languish meet in Italy : 7 - 11 May

[Richard Hakluyt]

TBR sanctity means nothing to you? Classy.

Actually, I really like the international Languish meets. Especially the type of meeting where you're not required to have posted a sincere, heartfelt thread, featuring pics of yourself shaving your balls in TBR two years in advance, in order to attend.

Hope you can make it Legs 

[Barrister]

That would be amazing if Zanza and Legs could make it.

[Barrister]

Remember Euros - if I'm coming from Yukon to be there, you have a much shorter trip.

[Syt]

Btw, I won't be able to make it due to job constraints, so if anyone wanted to go but wouldn't, because they didn't want to run into me, here's your chance.

[Valmy]

Bumping since I saw Pedrito lurking around.

[PDH]

So languish proposes a meet in Italy, and "coincidentally" the country is hit by earthquakes?

[Barrister]

Bumping for Pedrito (who I've been PMing).

[I Killed Kenny]

Is there a new TBR in this revamped board?

Sorry, only one Iberian allowed.

PURGE THE EGGPLANT.

you could try HR bitch :p

[Pedrito]

oh okay, after all the bumps I've finally seen the thread 

As I wrote to BB, I know Cortina fairly well (lets' simply say that it's a bit of a second home for me) and I can give you all the info you'd like about the place.

It is a very beautiful ski resort in the eastern Alps, without a doubt the nicest town in the Dolomites. it's pretty near to Venice airport (1 1/2 hour by car), and easily reached by train+bus, too.

During winter it's a renowned ski area, there's an ice hockey stadium and (for you, BB!) in a couple of weeks they'll host the World Curling Championships for mixed teams.
During the summer it's a wonderful valley surrounded by high mountains (the Tofanas ridge, about 3200 meters high; the mount Cristallo, the Antelao) where trekking is a pleasure.

All this natural beauty has a downside, though: Cortina is a "jet-set" town, not different from Sankt Moritz or Gstaad in Switzerland, so during high season it's always chock-full of the rich and famous, and of other millions of people: luckily, May isn't high season, so Languishites should be able to snatch a hotel room at prices that are not a burglary. OTOH, during offseason not all hotels and restaurants will be open for tourists.

Things to do in Cortina:

- take the cableway to the Tofana peak (3000+ meters) and enjoy a fantastic view of the valley
- trek around the Tofanas to search for trenches and remains of WWI battles between the Alpini and the Austrians
- buy and wear a pair of lederhosen (Tyrolian short suede pants)(when I was a kid I had a pair of those  )
- have the guts to eat at least one of the local specialty plates (joking here, they're delicious)(I hope there are no veggies/vegans at the meeting)
- gather a nice group of friends, go to the right place and have a grolla all together; the Grolla is a big wood container with six to eight "mouths", filled with hot coffee, sugar and the strongest spirit available. You drink it by passing it around the table, and everyone must take a sip. I strongly advice to find a place to drink it that's the nearest possible to the hotel, or at least that doesn't require a car trip!

If anyone needs directions about hotels and restaurants in town, what to to and where to go, I'll be more than happy to help them: I'm pretty confident I will meet you folks at least on friday 8 
(diplo relations with the wife, right now: +180  )

L.

[Pedrito]

Picture of a girl drinking from a grolla:



L.

[Barrister]

I knew it!  One smiley and Pedrito finally answered. :p

[Legbiter]

Alas, I won't be able to make it. I'll be in Norway during that weekend. So down a shot for me guys, really wish I could have been there. 

[Richard Hakluyt]

I'm pleased to see that pedrito vindicates my boosting of Cortina as a good place to visit 

He even acknowledges that it is a "jet-set" town. I've always called such places "James Bond" destinations, as one would not be surprised to see them filming a Bond movie there. In addition, a "James Bond" destination and it's visitors are not quite as sophisticated as they like to think, which makes for good people watching, one can always hope for a really startling display of wealthy vulgarity 

[Pedrito]

I'm pleased to see that pedrito vindicates my boosting of Cortina as a good place to visit 

He even acknowledges that it is a "jet-set" town. I've always called such places "James Bond" destinations, as one would not be surprised to see them filming a Bond movie there. In addition, a "James Bond" destination and it's visitors are not quite as sophisticated as they like to think, which makes for good people watching, one can always hope for a really startling display of wealthy vulgarity 

I'm heavily partial towards Cortina 

And yes, at least some scenes of a James Bond movie (don't remember which one, though) were shot in Cortina; it was one of the 1960s movies, with Sean Connery as mr. Bond.

@Barrister: I replied here before your  smiley! 

L.

[katmai]

guys it's obvious pedrito hasn't been responding as it's his way of saying he doesn't want to meet you.