The first travelling day is behind us. And it was a tough, but a rewarding one.
As we are still trying to find our group dynamics, the morning started with a bit of a hassle. Still, proudly, we managed to keep up with the general time-plan (well, with the Academic 15 delay, but who’s counting) for putting down our camp. And that even included a group photo on the Cavazzo Lake. Don’t we just look stunning in our brand new T-shirts?

The first travelling day was also our longest one. So, the decision was to bike it through. It started with a steep climb, but as our guides were scaring us how steep it is, we were mentally prepared for it and managed it without any bigger issues.
Our guide was actually a biologist, so while we were having a break at the top of the hill, he took us to see the preserved swamp with lots of wildlife just hanging around there.
A hint: We liked the place so much, that we actually left a geocache behind for all our followers. Try to find the swamp by the road. Good luck!

After our breathing and heart beats relaxed, we continued our way. And for the first time we saw the magnificent Tagliamento. Just imagine a group of cyclists doing “Ahhh…”, “Ohhh…”, “Wooow…”. The massive riverbed is rather empty at the moment, as it is the peak of the summer. But already imagining it full during the rainy period in Novembers is impressive.

There was a time for a stop in the Venzone village, which was destroyed during the Earthquake in the 70s, but rebuilt in the same fashion afterwards. The fountain in the middle of the market offered a really nice relaxation, while one guy even managed to find a coffee there and went for a quick fix.

As the group was already mounting the bikes, Nate observed: “’Did Ales have his coffee?‘ will probably become the next thing during our walk.” ☺
The running gag continued when the whole group began to show him the coffee places at all the new locations. Truly a compassionate crowd!
Just at the outskirts of Venzone we ate our lunches and the brave ones jumped in the water.

Some more cycling followed and we entered Resia valley (where there was already the next chance for the group to have a cup of macchiato, cappuccino or espresso.

Shortly after we entered the valley, the river Resia (yes, it is called the same as the valley) was just too inviting, so we jumped in. Technically speaking we sat in it, because it was not deep enough, but you get the idea. The brave ones even went for a swim, while some others simply enjoyed the sun rays at the river banks.

The bravest ones deserve a special mention. Hail to Mana, Martin and Matija.

And then it started. It’s always the last climb that destroys you! It was only 3 kilometres of easy climbing followed by a 2 kilometre steep climb. Red faces, deep breaths, fast heart bits, slow speed in the lowest gear, huge extension of the group size and some walking their bikes up the mountain,… The perfect description of the last metres of the trip.

When we arrived in Prato di Resia, we just couldn’t do anything else than sit in front of the house for a while. Then we hunted up our rooms, which offered just amazing views over the valley and mountains. Just before the dinner we were greeted by the Director of the Natural Park Julian Prealps, Mr. Stefano Santi. He really nicely summarized the situation in the park.

Italians just love to eat late dinners! Finally, at 9 pm, we sat down in a nice restaurant and enjoyed our long awaited meals.