Temu, a week of skiing at New Years

Skiing at New Years in Italy is tough on the wallet!  I searched high and low for a ski resort town that was either a little less known or a hotel that was reasonable (most famous places were about 350-500 Euro a night and definitely not in our budget!).  I came across a small town, Temu, Northeast of us that actually had some very reasonably priced hotel rooms so off we went with our friends Ashely, Steve, Melissa, and Brian for a week long trip at New Years Eve.

Matt and Me

Steve, Brian, Me, and Matt

 I love this group photo on the 6 person ski lift!  Great job Steve (I hope it is ok I stole your photo).

Matt got a new toy for his birthday so I put together a quick GoPro video:

For dinner, we participated in Raclette, which is a block of cheese next to a heating element and you scrap the cheese onto your plate when it is ready.  They bring you plates of meats you grill yourself on a hot stone and breads to eat with the cheese. It is kind of like fondue without the pot.  Bellisimo!

New Years eve was spent playing a little Cards Against Humanity and partaking in a few beverages.

It is very common in Italy to light paper lanterns on New Years Eve and send them floating off in the sky.

Matt, Sasha, and I on a hike!  Quick Sasha update for those of you who know her, she is still doing great 6 months later and it is unbelievable!  She still struggles with the stairs a bit, but she still loves traveling with us.  We don't take her on strenuous hikes anymore, but we still try to bring her as much happiness as we can, while we can.  Thanks to Ashely and Melissa for letting me stay out to ski while you took Sasha out midday for potty breaks! :-)

Across the street from our hotel, was a great museum about World War 1 from the perspective of Northern Italy, which they called the "White War", because it was fought from the mountain tops that line the country.  It was fascinating to see their struggles with getting large equipment, such as cannons, to the top of the mountain.  Some of the men fighting were from the south so they had to learn how to hike in the snow, because it was their first experience with snow.

Pulley system created to bring sick animals, food, etc. up and down the mountain

Some of the old barracks are still intact on the mountain and this one was disassembled and reassembled in the museum to show what life was like on the mountain top:

museum front

Happy New Year, Everyone!  May 2015 be filled with new, exciting adventures!

Another chance to look upon the Matterhorn while skiing in Cervinia

Last winter we spent a weekend in Cervinia and we loved the skiing so much we had to go back this time for opening weekend!  We found a super cozy ski hotel just a short walk to the ski slopes called Hotel Jumeaux.  I contacted the hotel to ask if we could have a room on a low floor since my dog, Sasha, can't walk down stairs very well anymore. I can't say enough about how kind they were regarding our dog!  They had an elevator in the hotel (which is rare) and they always asked about her and how she was doing.  They had a 3 month old St. Bernard puppy with pink ribbons on her ears (heart mealter!).  Now on to the skiing and other good pictures!
 

 

After we were checked in we decided to take a walk about town while we waited for our friends to arrive.

Look at this view from our hotel!

Great place for afternoon tea!

I have to give a HUGE shout out to Amanda, because she walked my dog every day while I was on the ski slopes skiing. My original plan was to come down from the mountain to let Sasha out, but Amanda took care of that for me.  How awesome is that?!  Sasha has a new best friend!

And we are ready for skiing!

 

We stick with tradition around here....Bombardino time!!

 

Dustin, Matt, Brian, Matt, and me

Matt and me on the gondola - oh look it is the Matterhorn!

Me and Jason

Matt taking in a little sunbathing

Matt, Matt, and Brian

 I just love the fact that you can ski between Italy and Switzerland!

Go left for Italy, Right for Switzerland!

Matt, Dustin, Brian, and Matt

Me, Dustin, Brian, and Matt

The Mattskis enjoying a brewski

Who doesn't want a prosecco next to the Matterhorn?

And glacier paradise it was!

 

 

And of course we had time for an awesome dinner

Everyone had a blast from the newbies to the nonskier and the crew of us regular skiers! My only regret was I forgot to get a really nice group shot with everyone!  Again, I forgot the group photo! sigh! Oh well, the memories are there... :-) See you on the slopes for New Year's Eve!