Today was our rest day... Joye's constitution decided that... as well, it was raining and the wind was blowing... not nice weather for walking. So we looked for an activity that involved riding chairlifts that offered protection from the weather. Ortisei is a major ski centre... and the infrastructure is impressive. We stepped out of our apartment... down a short flight of steps... into the Tunnel La Curta that offered 200 metres of moving stairway... where a chairlift took us 2.3 klms... and lifted us up 400 metres... we then changed into a cable trolley to travel a further 1.7 klms and up another 900 metres. Without raising a sweat... staying warm and dry... here we were at the top of a mountain range... quite close to some impressive mountain peaks.
The plan was to check Joye's state of health... and the weather... walk half a kilometre to another chairlift that would take us to the neighbouring towns... have lunch... and catch a bus back to Ortisei... not a bad plan. However, during our journey up, the weather had deteriorated... with strong winds and squalling showers. We stopped at the restaurant at the cable trolley terminal (Seceda) for shelter... and a hot bowl of soup. Joye fell asleep while waiting for the soup... so the planned extensions to the trip were quickly shelved. We waited for the weather to improve before tackling the return journey.
The stormy clouds racing across the mountain peaks gave us good photo opportunities. I was able to race outside the restaurant and grab a few snapshots during breaks in the showers. We felt sympathy for trekkers who had been caught on the track with bad weather... a recreational hazard.
The weather looked to be clearing... so we jumped on board the cable trolley for the trip down. When we changed onto the chairlift for the final leg, we noted that the wind had again picked up. When we were halfway down the cable car started swaying wildly... and the operator stopped progression. We sat there for five minutes (seemed longer) swaying in the breeze 70 metres above the ground. The wind eased off a little... the operator started progression and we watched the approaching terminal as if it was the promised land. Is it just us... or do you have 'iffy' experiences on chairlifts.
No comments:
Post a Comment