Our long European journey has begun, and we are currently in Berlin.
This time we have several goals; one is to visit one of the largest World tourism exhibitions, ITB Berlin, which we will do tomorrow morning, and our second goal is to try out several ski slopes in both France and Italy. And of course, we will film and show all of this to you.
We sailed to Germany on a Stena Line ferry from Liepāja, and this is a great opportunity to relax for 22 hours and catch up on various computer tasks that have accumulated.
From Traveminde to Berlin is a 3.5-hour drive, and upon entering the first gas station, we felt like it was spring, as the outside temperature was +13 degrees, and the sun was as warm as it is in Latvia in April.
In Berlin, we will stay for 3 nights with Jānis's relatives in an apartment. After a late lunch, we took a short drive through the city center and visited Checkpoint Charlie, where the US army and the Soviet army once divided the city. We also drove to the Brandenburg Gate and arrived just as the sun was setting, and the colors we experienced that evening were our great reward for the day.
The world's largest tourism exhibition ITB Berlin has been seen, no, it's more accurate to say, a small part of the entire exhibition has been seen.
More than 5 hours have been spent at this exhibition, and more than 7 km have been walked today; so many country stands from around the world have been seen and explored that it's hard to remember what we saw at the beginning and what at the end. That's why it's good that we've taken so many photos and filmed so much.
Many countries have really put in effort and created such impressive stands that it's very difficult to just pass them by.
The exhibition has at least 26 pavilions, where countries are located and grouped by continents or parts of the world, and there are also separate areas for hotels, operators, and agencies, and even one hall is dedicated to cruises and yacht trips.
The exhibition is interesting because many countries use their national culture, clothing, offer food and drinks for tasting, and allow visitors to take photos with various country dancers or indigenous tribes in their stands!
Rodrigo worked hard today and interviewed representatives from several countries, and an Arab television channel also interviewed Rodrigo.
The countries of Asia, South America, the Caribbean islands, Arab countries, and some European countries have remained in memory. There is also a Latvian stand at the exhibition, but I'd rather not comment on that! 
Tomorrow we will visit this exhibition again, as there are still a few countries we want to see, but couldn't find today!
Day 2 of the Berlin Tourism Exhibition, a heartfelt reunion.
Today, all four of us went to the exhibition, and since it's already the second day, it was easier for us to navigate all the halls and understand where to find each country.
I definitely want to start with a very nice and heartfelt meeting. Walking through the Asian hall, I met my excellent Bangkok guide, and this was such an emotional meeting that it gave me a huge amount of positive mood for the entire day. The guide promised to consider the possibility of coming to Latvia's Balttour exhibition next year.
Today Rodrigo again interviewed representatives from several countries, and soon this video, with all the interviews, will be available on our YouTube channel "Ceļot bez robežām" (Traveling Without Borders).
Food for thought, a slight digression from our travelogue! 
Today Rodrigo interviewed several countries, and two of them were Costa Rica and Cambodia. One of the questions was what they liked about their own country, and the representatives of these countries answered that they liked the people, the inhabitants of these countries. Both country representatives said that if we visited their countries, we would experience it ourselves and would be surprised by the kindness and responsiveness of the people!
So, here's the question: could we say that one of the things we like about our country is the people??? I don't believe anyone would say that. Because for a Latvian, even giving a small compliment requires a huge effort.
Thanks to the creators of the film "Straume" (The Current), at least here we saw Latvians saying something good again, otherwise, as elections approach, the barking season begins, where whoever barks loudest thinks they'll get a bigger piece of meat! And here, humanity takes a back seat; often, reading social media posts and comments, it seems as if the end of the world would be good for someone!
But enough of that, let's get back to our adventures.
It was a great pleasure to tell many Costa Rican representatives about Latvia and about their First Lady being Latvian, Signe Zeikate. Many did not know this and were surprised by what they heard.
Today at the exhibition, it was evident that many were already tired and awaiting the end of the exhibition, but some country teams were just starting to warm up and entertained visitors with both music and songs, like the representatives from Ghana who put on a proper concert. See the gallery.
At the end of the exhibition, we met representatives from Switzerland, and hopefully, this acquaintance will be useful to us in the future, and who knows, maybe we'll get to see some beautiful places we haven't had the chance to see yet.
After the exhibition, we went for lunch in Berlin's city center, but in the evening, Jānis and I went to the Vabali Berlin sauna. If you're in Berlin and you enjoy saunas and bathing rituals, definitely take this opportunity; it's worth it!
But now we're going to rest, because tomorrow we have to wake up early and travel across all of Germany, towards Switzerland!
Day 5 of the European trip, finally mountains, mountains again, and yet more mountains.
Waking up early in the morning, we realized there was no tea, coffee, or salt in the apartment. I found a shop that opened at 7:00 AM and went to get some tea, and while I was there, I also bought some warm French croissants. Breakfast turned into a festive one, as it was Women's Day after all.
Happy Women's Day to all on March 8th.
