Our daughter asked, very seriously, whether the stars above the meadow were real or "turned on". It is a fair question. Far from any town, high in the hills above the village, the sky looks almost unfinished.
We walked up at five, carrying far too much, and pitched two tents as the light turned from gold to copper. Dinner was soup heated on a tiny stove. The children fell asleep before dessert, under three blankets.
At dawn, we climbed the rocks behind the camp to watch the sun come up. It took twenty minutes and a great deal of complaining. Nobody complained at the top.
If you go with children, choose a spot less than an hour from the car, pack warm clothes for the night and leave the schedule behind.
