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Alta Via 1 - Day 9

I woke up around 5 o'clock because of yet another massive thunderstorm. This one was even worse than the previous one. The storm again lasted for about two hours, and for a long time, lightning was striking several times a second. The campsite was on a hill, so we weren't in the safest spot, although we were still in a valley. Eventually, the rain stopped and we could get up. We took our first shower in over a week and washed our clothes in the stall. While laying our clothes out to dry under a canopy, another storm started in the distance. We had had enough of those, so we went to the camping restaurant to eat breakfast while waiting out the rain. 

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When the rain stopped, we quickly packed our gear and went to pay for the campsite. The lady working at the desk had so much pity for us that she said we didn't have to pay anything. There was no bus going back to the main village, and the taxi company was not picking up our calls. It again started to rain. Our only way out seemed to hitchhike. Several cars stopped during the first half an hour, but they could only take one person. Then, we finally found someone able to drive both of us.

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The driver told us he volunteered for the mountain rescue service and explained severthat al people had been rescued from the nearby mountain the previous night. Apparently, there were usually over 50 rescue efforts per year. He was a big fan of mountaineering and invited us to his home and bed and breakfast. He had airlifted an old mountain cabin into his front lawn, where we took photos, and inside his house he had all sorts of old climbing photos and gear. It was nice to see his enthusiasm.

shelter alta via 1
shelter alta via 1

Later, we went to the train station and caught a train bringing us closer to Venice. According to Koen's weather radar, at least one other storm had passed the town where we had camped. During a transfer, we saw a couple we had met in one of the mountain huts. They looked much better than we did, but they were also the ones that only stayed in hotels. After taking another train, we arrived in Treviso. 

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Koen and I immediately liked the beautiful town. The prices in the supermarket also blew me away, everything cost less than a third than in New York City. Koen had found a nice hotel in the city center but proposed taking a cheaper one on the outskirts. That seemed fine with me. Little did I know the hotel was an hour away and in the middle of an industrial park. Inside waited us some extra surprises. On our way there, Koen told me the reviews all said the hotel was weird and dirty, the patrons rude, but the sheets clean. That was about right. The "Hotel" was managed by an elderly couple and for some reason that I don't want to know only had red curtains. There was also weird art all over the walls, including of insect people and naked women. Everything in the bathroom was moldy and all the plastic items had turned yellow a decade ago.

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We washed our clothes again and ate the food from the supermarket. We went back to explore the town in the evening. We tried to buy new clothes, but all the clothing stores were already closed. We did have a nice dinner in the town square. There were many old buildings, including an ancient fountain that had played important roles in the village's history. It really was a beautiful village.

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