After breakfast, we entered Zermatt into the navigation and set off. This was our second time in Switzerland in half a year, and this time we definitely wanted to see more beautiful places than in autumn. Therefore, the village of Zermatt was our main goal today, as from this village you can also see the Matterhorn mountain, which is on all Toblerone chocolate wrappers.
Driving along the highway, after the first hour, we could see snow-capped mountains in the distance, and we were heading straight in that direction.
We drove and drove, enjoying the beautiful mountain views, and suddenly there was a traffic jam. We saw a sign in the distance indicating a toll booth ahead, probably for the road, but it turned out it wasn't for the road, but for a train that transports all cars to the other side of the mountain, through a long tunnel.
Once on the other side of the mountain, we continued towards Zermatt village and saw a sheep market along the way. I had never seen such animals up close before. Such interesting and cute sheep that at first we thought they were all big dogs.
After a 1.5-hour drive, we arrived in Tasch village, where we had to leave the car in an underground parking lot and take a train to Zermatt village. The ticket price for two adults and two children for a round trip was 55 Euros.
The train ride took about 12 minutes, and soon we were walking along the main street of Zermatt village. There were shops and bars everywhere, many people, and many had just finished skiing and returned from the mountains. All the cafes were full of people, and everyone was enjoying the warm sun rays, but at the same time, it was quite chilly without a winter hat.
Having reached the church in the village center, we finally saw the Matterhorn mountain, but even though it was sunny outside, the mountain peak was hazy. We found a free bench in front of the church, had a picnic, ate the food we had brought, and enjoyed the view of the Matterhorn.
After filling our bellies, we found a quieter spot to fly a drone and capture some shots of the village.
We took the train down, got into the car, and entered the name of a village where we would be staying for the next two nights into the navigation.
On the way, we remembered we needed to buy something for dinner. We drove into town and realized we were a little late. All grocery stores in Switzerland close at 5 PM on Saturdays, and all stores are closed on Sundays. So we drove around town, hoping to find an open store. After circling for a while, a woman finally advised us to drive out of town, and we were indeed lucky, if you can call it that. Lucky that the store was open, and unlucky that we had to buy various products three times more expensively than we had bought them this morning in France.
Food bought, we can go look for the apartments where we will live for 2 days, and for which a big thank you goes to Arturs Udris and his mother-in-law, who were so kind as to let us stay in their mountain cottage.
We took the same road we had taken in autumn with the children to enter Italy, but we never did, as the mountain pass was closed.
After driving for 40 minutes and passing through various small mountain villages, the navigation showed a left turn, and after 500 meters, there was a barrier across the road. We had to turn back and find another way to the apartments.
We found another road, from the other side, and drove up the winding mountain road. Having reached a village, we turned right onto a small one-lane road and slowly continued our journey. It was dusk, and we were driving on a very narrow and winding road. Out of the passenger's window, in the distance, in the mountain valley, we could see the village lights, and driving along such a large and steep slope was not particularly comfortable. Jānis, sitting at the wheel, was completely sweating. The barrier on this road was open, and we continued driving on the narrow road along the steep slope. After 10 minutes, we reached our village, and following the previously sent videos and pictures, we found our apartments.
I'll tell you about the apartments tomorrow, but I can say one thing now: it's the first time I've stayed in such an authentic guesthouse. I'll find out tomorrow when the house was built, but it definitely wasn't built in the last 100 years!
Day 7 of the European trip, Avoriaz ski resort!
The morning, like every morning, starts with breakfast, only this morning our breakfast consists of leftovers from previous days: each of us has one boiled egg, tea, and a small piece of "Squirrel" cake. If I were at home, this wouldn't be enough for me, but here, on the trip, it was even quite sufficient. Especially that moment when you've eaten that hearty and only egg, taken your tea, and gone out onto the balcony to enjoy the beautiful mountain views.
After tidying up the apartment, we packed all our belongings into our Nissan Qashqai and put Avoriaz into the navigation. We had a 2-hour and 30-minute drive, but with my filming and photography, we got delayed by another 30 minutes, because I just had to film these mountains, then those, and then the car driving against the backdrop of those mountains. You will see all these magical mountain views on our YouTube channel, "Ceļot bez robežām" (Traveling without borders).
We've driven for about 2 hours, and the road has been going up and down the mountain the whole time, until we noticed a Carrefour store by the roadside. We pulled over and went to buy various delicious foods. Since breakfast was incomplete, everyone was hungry, and in the car, we devoured two long French baguettes, simply plain, without anything, and it felt like we were eating a delicacy.
We continued driving and soon saw a sign for Avoriaz. We turned left, and after driving along a winding road for 10 minutes, we saw the first houses of Avoriaz, proudly rising at the edge of the cliff. Everyone exclaimed "Wooow," and our eyes darted in all directions, both at the many ski slopes and at the village itself.
The closer we got, the louder and stronger our hearts beat. The emotions in the car were soaring, and we wanted to get to the hotel as quickly as possible, drop off our belongings, and go explore the village and hit the first ski slopes.
