Walking in Europe

Now back in Canada!

Well.. what a trip… it’s so nice to have landed in Vancouver tonight. We’ll make the final hop to Trail on Pacific Coastal tomorrow and be in Nelson by the afternoon. Thanks Emily for looking after home and Poppy while we’ve been away!❤️

Eleven weeks of backpacker travel. While we weren’t always on top of the daily distance tally, Ali did a great job with Strava and mapping apps. We estimate over 600 kms of hiking/walking routes, day hikes, city exploring and various other wanderings. We visited 5 countries: Switzerland 🇨🇭 , France 🇫🇷, Italy 🇮🇹, Austria 🇦🇹, Iceland 🇮🇸 (6 if you count two hours in Slovenia 🇸🇮 while we switched buses travelling from Trieste to Villach 🙂). We travelled mostly by public transit (one short Uber in Villach when a nice local, noticing our packs, stopped to ask: “Going to the train station? Then you want the bus stop on the other side of the street”- just as our bus went by across the street… 😜… my bad). Ali also successfully hitch hiked when one bus drove by on a Dolomites mountain road full of people and not stopping- next would be an hour wait, so out went her thumb. Super nice fellow from Spain and his Mom picked us up after 50 cars went by. We also found out that public bus service on certain routes in the Dolomites abruptly stops for the season on a seemingly random day in September. But it meant for a great day’s walk into Cortina d’Ampezzo from Passo Giau. We also had a week in a rented camper van in Iceland-a perfect way to have transportation, accommodation, and cooking all in one. So grateful for not having to use the tent in Iceland! 🥶💨💦🌧️.

We walked, talked, climbed, sat down, rested, laughed, cried, slept, snored (I did), cooked, ate, learned “good morning” in a couple of languages, met up with friends, stared speechless in awe at mountain landscapes, nature, art, flowers, farm animals, fields, forests, glaciers and steam vents; took pictures, took notes, high-fived at the summits and passes, learned so much; sometimes we rushed, sometimes we took our time, had afternoon naps and evening cuppas, ate great food, and met other wonderful hikers and travellers. Ali has gracefully put up with my (occasional?) grumbling and mumbling, was patient with my failing hearing, and pre-coffee morning mood. There’s no other person on this precious planet that I would do a trip like this with. I love you Alison! ❤️. Thanks for reading, followers!

Pics from the last day before rushing for the plane!

From Vik to the glacial lagoons at Jökulsarlon and back again.

With only a few days left and some unpredictable weather, we have kept our short time in Iceland to the South Coast taking in some touristy stops, sights, and short walks along Highway 1 as far as the foot of the massive Vatnajökull Glacier.

From our campsite in Vik we stopped for a nice morning hike up to the top of what was an island, now a low, flat topped hill rising out of the beach (sea level was higher pre ice age). Its name is Hjörleifshöfdl and was also the site of a Viking settlement established in 874AD. Legend has it that the settler, Hjǫrleifr Hróðmarsson, was killed by his Irish slaves in 875… however it remained a farm into the 1700s..

We continued up the coast (part farmland and part very flat sand desert outwash plain from the glacier) to the canyon at Fjaðrárgljúfur, a very deep river canyon along the Fjaora and Skafta rivers. Back in the car and further up the coast along the outwash plain at the foot of the Skeiðarárjökull glacier where we found a nice campsite at Skaftafell (but no indoor cooking! 🥶).

With a clear night at Vik and Skaftafell campsites we were very lucky to catch the Northern Lights!

Yesterday morning we awoke to beautiful clear skies but a howler of an offshore wind (right off the glacier), so much so that there were driving warnings issued along the highway. This is a thing in Iceland. Sometimes the highways are closed so that vehicles aren’t caught out and blown over. (There’s also an app for your phone where you can receive alerts if conditions worsen or improve). The advice is drive with care and for big gusts pull over and park with the front of the car to windward!! Advice at the campsite was to proceed with our day but to drive carefully! After breakfast we drove further up the coast to a series of glacial lagoons with icebergs and chunks of ice calved off the glacier at Fjallsarlon and Jokulsarlon. Walks were short as the temperature had dropped and the wind was strong and incessant- “hold on to the door tightly as you open it so it isn’t bent backwards at the hinges” was some other advice… but a beautiful and dramatic landscape including “Diamond Beach” where icebergs float out along a channel from the lagoons and into the sea, some of which wash back up to adorn the beach.

