It’s the evening of July 25th. As you might remember from the previous episode of my personal soap opera “Me and My Dumb Adventures,” we set off to the Dolomite Alps.

Using Park4Night I found a spot to crash not far from the trailhead. Sounds perfect, right? Sleep next to where you’ll hike. What could possibly go wrong?

At this point, I had been driving for about six hours straight, stopping only to buy sad sandwiches and inject myself with coffee so I wouldn’t pass out on the wheel. It was already dark. I was so exhausted I could’ve just curled up on the asphalt. But then — fresh chilly air started creeping into the car.

I glanced at the dashboard: yep, we’re going uphill. Serpentine road, colder and colder. Wonderful. The thermometer hit 10°C, and I was still wearing shorts and a crop top.

Let me remind you: we were actually supposed to go to sunny Slovenia. I wasn’t exactly packing for the Alps’ walk-in freezer. My “warm gear” consisted of one hoodie, one pair of leggings, and, of course, anxiety.

No signal. Maps cut off. Pitch black all around. I wasn’t even sure we were still in the mountains, maybe we’d slipped into a parallel universe Google Maps doesn’t cover.

Turning back was out of the question, so we made a strategic decision: stop at the first patch of grass next to the road. Romantic, right?

It reminded me of a moment back in 2023 in Switzerland: also night, also no signal, also “let’s just sleep here.” The next morning, I discovered I had spent the night peacefully… in a mountain cemetery. Creepy, yes, but now I call it part of the adventure package.

Anyway, I knew this night would be both fun and freezing. We pulled over, the guys went out to check if there was enough space for tents, and I stayed in the car thanking the universe I wasn’t about to sleep under a flimsy piece of fabric.

Seconds later, I heard someone shout: “Quick, come here!”

Dragging myself out of the car against every instinct, I looked up. And then my heart actually stopped for a second.

The sky. Oh my god, the sky.

Stars everywhere, thick as paint. The Milky Way stretching across like a river of light. My whole body shivered, maybe from the cold, maybe from awe. In that moment it was just me, the Universe, and the Creator.

For a while, I forgot about everything: the 9°C, the darkness, the bears my imagination invented. Just me and infinity.

And then the night began. And trust me, it was anything but boring.

To be continued.