We found a parking lot where we could unload all our belongings, put them in sled-like boxes, and pull them through the snowy village to our hotel. While Jānis parked the car in the parking lot, Rodrigo and I found our hotel, and it turned out to be one of the closest to the parking lot, so we didn't have to drag these sleds with bags far.
Upon arriving at the hotel, the reception told us that we should have called them and they would have come with a snowmobile to pick up our bags, but we were impatient and wanted to get to our hotel room as quickly as possible, settle in, and move on.
Having explored our two-room apartment, we went to the Tourist Office, where our ski lift passes, 4 tickets to the water park, a horse riding ticket, and various souvenirs were prepared for us.
Near the Tourist Office there is also a ski rental shop, Antoine Ski, where we are supposed to get our equipment. A kind shop assistant measures everyone's feet, sizes them, finds the best skis and boots, my snowboard and all the other equipment.
We stepped out onto the street, next to the cafes and restaurants, put on our skis and snowboard, and slid down through the town to the first lift. Yes, there's a lot of activity here during the day. Many people ski through the town to the lifts, many ski to restaurants for lunch, eat, and then slide further. From time to time, horses with sleighs pass by, then snowmobiles and buggies with winter chains.
Avoriaz, located in France, is one of the largest ski resorts in the Alps. It is part of the "Portes du Soleil" ski area, which is one of the largest ski areas in the world. In total, Avoriaz offers more than 650 km of ski slopes, which are accessible throughout the Portes du Soleil region, combining both France and Switzerland.
The Avoriaz resort itself has approximately 130 km of slopes suitable for all skill levels. Also for our skill level, which is somewhere between ''still holding on'' and ''almost held on''!
But considering this is only the first day and we hadn't enjoyed proper mountains for a long time, then 3 falls per person within 4 hours is even very acceptable.
There are so many trails here that you can get lost. We only knew where to ski thanks to Jānis, because he has been here several times, but on your first visit, you need a guide or ski navigation here.
After the last run, we pulled up to a bar on the way to our hotel, where a proper party and fun was happening, everyone was on the tables dancing to the rhythm of the music. The sight was impressive, and you just wanted to jump into the crowd, have a beer and dance, but today it was impossible. All my muscles ached so badly that I didn't know how I was going to get to the hotel, let alone get on a table and dance!
But tomorrow we will definitely join this fun crowd! (ha, ha, good resolution, I don't believe myself!)
At the hotel, we changed, went to the store, bought everything for dinner - grilled chicken with long French baguettes, a lot of water - and enjoyed a proper and beautiful dinner on the balcony, watching the sunset.
After dinner, we went to the hotel sauna, swam in the pool, where we could also swim outside and enjoy the beautifully lit town of Avoriaz.
An evening like any other, only Janis Kronis and I are feeling various aches and pains, but tomorrow will come, and we will hopefully forget these pains.
Day 8 of the European trip, lost on the Avoriaz slopes!
This morning started with breakfast at the hotel, and ever since the Stena Line ferry, we've been making our own breakfast every morning, and you've already read how that went for us, the previous morning it was just one egg with tea.
So this time, after a good meal of fresh salmon, various meats, fruits, and pancakes, we were ready to get on our skis and boards and head to the mountains.
Before breakfast, I went out onto the balcony, and all the mountains were in a thick fog. We were already worried that we wouldn't be able to ski today, but while we were eating breakfast, the weather cleared up, and as we put on our skis, the sun even began to shine.
All skis and equipment are stored in the basement, where each locker has heaters and ventilation to dry everything as quickly as possible. You grab your skis or board, open the door to the outside, put on your equipment, and slide down the mountain, through the town to the first lift.
That's what we did, and after just 15 minutes, we were sitting on the first lift, heading up the mountain.
From the mountain, we headed to the other side, because there's a lift that takes you even higher up the mountain. The slopes have been groomed overnight, and skiing now is a pure fairy tale. There are few people, the sun is shining, the sliding is good, and the views are breathtakingly beautiful.
Having come down, we went up the mountain again, only this time to a slightly different side than the previous day. Again, we went down and again took another lift up; this time, we had already reached a Swiss peak, and going back, we would enter France, but going the other way, we would be in Swiss territory. We chose a wider slope, but we didn't really see where it would lead us in the end. We risked it and went, but it turned out this slope was very long, and the lowest section, which goes through the forest, was many kilometers long and slowly moved away from our town. That's what we thought at first, that it slowly moved away, but in the end, it turned out that we had skied very far. I could tell you more about our mountain adventure, but in short, we had to go up and down 5 more times to get back to our lift and to our Avoriaz slope, which leads right to the town. We skied for 5 hours in total, I don't know how many kilometers, but certainly a lot. Skiing home, even Rodrigo, who yesterday said he could ski for 10 days straight, today says, "I think that's enough for today."