After Diamond Beach we made the long trek back to Vik for the night but not before a few harrowing miles in our little camper with brutal crosswinds. We did take the advice and parked along the way to give the white knuckles a rest and sit out a few crazy gusts. 💨🌊

Today we are camped at Selfoss after a drive back from Vik with stops to see the massive waterfall at Gullfoss and the geysers and vents at Geysir. Today the weather was back to a rain deluge so our walks to the sights were quick!

Sound bytes…

Wind outside during the night

Gusts while we pulled over!

A week in a camper van in a beautiful North Atlantic country North of 60!

We made it to Zurich on the 28th of September; a full day on the train with transfers in Verona and Milan, but very pleasant to watch the scenery pass by. From Venice to Milan is a Westerly trip to the North of the Po Valley and seems to be the heart of the agricultural lands of Italy. From Milan it’s almost due North to Zurich and a steady climb back into the steep hill slopes and alpine scenes. It was strange to be retracing our steps back to Zurich along the route we took from there to Milan in July when we were on our way to Chamonix and the TMB.

In Zurich we stayed for a night at the same hostel a short walk from the subway station and 20 minute train trip to the airport where on Monday (29th) we boarded a plane for Keflavik, Iceland! Our return tickets from Vancouver on Iceland Air included an optional seven day layover in Iceland on our way home. So we are currently spending a week in a rented camper van on this beautiful island nation in the North Atlantic. Such a dramatic but fabulous change of scenery (and temperature!) and experience to round out our travels. We’re on day 3 of 6 and are focusing on the South coast. There’s so much to see!

We arrived at Keflavik Airport on Monday in time to pick up our rental van, get a run down on the camper (including how to handle excessive wind on the roads), shop for groceries and make our way to our first campsite at Grindavik. That stretch of highway has had to be rebuilt following the volcanic eruption recently. The campsites are usually well equipped with cooking area and hot showers etc, so it was great to get set up just as daylight faded. Tuesday we drove along the coast road (with short stops and walks) to Reykjavik to visit the tourist info office then headed along the main highway to Hveragerdl where we found a nice campsite. From there yesterday morning we hiked up to the natural hotsprings (more like warm springs) and bubbling trailside vents at the Reykjadalsa River. What a deluge though. It has been a very stormy/rainy time so far and we were quite soaked hiking back to the car (we realized we didn’t really have the greatest of seasonal rain gear 😳.. And it’s not Mediterranean temperatures anymore!) But the rental van has a great heater! From there we drove to the village of Hella and a nice farm campsite nearby with kitchen area and hot showers (could use a bit of a cleaning though..).

Today was a welcome change in the weather and we’ve enjoyed a nice drive down the coast to Vik with stops along the way to explore the waterfalls trail at Skogafoss and spent a wonderful afternoon walking the black sand beaches at Reynisfjara. Tonight we are at the campsite at Vik, warm and dry and about to cook dinner in the kitchen area. Another amazing day ❤️.

A beautiful city with so much to see and experience.

When we were planning our trip we had not thought to visit Venice. But as our time in the Dolomites wound down and the weather cooled (apparently snow at Tre Cime yesterday!) we decided to take the 3 hour bus ride south from Toblach to Venice on Tuesday. We found a very reasonable hostel room in a four room apartment with shared kitchen in Mestre (metro Venice), close to transit and a grocery store. We’ve had a lovely few days of taking the bus out along a long causeway into the old part of Venice (a series of islands) and exploring the piazzas, alley ways, and myriad canal walkways and bridges around the old city. One evening we went to see a string and harpsichord ensemble perform a flawless Vivaldi’s Quattro Stagioni, and toured the Museum of Music. We toured the Gallerie dell Accademia. We took a water taxi over to the nearby island of Murano and toured the Glass Museum. Today we toured the Museum of Natural History and spent several hours in the Peggy Guggenheim Collection; an extensive gallery (her former residence) of contemporary 20th Century paintings and sculpture (this was one our favourite galleries). Thank goodness for map applications as Venice is a very compact, ancient city of alleys, canals, foot bridges where it was so easy to lose track of where you are! But that’s part of the appeal.

