First Gondola Ride with Baby, Sissy and Dog to 6,561 Feet!

One of the biggest reasons we’ve come to the mountains was to try the gondola. You know, that little cabin that takes you to the top of the mountain at 2,000 meters (or 6,561 feet). What made it so special was that it’s pet-friendly! We couldn’t resist, so we decided to experience it as the whole Happy Chocolate Family—and find out if Kobe is afraid of heights. The gondola location wasn’t too far from our rental house, just about 40 minutes by car. To come early was actually Mom’s idea, and I must say—it was a great one! We were lucky there wasn’t a line for tickets since we arrived early. In our gondola cabin, we were joined by a mountain rescue worker. He was curious to see how Kobe would handle the heights. He told us that mountain accidents are common—just yesterday, he had received around 15 calls. I had no idea there were so many incidents daily! By the way, Kobe did great! He didn’t complain and was super curious, looking around at everything. At 1,400 meters, we had to switch to another gondola. In our family, a couple of us are afraid of heights—Betty and me—but we’re trying to overcome it every time. I won’t lie, there were some frightening moments, especially when the wind hit. And believe me, at 2,000 meters, you can definitely feel it! Thankfully, this gondola closes when the wind gets too strong. Once we arrived at the top, we found a beautiful spot where Kobe could run around freely. However, Betty was nervous because of warnings about stray dogs in the area. Thankfully, everything went well. We got a bit cold, so we decided to stop by a café (well, it’s more like a cafeteria, or in Russian, a столовая). The smell inside was amazing, but unfortunately, only small dogs were allowed. So, we decided to head back down to 1,400 meters in search of a warmer spot to rest. After warming up, we had an unexpected encounter with what Betty feared most—stray dogs. Honestly, I was amazed by how smart they were! One of the dogs was trying to call the others. I’m just glad they didn’t hear her barking. Most people take this gondola to go skiing, but I’d recommend doing it at least once even if you’re not a skier—it’s a great way to challenge your fear of heights. Who knows, maybe someday we’ll use the gondola for skiing too! For now, I can say we’ve come here for a beautiful and mesmerizing experience. I hope you all get to try it at least once.