We went to the room and changed into dry clothes. I had sports protectors on my knees, and within 5 hours, they had pressed my knees and legs so much that my calf muscles were swollen like heads. I had never seen them like that before, but luckily we had a massage gun with us, and within 30 minutes, my calves regained a somewhat human appearance.
After resting in the room, we went for a walk around the town, Rodrigo interviewed several people, we bought food for dinner again at the local shop and headed to our apartments. Speaking of prices, here, 1800m above sea level and in such a popular ski resort, the prices in the shop are similar to our shop prices, so with our standard of living we have reached the French mountain resorts and we no longer have to be horrified by shop prices, as it was several years ago. Last year, I had guests from France and they were horrified by many prices in Maxima's shop!
We spent the evening in the hotel room, sauna, and pool, and in the evening we flew a drone to see what the town looked like from a bird's eye view at night.
Day 9 of the European trip. Fog, snowstorm and dinner at an ice restaurant.
Like every morning, this one also starts with going out onto the balcony, and we realize that we can't even see the next hotel, there's a thick fog and it's snowing.
We went for breakfast, hoping the fog would clear, but after breakfast, it was even thicker. I stayed in the room and waited for Arturs Udris and his wife and children to arrive, but Janis Kronis and the two boys nevertheless mustered up the courage and went skiing in the mountains.
Around 10:00, Artūrs arrived, and I went to meet them. Meanwhile, our skiers had also returned, and we all went together to the town center to go sledding.
After enjoying the winter delights, snowball fights, and sled rides for a while, we went for lunch at a local restaurant. Artūrs ordered Raclette for us; this is a traditional dish where a special Raclette cheese is heated (usually with a special Raclette grill) and then the melted cheese is scraped over potatoes, meat, vegetables, or bread. We all not only ate well but even overate. We didn't finish all the cheese and took the leftover meat with us to the hotel.
After lunch, Artūrs headed back home to Geneva, but we were determined to try skiing in the mountains again. We put on our equipment, made it to the first lift, skiing through the entire town, and ascended the first mountain. Although I had a mask and full equipment, at the top I realized that my task was to get to the hotel and understand which direction the hotel was in. I joined the flow of all skiers, which was roughly turtle speed, and tried to move towards the town, but Jānis and the boys are already experienced skiers, little rabbits in the fog, they risked it and went to the other side of the mountain. Straining my eyes and using my sense of smell, I found my hotel, happily took off my equipment, and went to the room to rest. After 40 minutes, the rest of the team arrived, and they too were happy to be back and had no desire to repeat it.
In the evening, we had dinner planned at the Igloo restaurant, which is located on a small hill and has walls made of snow and ice. We had already received an email advising us to dress warmly and prepare for a short walk.
We slowly walked through the town; the fog had lifted, and we could see beautifully snow-covered fir trees and hotel roofs. Although Christmas was less than 3 months ago, walking through the town felt truly festive, with many fir trees still adorned with holiday decorations.
After walking through the town, we entered a hotel and took the elevator many floors down. Since this town is built into the cliffs, it has several levels, and from this level, you can take a cable car down to the town of Morzine. However, we had to wait here for someone to come and pick us up and escort us up the mountain. A 15-minute steep climb, and we reached the restaurant.
The view from this mountain to the town is like something out of a fairytale; everything is beautifully covered in snow, and lights are lit in the evening twilight. Even the opposite cliff is illuminated, and we get so caught up in photographing and filming the town that we forget about dinner.
The children go in first and find our table in the third ice room, settling onto wooden chairs. After finishing photographing the fairytale village, I also go inside, into the snow cave, the Igloo ice restaurant. The first room is a bar, with Shrek and Fiona carved into the walls. In the next room, there are several set tables for other groups, and various artworks are carved into the snow walls.
Once we've taken our seats at our table, they bring us various drinks and the main course for the evening, Fondue. We joke that today all our food is just cheese, and we begin dinner. For me and Rodrigo, this is the second time we've eaten this dish, and we quite like it. Rodrigo surprised us and ate all the bread with cheese; Jānis and I barely ate half of what Rodis devoured. For dessert, we still got waffles with Nutella, and feeling the chill in our bodies, we head back to the hotel.
Walking down the mountain, along a wide ski slope, the children went wild, sliding on their bottoms, rolling, somersaulting, and having snowball fights. Meanwhile, Jānis and I couldn't get enough of the beautiful winter scene of Avoriaz.
Once back at the hotel, I flew the drone, filmed some beautiful shots, and we quickly went to bed, hoping for a sunny morning.
Day 10 of the European trip. The fog continues, but we risk skiing.
This morning, the fog is even thicker than yesterday, and snow continues to fall. Outside the window, we hear snowplows driving by, and in the mountains, explosions are set off to create avalanches before people start skiing.
We go to breakfast, meet a family from England, and they are determined to risk it and go skiing in the mountains.
Since this is our last day in France, after breakfast, we pack up all our belongings, go to the sauna and pool, but Jānis is restless and ready to try the mountains to see how thick the fog is up there.
