Hey, what’s up?

Yay—you made it to the second last chapter of our Italy trip! Honestly, I didn’t think this would stretch to six chapters either, but hey, we used up a whole week of annual leave, so let’s make it count, yeah?

This was our last day exploring the Dolomites, and as promised, let’s talk about our amazing Airbnb. It was tucked away in St. Magdalena, a quiet little village that feels like it popped straight out of a postcard. If you look at the left side of the picture I posted, there’s a tiny church—that’s the famous St. Magdalena Church! Why it’s famous? No clue. But it’s cute. Our Airbnb was just a 5-minute walk to the right of it. And that Rocky Mountain backdrop? That’s Geisler Alm (refer to Chapter 5 if you need a refresher).

To get the iconic view of the village, you need to do a mini hike. Yes, I know—another hike. I swear we didn’t plan to become part-time mountain goats. But trust me, it’s worth it. Along the way, you’ll pass horses, cows, goats, and the church itself. At the top, there’s a little wooden bench where you can just sit and breathe in the fresh alpine air while enjoying the sunrise. Since it was summer, we started the hike at 5:30 AM and it was already bright—Europe really said, “Rise and shine!”

From the balcony of our Airbnb, we had this jaw-dropping view of the town every morning. Imagine waking up to that every day… Well, five days for us, but who’s counting? We usually had breakfast out on the wooden table, sipping hot drinks like we were living in an IKEA commercial. And staying with friends? Let’s just say the group bonding was real. I would tell you more about what we got up to… but some memories are better left as inside jokes. (Don’t worry, nothing illegal, we’re halal people)

After our morning stroll/hike, we packed up and headed to the iconic Lago di Braies. That’s where you see Danial in the picture doing his best rower impression. Me and Adam swapped shifts with him because rowing isn’t exactly as effortless as it looks on Instagram. It’s more like a full-body workout disguised as leisure.

The lake is super accessible—no hiking required. Just park and walk straight in. Pro tip: the closer you park, the more your wallet cries. But hey, the turquoise water and mountain reflections make it all worth it (just not in the picture above because the sun forgot to RSVP that day).

If you’ve got a group, I highly recommend renting the whole boat for privacy. Otherwise, you might end up on a romantic boat ride with strangers—which could go either way! It was a Friday, so the place was buzzing with tourists. We even bumped into a lovely couple from the Middle East mid-row.

You can also walk around the lake to get different angles—it’s an easy trail with a few inclines here and there. Even grandmas were doing it, so you’ll be fine. No one was swimming, so I didn’t dare either… just in case it was one of those “don’t end up on the local news” situations.

Honestly, this place is perfect if you’re more into peaceful vibes than hardcore hiking. There are cafés around the lake, and surprise—they even had halal options! A rare gem in the Dolomites. It was the perfect way to end our mountain adventures, giving our tired legs a well-deserved break. At this point, I feel like I could apply to be a hiking coach (CV pending).

And that wraps up our final full day in the Dolomites! Short and sweet this time, but I hope you enjoyed reading. Next up: the final chapter of this Italy trip—hang in there, one more to go!

Ciao for now!