Full program!

The day was quite packed, and we experienced a lot. After a rather restless night (my own fault: who tries 7 wines in 90 minutes and ignores the leftovers container on the table shouldn't complain about poor sleep!), we met for breakfast and pondered what we could do. The sky was initially a bit cloudy, so we decided to go to the spa in Merano.

So we packed the swimming bag and were there shortly after opening when it wasn't too crowded yet. Michael didn't want to join us and instead hiked the Tappeiner Panorama Path, watching us from above. Later, he took the historic chairlift towards Dorf Tirol and enjoyed the view there. After a few hours, he picked us up when we were already quite wrinkly. The outdoor area of the spa is now closed; there are only two larger pools, partially in the fresh air, and a few loungers. Some people were indeed lying outside, but it was too chilly for us in our wet state. Daniel also spent some time in the steam bath and under the snow shower - brrr!🥶 I preferred being in the thermal pool, and in between, we rested on giant bean bags.

In the meantime, Michael scouted a very nice beer garden a bit outside the center. There, we could sit outside wonderfully and had what's called a “workers' menu.” It consisted of lasagna as a starter, a grilled gypsy schnitzel with rice as the main course, and finally, an affogato! Swimming and hiking makes you hungry, but afterwards, we were really full! And all this for an amazing 16 euros!

Eating makes you tired, so Michael looked forward to his siesta. Daniel and I decided to get some exercise and took the bus to Bolzano. Our first destination was the Ötzi Museum, which wasn't too crowded in the late afternoon. It is actually the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology, mostly dedicated to Ötzi and everything found with him. It's really well done and quite exciting. You view the mummy through a small window, where a maximum of two people can stand at the same time. Access is regulated, but we managed to get in without any issues. Apparently, there are often (hours-long) waiting times.

Afterwards, we strolled around the city, wandered over Waltherplatz, got some delicious ice cream (ice cream is always good, no matter how full you are), and headed to the Ritten Cable Car. There wasn't much of a crowd, so we could ride right away. Unfortunately, the other guests were a bit exhausting. An Indian extended family whose children were acting wildly, and whose father was constantly talking loudly on the phone and/or filming out the window next to me, and a very hard-of-hearing older local who was eager to chat with me. He asked me questions non-stop, but unfortunately couldn't understand the answers, so I had to repeat them very loudly each time. The twelve minutes of the ride felt very long...

Upon reaching the top, the beautiful view made up for everything! We took a little stroll in Oberbozen for about half an hour and had very nice, unobtrusive fellow passengers on the return trip! The subsequent bus ride back to St. Pauls was sluggish; traffic in Bolzano is quite heavy.

Michael was waiting for us here, and Daniel had just prepared small snack plates, and we are ending the evening comfortably. This is how a vacation should be! 😍