30 minutes pass, Jānis calls and tells us to get dressed, saying the fog isn't that bad and we can ski, and there aren't too many people either.
We get dressed, ski to the town's lower lifts, and there's one of three we haven't tried yet. We get on the lift and head up the mountain to 2300 meters above sea level. After just 5 minutes, we realize the fog has returned, and we can't see the front lift seat.
Having reached the top of the mountain, we can see about 15 meters, and only by looking at other people do we understand which direction the slope is and where to ski. Slowly and unhurriedly, we glide down; many overtake us and pull away, but we don't go crazy. At one point, we are alone, and barely visible in front, a man is skiing. We agree to follow him, as he surely knows where to ski. After a few minutes, he's gone, we're alone, but we ski in the direction where he just was. It turns out our guide, if you can call him that, skied off the track and fell, and is trying to find his skis.
A little lower down, the thick fog has cleared, and we've already reached yesterday's ice restaurant, which is very close to the town. We reach the lifts and get on one of them, where skiing down the mountain allows us to ski right to the hotel door. But once on the mountain, we see that the fog has also rolled in a bit on this slope, and we risk heading to the other side of the mountain.
Here we are doing much better; the slopes are excellent, visibility is good, a lot of snow has fallen over 2 nights, and small tracks, similar to pumptracks for scooters and skateboards, have been set up in the forests. Of course, Rodrigo and Artūrs prefer riding these small tracks more than honing their technique on the wide and large slopes. I also rode one forest track with Rodrigo, and just before exiting the forest, I fell squarely on my face. I get up, remove the board, my first thought is if anything is injured, nothing seems to hurt, but pulling the board back, I feel my arm, near the shoulder, hurts and I've strained something. I think it's just a minor thing, it will heal by the wedding, but after 10 minutes, on the smoothest and slowest slope, I fall again because people are gathered in a crowd and I can't get past them. I fall exactly as I did the previous time, and this time, as I fall, I feel my arm, and I realize there will be a minor injury after all.
We ski down to the bottom, take another lift back up the mountain to get to our hotel, and skiing in France is over, for some more successfully, for some less so. While the youngsters share their impressions of what they experienced on the mountain, I sit in the bathroom holding snow on my sore arm. During my sports career, I've had so many different injuries that this one won't spoil my mood at all.
At the hotel, we have lunch, instant noodles and mashed potatoes, take back all the equipment and head to the water park. An hour is enough for us to enjoy the pool, outdoor jacuzzi and one water slide.
We head back to the hotel via the shop, buy something for dinner and continue to pack our belongings, because tomorrow morning we have to get up, have breakfast and drive further to Italy. Our Nissan Qashqai is already waiting for us.
Day 11 of the European trip, changing location from France to Italy!
The morning starts with a little anxiety, because on the very day we have to leave, the sun begins to shine and the slopes look great from the balcony. All four of us stand on the balcony and sadly gaze at the mountains, which we will not conquer today.
We go to breakfast and comfort each other, hoping that Italy will greet us with good and sunny weather.
After breakfast, we gather all our belongings, I fly my drone and get some great shots, the clouds are in the valley, just below our town's hotels and the mountains are bathed in sunlight. Thanks for the drone GPSPRO.LV
We carry all our belongings downstairs and go out to film a few more shots of the town. A horse trots by, pulling a sleigh, and we remember that we haven't used our gift card for a horse-drawn sleigh ride. So we wave to the driver, he stops, and we take a lap around the town center.
Today it's -2 degrees Celsius, the town is bathed in sunlight, people are everywhere skiing and snowboarding, music is playing in the bars, but we have to leave this fairytale land and embark on a 10-hour drive to the Italian Dolomites.
If you like winter sports, winter entertainment and beautiful towns, you should definitely come to Avoriaz, here you will surely be surprised by what you see and it will remain in your memory forever.
Our bags are brought to the car park by buggy, and Jānis drives our car, a Nissan Qashqai, with a thick layer of snow on the roof and hood. We load the car with our many bags and set off.
We agree to stop after a kilometer to film what the town looks like from a distance, but after only a few hundred meters, we drive into thick fog and only see snow-covered fir trees and the winding road leading down the mountain.
After descending the mountain, the fog disperses and we continue driving towards Italy. Once on the highway, we see snow-capped mountains ahead, but their peaks are hidden in thick clouds. Occasionally the sun shines, but many mountains are shy today and don't fully reveal themselves to us. Somewhere among these mountains is also Mont Blanc, but we don't understand which one or where.
After a while, Jānis wants coffee, so we drive to the first gas station. We park the car in the parking lot, get out of the car, and a van pulls up next to us. The window opens, and someone says hello to us. It turns out to be an acquaintance from Dobele. That was quite a surprise, to meet someone familiar in a completely foreign place so far from Latvia. After talking for about 20 minutes, each of us continues our journey, and soon we are driving through the Mont Blanc Tunnel, which connects Chamonix and Italy.
