Alta Via 1
Our idea of the Dolomites came many years ago when we were looking into trekking through the Alps. Seeing a few pictures of Lago di Braes, Cinque Torri, and other related places inspired a little research for ideas, which led us to the Dolomites. Although popular in its own right as many mountainous destinations are in Europe, the Dolomites don’t quite get the attention from American tourist bucket lists such as Chamonix, Matterhorn, and other striking Alpine destinations. To us that is all the more reason to visit. As we found out during the trip, the Dolomites are an absolute gem in the Alps.
We wanted to min-max our time while planning the trip, but also get the full sampler platter of the Dolomites. Alta Via 1 (AV1) appears to check many requirements here. Starting at Lago di Braies and ending at the inconspicuous bus stop “La Pissa” near Belluno (debatable as there are alternative endings to AV1), the trek covers approximately 75 miles rolling over a stiff 24,000 ft gain. Mileage will vary as there are many side quests to hit on this trail. Trekking in the Alps often involves a lot of huts, restaurants, etc. and AV1 was no exception to that. Many rifugios in the form of huts, farm-houses, restaurants, and bivouacs (bivaccos) exist along the trail allowing for overnight accommodations along the way. Rifugios are very popular places and often book out at the beginning of the year. Tent camping is illegal in most places along this trail, so careful advanced planning is important.
Itinerary Building
Building out the itinerary and lining up logistics is the first major hurdle of this trip. AV1 is often done in 8-10 days, most parties we encountered doing it in 8. Our crew decided on 7 days as means of preserving vacation time, and figured longer days couldn’t be too bad. In retrospect doing it in 8 days is probably the sweet spot, as we didn’t consider that most rifugios want guests checked in and prepared for dinner by 6pm.
For the number of days planned for the trek, divide up the 75 mile trip into relatively equal segments and pick a rifugio to land at each night. We used caltopo as a mapping tool to view the trail and draw out segments that landed at each rifugio.
Once the desired rifugios are picked out for the number of days chosen, now comes the part of booking each rifugio separately. Each rifugio is owned by separate clubs and families, meaning they have to be booked individually. Some had convenient web forms with calendars to submit for availability, others needed an email inquiry where you submit and pray that your dates are available. Make backup options for each day just in case schedules don’t line up. This whole process should be thought out around December the year prior to your trip, as some post availability around December the year before, up to around February the year of. These book up quick so get on it!
Final thoughts to consider when planning AV1 rifugios:
- First and foremost do not miss dinner! Some started at 6pm, while others started at 7pm. We rolled into Lavarella on our first day at around 830PM due to a late start with bus shenanigans. Totally missed dinner but we were served squares of Lasagna as leftovers. Some rifigios are obligated to feed anyone who passes by that are in need; don’t count on this for all!
- Weather events! In the summer it is common to have thunderstorms roll in anywhere from 1pm through late evening. Don’t plan your days to be too long, or get an early start (more on that next). The storm we were caught in went from high temps to cold really quick, and brought in lots of hard hail and close lightning.
- Early starts are great but not always available unless you want to miss breakfast. Most rifugios serve breakfast starting at 7am and end around 8am. Malga Federa specifically had breakfast start at 8am preventing an early start for a big day.
- Side activities: if you want to plan side objectives such as Via Ferratas or an alpine rock climb, dedicate a whole extra day or so for said activity. Dinner will be missed or storms will be brought, giving narrow time margins for any side events.
Itinerary
For our 7 day itinerary we successfully worked out the following:
- Day 1: Lago di Braies -> Lavarella
- Distance: 11.77 mi
- Gain: 5,099 ft
- Loss: 3,323 ft
- Day 2: Lavarella -> Lagazuoi
- Distance: 9.10 mi
- Gain: 4,565 ft
- Loss: 2,307 ft
- Day 3: Lagazuoi -> Malga Federa
- Distance: 9.89 mi
- Gain: 2,637 ft
- Loss: 5,630 ft
- Day 4: Malga Federa -> Tissi
- Distance: 13.22 mi
- Gain: 5,084 ft
- Loss: 3,629
- Day 5: Tissi -> Bruto Carestiato
- Distance: 9.05 mi
- Gain: 2,332 ft
- Loss: 3,783 ft
- Day 6: Bruto Carestiato -> Pian de Fontana
- Distance: 11.19 mi
- Gain: 3,950 ft
- Loss: 4,565 ft
- Day 7: Pian de Fontana -> Tissi
- Distance: 7.21 mi
- Gain: 1,229 ft
- Loss: 5,094 ft
Packing List
Gear didn’t stray too far from our usual backpacking loadouts. The nice exception was leaving behind tents, sleeping bags, and ground pads. At a high level here’s some of our gear:
- 30L packs up to 40L - This can probably be done with 20L larger running-style vests like the Ultimate Direction Fastpacks with careful packing.
