The Dolomites - Inspiration at a great height!

When the clouds dissolve, the massive mountain appears before us. Because they are so steep, the high peaks seem to reach further to the sky than anywhere else in Europe. The rocks eroded by wind and weather are more than impressive and eternal snow as the cherry on top.

You don't see them quickly, but chamois and ibex are also there. Other mammals such as mountain marmots can be heard and seen faster. When we arrive at Rifugio Auronzo at an altitude of 2320 meters in the Dolomiti Bellunesi National Park, we are amazed. We are here at the foot of the Drei Zinnen, which is immediately the most famous place in the Dolomites. The image of the three mountain peaks is everywhere. On plates along the road, on souvenirs and we also eat a cake in the shape of the Drei Zinnen. The difference in height and the fantastic views are overwhelming. Instead of the 27 degrees celsius in the valley, it is considerably cooler here with 14 degrees celsius. Sometimes nice for a change. Inside the mountain hut we have a drink and don't miss the opportunity to capture the view. A watercolor study of a piece of mountains that we look at has particularly beautiful colors, although the scene is constantly changing by clouds, wind and light.

I still hope for wildlife above. After a long search through the binoculars we finally see something walking along a mountainside. They appear to be chamois, but they are very far away and can no longer be seen within a few seconds.

During the walk we make from Auronzo we are more lucky. The sound of falling stones betrays a small group of ibexes. 3 males rn away when we cross paths. They look back from a safe distance for a moment and then they continue their way to disappear from the view. But that moment that those three ibexes look back, on an impossibly steep slope, with some backlight ... is engraved in the memory. In this way it takes little effort to come up with new ideas for paintings.