My Blog List

Walking along the Via Romea Germanica from Stade, near Hamburg, in Germany south through Austria and Italy to Rome.

Sunday 3 June 2018

Lengstein, Bolsano / Bozen – Day 64, 65 on the road

I left Chiusa / Klausen fairly early and stopped at the free Wi-Fi outside the Rathaus to quickly check emails, and load the map again as it had disappeared overnight.  It had rained while I was having breakfast, though I didn’t know it.  When I opened the door I could see people walking with umbrellas up.  I stepped out, and only feeling the occasional spot decided to take a punt and not get the rain gear out.  It was very humid and overcast, but remained dry for a good part of the morning.  


After following the cycle path along the river for quite some time I then went under the road and was supposed to be headed up the hill to the village of Babbiano.  I couldn’t find the path, and the farmer suggested that I head along the river again and turn off further along, which I decided to do.  As I was descending to the path again I saw two people walking towards me.  As they approached I was startled to hear “are you Janet?”.  It was Franco and Graziella and they had been following my blog.  They were headed into the mountains for a walk so after a brief chat we went our separate ways – they into the mountains, and I along the river.
Franco and Graziella
Heading up into the village of Babbiano I went up a road that was so steep I had to zig zag all the way.  Not only that, but also keep an eye out for cars that were occasionally using it, though how they had the nerve I am not sure!  I was VERY  glad to find a cafe open in the village.  Even more so, when 15 minutes later the heavens opened, and there was I, nice and dry.  It meant a longer rest than I intended while I waited for the rain to disappear. 

      
Heading up to Babbiano.  The sign says your Navigation system is wrong!
At the top of the hill I spied the milk cans out again.
Babbiano

It was here that Mara arrived.  She and I, unknowingly, were in the same B & B, but she is walking a different route to me. She too stopped to wait for the rain to go.  I left before she did, but she caught me up while I was trying to decide where the path went and we spent the afternoon walking together.  It was good having company for a while and the afternoon passed quickly as we made our way first up to the Church of Santa Verena, and then down the other side.  The views were magnificent from there – out over the valley across to the mountains on the other side.  At the bottom of the hill, on the other side, we found a Casa Rural.  The only trouble was that there was no dinner or breakfast available and as I hadn’t really had a decent lunch I was in need of a good dinner.  Mara decided to stay put and I made my way onto Lengstein where she kindly reserved a room for me (she had a phone on her).  I had Gnocchi for dinner and it was the best Gnocchi I have ever had – giant pieces, only three on the plate, and filled with cheese – absolutely delicious! I was under the delusion that this last few kilometres for the day would be quite easy – wrong!  It was a steady up hill grind all the way, and I have never been so glad to get to my accommodation.
      

      
The view from Santa Verena (left), and the Church of Santa Verena (right)
labyrinth cut in the grass on the way from Santa Verana

I was also under the impression that because of the climb at the end of the day, the start would be easy.  Again – wrong!  A long steady climb up to Maria Saal, which in the humid weather, even early in the morning, was hard work.  I had intended to stop the night before at a place called Collaldo / Klobenstein but I am glad I didn’t make it.  I had plenty of time in the morning to look at a famous geographical site on the way – the Earth Pyramids in the area of Ritten.  The Earth Pyramids are, so the information boards told me, found on all continents throughout the world.  They are formed in very specific soil conditions.  The soil erodes and very large rocks are exposed and sit, much like a cap, on top of the “pyramid”, protecting it until, eventually it no longer has enough soil to balance, falls off, and the “pyramid” erodes much more quickly.  However the process will start again with others being formed.  
                          
 The pilgrimage church on the outskirts of Maria Saal
More milk cans at Maria Saal.
 On the way to the earth pyramids - looking back towards Maria Saale.

      
 The earth Pyramids (left) and from a distance (right), with Maria Saale in the distance

On the way to Colallbo the path winds through some lovely scenery, complete with wonderful views of the mountains.  The fence (above) is tied with vines

      
Not far now from Colallbo (above right)

It was hot walking and I decided that I would do what seemed to be suggested by the signs, and catch the cable car down to Bolzano / Bozen.  This is an extraordinary piece of engineering, heading across valleys, and steeply down the hillside, and best of all shaving about 10 kilometres of very steep descent to the city.  Hopefully you will get some idea of the steepness from the photos.  
 If you look carefully at the P sign you will see the Via Romea sign.  It implies "catch the cable car" as it points down the hill!
 No explanation is needed - you can see the city in the distance if you look hard, and further down you can see the steepness of the descent.



Bolzano was, at first, a disappointment.  The only hotel I could get was a three star one, where I had to pay (but didn’t take the option)  12 Euros for breakfast and 10 Euros for Wi-Fi.  All I wanted to do was get out of town.  There was another equally disgruntled Aussie, by chance in the same hotel, and so we had dinner and breakfast together, which was nice.  Sue was so disgruntled that she actually changed her hotel, and I was only going to stay for one night anyway.  I found a physio who advised me to not walk the next stage as steep descents were aggravating my foot so I headed off in the morning on the bus.  More later.  Because checkout was at 11.00 I wandered around the city till the last minute.  I sort of attached myself to a guided tour – it was an Aussie bloke telling his bus load of tourists all about the town.  Even if I had been in doubt as to where he was from, his explanation for the Southern German greeting of “grüs Gott” as being the equivalent of “g’day” sealed it for me!  Thus, having spent the morning wandering around, I left Bolzano in a much better frame of mind.
                         
 A statue in Waltzer Square in Bolzano (left), and the Australian tour group (right)
A flower stall in the market in Bolzano>

No comments:

Post a Comment