The Dolomites

The most magical, most relaxing place on earth that we have experienced – The Dolomites.

For as long as I can remember I have wanted to visit the Dolomites, a mountain region of the Alps in northern Italy bordering with Austria. The Dolomites definitely loans itself more to the feel of Austrian than Italian. But don’t worry, you can still find a spritz every where!

Every time I had seen photographs of these massive revered rocky mountains, with its luscious greenery, Austrian looking log houses and beautiful waterscapes, I was entranced. When would it finally be my time to breathe this beauty in first hand. 

If I were to tell you that the photos did it justice, I would absolutely be lying. The Dolomites are something that, when observed and experienced first hand, will leave you forever changed. 

The scenery

The Dolomites are filled with such variety of scenery. You can find hundreds of miles of trails. Whether you are are a hiker, bicyclist, adventurer, climber, or just someone who wants to eat, shop and enjoy, you will find exactly what you did not even know you were missing in your life. 

Ross, our son and I have never been more ourselves in our entire lives than what we were in the Dolomites. A place where we could do another one of my favorite things – sit and listen to the bells on the cows as they wander around the hillside. A sound I fell in love with. A sound that I could sit and, while listening, pretend that this is my entire life. I would never long for anything else but this time and this place. 

Relaxing in the Dolomites

The 7 days we spent in the Dolomites were filled with relaxation we never knew could exist. Now don’t get me wrong, we love relaxing. Sitting at a cafe with an espresso and hot chocolate or wine or spritz. Just talking and letting go of anything that thought it needed to be on our minds. But this was different. We hiked over 24 miles in one day…. yep. 24 miles in one day… with our newly turned 8 year old… who loved it as much as we did. Though he did wake up the next day saying ‘mama, my butt hurts.’ He stayed just as excited to get back out to it thought! 

Never the same – Dolomites changed us forever.

While enjoying our last day in the Dolomites before heading south, we decided to have a picnic overlooking the vast scenery. Cold cuts, some bread, grapes and a bottle of red. As H was making a necklace for himself out of the wildflowers he was finding on the hillside and grapes, I realized I had been wearing the exact same clothing every day for seven days straight – different undergarments for those of you concerned. I had also only showered twice. And you know what… I cared zero percent about this. I was so in my element. So enthralled with what we were doing, where we were, our time together. Our time together. Nothing else. Of course people and things reared their ugly heads and tried to bring us down. But there was something about being there surrounded by all if this wild beauty that made all of the outside ‘noise’ of others obsolete. 

Ross and I talked a long time about how clearly we could think. How whole we felt. This, what we were experience the last seven days, was what mattered. 

Rest, clarity, family, beauty – real God made beauty. We experienced a palpable change that we will now live in forever. 

Discover more of our travels and photography. Visit our print shop. View our etsy store – we make goat’s milk soap! Something I was ready to give up everything in the states and buy a farm and raise goats in the Dolomites. That is the dream…. and it will be coming true.

All photos taken on my Canon AE-1 and Contax 645