Dolomites, Day 1

Here are some photos and impressions from the first day of visiting the Dolomites in Italy.

The Dolomites are an amazing mountain range, part of the Alpine massif in northeastern Italy. It is characterized by marble white cliffs, stone walls and narrow valleys that stretch between them.

With its 18 peaks over 3,000 meters, they are a true paradise for all lovers of mountaineering, hiking, mountain and road biking in the summer months. During the winter, the Dolomites are a favorite destination for winter sports enthusiasts.

I have been planning a visit to the Dolomites for many years. The plan for this year was to finally hike the legendary Alta Via 1 trail, but it turned out that absolutely all the refuges on this 11-day long trek were overbooked.

In the end, I made the decision to travel to this alpine paradise with my friends on a short cycling-mountaineering adventure.

Due to the complete inexperience of my very dear companion (my girlfriend), and because I did not have time to prepare for altitude before arriving in Italy, we decided to spend the first day in a relaxed tour of a couple of picturesque locations and enjoying local coffees and delicacies.

We visited several lakes on the way to one of the most beautiful mountain passes I have ever visited: Passo Giau. The Dolomites treated us to real heavenly scenes complete with breathtaking rainbows and dancing clouds.

We stayed for a while on this pass, enjoying the change of sun and rain, while we treated ourselves to excellent coffee and Alpine apple pie. I haven't been to the Alps for a couple of years and I really missed them.

After a few more locations, the first day in the Italian Dolomites came to an end. Full of impressions, we got ready for the next day and much bigger efforts on one of the most famous peaks of the Dolomites. But more about that another time.

For now, a big greeting from the Dolomites with a few more epic scenes.