On March 24, 1999, a massive fire broke out in this tunnel, killing 39 people. The fire started when a Belgian truck carrying flour and margarine caught fire in the tunnel. Flames and smoke spread rapidly, causing one of the worst disasters in European transport history. After this incident, the tunnel was closed for several years and reopened in 2002 with improved safety measures.
Having paid 54 Euros, we successfully passed through the tunnel and entered Italy.
We continue our journey towards Milan, and slowly the mountains become smaller and smaller, the grass becomes greener, at times even blooming plum trees are visible, and many bushes already have leaves. Every few kilometers, we see ancient forts, castles, and fortifications; the breath of history is palpable here, ancient buildings visible at every step. If only we had more free time, we would definitely stop and take a walk.
Approaching Milan, we realize we want something to eat, so we decide to drive into the city center, find a kebab, and refuel at the same time, because on the highway the price for fuel is 1.95 Eur per liter, but in the city we filled up for 1.74 Eur per liter. We also find a delicious kebab and for 45 Eur, all four of us eat our fill.
Further our road leads to Bergamo, Lake Iseo and then through the mountains to our hotel, Michela - Trentino.
Having ascended one of the mountain passes, we again experience thick fog, snowdrifts by the roadside are at least a meter high, and all the villages resemble beautiful Christmas towns.
After 11.5 hours on the road, we have arrived at the hotel and immediately go to dinner. For the second time on the whole trip, we will eat something other than instant noodles.
Thanks to our spacious car, the Nissan Qashqai, which always finds a free spot for new things after every store visit.
Day 12 of the European trip. Getting lost in the Dolomites.
Today is our first full day in Italy. After yesterday's long drive, we slept well, but the morning greets us with fog and rain.
We have a delicious breakfast: Italian croissants, coffee, pancakes with chocolate, and an omelet.
We get dressed in our ski gear and drive to a nearby village, where we get our ski passes and equipment. We park our excellent Nissan Qashqai in the parking lot, go up to the 2nd floor and head for the lift.
For now, the only evidence of snow on the mountains is the numerous skiers waiting in line with their equipment. We get into the cable car, and with the rain hitting the window and roof, we ascend the mountain.
After 10 minutes, we reached the first mountain, got out of the cabin, but were told to go further and were driven back into the cabin. Another 10 minutes and we were already disembarking in the snow; the fog was thick and visibility was a maximum of 50 meters. The first question was, which way to ski? But there was no answer, because there were slopes in all directions and it was impossible to tell which one was better.
At 11:30 AM today, we are supposed to meet Alberto, the director of the Tourist Office, and he has sent us the name of a restaurant, which is also located in the mountains, on one of the ski slopes. We turn on the navigation and try to figure out which direction we need to ski, but the slopes are so winding that we keep going in circles and circles, unable to hit the right spot.
Around 11:00 AM, through the thick fog, we spot something similar to our name, ski closer, and indeed, we are in the right place. I stay to wait for Alberto, while Jānis and the boys head up the mountain again and descend a couple of times on the red and blue slopes.
We meet Alberto, discuss plans for the coming days, have lunch, drink tea, and say goodbye. Alberto skis down to the town, but we decide to go up the mountain a few more times and ski down the slopes we haven't tried yet. This was our biggest mistake of the day.
I could write for a long time about our skiing adventures, but the end result was that we were in the middle of the mountains, almost alone, with no other skiers. All the lifts were already closed, and we didn't know which way to ski. We stood there, scratching our heads, looking at the navigation and map, until we decided to follow the slope to our right. We skied and skied, a light rain began to fall, the fog was still thick, and after 15 minutes we had skied down to a lift that goes down to the town, but that too was already closed.
We take off our skis and board, walk 200 meters further, towards a large hotel and see another lift, it's still working, we quickly get in and go down the mountain.
Down below, the fog has cleared, but the rain is still falling. We find a bus, but it says it's going in a different direction. We go looking for other transport to get to our Nissan, and a local recommends the train. After 10 minutes, we're already on the train and only have one stop to go. We get off the train, and what a joy it is to see our blue Qashqai!
Tired but happy about the many kilometers skied, we drive to the hotel, go to the Spa, have dinner and go to sleep.
Good night and see you again tomorrow, when we'll go high into the Dolomites to see the magnificent mountains from the very top.
Day 14 of the trip. Finally, the sun and my heart rejoice at the snowy mountain landscapes!
This time I will write less, but include more beautiful mountain pictures.
Opening my eyes in the morning, the first sight is out the window, and finally there is no fog, but the sun is visible in the distance. The joy is immeasurable; finally, we will see what mountains surround us.
We have breakfast and quickly rush to the mountains, because at 9:00 we have an arranged meeting with Alberto, our new friend from the Tourist Office.
We are in the mountains at 9:05, we meet Alberto, take out all our skiing equipment from our fancy Nissan Qashqai, start getting dressed, and realize we have an extra pair of boots. In their great hurry, the children have taken some extra snowboard boots! We arrange with Alberto for him to call the hotel and explain the situation. Fast forward in time, we can tell you that in the evening, returning from the mountains, we went to the shop, bought a bottle of wine, put it in the boot, and put the boots back in place. After a while, in the hotel corridor, a man with long hair walks past Artūrs, with a bottle of wine in his hands, and smilingly says, "Thank you."