At our hostel, we met a very nice couple (Mila and Sergei) living in London but from Ukraine; in Venice to meet up with two of their adult kids, one of whom is the sound engineer for a touring Ukrainian orchestra performing popular film scores and contemporary orchestral music. We went to the show last night and really enjoyed it. Their daughter left this morning to head back to Kyiv 😢.

Tomorrow we pack up and head to Zurich!

Sound Bytes

A spectacular (and very popular!) part of the Dolomites.

September 20… From our campsite in Cortina we had a very early pack up and start in order to walk the 3 kms into Cortina (too early for city buses!) to catch the Dolomiti transit bus up to Misurina and then further up to Rifugio Auronzo. We were booked into R. Auronzo and hadn’t expected to arrive so early so we had a lovely day of exploring a few trails and meadows and had our picnic lunch out in a meadow away from the throngs of tourists. Wow this is a very popular spot. Large parking lots with tour buses and cars, mostly of day hikers (the most crowded we’ve experienced so far), but we enjoyed our day of the most amazing Dolomites scenery and mountain air. We were booked into the Rifugio Auronzo for the night and it was much quieter once the day crowds had left. The dinner was really good!

September 21… From Auronzo we hiked the first half of the circle route around the Tre Cime di Lavaredo (three vertical and dramatic spires) peaks. The trail is very popular so the hike was busy, but short for us so we were able to drop our packs at our next Refugio at Locatelli, and spend the afternoon wandering around the meadows and rocky areas less travelled by the throngs. Just such dramatic scenery and so appreciated the continued good weather! Rifugio Locatelli was a really nice hostel, comfortable bunks (we splurged on a private room), good food (dinner was amazing in particular), and very welcoming staff. And nice to share meals with a couple from Vancouver! Hello to Ian and Jessica!

September 22… Today there was a shift in the weather (equinox!), and we finished the Tre Cime circle route before lunch along a very picturesque trail but with lower temps and clouds swirling around the peaks (needed our warm layers!). Smaller crowds as it is Monday today and the weather is definitely changing. We finished around lunch and sat out the weather for awhile in the Rifugio Auronzo while we booked bus and accommodation for our next destination. Tomorrow we are taking a bus to Venice for a few days. Amazingly short distance (a three hour bus ride) from where we are camped tonight in Dobbaccio (Toblach). Rain holding off so far for a night back in the tent!

Passo Falzarego to Passo Giau

After our amazing transit bus day (really a success story of int’l budget travel: to make all those transfers, decode all those schedules, and arrive at our destination in good humour- ok, there was one disagreement..) from Canazei to Toblach, we had a reasonable night in the tent at the campground in Villabassa. The campsite allowed us to store a bunch of gear with them the next day so we could walk with a much lighter load from Lago di Braise (accessed by transit bus right at the campsite) and complete stage 1 of the Alta Via 1 trail to Rifugio Biella. So began our day on September 15. Lago di Braises is very similar to Lake Louise- a beautiful alpine turquoise lake at the base of dramatic peaks with an old stately hotel along the shoreline; a walking path completely around the lake, huge parking lot and cafes, souvenir shops, a bus stop, and a large number of tourists. To access the AV1 trailhead we wandered along the shoreline with the crowd, and then began our ascent up switchbacks and successive low passes, even a section with those darned cable handholds again. But it was a decent hike and we arrived at Refugio Biella in time to have a nap in the sun on some recliners while lunch was being served to other through hikers, check in, and walk an additional four kms out into the rolling terrain backdropped with enormous peaks and limestone escarpments all around.

