No hiking today!

Instead, after a wonderful breakfast at our hotel, we decided to take the ski lift to the top of Tofana di Mezzo. The ride goes up in 3 stages, and by the time we reached the top it was enveloped in clouds, with the wind allowing for periodic windows to the surround mountains and the valley below. After enjoying the scenery for a while we went back down one stage for some coffee and.... apple pie!

At the next stage down, we found an observatory where the guide showed us the sun through is telescope. He explained that because the sun showed only one sun spot, which is very unusual, the earth will get colder over the next several years. So much for global warming!

Back down in Cortina, we stopped at an ice cream shop for a GREAT dessert. In the afternoon we watched the Tour de France in our hotel room and finished the laundry.

After a while we went outside, to watch a parade of classic cars go by. We had dinner at another nice restaurant, after which we went back to our room where I checked my messages, and discovered that my brother was trying to reach me. He said that he was parked about 5 km outside of Cortina! After I called him, he and Miela came to the hotel, and Sander and I walked to Jan's RV where we had a nice conversation. After several hours it was time to say goodbye and go back to our hotel.