Traversing Tyrol
Nov 4th, 2024, 03:13 PM
#1
Traversing Tyrol
"Blessed are the curious, for they shall have adventures." - Lovelle Drachman
We decided to forgo Switzerland this autumn and head back to Austria and the Dolomites instead. We’d visited Austria/South Tyrol, Italy in December 2023, which merely whet our appetite, encouraging us to return at a time of year more conducive to hiking.
The goal:
See more of South Tyrol and the Dolomites by spending some quality time in four different locations, complemented by a few areas in Tyrol, Austria that have been on our radar, all while trying to avoid the height of the season; plus spend a few nights in Munich for jet lag recovery and an Indian food fix (or two).
I monitored flights for about a month. When fares finally dropped some $400 to $1,830 each for Premium Plus on UA on our preferred routing, we jumped (this the second week of April).
We knew of course that UA would most likely change our flights at least once between purchase and departure - and true to form they did; changing the flight time and aircraft. Bill and Mel plan, UA laughs.
We’d already settled on a rough itinerary, and I’d earmarked a few accommodation options, so then we set about further researching and booking, making sure local guest cards were included with our chosen accommodation.
The 33 night itinerary:
Arrive Munich - two nights, Kings Hotel First Class, $338 inclusive of breakfast, Hotels.com
Sölden, Ötztal, Austria - five nights, Vizensn Living, Apt Fina, €680 + €40 tourist tax paid in cash upon arrival, Booking.com
Brixen/Bressanone, South Tyrol, Northern Italy - five nights, Brixen Riverside Living, Air BNB, $747 + €24 tourist tax
Colfosco, Alta Badia, South Tyrol, Italy - six nights, Ciasa Sunara, €528, booked directly
Sterzing/Vipiteno, South Tyrol, Northern Italy - five nights - Casa Blu, AirBNB, $793
San Candido/Innichen, South Tyrol, Northern Italy - five nights, Residence Silvia, booked directly, €555 + €25 tourist tax
Kufstein,”The Pearl of Tyrol”, Austria - five nights, Cityperle, Air BNB, $557 + €20 tourist tax, paid in cash upon arrival
From Kufstein, we planned to take the train back to Munich for departure
https://maps.app.goo.gl/9Devkb4pbGRAFjNM8
After booking accommodation, we bought insurance - TinLeg, $7,000 coverage for $528, inclusive of trip cancellation, interruption, medical, yadda, yadda.
The flights -
COS-IAH
IAH-MUC
MUC-IAH
IAH-COS
Planning & Issues:
Sorting out bus transportation in the Dolomites for so late in the season presented issues. Bill just about drove himself crazy trying to work out various local bus schedules. Südtirol was the only reliable public transport site we could find (and what we used last year), but unfortunately some of the places we wanted to visit were not in Südtirol.
We could only find Dolomiti Bus schedules in Italian and we were unable to find reliable timetables that we could understand. We finally gave up, deciding we’d figure it out on the fly, and hoped that tourist offices could help fill in the blanks.
I found planning a Dolomites trip rather confusing, even the second time around. It wasn't always clear to me what to visit from each base; for example, did it make more sense to visit Cortina d'Ampezzo from Colfosco, or from San Candido? Was it better to visit Ortisei from Brixen or from Colfosco, etc?
I compiled a list of what we wanted to see and do; and from which base seeing and doing these things seemed to make the most sense. I researched the closing dates for various cable cars and gondolas, and we based our itinerary on those dates, having to move a few things around in the process, which resulted in a bit of zig-zagging across the region.
Best as I can tell, most visitors to the Dolomites do so by car, but we’ve yet to find a place in Europe that we can’t navigate by public transport; although some places - like Italy - are definitely more challenging than others.
We booked a few trains in advance, some piecemeal, such as our travel day from Sölden to Brixen. Had we booked Sölden-Ötztal-Innsbruck-Brixen all on one ticket, the cost would have been €80, then extra for seat reservations.
But instead, we bought a Sparscheine ticket from Innsbruck to Brixen in advance (€19.40, plus €6 for seat reservations), and then bought Einzeltickets from Ötztal to Innsbruck on the day of travel as there was no discount for advance purchase, €21.80 for two, one at senior rate. (Sölden-Ötzal Bahnhof was free with guest card), so a savings of €38.80
We didn’t anticipate needing to reserve seats on most trains, so decided we could probably do so on the fly if needed.
In July, we discovered that effective September 23 (our day of departure from Sölden) the local bus from Sölden to Ötztal Bahnhof would switch from departures every 30 minutes to two departures a day, one at 12:35 pm and one at 6:35 pm. We contacted VVT (who provide the bus app for Austrian Tyrol) to confirm, and were told yes, this was the case. So, we booked our train tickets from Innsbruck to Brixen based on this timetable.
I then contacted our apartment owner in Sölden to ask if a late check out that day would be possible.
Then in late August, the new timetable was issued, and lo’ and behold it was the same as the old timetable. So, we figured we could leave Sölden in the morning, get to Innsbruck early and have a long lunch before catching our train to Brixen.
Then, the day before departure, I ran across this on Trip Advisor:
The road which goes from San Cassiano to Passo Valparola is going to be closed for urgent restructuring work from Monday 16th September until 30th November. This is the main route that people take from the Val Badia to Cortina so you'll need to find a way around. No doubt diversions will be signposted, but they will be long.
The most obvious detour would be Corvara - Campolongo - Arabba - Pieve di Livinallongo - Passo Falzarego (but really long)
So, Cinque Torri and Cima Tofana (near Cortina) were off the table - we'd planned to see both from Colfosco, and had thus planned six nights in Colfosco. We briefly considered taking one of those six nights and adding it to San Candido, but because our stay in San Candido was later in the trip, the Cinque Torri cable car would be closed anyway. As is stood, we only had one possible day for Cima Tofana while staying in Colfosco anyway as it closed on 9/29.
So, we kept things as originally planned.
To be continued...
We decided to forgo Switzerland this autumn and head back to Austria and the Dolomites instead. We’d visited Austria/South Tyrol, Italy in December 2023, which merely whet our appetite, encouraging us to return at a time of year more conducive to hiking.
The goal:
See more of South Tyrol and the Dolomites by spending some quality time in four different locations, complemented by a few areas in Tyrol, Austria that have been on our radar, all while trying to avoid the height of the season; plus spend a few nights in Munich for jet lag recovery and an Indian food fix (or two).
I monitored flights for about a month. When fares finally dropped some $400 to $1,830 each for Premium Plus on UA on our preferred routing, we jumped (this the second week of April).
We knew of course that UA would most likely change our flights at least once between purchase and departure - and true to form they did; changing the flight time and aircraft. Bill and Mel plan, UA laughs.
We’d already settled on a rough itinerary, and I’d earmarked a few accommodation options, so then we set about further researching and booking, making sure local guest cards were included with our chosen accommodation.
