BASELGA   DI   PINE

     We had heard quite a bit about this place - but most of it was new to us on arrival. Firstly, it was difficult as 
hell to find the place. And that is with the professional drivers and their professional information and maps!! 
We were lost in Trento, mainly by mis-information - but that was the crew's problem- not ours !! Still, it would 
be nice to see the place before night-fall. 

     We were all looking-out for the name of the hotel (Anita) - and we saw the name a mile or so before the 
Hotel. We were getting excited as the coach climbed higher and higher - wondering, not only where the hotel 
was, - but where the village was!!

     As we gained altitude, the snow became deeper on the ground. This should be FUN.

     The village might have been on a lonely precipice - totally remote. Who knows? When we got to the village, 
it was quite big and spread-out. Then the driver & co-driver got excited. They had found the road down which 
we should go. Well, we said 'road'. In reality, it was a 'drive' or pathway - apparently a foot narrower than the 
coach! And we have to BACK all the way! What good drivers we had. The end of the reversal was appreciated 
by a big applause - as we were quite late, having been lost and squashed on this route.


 We were ready for a meal  - and a freshening-up (not necessarily in that order!).

     There were a few 'cockups' in the organising of the rooms and the keys, - my third set of keys being the ones 
that the management decided that I should have (they called me back with "changed minds" twice!!)

     Anyhow, by 3.10pm, I could sort my cases out in room number 308, a nice room with its own balcony 
(through the glass-gated-window-doors) and seats, therein, for relaxation.  It was at the back of the hotel with a 
smashing view from the balcony - including the snow- covered village and surrounding mountains. We are up 
quite an altitude, but a number of the surrounding hills are quite a bit higher.


     The snow and the coolness around here makes the place very much to my liking. I'd like to stay here for a 
long while,- longer than we are here for, unfortunately! Anyhow, after a few items were organised in the 
cupboards, drawers and bathroom of this "single" occupation, the welcome evening meal was headed for in a 
beautiful restaurant which could nicely cope with a group of our size - with room to spare without feeling isolated.

     Needing to get some Lire before evening time, it was a 'blow' to find the Bank closed.  [Had we NOT had 
to wait for a lost connection-coach  and - NOT got lost in Trento - then we would have been in time!]

     Fortunately, one of the girls on the reception desk speaks far better English than I do Italian, so she 
understood the problem. She explained that the Bank was closed but gave her 'boyfriend' a ring (he works 
there!) and walked me through the snowy alleyways for her guy to open the place up and see to this 
"special-guest's" requirements. It was established that a better exchange-rate is obtained with conventional 
traveller's cheques than with 'plastic money' because of the higher 'standing charge' with the latter. [This 
complicated understanding was obtained without the help of his multilingual girlfriend who had gone by now. 
Unfortunately, I don't speak his second-language (German) and he doesn't speak my second language (French) 
- so we invented our own impromptu international (?) sign language - to the satisfaction of us both]

     I then walked around the snow-clad village in the evening,. It was extremely attractive in this form with its small 
selection of shops, restaurants and , especially, the Frozen Lake (see Tale 3).