August 2024
Italy
Pt 1
It has been a while since I updated because we were hiking and climbing for weeks! One of my favorite things to do in Italy is Via Ferrata. In English this translates to the iron way. Most Via Ferratas go to the top of mountains that are inaccessible to normal hiking paths. Some Ferratas were built in WW1 to help soldiers get from one place to another safely. There are also tunnels along some of the routes that soldiers built. We have been alternating staying in huts and staying in campgrounds. All of the food has been amazing, both in the huts and the camps. In one of the huts (overall my favorite one) we got to sing karaoke with some other people staying at the hut. The experience was magical. The weather has been beautiful other than a couple of hot days. Overall I am excited to see where Italy takes us next.
Pt 2
We have been hanging out in campgrounds with friends from other countries. It has been marvelous. Meeting kids from all different countries and backgrounds has not only been interesting, but enjoyable. We have gotten to meet so many amazing people and it is always hard when we need to leave them. Whenever we leave them, we make sure to exchange info with them so we can talk. But sometimes that doesn’t always work. We will always have the memories with them. I’m excited to make more friends over the course of this year although we will always leave them. Overall the memories are more important than seeing the people again.
Pt 3
Hiking through the dolomites has been fun and beautiful. The huts make it much different than hiking in the US; giving you a place to rest and refuel every few kilometers. My favorite thing about staying in the huts is the people we meet. We have met more people from Colorado than we have anywhere else. We get placed with many amazing people whenever we eat dinner. It has been an amazing experience meeting people from all over the world, some doing the same as us. I also enjoy how at the end of each hike, we usually get a treat. These could include apple strudel, fries, or hot cocoa.
We did a really hard Ferrata a few days ago. It was eight hours long. Although it was hard, we kept going and eventually made it to the hut. All of the clipping and unclipping… and clipping… and unclipping for hours was extremely exhausting both mentally and physically. One of my favorite views on all of sabbatical was the sight of the hut after that day.
Recently we saw our cousins from Italy. They have been so sweet and their English and Italian are impeccable. We have been hiking with younger kids and it has been adorable. Hearing stories from their parents, and then from then has been hilarious. Parts always change no matter what. Overall I have loved the dolimites and a, sad that we are leaving.
Pt 4
After the dolimites we went to Trieste: a city on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. We stayed in our cousins house with their four kids. After the sleepover we went on a swim near their house. I would dive down and grab shells for our little cousins who were just learning to swim. Overall I loved Italy and I am saddened by the fact we must leave.
Croatia
Oh my gosh! I have missed swimming in the ocean. All of the fish and rocks are more beautiful than I remember. Swimming down to the bottom and grabbing the hermit crabs has been one of my faivorate memories over the month. After hiking for so long, sitting down and resting has been refreshing. The campground that we were staying at was in the perfect place on the beach with sevral restaurants within walking distance.
We also went to a colosseum in pula. It was so well preserved that I could not belive it. It was huge with a sandy bottom that is used for concerts now, but gladiator games hundreds of years ago. It filled me with awe of the sheer scale of the building.
My favorite thing was an inflatable lawsuit. A wipeout course on top of the water. There were many injuries and so much fun being had, and at the end of the day we were sore, exhausted, and jolly as we went to bed.
We had so much fun in Croatia and I am excited to see where we end up next!
Eight Boots Abroad 