The 33 night itinerary:
Arrive Munich - two nights, Kings Hotel First Class, $338 inclusive of breakfast, Hotels.com
Sölden, Ötztal, Austria - five nights, Vizensn Living, Apt Fina, €680 + €40 tourist tax paid in cash upon arrival, Booking.com
Brixen/Bressanone, South Tyrol, Northern Italy - five nights, Brixen Riverside Living, Air BNB, $747 + €24 tourist tax
Colfosco, Alta Badia, South Tyrol, Italy - six nights, Ciasa Sunara, €528, booked directly
Sterzing/Vipiteno, South Tyrol, Northern Italy - five nights - Casa Blu, AirBNB, $793
San Candido/Innichen, South Tyrol, Northern Italy - five nights, Residence Silvia, booked directly, €555 + €25 tourist tax
Kufstein,”The Pearl of Tyrol”, Austria - five nights, Cityperle, Air BNB, $557 + €20 tourist tax, paid in cash upon arrival
From Kufstein, we planned to take the train back to Munich for departure
https://maps.app.goo.gl/9Devkb4pbGRAFjNM8
After booking accommodation, we bought insurance - TinLeg, $7,000 coverage for $528, inclusive of trip cancellation, interruption, medical, yadda, yadda.
The flights -
COS-IAH
IAH-MUC
MUC-IAH
IAH-COS
Planning & Issues:
Sorting out bus transportation in the Dolomites for so late in the season presented issues. Bill just about drove himself crazy trying to work out various local bus schedules. Südtirol was the only reliable public transport site we could find (and what we used last year), but unfortunately some of the places we wanted to visit were not in Südtirol.
We could only find Dolomiti Bus schedules in Italian and we were unable to find reliable timetables that we could understand. We finally gave up, deciding we’d figure it out on the fly, and hoped that tourist offices could help fill in the blanks.
I found planning a Dolomites trip rather confusing, even the second time around. It wasn't always clear to me what to visit from each base; for example, did it make more sense to visit Cortina d'Ampezzo from Colfosco, or from San Candido? Was it better to visit Ortisei from Brixen or from Colfosco, etc?
I compiled a list of what we wanted to see and do; and from which base seeing and doing these things seemed to make the most sense. I researched the closing dates for various cable cars and gondolas, and we based our itinerary on those dates, having to move a few things around in the process, which resulted in a bit of zig-zagging across the region.
Best as I can tell, most visitors to the Dolomites do so by car, but we’ve yet to find a place in Europe that we can’t navigate by public transport; although some places - like Italy - are definitely more challenging than others.
We booked a few trains in advance, some piecemeal, such as our travel day from Sölden to Brixen. Had we booked Sölden-Ötztal-Innsbruck-Brixen all on one ticket, the cost would have been €80, then extra for seat reservations.
But instead, we bought a Sparscheine ticket from Innsbruck to Brixen in advance (€19.40, plus €6 for seat reservations), and then bought Einzeltickets from Ötztal to Innsbruck on the day of travel as there was no discount for advance purchase, €21.80 for two, one at senior rate. (Sölden-Ötzal Bahnhof was free with guest card), so a savings of €38.80
We didn’t anticipate needing to reserve seats on most trains, so decided we could probably do so on the fly if needed.
In July, we discovered that effective September 23 (our day of departure from Sölden) the local bus from Sölden to Ötztal Bahnhof would switch from departures every 30 minutes to two departures a day, one at 12:35 pm and one at 6:35 pm. We contacted VVT (who provide the bus app for Austrian Tyrol) to confirm, and were told yes, this was the case. So, we booked our train tickets from Innsbruck to Brixen based on this timetable.
I then contacted our apartment owner in Sölden to ask if a late check out that day would be possible.
Then in late August, the new timetable was issued, and lo’ and behold it was the same as the old timetable. So, we figured we could leave Sölden in the morning, get to Innsbruck early and have a long lunch before catching our train to Brixen.
Then, the day before departure, I ran across this on Trip Advisor:
The road which goes from San Cassiano to Passo Valparola is going to be closed for urgent restructuring work from Monday 16th September until 30th November. This is the main route that people take from the Val Badia to Cortina so you'll need to find a way around. No doubt diversions will be signposted, but they will be long.
The most obvious detour would be Corvara - Campolongo - Arabba - Pieve di Livinallongo - Passo Falzarego (but really long)
So, Cinque Torri and Cima Tofana (near Cortina) were off the table - we'd planned to see both from Colfosco, and had thus planned six nights in Colfosco. We briefly considered taking one of those six nights and adding it to San Candido, but because our stay in San Candido was later in the trip, the Cinque Torri cable car would be closed anyway. As is stood, we only had one possible day for Cima Tofana while staying in Colfosco anyway as it closed on 9/29.
So, we kept things as originally planned.
To be continued...
Last edited by Melnq8; Nov 4th, 2024 at 03:19 PM.
Nov 4th, 2024, 05:07 PM
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Looking forward to following and comparing notes! We spent a week in Colfosco, probably shortly before you (second week of September). We had four great days of hiking and views in the area...and then a half-foot of snow. We drove in on that road between Passo Falzarego and San Cassiano, and there was a lot of road work going on. Our apartment host told us it would be closing soon for more major work.
I've started trying to write a trip report but haven't been able to get too far.
I've started trying to write a trip report but haven't been able to get too far.
Nov 5th, 2024, 06:11 AM
#6
Sept 15 & 16
Our flight from COS to Houston left a bit late. We arrived in Terminal A, an estimated 21 minute walk from our departure in Terminal C. It didn’t take us that long, so we had time for a very quick stop at the Red Carpet Club. Good thing, as I was starving and was able to wolf down a quick bite in the very busy club. Then we went right to our gate; they’d already boarded our section (1).
Our flight to Munich onboard the 767-300 was pretty full. We’d booked Premium Plus; we struggled with plugging in our headphones as the plug was well hidden under the armrest at the back of the seat. Our meal came out before drinks; I suspect the crew knew there was turbulence ahead.
The seat belt sign was on for almost the entire 10 hour flight even though it wasn’t always turbulent. I wondered if this was a result of all the recent turbulence issues - maybe the airline didn’t want to take a chance of being sued if the light wasn’t on when they hit unexpected turbulence? Or perhaps they just wanted everyone seated for 10 hours? Not going to happen. My bladder eventually got the best of me, so I ignored the signs. Fortunately, no one fussed at me, but how could they? A person has to pee, no?
The food was decent, service rushed. We were offered a second beverage after dinner.
I couldn’t get comfortable as the foot rest fought with my knee rest and I couldn’t use both at the same time. Bill did okay with his and helped me with mine on the return flight. I suspect everyone else was having the same issue, as the foot rest has to be manhandled to work. I got about three hours of sleep. It was pretty bumpy most of the flight but not roller coaster bumpy, thank goodness.