- Sleeping bag liner - customary and absolutely required as most beds will be an old mattress, quilt, and pillow (no case). We all had the Sea to Summit Silk Blend sleeping bag liners with pillow sleeve.
- Camp shoes - also required as many rifugios require storing your shoes/boots in a drying room. Crocs, sandals, flip-flops, etc all work.
- Travel towel - a small compact towel is needed as showers are available at nearly all rifugios (not always free!)
- Hiking footwear - trail runners, approach shoes, boots, whatever is comfortable. If you wear open-toe shoes like Chacos or Bedrocks you will eventually be scolded by old Italian dudes wearing full 4-season GTX mountaineering boots (learned from experience).
- 2-3L of water carrying capacity - will vary for individual water intake needs and conditions. Some rifugios are 3-4 hrs apart and are the only water source on trail. Have the means of tanking up in the event of hot weather.
- Water filter - not all rifugios have potable water and will sell 1L bottles for up to 5eu in some cases. We packed a Katadyn Befree and it worked well. Something larger like the Platypus gravity filter would have been nicer at times for group water filtering.
- Small first aid kit - hemorrhage control stuff +QuikClots, ibuprofen, acetaminophen, diphenhydramine, imodium, TUMS, pepto bismol tabs, SaltSticks. Bring some Metamucil fiber tablets while you’re at it, rifugio food is significantly lacking in fiber.
- Personal hygiene kit - the usual, tooth brush, tooth paste, deodorant, nail clippers, travel soap for laundy, 10-in-one bodywash/shampoo/salad dressing/etc.
- Rain gear - bring something reliable in the event of being forced into a storm. Storms can get cold and bring heavy rain and hail.
- Fleece/midlayer - Something warm to throw over for cooler weather. High altitudes were cold in the evening.
- Clothing - Less is more, as laundry can be done in rifugio sinks. We each brought a sun hoody, a pair of shorts, a pair of pants/leggins, 2 pairs of socks to alternate, underwear to alternate, and 1 set of nice and comfy lounge clothing for rifugio time and sleeping.
- Warm base layers - optional but probably preferred during shoulder season. We packed thin wool base layers and didn’t end up using them in the summer.
- Cash - Euros in various bill sizes for buses and the last handful of rifugios. Plan on a few hundred euros per person, as some nightly costs had to be paid in cash and will burn through a wallet quickly. Make sure to bring some smaller bills as well, as buses don’t have a lot to give change.
- Navigation - We all used our phones with Caltopo (pre-downloaded maps). Bring battery banks for redundancy in event of low power. We all have Garmin watches as well with maps. Be sure to load the European map layers, as they are often not there by default.
- Dolomite Passport!! - Stop by La Cooperativa di Cortina to get the Dolomite passport. It comes in different styles of covers and is a fun way to CATCH THEM ALL – the stamps from the front desk of each Rifugio. If you collect all stamps and present your passport to the tourist center in Belluno, you get a neat lapel pin for a cool accomplishment.
- Camera - It’s pretty; take pictures. I brought my Sony a6400 with a f3.5-5.6 18-135mm OSS lens. It was worth the weight. Phones work too.
- Chargers - we brought cables for all of our devices: USB-C, lightning, Micro-USB, and garmin watch chargers. We all had Nitecore NB10000 power banks as well. Most rifugios have outlets to charge from but we did use our power banks a few times.
- Headlamps - always good for an emergency. Used them in the Lagazuoi tunnels.
- Gloves - one lightweight pair of gloves for emergency warmth, and one pair of fingerless climbing gloves for cable handling. They were very useful for the Lagazuoi tunnels.
- Helmets - brought for the Lagazuoi tunnel. Note that they will be carried the whole way and only used once!
- Sunscreen - cake it on, the sun was intense!
