August 2007 - Alpi di Suisi - The Ultimate Alpine Meadow

When we reached the top, we stepped off the gondola into the tiny village of Compasch, the home base for most of the outdoor activities for which this alpine meadow is the perfect playground.

The village consists of a tiny main square and a handful of buildings like these, housing the visitor center, sports shops, visitor lodgings and a few restaurants. The town is flanked by those sharp peaks and mountain ridge on one side . . .

and, on the other, this seemingly endless meadow of rolling hills and distant mountains emerging from all that green into the perfect blue sky.

"~~ The hilllllsssss ~~ are aliiiiiiiive ~~ with the souuuuuuund of muuuuusiiiiiiiic ~~ " Yes, that's Casandra spinning around while I sang. We couldn't resist, even with the other visitors right behind me.

Our first self portrait in the Alpi di Suise.

Same shot without us. It was impossible to not photograph this place from every possible angle (or to take multiple shots from the same angle - see above).

Zooming in to those mountains in the horizon, you can really see the soft contours of the meadow.

And here's another view from town of the hilly, evergreen-studded meadow.

On our first day in the Alpi di Suisi, we went for a hike hoping to get closer to some of those dramatic peaks. We came upon this ranch with horses (below) grazing in the open meadow.

So we decided to get a little closer.

And closer . . .
Hey guys, look over here . . .

Well it's nice to meet you too!

They were pretty friendly.

And tolerant of my incessant picture taking.

Take it easy fellas. Horseback riding was definitely on our agenda, but not today.

So we continued on and encountered all kinds of animals . . .

roaming freely throughout the meadow, including these curious donkeys and . . .

these friendly cows.

We didn't see any fences or boundaries restricting the animals. They were all just walking around, hanging out, or resting wherever they wanted. Seemed like a nice, peaceful life.

As we continued our hike, we got a closer look at those sharp peaks we saw from the village.

And those distant mountains beyond the open meadow.

We did not see one cloud all day long. And the air was so fresh and crisp. This weather could not be more perfect for the outdoor activities that were ahead of us.