We arrived to a massive line at immigration in Munich, then had to wait about an hour for luggage. Not sure what was going on, but there were many announcements advising possible delays.
Luggage in hand, we got our bearings over coffee and pastry at a random bakery (€9.90) then made our way over to the train station, and tried to buy a Gruppen-Tageskarte on the DB app (all day ticket, five zones, up to five people). We were unsuccessful using the app, so bought it from a ticket machine, €29.10. We then took the S-bahn to the Hauptbahnhof.
Every escalator we’d encountered thus far was out of service (with luggage no less).
The weather was miserable, cold rain and wind. It was too early to check into our hotel, so we were given a keycard for the luggage area in the basement, where we pulled out our rain gear and then locked up our luggage.
We then set out to explore. After a bit of floundering, we made our way to the Viktualienmarkt and settled in at Café Nymphenburg Sekt for wheat beer and a nice dry merlot, sipped while encased in their waterproof plastic tent, €25.10 for two rounds.
Rainy day in Munich
Feeling slightly refreshed, we returned to the hotel to check in. Our room was on the second floor overlooking a noisy construction site. I called and asked if there was a quieter room, and we were given the last available on the 6th floor, still overlooking the construction site, but higher up so quieter. The room was tiny; smaller than last year’s tiny room, but perhaps a different category.
We got settled and then took the train to Isartor, for our dinner booking at Goa. I’d made the booking on The Fork and a second booking site, knowing full well that the restaurant probably wouldn’t have either, as they never do. Our MO is to make the earliest possible reservation, then turn up as soon as they open; we’ve never had a problem.
My favorite paneer was no longer on the menu, but I asked and they said they could make it; Paneer Achari, lovely as always. Bill had the Chicken Tikka, we shared rice, garlic naan and sparking water (€39.80), and then made a booking for the following night. Our waiter asked where we were from, we told him this is our favorite Indian place in Munich and we come every time we’re in the city. After dinner we took the train back to the hotel; we were in bed by 8 pm.
Paneer Achari, Goa
To be continued...
Our flight from COS to Houston left a bit late. We arrived in Terminal A, an estimated 21 minute walk from our departure in Terminal C. It didn’t take us that long, so we had time for a very quick stop at the Red Carpet Club. Good thing, as I was starving and was able to wolf down a quick bite in the very busy club. Then we went right to our gate; they’d already boarded our section (1).
Our flight to Munich onboard the 767-300 was pretty full. We’d booked Premium Plus; we struggled with plugging in our headphones as the plug was well hidden under the armrest at the back of the seat. Our meal came out before drinks; I suspect the crew knew there was turbulence ahead.
The seat belt sign was on for almost the entire 10 hour flight even though it wasn’t always turbulent. I wondered if this was a result of all the recent turbulence issues - maybe the airline didn’t want to take a chance of being sued if the light wasn’t on when they hit unexpected turbulence? Or perhaps they just wanted everyone seated for 10 hours? Not going to happen. My bladder eventually got the best of me, so I ignored the signs. Fortunately, no one fussed at me, but how could they? A person has to pee, no?
The food was decent, service rushed. We were offered a second beverage after dinner.
I couldn’t get comfortable as the foot rest fought with my knee rest and I couldn’t use both at the same time. Bill did okay with his and helped me with mine on the return flight. I suspect everyone else was having the same issue, as the foot rest has to be manhandled to work. I got about three hours of sleep. It was pretty bumpy most of the flight but not roller coaster bumpy, thank goodness.
We arrived to a massive line at immigration in Munich, then had to wait about an hour for luggage. Not sure what was going on, but there were many announcements advising possible delays.
Luggage in hand, we got our bearings over coffee and pastry at a random bakery (€9.90) then made our way over to the train station, and tried to buy a Gruppen-Tageskarte on the DB app (all day ticket, five zones, up to five people). We were unsuccessful using the app, so bought it from a ticket machine, €29.10. We then took the S-bahn to the Hauptbahnhof.
Every escalator we’d encountered thus far was out of service (with luggage no less).
The weather was miserable, cold rain and wind. It was too early to check into our hotel, so we were given a keycard for the luggage area in the basement, where we pulled out our rain gear and then locked up our luggage.
We then set out to explore. After a bit of floundering, we made our way to the Viktualienmarkt and settled in at Café Nymphenburg Sekt for wheat beer and a nice dry merlot, sipped while encased in their waterproof plastic tent, €25.10 for two rounds.
Rainy day in Munich
Feeling slightly refreshed, we returned to the hotel to check in. Our room was on the second floor overlooking a noisy construction site. I called and asked if there was a quieter room, and we were given the last available on the 6th floor, still overlooking the construction site, but higher up so quieter. The room was tiny; smaller than last year’s tiny room, but perhaps a different category.
We got settled and then took the train to Isartor, for our dinner booking at Goa. I’d made the booking on The Fork and a second booking site, knowing full well that the restaurant probably wouldn’t have either, as they never do. Our MO is to make the earliest possible reservation, then turn up as soon as they open; we’ve never had a problem.
My favorite paneer was no longer on the menu, but I asked and they said they could make it; Paneer Achari, lovely as always. Bill had the Chicken Tikka, we shared rice, garlic naan and sparking water (€39.80), and then made a booking for the following night. Our waiter asked where we were from, we told him this is our favorite Indian place in Munich and we come every time we’re in the city. After dinner we took the train back to the hotel; we were in bed by 8 pm.
Paneer Achari, Goa
To be continued...
Last edited by Melnq8; Nov 5th, 2024 at 06:15 AM.
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Nov 5th, 2024, 01:38 PM
#8
Sept 17 -
We had a good sleep, were up around six, then downstairs for breakfast shortly after. The weather was still crap, but dry so far. The hotel offers a €10 voucher if you pass on service, so we got ours with plans for a drink in the bar later in the day.
More rain was expected, so we decided to visit a few churches we’d not seen before. We walked to the Hauptbahnhof, purchased an all-day M zone train/bus/tram ticket (metro zone) for €17.80. Then we headed to St. Paul’s, northeast of the Oktoberfest grounds (Theresienwiese), where we poked around for a bit.
St Paul's, photo taken on our second visit, after the sun made an appearance
St Paul's
St Paul's
Then we went to St Ludwig church on Ludwigstrasse.
https://www.st-ludwig-muenchen.de/
St Ludwig
St Ludwig
St Ludwig
Then, realizing we’d missed the observation deck at St Paul’s, we went back, only to find a locked door, which we suspect led to the observation deck; zutritt verboten. Oh well.
Next we sought out the Octoberfest grounds, as we’d never been before. Oktoberfest was due to start in a few days. We walked the entire parameter of the 100 acre grounds and watched the preparations; a very long walk on Bavariaring.
