I bow before the Queen of the Dolomites. She rises before me in all her splendor. In summer especially, her glacier shines out from the mountains from miles away. I’m talking about the Marmolada. You rarely get as close to her as you do on the Bindelweg. I had already had the pleasure of glimpsing this impressive giant in winter, but I’d never spent so long hiking in her shadow.
One of the most beautiful panoramic trails in the Dolomites
The Marmolada lies ahead of us, Lago di Fedaia below. My gaze darts between the turquoise water and the icy face of the glacier. I hardly know what to look at first. Probably best to start with the trail. My eyes follow the steep mountainside as it drops away to my right. The Bindelweg, the trail we’re on, isn’t technically difficult, but you still wouldn’t want to trip here. Okay. Time to concentrate.
Oh, look, a butt!
I carefully put one foot in front of the other. Again and again, I have to stop, pull out my phone and snap a photo or two. By the end of the day, I have what feels like 200 photos of the reservoir in my gallery, and just as many of the Marmolada itself. And they all look the same. Except one. “Marlene, I’m not going to tell you what’s coming. Just look up there.” I obediently look up. Birds are circling overhead. “And now, look here! This rock looks like a butt!” I look at a split boulder lying there that really does bear a passing resemblance to an oversized backside.
How to give yourself away as a German in South Tyrol
Once we’ve recovered from the silly moment of the day, my stomach soon makes itself heard. Right on time. Just around the next bend, we find ourselves in front of a mountain hut with a large sun terrace. Flags are flying all around it. Croatia, Italy, Great Britain, France, Spain, Austria, … where’s Germany? There’s no German flag. We stop in anyway. And I order a “typically German” lunch: spaghetti and a latte macchiato. As I’ve learned, that’s just not done. A cappuccino may be acceptable at breakfast in exceptional cases. But otherwise, coffee with milk is frowned upon. Especially when you order it with a meal.
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On the roof of the Dolomites
I enjoy coffee with lots of milk foam just as much at lunchtime or in the evening as I do in the morning. My energy reserves are topped up again. Onward to the Marmolada. Sadly, not on foot today, but by gondola. Even so, the view blows me away. From one side of the viewing platform, you can see all the way to Venedig. Next to it is Alta Badia. Then comes Gröden. Wow. You can see all the famous Dolomite regions at a glance from here. I scan the mountains, wondering which peaks might be among the 101 best mountains . Which ones do I absolutely have to climb? A few peaks have already caught my eye ….