A bit of a lie-in before we had to be on deck for breakfast between 8am-9am. The basic cornflakes and croissant (not together) wasn't up to much, but it comes with the price of the room so we will make the most of it. Today is a much needed rest day so we progressed into town at a leisurely 10am for coffee and a wander around. A local flea market was up and running. It felt a little unnerving to see stalls selling old army water canteens, army helmets and the like, knowing that the Italians and Austrians/Germans were fighting each other right here during the early part of the First World War, and then all three nations against the Allies in WWII.
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| Market day, with the Dolomites as a backdrop |
We have heard extremely little English spoken here. It is mostly German, with splashes of Italian or Austrian/Tyrolean. I have to admit we are both struggling with the Germanic nature of it a bit. Also seeing the German cemeteries around about. The area definitely feels German, not Italian. Being honest, because my father fought in the Second World War, I was definitely brought up with an anti-German bias. It's hard to shake it off and is of course an unfair reflection of current German society. However, John is not too keen on the German flavour here either. He thinks it's probably because of the literature he has read about the WWII and their treatment of Jewish and other minorities.
I saw a little boy wearing lederhosen today, and they are clearly available in the shops. Tyrolean hats are worn here and there. The architecture is also quite different to further south in Italy. I guess we are surprised at how non-Italian the area is and didn't expect it. Other differences from further south have become obvious over the last few days. One of the main ones is that drivers seem to be far more aggressive, and without doubt drive faster. They also very frequently cross over the centreline, whether coming towards you or driving in the same direction. It's makes travelling along the often narrow roads more harrowing.
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| Lederhosen for sale |
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| An old building in the centre of Dobbiaco |
Lunch today was to be a picnic somewhere in a quiet spot under the trees. We drove out towards the lake, hoping to find a rest area where we didn't have to pay a parking fee. The only spot was at the German cemetery! At least there was a picnic table. We enjoyed lunch, having a delectable pastry to finish off, then hoped to read a book for a while. Unfortunately, the weather clouded over and it got a little cold. We were wearing trousers today for the first time in weeks. The only option seemed to be to head back into town and order a glass of wine at a bar. Oh well, needs must! That was very pleasant, even when it started to rain lightly. We are so lucky we decided to do the Tre Cime walk yesterday and not today.
By 2pm we snuck back to our room for a quiet afternoon and catch up on the blog/emails. We will now plan the next three days, where we hope to do two more hikes in the Dolomites, before starting the final leg of the trip back to Ceret.
It's looking like dinner tonight might be bread and cheese, again!