I had no idea how big the festival grounds were, and that they included roller coasters, etc. The buildings look permanent, but evidently they’re not.
https://oktoberfesttoday.com/oktober...of-beer-tents/
Oktoberfest grounds
Oktoberfest grounds
There was an exhibit/memorial display explaining the 1980 bomb attack at the festival grounds. Sobering indeed.
https://stadt.muenchen.de/dam/jcr:09...omb-Attack.pdf
We got sidetracked by the Hall of Fame monument, another place we’d never been. There was temporary fencing around the grassy areas surrounding it, presumably to keep the hordes of inebriated from passing out there.
King Ludwig I had the Hall of Fame built from 1843 to 1853 above the Theresienwiese 'to acknowledge fame and service to Bavaria'. We considered climbing to the top of the Bavaria statue, but decided to save it for my next visit to Munich with my nephew.
schloesser.bayern.de/englisch/palace/objects/mu_ruhm.htm#:~:text=King%20Ludwig%20I%20had%20the, hall%20on%20ancient%20colossal%20altars.
Bavaria Statue
Afterwards, we returned to our hood near the Hauptbahnhof via the U-bahn, on board what I can only describe as a “vintage” train, with manual levers on the doors, etc. When we arrived at the station we were surprised to see a row of yellow-vested men giving hand signals, presumably to the train driver, to let him know the doors were closed, etc. We’d never seen this before. I asked about it later on Trip Advisor, where most seemed to think it was related to security of the upcoming Octoberfest, not the vintage train. No idea.
We were hungry, and our feet were killing us, we’d logged many miles on pavement. Not sure where to go for lunch, we ended up at Wirtshaus Rechthaler Hof near the Hauptbahnhof. We each had a bowl of Kartoffelsuppe wienerle (potato soup with tube steak - aka sliced hot dog-like sausage), accompanied with sparkling water, one wheat beer, one glass of Austrian white wine. It was a bit disappointing, not particularly good value, but it did the trick (€34.60).
Then we returned to the hotel and used our voucher for a beverage in their bar (+€7.60), surprised they didn’t take cash; we had to use our credit card.
Afterwards we picked up a few travel day provisions at a nearby Lidl for the next day.
Later we took the train back to Isartor for an encore dinner at Goa; same table, same food, same waiter, €39.80. It wasn’t as spicy as yesterday, Bill had to ask for chili oil. Still good though.
We watched an accident unfold from the windows of the restaurant; a car hit a tram, causing gridlock and trapping a second tram that couldn’t get around. A lot of chaos on such a narrow busy street.
Car hits tram
To be continued...
We had a good sleep, were up around six, then downstairs for breakfast shortly after. The weather was still crap, but dry so far. The hotel offers a €10 voucher if you pass on service, so we got ours with plans for a drink in the bar later in the day.
More rain was expected, so we decided to visit a few churches we’d not seen before. We walked to the Hauptbahnhof, purchased an all-day M zone train/bus/tram ticket (metro zone) for €17.80. Then we headed to St. Paul’s, northeast of the Oktoberfest grounds (Theresienwiese), where we poked around for a bit.
St Paul's, photo taken on our second visit, after the sun made an appearance
St Paul's
St Paul's
Then we went to St Ludwig church on Ludwigstrasse.
https://www.st-ludwig-muenchen.de/
St Ludwig
St Ludwig
St Ludwig
Then, realizing we’d missed the observation deck at St Paul’s, we went back, only to find a locked door, which we suspect led to the observation deck; zutritt verboten. Oh well.
Next we sought out the Octoberfest grounds, as we’d never been before. Oktoberfest was due to start in a few days. We walked the entire parameter of the 100 acre grounds and watched the preparations; a very long walk on Bavariaring.
I had no idea how big the festival grounds were, and that they included roller coasters, etc. The buildings look permanent, but evidently they’re not.
https://oktoberfesttoday.com/oktober...of-beer-tents/
Oktoberfest grounds
Oktoberfest grounds
There was an exhibit/memorial display explaining the 1980 bomb attack at the festival grounds. Sobering indeed.
https://stadt.muenchen.de/dam/jcr:09...omb-Attack.pdf
We got sidetracked by the Hall of Fame monument, another place we’d never been. There was temporary fencing around the grassy areas surrounding it, presumably to keep the hordes of inebriated from passing out there.
King Ludwig I had the Hall of Fame built from 1843 to 1853 above the Theresienwiese 'to acknowledge fame and service to Bavaria'. We considered climbing to the top of the Bavaria statue, but decided to save it for my next visit to Munich with my nephew.
schloesser.bayern.de/englisch/palace/objects/mu_ruhm.htm#:~:text=King%20Ludwig%20I%20had%20the, hall%20on%20ancient%20colossal%20altars.
Bavaria Statue
Afterwards, we returned to our hood near the Hauptbahnhof via the U-bahn, on board what I can only describe as a “vintage” train, with manual levers on the doors, etc. When we arrived at the station we were surprised to see a row of yellow-vested men giving hand signals, presumably to the train driver, to let him know the doors were closed, etc. We’d never seen this before. I asked about it later on Trip Advisor, where most seemed to think it was related to security of the upcoming Octoberfest, not the vintage train. No idea.
We were hungry, and our feet were killing us, we’d logged many miles on pavement. Not sure where to go for lunch, we ended up at Wirtshaus Rechthaler Hof near the Hauptbahnhof. We each had a bowl of Kartoffelsuppe wienerle (potato soup with tube steak - aka sliced hot dog-like sausage), accompanied with sparkling water, one wheat beer, one glass of Austrian white wine. It was a bit disappointing, not particularly good value, but it did the trick (€34.60).
Then we returned to the hotel and used our voucher for a beverage in their bar (+€7.60), surprised they didn’t take cash; we had to use our credit card.
Afterwards we picked up a few travel day provisions at a nearby Lidl for the next day.
Later we took the train back to Isartor for an encore dinner at Goa; same table, same food, same waiter, €39.80. It wasn’t as spicy as yesterday, Bill had to ask for chili oil. Still good though.
We watched an accident unfold from the windows of the restaurant; a car hit a tram, causing gridlock and trapping a second tram that couldn’t get around. A lot of chaos on such a narrow busy street.
Car hits tram
To be continued...
Last edited by Melnq8; Nov 5th, 2024 at 01:44 PM.
Nov 5th, 2024, 02:02 PM
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We transit through Munich fairly often, but we haven't spent time there since 2009. I think we're overdue for a visit.
I used to think that airport was a model of efficiency, but we've encountered more issues there the last couple of years - including loonnngggg passport control lines (not good when the minimum connection time is 40 minutes) and a Lufthansa flight that departed with no checked luggage onboard because they couldn't find a ground crew to load it.
I used to think that airport was a model of efficiency, but we've encountered more issues there the last couple of years - including loonnngggg passport control lines (not good when the minimum connection time is 40 minutes) and a Lufthansa flight that departed with no checked luggage onboard because they couldn't find a ground crew to load it.
Nov 5th, 2024, 10:27 PM
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Hallo Mel!
Lovely and entertaining and evocative report, as always!
