BUCKET 2025: Dolomites and Norwegian Fjords

Though planning to be Hike Day, Thursday turned into another Relax Day after yesterday's bike effects took hold. The short 2pm-4pm mountain drive in search of luggage to replace my damaged big boy brought us to some magnificent vistas. Adjacent to the car park, enjoying lunch!  Little towns spotted the mountainsides... Flowing streams, wild flowers and narrow roads... nothing prettier... except her: ) I'm drawn to photos through colored flowers.  Just a little stressed having parked in the on coming lane (nobody around) until some car came around...Oops, no time to position,  smile or focus!  Nearly in every direction was a beautiful peak.  The cloud formations added a surreal feel to what was already eerie beauty.  Enjoying the 90 degree indoor pool with a view.  They do a nice job with flowers and mountain visibility!  And yes,  it's a 2 person relax day!  Again, trying to show only the buffet appetizer plate with sashimi, truffle mozz...

  Don't want to start bike day with a small Breakfast... add a cappuccino and espresso and you're ready to ride!  It's not Bella but still a great reminder.  The guided ride led us past at least 3 lakes,  gorgeous,  Swiss like villages, and many beautiful vistas. Impossible for me to capture the glory in a photo... The Dolomites are special!  Around the lakes it was crowded,  but most of the ride was much more peaceful. E- bikes completely transformed these sleepy mountain villages into thriving tourist hot spots! Even 70+ year olds are having a blast!  Such a testimony to God's eternal presence are these crosses atop each peak!  A hidden feature of these hills are the miles of underground tunnels that go down 3 stories deep and are entered through rock "look-alike" doors. They were used for safety during WWI. Finished with just over 40 miles under our belts... impossible up all the valleys without the "E" part of the bike:) and keep praying ...

5:45am sunrise mimosas were no problem for me given the jet lag (Peggy was sleeping soundly) ... no sunrise was the only problem.  I magically erased the other 20 folks from the infinity pool.  Breakfast, from the power table, overlooking the valley, was a real treat.  Cable car to a stunning wilderness photography museum called Lumen was pretty special, and you can see some videos taken there on the whatsapp blog. (don't tell Steve B. I went to a museum). We love finding a cross on mountain peaks, communicating all glory to God!  Spring bloom in July.  Cool enough for a windbreaker as we circumnavigated the peak on an easy 30 minute rather flat walk about... remember it's Relax Day....  Our hotel from the returning cable car ride.  Back in time for outdoor pizza made by the world champion, according to the marketing material.. gotta believe it therefore!  Classic outdoor woodburning pizza oven helped make the pizzas extra excellent.  Had to ...

Travel Day starts with packing the car.  And this trip we've trimmed down a bit! Yay us!  And so it begins with a suggestive upgrade bid email from Lufthansa for 1st class seating.  I entered a bid of 10% the normal upgrade price and was, to our amazement,  accepted.  This kicked off a number of wonderful add on benefits... like 1st class lounges, private escorts through terminals, car rides directly to the plane instead of commuter busses etc. And as you can see in this picture,  a lounge kickoff glass of delicious French bubbly.  Once in our seats, more bubbly, and although there were only 8 seats in first class,  the conversations were joyful!  Each seat was like a private office,  comfort loaded and fully convertible to a bedroom.  One of our neighbors was a CEO of an AI company, and another was a past 747 pilot who flies first class any time seats are available.... Even the bathrooms had space with their window view. The best f...