Shortly after I posted yesterday's update, the rain stopped and the sun emerged from its hiding place. The rest of the day was glorious: warm and sunny with a pleasant breeze. We decided to suss out the village and whilst there's not a lot to see, what there is seems very authentic, for which read lots of old (very old in some cases) buildings (and people) and a wonderful, easygoing atmosphere.
We finished our grand tour with a welcome beer at the local bar, which seemed to elicit some classic quotes from Lou (potential theme alert):
- How will he (the waiter at the bar) know we're here?
- The weather's going that way
And then it was back to the house for a splendid beef casserole (thanks Rach), a few glasses of red and highly competitive game of cards. We also managed to pull in some wildlife watching. Actually it was more like listening: birds of prey, owls and a largish creature behind the house (badger, wild boar, wolf, bear?).
We woke early this morning to a clear blue sky and I headed off to the local bakery to get some bread for breakfast. This gave me a few minutes to practice the Italian phrase I'd need and the possible phrases I might need if questioned. It was closed! However, the local grocers wasn't and they had a great selection of bread and rolls. Result!
And then we loaded up the car and headed north to the Aosta Valley. In other words, into the mountains or 'Alps' as I like to call them. Hence the quote (another from Lou above) when we announced that we'd be climbing the Matterhorn. Bless. Well, she is only seventeen.
And so we drove (very, very slowly on occasions) until we reached Cervinia, which is a ski resort nestled at the foot of the Matterhorn. I'll leave the photos to speak for themselves but can confirm that we (including Lou) did climb the Matterhorn. OK, so not to the very top but it was a start.
Just to finish: why can't you buy a cafetiere in Italy, even in a Carrefour, which is a French supermarket for goodness sake?
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