Just a note about the Munich airport -- there were such terrible delays at the airport a little later than your arrival (early Oct, I believe), that it made German news and prompted action in the city council commerce committee. There is a thread at the other forum, titled "Munich Airport," with 58 replies. Basically, it has been a staffing & timing issue, and the staffing issue is getting resolved now. I think ....!
Enjoying this!
s
Lovely and entertaining and evocative report, as always!
Just a note about the Munich airport -- there were such terrible delays at the airport a little later than your arrival (early Oct, I believe), that it made German news and prompted action in the city council commerce committee. There is a thread at the other forum, titled "Munich Airport," with 58 replies. Basically, it has been a staffing & timing issue, and the staffing issue is getting resolved now. I think ....!
Enjoying this!
s
Nov 6th, 2024, 07:33 AM
#13
Sept 18 -
We were up early, had another good breakfast, then packed and got ready to leave. We rolled our luggage to the Hauptbahnhof and bought a Regio-ticket Werdenfels + Innsbruck from a ticket kiosk (€48), picked up rolls from a bakery to go with the salami, cheese and €6 bottle of dry Riesling we’d picked up the previous day (the wine was surprisingly good), and then located our train to Garmisch-Partenkirchen, where we changed to a train to Innsbruck, then caught a train to Ötztal (bought a ticket on VVT app from Innsbruck to Sölden for €33.30).
The ride took us through some of our favorite Bavarian towns, including Garmisch-Partenkirchen (where we waved to swandav) and Mittenwald, and through some of Tyrol’s prettiest bits, including Seefeld and Innsbruck.
Innsbruck train station
Once in Ötztal we took the 320 bus to Sölden, which took about an hour and meandered through several small towns in the Ötztal Valley. I was surprised at the number of stops; there were loads for Längenfeld alone.
Enroute to Sölden, while rejoining the main road from a narrow side road, a female driver going in the opposite direction blocked the bus driver’s way, so she had to back up. Evidently, she wasn’t happy about this as she gave the bus driver the one finger salute as she passed. Hilarious. No translation needed.
It was a pretty day; a gorgeous drive, the leaves were beginning to change. Our journey had taken about five hours.
We’d double checked our route the previous night due to flooding in Austria; we’d overheard a couple checking into our Munich hotel who said they couldn’t make it to Vienna due to flooding. All was okay on our route though.
When researching this trip, we’d originally planned to travel via Kufstein using the Bayern Ticket, but when we checked again the previous night, routes to Kufstein also went through Innsbruck, so we didn’t see the point of an extra stop (the Regio-ticket Werdenfels + Innsbruck was just €9 each more than the Bayern Ticket).
We located our apartment, just across the river from the Sölden Giggijochbahn bus stop. We got settled, and asked the owner where we might find a grocery store; we were told 300 meters across the bridge. We found it, (Spar), but it was closed until Oct 21! Uh-oh.
Sölden
We continued walking through town and found a mini MPreis, a small shop with limited items, no bread.
After dropping off our groceries at the apartment, we went back out to see if there might be another grocery store, and to look for dinner. We found a second, larger shop (another Spar) about one kilometer from the apartment. Not much in town was open - Bill, Mel and Austria strike again.
Closures are a recurring theme with us, as we often visit ski areas in the shoulder season. We fully expect them, yet Austria has surprised us on more than one occasion with how many there are. We weren’t expecting so many closures in a town of some 3,000 residents, especially since it was still summer season and the cable cars were operating. But most of the hotels were closed, as well as shops, restaurants, and even a grocery store.
We finally found an open restaurant (Milano); a bowl of garlic soup for me, a shared salami pizza and a bottle of sparking water (€27). Nothing special, but open!
Garlic soup, Milano
We returned to the apartment to discover the owner had left us a receipt for our €40 guest tax, but did not leave our guest cards, which provide free bus transport, free cable cars, etc. So, I sent him a note; seems he needed Bill’s details before giving us the cards. We considered visiting the tourist office, but it too was closed until tomorrow at 8:30.
As for the apartment, it was very nice - quiet, fresh, clean, and well equipped. It had two bedrooms, a full kitchen, mountain views, balcony and plenty of space, much appreciated after our tiny room in Munich. The only thing it didn’t have, which I’d have much appreciated, was a capsule coffee maker. Bill likes drip, me, not-so-much. Unfortunately, the tap water didn’t taste good, forcing us to buy bottled.
View from apartment window
Many evenings would be spent on the balcony consuming salami, cheese and bread dinners.
To be continued...
We were up early, had another good breakfast, then packed and got ready to leave. We rolled our luggage to the Hauptbahnhof and bought a Regio-ticket Werdenfels + Innsbruck from a ticket kiosk (€48), picked up rolls from a bakery to go with the salami, cheese and €6 bottle of dry Riesling we’d picked up the previous day (the wine was surprisingly good), and then located our train to Garmisch-Partenkirchen, where we changed to a train to Innsbruck, then caught a train to Ötztal (bought a ticket on VVT app from Innsbruck to Sölden for €33.30).
The ride took us through some of our favorite Bavarian towns, including Garmisch-Partenkirchen (where we waved to swandav) and Mittenwald, and through some of Tyrol’s prettiest bits, including Seefeld and Innsbruck.
Innsbruck train station
Once in Ötztal we took the 320 bus to Sölden, which took about an hour and meandered through several small towns in the Ötztal Valley. I was surprised at the number of stops; there were loads for Längenfeld alone.
Enroute to Sölden, while rejoining the main road from a narrow side road, a female driver going in the opposite direction blocked the bus driver’s way, so she had to back up. Evidently, she wasn’t happy about this as she gave the bus driver the one finger salute as she passed. Hilarious. No translation needed.
It was a pretty day; a gorgeous drive, the leaves were beginning to change. Our journey had taken about five hours.
We’d double checked our route the previous night due to flooding in Austria; we’d overheard a couple checking into our Munich hotel who said they couldn’t make it to Vienna due to flooding. All was okay on our route though.
When researching this trip, we’d originally planned to travel via Kufstein using the Bayern Ticket, but when we checked again the previous night, routes to Kufstein also went through Innsbruck, so we didn’t see the point of an extra stop (the Regio-ticket Werdenfels + Innsbruck was just €9 each more than the Bayern Ticket).
We located our apartment, just across the river from the Sölden Giggijochbahn bus stop. We got settled, and asked the owner where we might find a grocery store; we were told 300 meters across the bridge. We found it, (Spar), but it was closed until Oct 21! Uh-oh.
Sölden
We continued walking through town and found a mini MPreis, a small shop with limited items, no bread.
After dropping off our groceries at the apartment, we went back out to see if there might be another grocery store, and to look for dinner. We found a second, larger shop (another Spar) about one kilometer from the apartment. Not much in town was open - Bill, Mel and Austria strike again.