- Sunglasses - kind of a given but protect your eyeballs. Wear your coolest pair, as hiking/trekking is a fashion show afterall.
- Emergency food - all meals were covered by rifugios. Breakfast, sack lunches (available upon request), sit-down lunches, and dinner were all covered. In the event of missing dinner we packed some meal bars. Some days only had 1 or 2 rifugios available between our destination. Energy gels, dried fruits, chips, and nuts were packed for these longer pushes.
- Stuff sacks - way to keep gear dry and organized.
- Ear plugs - many of the rifugios are dorm style with anywhere from 12-20 guests. Loud snoring and flatulence will be an issue; earplugs help!
- POLES - the trail is very steep and rough at time. Some of the worst surfaces involve steep hard pack with loose gravel making it very slippery. Poles were very handy for stability. TSA dissalows poles and may confiscate them at agent discretion, check them to avoid any issues. We all have Black Diamond Distance Z-folding poles. They’re very bougie but extremely light and packable.
The first day was a lot of excitement and nervous energy. Starting with a 7am continental breakfast at our hotel in Cortina d’Ampezzo. The typical food; buffet platters of pastries, fresh rolls, cheeses, ham, speck, salami, fruit. The automagic coffee machine that spurts out shots of espressos, macchiatos, and cappuccinos. We didn’t realize this was the largest subset of food options for breakfast for the rest of this trip. As many breakfasts ahead would be the same style but diminishing options with each sequential segment.
The morning goal was to catch the earliest 445 bus to Toblach, then the 442 bus from Toblach to Lago di Braies. 8am was the earliest bus to catch out of Cortina d’Ampezzo. As many other hikers also want the early start, it was a busy one. The bus was packed with hikers and was an exciting 45ish minute ride to Toblach, a beautiful community in the mountains of rolling grassy hills and jutting Dolomite mountains. The 442 bus from Toblach to Lago di Braies was able to be reserved in advance to our surprise, as the next several buses were booked out until the 10:30am. We finally caught that bus and started our hike at Lago di Braies at around 11am; much later than originally planned for a large day.
Lago di Braies is as beautiful as every picture paints it. What many online pictures don’t catch, and not to anyones’ surprise, is the sheer volume of visitors at the lake. With a quick round of macchiatos to start our trek at the nearest lodge, we made haste to survive the crowds and reduce time spent in the humid lake basin. Getting around the lake is scenic and gradual. Then out the gate it is a climb up Forcella Sora Forno.
The term “forcella” means “fork” in literal translation from Italian, but is often used in the context of “pass”. This pass is approximately 3,000ft of climbing over 3 miles, and is the first of 2 major climbs for the day. It is everyones’ first taste of AV1: a stiff climb treated with views of dolomite towers, wildflowers, marmots, and chances to see chamois. At the top of the pass is a relieving view of Rifugio Biella down below backed by rolling grassy alpine meadows.
Getting downhill to Rifugio Biella was rocky but easy, powered by motivation for a lunch break. Many who do a 10 day itinerary will opt to crash here for the night. With our destination being Rifugio Lavarella, lunch was short and the show must go on. The section of trail ahead was a mix of gravel roads and single track. Mostly downhill, with very memorable rolling green meadows and roaming cows. As one of us said during the first day: “oh to be a cow, living life in a Dolomite alpine meadow.”
Along the way, Rifugio Fodara Vedla was a memorable stop worth hitting. Dotted with many old bavarian-style buildings. We all ordered drinks and had some of the best black currant juice in our life. It would be another lovely rifugio stay for a moderate first day, being treated with cowbells and beautiful meadows.
The road down to Pederu was remarkably steep with excellent views of sheer dolomite cliffs contrasted with beautiful green foliage. A careful observer may notice some WW1-age relics along this road. Pederu itself is a road-access chalet area with heavy visitation. We all ordered juices, ice cream, and loaded up on junk food from the vending machines here. The last big push to Lavarella was about 2000ft of climbing in 3 miles, and we were all out of it.
Through all the challenges of the last climb, we were all treated to beautiful views of hoses and cave formations in the nearby mountains. Larch trees were prominent here; making this a beautiful zone for fall excursions. As the climb finished and tapered off to more rolling meadows, trickling streams, and farm houses. The sound of cowbells became more prominent once again. Cowbells == getting close to a rifugio, and by around 8:30pm we finally made it to Lavarella.
