That was probably the best day of riding in my life. I've run out of superlatives. Awesome, superb, fabulous - it just deosn't get any better. I went over 11 passes and it seemed the scenery just kept getting better, and the road more fun. Fast zig-zag esses, narrow village alley ways, high hairpins, and glorious snowy mountain vistas. Paso Duran may be my favorite. It started as a tiny one lane road through a few small villages. I had to stop several times to let other cars by, the road was so narrow. Then, around one corner the view just exploded with a towering mountain above me. Climbing over it was ecstatic, as each bend revealed another mountain beyond, either clear and sharp in sunlight, or shrounded in a steaming mist. Simply magical.

And I didn't even get on the road til noon. I spent the morning in Bozen shopping and catching up on the Internet. I'll miss that place, and I wish I had more time to listen to the buskers playing accordion. I wanted to check out the Messner Mounain Museum, and the ancient body they found in the ice, and a few other things, too. Ah well, next time.

http://www.mapmyride.com/route/it/bozen/115127417086877207

I wound up at the youth hostel in Toblach, possible the nicest hostel in the world. It started as the Grand Hotel in 1880 as an exclusive resort for the rich. It went through a variety of uses over time - during the war, it housed the military geographic service, later a nun started a retreat for disadvantaged children, and for many years it was in disrepair. Staying there with me was a children's choir and a team of (American) football players from Valencia, Spain.

Yes, it's snowing.

That little alley between the two buildings is the main drag through town. Pretty typical of many towns.

The youth hostel in Toblach. Not bad.