Closures are a recurring theme with us, as we often visit ski areas in the shoulder season. We fully expect them, yet Austria has surprised us on more than one occasion with how many there are. We weren’t expecting so many closures in a town of some 3,000 residents, especially since it was still summer season and the cable cars were operating. But most of the hotels were closed, as well as shops, restaurants, and even a grocery store.
We finally found an open restaurant (Milano); a bowl of garlic soup for me, a shared salami pizza and a bottle of sparking water (€27). Nothing special, but open!
Garlic soup, Milano
We returned to the apartment to discover the owner had left us a receipt for our €40 guest tax, but did not leave our guest cards, which provide free bus transport, free cable cars, etc. So, I sent him a note; seems he needed Bill’s details before giving us the cards. We considered visiting the tourist office, but it too was closed until tomorrow at 8:30.
As for the apartment, it was very nice - quiet, fresh, clean, and well equipped. It had two bedrooms, a full kitchen, mountain views, balcony and plenty of space, much appreciated after our tiny room in Munich. The only thing it didn’t have, which I’d have much appreciated, was a capsule coffee maker. Bill likes drip, me, not-so-much. Unfortunately, the tap water didn’t taste good, forcing us to buy bottled.
View from apartment window
Many evenings would be spent on the balcony consuming salami, cheese and bread dinners.
To be continued...
Last edited by Melnq8; Nov 6th, 2024 at 07:39 AM.
Nov 6th, 2024, 10:26 AM
#14
Sept 19 -
We were barely outside before we went back into the apartment to get our fleece hats, and to put our thermals on under our hiking pants - it was chilly. We also put our rain gear into Bill’s backpack, just in case.
We’d received our Ötztal Summer Cards; a wonderful thing indeed.
We walked to the tourist office for a head spinning rundown on things to see and do, and collected several maps.
Then we walked to the Giggijochbahn and took the gondola to the top, some 2,280 meters above Sölden.
https://www.tyrol.com/things-to-do/s...-giggijochbahn
Giggijochbahn
Map of the area
Top of Giggijochbahn
Top of Giggijochbahn
Top of Giggijochbahn
We popped into the deserted Wirtshaus for a coffee (€9.90) and then set out on the steep knee-crunching descent to Hochsolden. Once there, we hiked to the middle station of the Gaislachkoglbahn, where we had lunch at the Restaurant Falcon. Bill had a wonderful spicy soup with chorizo and basil - Gelbe Paprikarahmsuppe; I wish I’d gotten it too, but I foolishly ordered a bowl of pommes frites instead (€25.70 with a glass of Grüner Veltliner and a dark wheat beer).
https://www.tyrol.com/things-to-do/s...islachkoglbahn
Hike to the middle station of the Gaislachkoglbahn
Hike to the middle station of the Gaislachkoglbahn...don't ask me
After lunch we took the second stage of the cable car to the top of the 3,040 meter Gaislachkogl peak, where we took in the views and had a lovely Riesling in the posh, yet unpretentious Ice Q Panorama restaurant (€16). Good service, great views.
https://www.iceq.at/en/
Ice Q Panorama restaurant
Views from Gaislachkogl Peak
Views from Gaislachkogl Peak
Views from Gaislachkogl Peak
007 Elements is also up here, but even with guest card it was €22 each (€49 each without). We’d never heard of it, and had no idea what it was about, so took a pass.
https://www.soelden.com/en/activitie...s/007-elements
We then took the cable car back down to the middle station, where I satisfied my craving for coffee and tiramisu (€10) at Restaurant Falcon, before taking the final cable car back down to Sölden and trudging back to our apartment, logging about five miles.
Gaislachkoglbahn down to middle station
Onboard the Gaislachkoglbahn down to middle station
Cake break, Falcon Restaurant
Unbeknownst to us until today, the 24th James Bond film SPECTRE was filmed in Sölden in 2015. Evidently, the Ice Q restaurant was the Hoffler Klinik where James Bond meets Madeleine Swann.
James does love his mountains.
The villian Hinx's vehicle from the alpine chase sequence that starts in Sölden and continues through the Ötztal valley in the James Bond film SPECTRE
A nice, albeit tiring introduction to the beautiful Ötztal valley.
To be continued...
We were barely outside before we went back into the apartment to get our fleece hats, and to put our thermals on under our hiking pants - it was chilly. We also put our rain gear into Bill’s backpack, just in case.
We’d received our Ötztal Summer Cards; a wonderful thing indeed.
We walked to the tourist office for a head spinning rundown on things to see and do, and collected several maps.
Then we walked to the Giggijochbahn and took the gondola to the top, some 2,280 meters above Sölden.
https://www.tyrol.com/things-to-do/s...-giggijochbahn
Giggijochbahn
Map of the area
Top of Giggijochbahn
Top of Giggijochbahn
Top of Giggijochbahn
We popped into the deserted Wirtshaus for a coffee (€9.90) and then set out on the steep knee-crunching descent to Hochsolden. Once there, we hiked to the middle station of the Gaislachkoglbahn, where we had lunch at the Restaurant Falcon. Bill had a wonderful spicy soup with chorizo and basil - Gelbe Paprikarahmsuppe; I wish I’d gotten it too, but I foolishly ordered a bowl of pommes frites instead (€25.70 with a glass of Grüner Veltliner and a dark wheat beer).
https://www.tyrol.com/things-to-do/s...islachkoglbahn
Hike to the middle station of the Gaislachkoglbahn
Hike to the middle station of the Gaislachkoglbahn...don't ask me
After lunch we took the second stage of the cable car to the top of the 3,040 meter Gaislachkogl peak, where we took in the views and had a lovely Riesling in the posh, yet unpretentious Ice Q Panorama restaurant (€16). Good service, great views.
https://www.iceq.at/en/
Ice Q Panorama restaurant
Views from Gaislachkogl Peak
Views from Gaislachkogl Peak
Views from Gaislachkogl Peak
007 Elements is also up here, but even with guest card it was €22 each (€49 each without). We’d never heard of it, and had no idea what it was about, so took a pass.
https://www.soelden.com/en/activitie...s/007-elements
We then took the cable car back down to the middle station, where I satisfied my craving for coffee and tiramisu (€10) at Restaurant Falcon, before taking the final cable car back down to Sölden and trudging back to our apartment, logging about five miles.
Gaislachkoglbahn down to middle station
Onboard the Gaislachkoglbahn down to middle station
Cake break, Falcon Restaurant
Unbeknownst to us until today, the 24th James Bond film SPECTRE was filmed in Sölden in 2015. Evidently, the Ice Q restaurant was the Hoffler Klinik where James Bond meets Madeleine Swann.
James does love his mountains.
The villian Hinx's vehicle from the alpine chase sequence that starts in Sölden and continues through the Ötztal valley in the James Bond film SPECTRE
A nice, albeit tiring introduction to the beautiful Ötztal valley.
To be continued...