Despite the late arrival, the very friendly hosts of Lavarella treated us to healthy portions of leftover homemade lasagna. A cold Hefeweizen and currant juice really hit the spot after a huge day. Lavarella is Europe’s highest microbrewery at 6,725ft. Might as well enjoy a cold one while you’re there! Lodging at Lavarella was dorm style with around 16 people per room. Each room has a private bathroom with a FREE hot shower. Did we say FREE!? Laundry is also available downstairs by the shoe drying room with a DRYER as well. (This was the only dryer we had on the whole trip). We were delighted to share our dorm with another group from the USA, as not many Americans seemed to be hiking this trail. Our chit chat was cut short at 10pm with a very upset roommate insisting on following quiet hours.
Day 2: Lavarella -> Lagazuoi
The morning started at 6am to catch sunrise colors. The sound of cowbells resonated through all the rooms, making for a very pleasant morning song. Breakfast was from 7am to 8am, consisting of options from pastries, rolls, yogurt, granola, cheeses, prunes, salami, ham, and speck; the usual suspects.
We checked out and hit the trail at 8am with Lagazuoi as our destination. A relatively easier day compared to our Day 1. Spoiler alert, there are no easy days here! Stats-wise the day is easier, but a few infamous sections were on the table: the climb up Forcella di Lech, the climb down Forcella di Lago, and the slog up to Rifiguo Lagazuoi.
One of the most beautiful sections of the entire AV1 was early on this day. Shortly before the climb up Forcella di Lech, labeled as Ju dal’Ega on many maps, is a superflat valley. Lush and green, dotted with the magentas and blues of flowers, cut down the middle with a singletrack path, and surrounded by 3,000 foot peaks. A large herd of roaming cows greet weary hikers as they pass by. The songs of many cowbells filled the valley. All ending at the base of the climb up Forcella di Lech.
Forcella di Lech is a 1,200ft climb in 1.8 miles with splendid views. It is mostly gradual with one tiny exposed section of class 2 trail. It is a warmup for the kneebusting descent up next.
Forcella di Lago is the next infamous obstacle on the trip. It is a remarkably steep descent down to Lech di Lagacio. The amount of trail work involved to have such a steep route is remarkable. Lines like this have us dreaming of coming back for steep skiing in the winter. Peep the slope shading on Caltopo, hitting a max slope of 52 degrees:
Lech de Lagacio waits for those at the bottom of this steep pass. Another beautiful but busy day hiker destination for many. It was hot, busy, and we were hungry for lunch prior to our last climb, so we made a downhill detour to hit up Rifugio Scotoni.
Scotoni is a 0.65 mile detour (one way) that drops 700ft. It was the only Rifugio pit stop option since Lavarella on our way to Lagazuoi, so we figured the detour was justified for a lunch break. The calories were worth the trip but in hindsight, the heat exposure and additional 700ft climb back out made the choice debatable. Lots of greasy, meaty food options await at Scotoni, along with a cute kitten to pet.
Back up from Scotoni is a 2.2 mile slog with 1,800 feet of gain to Lagazuoi. The whole time the Rifugio is in sight, ever so slowly approaching with each step. The climb is reminiscent of slogging up to Camp Muir on Mt Rainier with the beating sun and thin high altitude air. Lagazuoi sits at approximately 9,000ft and is the highest point of the AV1 trek. The climb was a hot grueling slog but gave way to the biggest panoramic views of the trip.
We made it Rifugio Lagazuoi with plenty of time to relax and clean up before dinner. Showers were available for 4 mins of hot water at a time with purchased shower tokens. Dinner options included various pasta dishes from ravioli, spaghetti with venison sauce, roasted chicken, impossible beef patty, smoked pork loin, with cooked spinach and roasted potatoes. The food was alright but the view with dinner was amazing.
Following up from dinner we were treated to one of the best sunsets we’ve ever witnessed, then ending the day with an early bedtime. Rooms at Lagazuoi were packed dorms that involved lots of snoring. Earplugs recommended.
Day 3: Lagazuoi to Malga Federa
The next morning was a 8am breakfast (the usual stuff but with weak coffee this time) and a 9am departure. Many options exist to depart Lagazuoi:
- Option 1: the popular choice appears to be downloading the gondola to Pazzo Falzarego, which leaves around 9am for a price.