It's 9:20 AM, we're dressed in our ski suits and sitting on the lift with Alberto. He's arranged for a ski instructor today to teach the youngsters some technique.
Pejo is the most popular ski resort for families with children, and this is also a national park, so not many new slopes can be built here, and their length is only 20km. However, the height from which one of the slopes starts is 3000m above sea level. Here there are both red slopes and beginner hills for children.
Having ascended the first mountain, we see many families with children, and Polish is predominantly heard around us.
We meet our hooligan teacher and let the children make their first descent. Jānis follows with a GoPro camera, and I film from below with the large camera. After the first descent, the teacher says that this is too easy for them and they need to go to a bigger mountain. Alberto and I also join them and head to the 3000m mountain peak.
Having ascended, we realize there is thick fog, so we go sit in a cafe, hoping the fog will clear. After 15 minutes, the fog has thinned slightly, but as soon as we start skiing down, the fog is even thicker, and again we can't see anything. We reach the bottom, the teacher praises the youngsters, we say goodbye to her, but we, along with Alberto, ski down the mountain, all the way to the car park, where there is no trace of fog and the sun is shining. This is the first day with Alberto that we haven't gotten lost!
The track is excellent, both wide enough and fast enough, and also gentle enough for learning proper technique. Even for me, after 3 years of snowboarding, many things are finally more technical and I stand more stably on the board.
Jānis and the youngsters ride the slopes, I fly the drone and film the beautiful scenery. Lunchtime approaches, we eat delicious Italian soup and other delicacies, meet the youngsters' teacher, Rodrigo interviews her, and meanwhile, the fog in the mountains has completely cleared.
I take the lift down to the car to leave all the cameras and hurry back up the mountain, so we can all go down from 3000m again, but this time without fog and enjoying the beautiful mountain views all around.
We ride and enjoy, stop and take pictures, until after 30 minutes we are at the car, Alberto is also waiting for us there and accompanies us to the Spa center, where we have 2 hours of relaxation in the pools and saunas.
After the pools, we head back to the hotel, go for dinner, and then sit down at the computer to tell you about today's adventures.
I guess it didn't turn out much shorter!
Day 15 of the trip, skiing again and moving to Madonna di Campiglio!
Well, today I'll write less, you're probably tired of my writing by now.
We start the morning by packing our belongings and bags, as today we need to move to a new hotel located in Madonna di Campiglio. The previous hotel owner allows us to leave our belongings in the room while we spend the first half of the day skiing.
Alberto advises us to go up the Val di Sole mountains today, taking the lift from Daolasa, where we got lost on the first day and couldn't see anything due to the thick fog.
Today we drive into the mountains and enjoy the beautiful mountain views, remembering that we have been on such slopes before, but the surrounding views, we only see and understand now.
We drive and enjoy, filming with both phones and the new drone, and soon all the most beautiful video materials will be available on our YouTube channel, "Ceļot bez robežām" (Travel Without Borders).
Lunch is scheduled for 12:30 with Alberto, and only 30 minutes before the meeting, we find the right cafe, as there are many slopes here and lifts are built in all directions. If you don't have a map, you can quickly get lost.
Today, not only do we eat pizza for lunch, but we also have the opportunity to film how it's made and interview the cafe owner. On average, 300-400 pizzas are baked here per day, and this pizza was indeed very delicious, but the view of the Dolomites from the lunch table was fantastically beautiful!
After lunch, we say goodbye to Alberto and agree to come back in the summer, but we, with our skis and board, head down the mountain to return the rented equipment and drive to the hotel for our belongings.
Having loaded our excellent travel car, the Nissan Qashqai, we head to Madonna di Campiglio, to a new hotel, Bonapace. Here we will live for 3 nights until we finally go home to wash clothes and embark on the next journey.
We settle into the hotel and go to meet Alberta, the head of the Tourist Office. She tells us about the plan for the next two days, we go to the nearby equipment rental office, choose our equipment, and tomorrow morning it will all be delivered to the hotel. I finally got snowboard bindings that are similar to ski bindings; you step in and go, no more strapping and tightening after every lift.
We then stroll through the town center, return to the hotel, go to enjoy the pool and saunas, and at eight, it's time for dinner.
I still need to sit down and write this day's adventure recap, but I'm so tired that I'll wake up at 5:30 tomorrow and finish it!
Day 16 of the European adventure, the most beautiful slopes, enchanting mountain views, and the black run.
Since we already tried on our boots and chose our equipment yesterday, all the skis and boots were waiting for us in the hotel's equipment drying room in the morning!
After breakfast, Jānis and I go to pick up the Ski pass, and after only 30 minutes, we are sitting in the hotel shuttle and heading to the first lift.
