Arriving in time for dinner, what you have to love about these amazing family run hotels is their phenomenal half board food menus – a great way to start our visit here, especially when we thought we had arrived too late and would be eating oatcakes and cheese for tea!
Evie is ready and waiting for her 6 course dinner!! And they did not even charge for her!
Waking to this stunning view, after an extensive breakfast we set off for a walk. 
First past this small swimming lake in the village, with amazingly clear waters (and as I found out the following day – mighty cold to swim in!), it held the most beautiful reflections.
Another chair lift for Evie to get us up High, the. We could set about enjoying the views….
Which were very grand…
And the bilberries which we picked till our tummies were full! 
Following the 4a back down the mountainside we found ourselves back at the hotel….
Unintentionally in time for the small (large) lunch and cake buffet included in the half board! (Which by my equating makes it full board for the same money!)
…. best go run it off, we found this lovely park to play in – there were bits testing enough to keep us all amused!! 
Back for a swim and then, what, more food??!!
Another day, another chair lift, this time up the other side of the Solda valley, best check the route first!
Up they go!
The terrain is different, with a few of these fun bridges to cross the boulder field.
An enormous boulder full of colour
And then the diciest of dicey paths – thanfully Tim was carrying Evie whilst my heart was in my mouth with fear.
Finally off the heart stopping path we came across this beautiful herd of cows high up the mountainside
Shortly followed by a herd of beautiful donkeys.
Shortly followed (no pictures) by a number of black squirrels! 
A quick stop of at a mountain hut for a drink. Evie offers the local some of her apple to share! 
Back again without plan to an included lunch at our hotel. Knowing how good it was once we realised there was a chance of making it we made a dash down.
Time for more fun at the park in the 3 bears house
And a hello the the resident ducks
Before back for another swim and more food!!
Time to leave, blue skies for our journey. But not fully wasted as you can’t come to the Stelvio NP without…
Heading up the Stelvio Pass 
What a road! 
A total of 46 hairpin bends on a road that reaches a height of 2759m. What a view down the valley. 
Climbing up above the pass there is a whole area of fascinating history. I expect it would be even more fascinating if I could have translated it well. But 1st world war barracks UP HERE!
Even crazier (possibly) is that the mountain opposite, Mt Ortler – the tallest in the region at 3905m – prisoners of ways were made to drag heavy guns to the summit. I mean wow- what a ridgeline to fight on. it is truely hard to imagine. 
cold but beautiful 
Look closely and you can see the remains of the old barracks 
And the remains of a gun turret 
Last summit picture before we head down and the cloud comes in. Evie has enjoyed her walk around on the high tops. She prefers the rocks to the views though I think! 
A mountain Heisse Schockolade mit Sahne – Evie enjoys the Sahne!
The cloud descends as we descend back down the 46 hairpins, but it makes for some beautiful scenery again. 
Out of the valley and en-route, but I had noticed this had been advertised as a sight to visit by our hotel (quite a long way away!). So we stopped.
The drowned village at Graun im Grinschgau, with only the church tower remaining. 
Time to leave this place behind and move onwards in our journey.
Around the world with Evie Bean 