Anyway.  The Dolomites are actually beautiful mountains in northern Italy in an area that used to be part of Austria.  It’s very different here than in the rest of Italy – the architecture and people are more Teutonic, and most of the people who live here speak German.  We stopped eating pasta and pizza and started eating knödel and strudel. 

My friend Petra who lives in Munich drove down here to spend a few days relaxing with us.  We based ourselves in a town called Meran or Merano (all the towns have two names – one’s in German and one’s in Italian).

One of the most consistent things we read in our guidebooks about the Dolomites is how sunny it is for most of the year.  I’m not sure who we were supposed to speak with to order up some sun, but it rained pretty much the whole time we were there.  Therefore, we don’t have too many pictures, unfortunately.  But it was beautiful when we caught a few views of mountains through the clouds, trust us.

- Meredith

BTW, my left calf is noticeably smaller than my right calf after only 2 and a half weeks!  Don’t you think that’s amazing?  Too bad I didn’t have my stomach in a cast all this time. 

I’m going to see my doctor in Boston next week when I’m home to talk about next steps.  We’ll see what she says about whether I’ll be ready to go riding horses and camping in Mongolia in a week and a half.

Thanks for all your comments and emails with well wishes!  I’m feeling better and better every day.

- Meredith

- Meredith