The first mountain we go up is Cinque Laghi, we leave our bag with the drone at the top, ski down, try out the new equipment, go up the mountain again, and this time we ski down and film with the drone, trying out the follow function, which works quite well. Very soon, we will create a video on our YouTube channel, "Ceļot bez robežām," about this drone, with all the beautiful mountain views. GPSPRO.LV
The next mountain is Pradalago, and from both of these mountains, on the other side of the valley, we see the beautiful Dolomites mountains and cliffs, and the nearby slopes of these mountains are today's goal, so we look at the map and search for slopes that will lead to a lift that will take us up the mountains again, on the other side, closer to the Dolomites.
We drive and drive until we reach a lift that takes us all the way to Passo Groste, which is 2442m above sea level. From this mountain, you can ski a little lower, entering one of Europe's largest snowboard parks, Ursus, and then with another lift, you can ascend to 2504m above sea level and enjoy the wonderful views of the surrounding cliffs. Here we flew the drone again, and the views from the drone are fabulous; soon you'll be able to see them on our TikTok and Instagram accounts, "Celot bez robezam" and "celotbezrobezam_tv."
After taking photos and filming, the youngsters decide they want to try the black runs, we agree, and start our descent down the black run leading to the town of Madonna Di Campiglio. We ski along, thinking that the black run isn't so bad, until we reach the final section, an approximately 200m long descent, or rather a 200m long drop down the mountain.
To my great surprise, our youngsters just kept going, and Jānis, after them, made it halfway and stayed to film my descent. I sat down on the side of the mountain, and it felt like I was looking down at the city from a 20-story building, with my legs dangling over the edge. I realized I needed to do something to get down, so I moved a little and started sliding on my backside. I couldn't stop, I pressed the board hard into the snow, but the speed didn't decrease. I slid and slid, trying to brake with my hands and the board, but it did no good. Finally, I hit a large snowdrift and stopped. Here I realized that sliding on my backside wouldn't work; I needed to stand up, but even sitting on the snow, I was almost standing because the steepness here was immense. Finally, I gathered the courage to stand up and slid towards the side of the slope, realizing that this way I would make it and trying to keep from falling. Finally, I reached the bottom, and this mountain is no longer on my future list.
We take the lift up the mountain again and ski down to the bottom, along the red and green runs, to the starting lift, and at a local cafe, we order two 30 cm pizzas, one can of Coke, one can of Sprite, and 2 beers, paying 42 euros for all of it. As Jānis says, the previous bill at a Riga eatery for three people was about 60 Euros. Either it's expensive in Riga, or it's cheap here in Italy.
After eating pizzas, we couldn't decide whether to go up the mountain again or not. We called the hotel, told them to pick us up, but they replied that outside the city, they only drive for a fee. We looked at each other and realized the problem was solved; we'd go up the mountain again and ski towards the town.
One cannot overstate the importance of choosing the right clothes for the mountain. Thanks to FANS Sporta veikals, where we always replenish our winter clothing supplies, from socks and thermal underwear to ski suits and equipment. With the right clothes, there has never been a time when we were too cold or too hot; just ski and enjoy the mountains!
After 40 minutes, we are already in the city and take the hotel bus to a nearby hotel. After changing, we go to the store and buy two large bags of drinks and sweets for 20 Euros, and again we realize that all this would certainly cost more in Latvia.
One more day in Italy and then we head home after tomorrow.
Day 17 of the European adventure, the final day in the Italian ski resort!
Since this is the final day, we start the morning with skiing and head to the slopes we haven't tried yet. Reaching the summit of Dos Del Sabion mountain, excellent views of the Dolomites open up all around again, and today the sun is so strong that many people are sitting in sun loungers, undisturbed, enjoying both the sun and the wonderful views.
After skiing approximately 25 km on the slopes, we have returned to our small town, we call the hotel shuttle, and after 4 minutes, it arrives.
At the hotel, we change and stretch our Nissan Qashqai, drive to the neighboring village for pizzas and find a charming picnic spot where we not only eat Italian pizzas but also say a few words about our travel impressions.
While we talk, our drone batteries and phone are charged with the new EcoFlow charging station, which can be used for long trips as well as for relaxing in nature. Available at M79 Internet Store
We are back at the hotel, the youngsters run to the pool, but Jānis and I, for the first time in 17 days, allow ourselves a 30-minute nap during the day.
At 5:00 PM, Rodrigo and I are to be in the center for an interview with the director of the Madonna Di Campiglio lift system. During the interview, we learn that the black run, which I had trouble with yesterday, is named after Michael Schumacher, as he once loved to ski here. He also mentioned that between 11,000 and 23,000 people go up the mountain daily. After the interview, Bruno, the director we spoke with, gives us two beautiful sweaters and a large box of pasta produced in a family business in a nearby village.
The evening again passes at the hotel, in the saunas, the pool, dinner at the restaurant, and it's time to start packing our bags, as tomorrow after breakfast we leave for Latvia, navigation shows 22 hours.
Good night and see you again on new journeys.
