I quickly finished up my visit to Cividale del Friuli because I needed to get on the road. I didn’t even have time to have a sit down lunch somewhere because I needed to go. I ended up buying something from a gasoline station and ate in the car. My destination is almost three hours away from Cividale del Friuli, and it is the primary reason why I rented a car in the first place. Since I couldn’t find a way to get to that place in a time efficient manner. The car is very convenient for me anyway since it allows me to pack more places in one day. Since this would take almost three hours to get there, I needed to leave sooner so as to avoid having to drive in the dark in an unfamiliar place.

I thought I would be able to drive the three hours all in one go but I ended up stopping for a while at the small town of Santa Caterina which was along the way. The picturesque artificial lake of Lago di Santa Caterina was a great break for me since I would be able to stretch my legs from all that driving. I must remind myself not to get too carried away here since I was only just halfway there. I don’t expect to be able to drive that fast in this area since the roads are winding around the mountains and there is already snow on the ground.

The roads are all clear but that is a reminder to me that this is something that I need to keep in mind when I drive here. Since this was all in the mountains, there is no guarantee that the snow plows will be able to clear the roads in time. Anyway, my destination this time isn’t exactly a UNESCO World Heritage but it is within the UNESCO World Heritage site of the Dolomites. I don’t know where exactly are the famed mountains but I was already liking what I am seeing and I wasn’t even there yet.

Cortina d’Ampezzo is one of the larger cities here in this Dolomites. It is well known for being a ski resort and in fact has hosted the Winter Olympics a few time. But enough of that, I finally arrived and I needed to check into the hotel. I think it was still too soon for skiing and I managed to get a good deal at Hotel Al Larin. It is at the far northern end of the city and actually quite inaccessible without a car. There are buses which pass by here but don’t expect too much here. The hotel has a very rustic feeling which I think is perfect for a place like this. I don’t really plan on skiing and I was just here to see the sights.

The rooms were fine though I thought the bed was a little small compared to how large the room is. Other than that, everything was okay. The room was warm. The beds were nice and clean, there isn’t much to complain about apart from its location. Since it is so far away from the city center, one would need their own transportation to get there. I don’t know much about how taxis work here in Cortina d’Ampezzo. If you are walking, allow yourself time to get there since it can be a little far. On the other hand, parking in the city is also a pain. I spent twenty minutes looking for a place to park and ended up at a car park which isn’t at the center itself.

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