Nov 7th, 2024, 07:54 AM
#19
Sept 20 -
In the short time we’d been in Sölden we’d noticed an abundance of strip clubs (all closed). I googled and discovered that Sölden is quite the party town during ski season, and attracts a lot of Brits. Our visit to Mayrhofen last December struck us as a Brit party town as well, sans the strip clubs, but with an abundance of pubs. I was beginning to see a trend.
We were having trouble getting a handle on what was open, as what was open yesterday would be closed today. Many signs in businesses stated they were closed from mid-Sept until early to mid-October. We later learned why:
The Sölden ski area ranks among the most renowned ski areas in the Alps. And with good reason, also among the best: thanks to its high Alpine altitude between 1350 and 3340 meters above sea level, two glacier ski mountains and top modern snow-making systems, there is reliable snow from October through May….But that's still not all: truly outstanding mountain gastronomy and unique highlights in the ski area - such as 007 ELEMENTS or BIG 3 Rally - make every single day in the Sölden ski area a very eventful one.
That also explained all the fancy cars and motorcycles we’d seen. We kept crossing paths with the Super Car Owners Club from the UK; they’d pretty much taken over the Ice Q Restaurant the previous day. I’m assuming part of the attraction is the Timmelsjoch High Alpine Road.
https://www.tyrol.com/things-to-do/a...gh-alpine-road
The previous night we’d painstakingly made a plan for today, working out the bus logistics to get us to Schwarze Schneidbahn on the Rettenbach Glacier, hoping to take the two gondolas to the top (the highest point in the Ötztal accessible by mountain lift). From there we planned to walk the 15 minutes to the Schwarz Schneid Nature viewing platform, hoping for those 360 degree views of several 3,000 meter peaks. It didn’t sound like there was much else up there to do this time of year, especially as there was snow at that elevation.
https://www.tyrol.com/things-to-do/s...chneidbahn-iii
We then planned to return to Sölden by bus at 11:30, take the cable car back up to the Giggijoch for lunch and then go back down in time to catch a bus to Umhausen for a late afternoon visit to the Stuibenfalls.
But that didn’t happen. Bus 70, which was scheduled to leave the stop nearest the apartment at 9:17, never showed.
https://www.tyrol.com/things-to-do/s...chneidbahn-iii
So, we pivoted.
We crossed the street and took a bus to Umhausen instead, where we spent the entire day hiking to/from the Stuibenfalls, the highest waterfall in Tyrol, Austria and a popular spot for via ferrata. Holy Crap Batman. The hike, which consists of some five miles and 1,400 - yes, 1,400 - stairs (we hiked both ways) damn near killed us. But it was spectacular. And those via ferrata climbers? Just wow.
https://www.tyrol.com/things-to-do/a...enfall-oetztal
Hike to Stuibenfalls
Map of the area
Hike to Stuibenfalls
Hike to Stuibenfalls
Start of via ferrata, Stuibenfalls
Stuibenfalls map
Stuibenfalls
Stuibenfalls, check out those stairs
Hike to Stuibenfalls
Stuibenfalls (via ferrata climbers upper left)
View from above Stuibenfalls
After reaching the top of the falls and desperate to sit down, we continued another five minutes past the top platform to Stuibenfall Gasthof where we settled in for lunch. Bill had rosti with egg, bacon and pork (Grostl). I had Austrian ravioli in butter sauce with spinach (Schlutzkrapfen), both were very good (€48 with wheat beer and a nice Grüner Veltliner). The Gasthof looked like a nice place to just relax for a few days, assuming we ever let ourselves just relax on holiday.
Stuibenfall Gasthof
Stuibenfall Gasthof
Stuibenfall Gasthof
https://stuibenfall.at/?utm_source=g...n=gmb_standort
We then retraced our steps, going back down those 700 stairs. We took a break at the Waldcafe Stubobele for our first Aperol Spritz of the trip, €11 and quite refreshing.
Return hike from Stuibenfall Gasthof
Return hike
Return hike
Return hike
Waldcafe Stubobele
Back in Umhausen, we popped into the tourist office and asked about the bus issue. The woman called and was told they’d switched schedules with no notice. The tourist office had the same info we did, as did the VVT site. Evidently, there were now only two departures and two returns a day to Schwarze Schneid, with five hours in between and nothing to do up there other than the cable car and the 15 minute walk to the viewing platform.
We asked about various alternatives, such as taking the bus one way and hiking back to another cable car or vice versa, but had concerns over the condition of the trails due to deep snow, so nothing looked promising.
Umhausen
Umhausen
Umhausen
Umhausen
Then it was back to Sölden by bus, where we hobbled back to the apartment.
Apartment in Sölden
We might not be able to move tomorrow, but it’d been a great day. Sometimes those best laid plans go awry in a good way.
To be continued...
In the short time we’d been in Sölden we’d noticed an abundance of strip clubs (all closed). I googled and discovered that Sölden is quite the party town during ski season, and attracts a lot of Brits. Our visit to Mayrhofen last December struck us as a Brit party town as well, sans the strip clubs, but with an abundance of pubs. I was beginning to see a trend.
We were having trouble getting a handle on what was open, as what was open yesterday would be closed today. Many signs in businesses stated they were closed from mid-Sept until early to mid-October. We later learned why:
The Sölden ski area ranks among the most renowned ski areas in the Alps. And with good reason, also among the best: thanks to its high Alpine altitude between 1350 and 3340 meters above sea level, two glacier ski mountains and top modern snow-making systems, there is reliable snow from October through May….But that's still not all: truly outstanding mountain gastronomy and unique highlights in the ski area - such as 007 ELEMENTS or BIG 3 Rally - make every single day in the Sölden ski area a very eventful one.
That also explained all the fancy cars and motorcycles we’d seen. We kept crossing paths with the Super Car Owners Club from the UK; they’d pretty much taken over the Ice Q Restaurant the previous day. I’m assuming part of the attraction is the Timmelsjoch High Alpine Road.
https://www.tyrol.com/things-to-do/a...gh-alpine-road
The previous night we’d painstakingly made a plan for today, working out the bus logistics to get us to Schwarze Schneidbahn on the Rettenbach Glacier, hoping to take the two gondolas to the top (the highest point in the Ötztal accessible by mountain lift). From there we planned to walk the 15 minutes to the Schwarz Schneid Nature viewing platform, hoping for those 360 degree views of several 3,000 meter peaks. It didn’t sound like there was much else up there to do this time of year, especially as there was snow at that elevation.
https://www.tyrol.com/things-to-do/s...chneidbahn-iii
We then planned to return to Sölden by bus at 11:30, take the cable car back up to the Giggijoch for lunch and then go back down in time to catch a bus to Umhausen for a late afternoon visit to the Stuibenfalls.
But that didn’t happen. Bus 70, which was scheduled to leave the stop nearest the apartment at 9:17, never showed.
https://www.tyrol.com/things-to-do/s...chneidbahn-iii
So, we pivoted.