- Option two is the purist “hike the trail completionist” option by backtracking the Lagazuoi climb to Forcella Lagazuoi, and hiking down Sentiero del Fronte. This allows you to touch the whole trail that’s marked as “Alta Via 1”.
- Option three is the exciting helmets-required option to take the historic Lagazuoi tunnel options.
- Option four is the Via Ferrata kit-required Kaiserjager path, aka “Austrian Mountain Troop Path”.
We took the Lagazuoi tunnel option, which was time consuming but well worth the trip! Many trip reports mention helmets and Via-Ferrata kit required. Really only a headlamp, helmet, and gloves are needed, with a Via Ferrata kit you’d uncomfortably bounce down the stairs either way on a catastrophic fall.
The Lagazuoi tunnels are a history-rich open air museum with much literature on them, but here’s a TL;DR. The region was originally part of Austria (Austria-Hungary empire). During World War 1 Austria and Italy were absolutely not friends. Lagazuoi was a front-line Austrian outpost which Italy wanted to mess with. A massive tunnel system was created from Passo Falzarego to Martini Ledge where Italian troops were stationed. More mines corkscrewed their way up the mountain to place many tons of dynamite under the Lagazuoi outpost. Many explosions took place and left craters and massive scree piles along the mountain.
The tunnels are cool, dark, and slippery, and took a little over 2 hours of moseying around to get through. At the bottom is a short scree hike to Passo Falzarego, a beautiful touristy area with great coffee and paninis. Those that have played Battlefield 1 might find the zone familiar, as the whole area inspired the multiplayer map called “Monte Grappa”, taking place in WW1 with the conflict between Italy and Austria-Hungary. This Reddit threat shows a cool comparison of real life and the multiplayer map.
From Passo Falzarego is the climb up Forcella Averou, gaining 1,100ft in 2 miles. Beautiful meadows and flowers along the way distract from the climb. A little scrambling was involved near the end of the climb, but overall not too bad of an ascent as far as AV1 standards go.
Rifugio Averau is a quick descent away from Forcella Averau. A very popular destination and often an overnight spot for many AV1 trekkers. We all had delicious greasy schnitzel for lunch, then continued on our way to the next spot.
Rifugio Scoiattoli was the next stop, next to the popular Cinque Torri “Five Towers”. An absolute bustling area for good reason! Cinque Torri is an absolute unit of a crag, featuring a lot of cool climbs that we have to come back to.
Cinque Torri to Lago Federa and Croda da Lago was a bit of a forestry slog compared to AV1 so far. We were treated to a few sneaky views of peaks, along with another cow pasture. The last climb of the day with 1,300ft in 1.6 miles is also thrown in without any major viewpoints.
At Rifugio Croda di Lago, we make a minor detour from the main AV1 trail to get to our final destination for the night: Malga Federa. A detour 1mile one way, with a loss of 800ft is required to get to Malga Federa, all of which has to be backtracked the next morning to continue one. This is not ideal but it was the option that was available.
Malga Federa felt more like a luxurious hotel experience relative to the other Rifugios we stayed at. We all got private rooms, private showers, a nice dinner (not included in the rifugio cost, it was $$). All of which we welcomed graciously. Some of the best goulash and polenta was there, along with an amazing berry dessert. On top of it all, our rooms had AIR CONDITIONING. We went to bed early, and had the best sleep ever in preparation for a monster of a next day.
Day 4: Malga Federa to Tissi
An absolute monster of a day. We all knew it would be a tough one looking at the stats. The climb back up from Malga Federa to AV1 was just the warm up. Breakfast was a late start at Malga Federa, starting at 8am and having to wait a little to be served. We finally hit the trail near 8:45am, and didn’t get back to AV1 until 9:30am. Forcella Ambrizzola and Forcella di Col Duro were the first climbs for the day. No major climb on their own, but all contributing to the gradual wear and tear. Many ups and downs were had on our way to Rifugio Citta di Fiume.
The next segment from Rifugio Citta di Fiume to Rifugio Passo Staulanzo was a slog to say the least. Not in terms of distance or gain, but in terms of slow-going trail through scree, roots, and awkward rocks. In a way this segment felt like a mental crux for us due to the slow nature of the section, the afternoon heat, and the realization of how much farther we had to go that day. Yet we marched on.
