Ascending to the Col du Grand St. Bernard

The Col du Grand St. Bernard is up there somewhere.

This St. Bernard was quiet and did not bark or leave droppings

The patron saint. The dogs are named after him, not vice versa.

As long as there's no rain, I won't complain about the clouds.

Col du Grand St-Bernard

September 4, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 52 °F

I should call it Colle del Gran San Bernardo since I crossed from Switzerland into Italy. Because of construction on the Swiss side, I had to bypass the good Swiss road with a toll tunnel and then backtrack on the Italian roads, making it a round trip on the Italian side. The tunnel had a long backup to pay the toll. I went on vacation to get away from traffic like that.

It worked out for the best because the Italian side had an amazing road to the pass. I took long break here in spite of the threatening skies. Not a drop fell on me until after I checked into the hotel.

The Colle del Gran San Bernardo is in Italy so it's time for a cappuccino. I asked if 1:00 pm was too late for a cappuccino and the barista said no. I wonder if that really meant, "not too late for Americans who drink them all day long." Italians believe that drinking milk late in the day is bad for digestion.Read more