is time for our capstone course in hiking.Read more