We crossed the street and took a bus to Umhausen instead, where we spent the entire day hiking to/from the Stuibenfalls, the highest waterfall in Tyrol, Austria and a popular spot for via ferrata. Holy Crap Batman. The hike, which consists of some five miles and 1,400 - yes, 1,400 - stairs (we hiked both ways) damn near killed us. But it was spectacular. And those via ferrata climbers? Just wow.
https://www.tyrol.com/things-to-do/a...enfall-oetztal
Hike to Stuibenfalls
Map of the area
Hike to Stuibenfalls
Hike to Stuibenfalls
Start of via ferrata, Stuibenfalls
Stuibenfalls map
Stuibenfalls
Stuibenfalls, check out those stairs
Hike to Stuibenfalls
Stuibenfalls (via ferrata climbers upper left)
View from above Stuibenfalls
After reaching the top of the falls and desperate to sit down, we continued another five minutes past the top platform to Stuibenfall Gasthof where we settled in for lunch. Bill had rosti with egg, bacon and pork (Grostl). I had Austrian ravioli in butter sauce with spinach (Schlutzkrapfen), both were very good (€48 with wheat beer and a nice Grüner Veltliner). The Gasthof looked like a nice place to just relax for a few days, assuming we ever let ourselves just relax on holiday.
Stuibenfall Gasthof
Stuibenfall Gasthof
Stuibenfall Gasthof
https://stuibenfall.at/?utm_source=g...n=gmb_standort
We then retraced our steps, going back down those 700 stairs. We took a break at the Waldcafe Stubobele for our first Aperol Spritz of the trip, €11 and quite refreshing.
Return hike from Stuibenfall Gasthof
Return hike
Return hike
Return hike
Waldcafe Stubobele
Back in Umhausen, we popped into the tourist office and asked about the bus issue. The woman called and was told they’d switched schedules with no notice. The tourist office had the same info we did, as did the VVT site. Evidently, there were now only two departures and two returns a day to Schwarze Schneid, with five hours in between and nothing to do up there other than the cable car and the 15 minute walk to the viewing platform.
We asked about various alternatives, such as taking the bus one way and hiking back to another cable car or vice versa, but had concerns over the condition of the trails due to deep snow, so nothing looked promising.
Umhausen
Umhausen
Umhausen
Umhausen
Then it was back to Sölden by bus, where we hobbled back to the apartment.
Apartment in Sölden
We might not be able to move tomorrow, but it’d been a great day. Sometimes those best laid plans go awry in a good way.
To be continued...
Last edited by Melnq8; Nov 7th, 2024 at 07:58 AM.
Nov 7th, 2024, 01:49 PM
#20
Sept 21 -
Bill had picked up a bug; so we walked to the pharmacy to get some expectorant,and then to Spar to get provisions, as it would be closed tomorrow, Sunday. Several Porsches drove through town, perhaps the same UK group we’d seen yesterday.
We were pretty wrecked after yesterday's adventure, so we decided to take it easy today.
We took the 10:37 am bus to Oetz, about an hour from Sölden, and took the Archerkogelbahn cable car up to the hiking and alpine paradise of Hochoetz, at some 2,020 meters.
https://www.tyrol.com/things-to-do/s...acherkogelbahn
Since we could barely move, we settled for walking the easy Rotes Wandl, wincing at every step.
Walking the Rotes Wandl
Walking the Rotes Wandl
Walking the Rotes Wandl
We popped into Kühtaile Alm, for a glass of Riesling (€8.40), and to take in the views.
https://www.kuehtaile-alm.at/
Kühtaile Alm
We then continued walking back towards the cable car station, but were seduced into climbing one last very steep hill up to Bieldfelder Hütte where we settled in on their busy sun terrace for a plate of Käsespätzle for me, and a bland looking noodle dish for Bill, €40 including two Lilet wild berry drinks, with the tartest berries either of us had ever had.
https://bielefelder-huette.at/
Lunch at Bieldfelder Hütte
Afterwards we sat on a bench behind the hütte and watched the paragliders.
Views from Bieldfelder Hütte
Paragliders
We eventually walked back down to the cable car station and took it down to Oetz, hearing music and announcements below us as we made our descent, later learning the event we were hearing was the first edition of the Oetztal Kayak Festival.
Archerkogelbahn cable car station
We caught a return bus to Sölden, planning to stay on the bus and continue past Sölden to Obergurgl. Obergurgl is the highest parish in Austria, and lies at the southern end of the Ötztal Gurglertal valley.
But, the bus display said Sölden OVG; it was unclear to us if it continued on to Obergurgl, so we bailed and returned to the apartment.
Easy day or not, we’d still managed to log more than five miles.
So far, the weather had been fantastic - low 40's to mid-50's. Perfect hiking weather. If only our bodies were as cooperative.
To be continued…
Bill had picked up a bug; so we walked to the pharmacy to get some expectorant,and then to Spar to get provisions, as it would be closed tomorrow, Sunday. Several Porsches drove through town, perhaps the same UK group we’d seen yesterday.
We were pretty wrecked after yesterday's adventure, so we decided to take it easy today.
We took the 10:37 am bus to Oetz, about an hour from Sölden, and took the Archerkogelbahn cable car up to the hiking and alpine paradise of Hochoetz, at some 2,020 meters.
https://www.tyrol.com/things-to-do/s...acherkogelbahn
Since we could barely move, we settled for walking the easy Rotes Wandl, wincing at every step.
Walking the Rotes Wandl
Walking the Rotes Wandl
Walking the Rotes Wandl
We popped into Kühtaile Alm, for a glass of Riesling (€8.40), and to take in the views.
https://www.kuehtaile-alm.at/
Kühtaile Alm
We then continued walking back towards the cable car station, but were seduced into climbing one last very steep hill up to Bieldfelder Hütte where we settled in on their busy sun terrace for a plate of Käsespätzle for me, and a bland looking noodle dish for Bill, €40 including two Lilet wild berry drinks, with the tartest berries either of us had ever had.
https://bielefelder-huette.at/
Lunch at Bieldfelder Hütte
Afterwards we sat on a bench behind the hütte and watched the paragliders.
Views from Bieldfelder Hütte
Paragliders
We eventually walked back down to the cable car station and took it down to Oetz, hearing music and announcements below us as we made our descent, later learning the event we were hearing was the first edition of the Oetztal Kayak Festival.
Archerkogelbahn cable car station
We caught a return bus to Sölden, planning to stay on the bus and continue past Sölden to Obergurgl. Obergurgl is the highest parish in Austria, and lies at the southern end of the Ötztal Gurglertal valley.
But, the bus display said Sölden OVG; it was unclear to us if it continued on to Obergurgl, so we bailed and returned to the apartment.
Easy day or not, we’d still managed to log more than five miles.
So far, the weather had been fantastic - low 40's to mid-50's. Perfect hiking weather. If only our bodies were as cooperative.
To be continued…