Rifugio Passo Staluanzo to Rifugio Col dei Baldi started off as a relief. Cold blueberry juice helped for starts. The next section of trail was all nice downhill and followed a major road for some time. Then onto gravel road, and then finally the first of the last three climbs for the day. The climb to Col dei Baldi went by quick. We recharged there with salad bowls (what, vegetables finally?) and ice cream. The next climb to Rifugio Coldai was the next big challenge.
Col dei Baldi to Rifugio Coldai this far into the day felt like the “second crux” climb of the trip. 1,250 feet in 1.1 miles on it’s own isn’t too much of a monster. But this far into a long day, and hitting it hard during the heat was tough. Topping out was not totally a victory either, as we STILL had a ways to get yet. The setting of Rifugio Coldai was absolutely stunning, nestled in an alpine stone kingdom. We so badly wished we could stay at this one, as we were exhausted and wanted to bask in the alpine glory. Rifugio Tissi was still about an hour and a half away, with one more climb and a major storm on the way.
Rifugio Coldai to Rifugio Tissi was a major highlight despite how exhausted we were. A huge storm started to roll in just as we left Coldai. High winds driving rain and hail, with booming thunder echoing off the mega walls of Monte Civetta. Lago di Coldai added to the setting made for a very surreal experience.
Despite all challenges thrown against us facing a mega day, we rolled into Tissi 10 minutes before the dinner cutoff. We were able to place orders for spaghetti bolognese, goulash, and polenta just in time. Every other group was already seated and in their comfy clothes. We rolled in with muddy shoes, soaking wet, and starving for dinner after an epic of a day.
After dinner we headed upstairs to the living quarters. Tissi provided us with a private room for 4 and showers with hot water for 4 minutes per euro. There were only 3 bathrooms and the place was PACKED, so there was a little competition for resources. We’ll never forget the guy who was doing his laundry in the bidet with the door wide open, we all saw that. After cleaning up and relaxing we all hit the hay, basking in the comfort of a warm and dry refuge as the storm outside picked up in intensity through the night.
Day 5: Tissi to Bruto Carestiato
Day 5 was a welcomed “easier” day relative to the other days, aligned right after our hardest day. After a 7am breakfast of “the usual”, it was mostly all downhill from Tissi to Rifugio Vazzoler. Getting down from Tissi involves a small amount of backtracking to get back on AV1, with the trail being rocky with large steps. It’s slow but at least it’s downhill from here.
About a mile from Tissi is an absolute beauty of a meadow, littered with large boulders which would be absolutely perfect for bouldering if one brings a crash pad this far out. Many large dolomite towers and slot canyons loomed above us, casting pleasant morning shadows for shade.
Vazzoler was one of the first cash-only joints we ran into on the trip. We all ordered a round of blueberry juice (the bottled stuff) and a round of salads to get some source of fiber into our diets. At this point into the trip many of us had experienced various forms of GI issues, the worst of it hitting around this day. Coincidentally a number of American trekking groups all met up at Vazzoler. An Italian father/son group were discretely making fun of the “valley girl” accents that many of the Americans had from another table.
Moving on from Vazzoler was a little more downhill up until the Torrente Corpassa crossing. Torrente Corpassa is a beautiful milky-blue stream that made for a great stop to filter cold, fresh water. From Torrente Corpassa was one of the only climbs of the day up to Forcella del Camp, gaining 1,700ft in 2.3 miles.
Forcella del Camp starts off relatively rocky in slow, climbing through some washed out scree areas exposed to hot sun. After awhile it changes to quant shady forests up until the top out.
From Forcella del Camp to Rifugio Bruto Carestiato is a 2 mile traverse that starts off beautiful with views and ends with a gradual brushy climb to our destination. We made it through this section early in the afternoon, and just in time to avoid the next round of weather that was rolling in.
We had plenty of time at Bruto Carestiato to hang out, relax, and attempt to recover from a long trip so far. We had another private room for 4, similar to that of Tissi but a little nicer overall. Bruto Carestiato overall was one of the nicest Rifugios we stayed at second to Malga Federa.
Dinner was held in a very busy dining space, where we were assigned seats and shared tables with strangers. After a few drinks a lot of lively conversation was had about the journey so far. Food was the usual first course pasta, second course goulash, washed down by dessert. We went to bed as soon as we could, still recovering from prior days and knowing another big day was up next.