July-17-2005

Word of the Day
Euforia: 1: Elation 2: What JenFu felt when he made it through an entire day without stalling the car. Now, knock on wood…don’t let this be a jinx!

The ride up to Cinque Torre was much more pleasant today. We opted for the ski lift which was strange with no snow. Anyway, it was well worth the 8,30 Euro fare, one-way.

We explored the crag called Torre Latina, which was covered with pockets and was quite moderate. We climbed an entire wall of 7 4+’s and 5’s. All were a joy. It was fun to alternate leads with Corinne on each of the climbs. We moved efficiently…

After this “warm-up”, it was time for a challege. We found Torre di Mezzo which was home to Soglia Acida, a stellar three-star 6c. Though gloriously overhung, I’m glad that Corinne encouraged me to jump on it. It took a few hangs but I managed to get up the rope. Now, this is what I imagined Italian limestone sportclimbing to be like!



We stopped by , on the drive back today, to visit John. John welcomed us with a shot of grappa which was quite yummy. He closed shop about an hour before and was just relaxing with friends. John mentioned that he did this after work to relax after a 10 hour work day. According to John’s wisdom, the end of the day was for relaxing with friends. It was kind of him to include us.

At dinner, I enjoyed another shot of grappa with Roberto. The pizzeria was hopping and it looked like he really needed a drink. Later that evening, Corinne and I both enjoyed a shot of “apple grappa” (actually liquor) with the younger restaurant partner. He was a practitioner of Japanese martial arts and though neither of us spoke the other’s language, we had a wonderful conversation.

After the day of adventure, we took the bi-pedal way down. I must admit that I have tons of fun with Corinne, especially during the more pedestrian times of the day such as walking down an Italian mountainside.