These 10 days were marvellous, especially the first ones with very nice weather. I am ascending the Bregenzerach valley, from about 600 m height to 1860 m, together with my daughter Stijn and brother in law Harry. At the highest point we descend into the Lech valley, with the mondaine village Lech. However, we are the only ones there, the village is nearly deserted. Our queen is otten coming here, together with children and grandchildren. The lady of the B&B says that in the past sheoften playedwith the children. The next day Stijn and Harry leave, they take the bus and later the train to pick up the carleftin Germany at the Bodensee. Then they will drive back home. I am alone again on this trip, going over passes, downwards along the rivers Rosanna and Sanna from 1800 m to 800 m, andpicking up the extremely wild flowing river Inn to climb again to 1550 m. Then I enter Italy. The weather changed in the meantime; now every day is dark and grey, often rainy. However, sometimes nice encounters occur, of which I am justgiving an impression:

' Es kostet nichts' , she says; it doesn't cost you anything to pay attention, to be kind, to open your mind to talk to other people. I could have gone on, cleaing the floors, when you came in, but then we wouldn't have had this very nicetalk, this little pearl of conversation. Anita is the boss of a small hotel/restaurant at the border of the Reschensee, an artificial lake, just at the frontier of Austria and Italy. We are totally alone here, so there is no pressure. Her mother was born here, however she had to move when the government in 1950 decided to flood the area and create the lake. People protested, some remained until the water came. The mother moved to Kitzbuhl, and Anita was born as one of 4 girls and 1 brother. Her mother was very homesick and Anita often joined her on the trips to her roots. Finally she met a man and stayed. She asks where I am coming from; then it turns out that one of her sisters lives in Leiden, where I am also living. She married a Dutch man. What a coincidence. Life can be very quiet here, but these tiny little things and conversations are what makes life nice. You have to enjoy it, she says. We say goodbye; Kalte Haende, ein warmes Herz, (cold hands, a warm heart) is an expression here, she says when she holds my hands and we kiss goodbye. Ciao, she says, ciao,while I am leaving; Iindeed arrived in Italy.