aaaaah… two whole weeks in south tirol, just walking, eating and enjoying our friends and their dogs. we played board games together, perused the books from their library, and met their own friends. it was a much needed reset on an otherwise crazy year.

– hiking hiking hiking. despite the dodgy back acting up, we walked bits of the meran waalweg and höhenweg, as well as other local paths and it was just beautiful. the area is filled with hiking trails, and you can see lots of older tourists on them. plus, there’s all the autumn colors of central europe, which i’ve mentioned a million times already… i don’t think i’ll ever get tired of them.

– we went to an unexpected guided tour of two mummies, and it was really super interesting. mummies are fascinating a priori, but it’s amazing to see experts talk about the things they’re passionate about. just… wow. alas, this was not the time we met ötzi yet.

– it feels like a bit of sorcery that we didn’t gain a single kilo, despite eating our way through süd tirol with gusto. mountain huts, friday markets, restaurants and supermarkets were visited and thoroughly sampled, bellies filled and happy throughout.

– tirol is dairy madness though — i don’t think a single day went by in which i didn’t have to take a few lactase pills to make up for all the delicious milk, yoghurt and cheese i consumed. they’re so, so good, and there are so many hiper-local brands! it really makes me wonder where we went wrong in portugal, and why all our dairy seems to come from 2 or 3 big companies.

– our friend gui opened a youtube channel while we were staying there, featuring some of his gorgeous macro videos. check it out!

– at the end of the two weeks, we took 2 trains, a uber, 1 flixbus and a plane to come back home, and now here we are, home sweet home. i feel light, and i’m trying to hold on to this feeling and remember we can have a break anytime.