Awoke and left about 9 am. Hard cycling immediately. Had breakfast about 10 am when the sun had chased away most of the cold. Difficult cycling all day. Something's wrong with the back wheel. It's too difficult to move. Arrived in Santa Maria, beautiful Switzerland at 4 pm. Checked in at the old farmhouse youth hostel. Family of walkers from Lausanne joined me at the hostel. Invited me for dinner of soup, tea and sandwiches. Wrote and retired in the chilly hostel.Hostel 2.80 Swiss Francs
Elevation 1,260 m
Mileage: Merano to Santa Maria 70 km
Left the youth hostel after writing. Even when the sun was shining the air had a discomforting wintry chill to it. At high noon, exhaled air turns white. Cycled through the tempting, luscious fields of apples, grapes and pears. Bought a postcard and had some grapes in Ora, Italy. [Ora is my mother's first name] Arrived in Bolzano at noon. On to Merano, arriving at 2:30 pm.
Walked through the downtown area. Set up my tent in an apple orchard west of town. As I write with gloved hands the sun still dominates the cloudless sky. If it clouded up it could snow, but the sky has been cloudless and blue since leaving Austria. I haven't had a shower or washed my hair since Vienna. I hope I get into a home in Switzerland.
Mileage: Trento to Merano 83 km