Rifugio Biella was friendly but barebones: 48 guests, bunk beds with snorers, three squat toilets (only 2 worked and also doubled as showers- we didn’t use the showers). Quite a queue at wash times! But we met some nice people at our table from France, Australia, Canada, and Japan. Sleep wasn’t great. Along with the snoring, Ali had a mouse rummaging in her pack …

September 16 was a later start as we waited for an intense rain to pass through and by 10 we were on the trail retracing our steps back to Lago di Braises and the bus back to Toblach and the campsite. A really nice overnighter.

September 17 we packed up early, had a “tent breakfast” and took the bus to the town of Cortina (lots of construction activity prepping for the 2026 Winter Olympics) where we had a few hours to look around before boarding another bus to Passo Falzarego and the trailhead to our hike to Averau Col and our Rifugio. We were mid afternoon by the time we were on the trail and it started so easy! But soon became a bit more challenging as we approached the pass. A few narrow gaps in the rock to navigate then on to the pass and a with-contour up and down to the Rifugio Averau. This part was tricky as it crossed an exposed talus slope at the base of a spire above us. But we took it slowly and stuck together and made it in time for dinner (the dinner was amazing- worth the struggle!).

September 18…After breakfast at Averau we walked down the kilometre to the main Col to the very dramatic Cinque Torri, a well known Dolomiti landmark, rock climber mecca, ski hill and open air museum/war memorial from WW1 (the trenches here were at 8000 ft, some as high as 12,000..). We returned to Averau to gather our packs and hike out to a very nice Rifugio at Passo Giau where we had a lovely stay last night in the Rifugio right on the highway.

September 19… with buses now moving to fall schedule (ie. no longer running), we have just finished walking from Passo Giau into Cortina. 3000 ft descent and 15 kms along a mostly pleasant easy trail through meadows and woods with a few sections along the side of the highway. This afternoon we are back in the tent at “Camping Cortina” campground. Tomorrow we head to the Tre Cime area.

PS… this picture from a different exhibit, but a glimpse of the young soldiers of the Tyrol who were in those trenches. Many will be buried in local cemeteries. I’m always moved by pictures like these.

A tram ride and hike into Piz Boè

Wow what a change in landscape! Day before yesterday (Sept 12) we took the transit bus (another story about bus schedules and drivers for another time…) from Ortisei further up the Val Gardena on a very narrow and incredibly winding road to Passo Pordoi (2239m), at the top of the pass between Südtirol and Trentino. We then took the tramway up 700m in elevation to Sas Pordoi (2950m) where we disembarked and hooked up to the trail to Piz (Mount) Boè. You can hike from pass up through the steep and formidable Forcella Pordoi but the last little bit is a steep zig zag through a narrow gap and looked a tad technical for us. Once at Sas Pordoi, we elected to stay on the lower trail that ran along the plateau and ridges rather than summit the main peak (also a very steep trail and above our “pay grade”). The lower trail stays at about 2900 m or 9500 ft for about 4 kms to the Rifugio Boè where we were booked in for the night. We arrived at the Rifugio mid afternoon where we could check in and then explore around the small table top plateau where the Rifugio is perched. Weather was socked in a good part of the day but cleared at times to allow some photos. The hike was very different (very barren at that elevation surrounded by flat topped limestone peaks), and at times a little nerve wracking in the fog. We took our time. Good trail markers with cairns and poles, and All Trails was very accurate. We enjoyed a restful afternoon and yummy dinner in the Rifugio. The weather broke for a bit allowing for photos, but by the time evening came it was raining. Happy to be warm and dry in our hostel bunks!

Yesterday (Sept 13) after the Refugio breakfast of the usual muesli, fruit salad, buns, ham, salami, cheese (just fine, but must admit I’m looking forward to bacon and eggs when I get home 😋), we hiked back out to the tram at Sass Pordoi then down through the mist to Passo Pordoi. Turns out that this particular day the roads were closed for the day for “cycling day” in the mountain roads of Trentino and Val Gardena. Two days a year they close four connected mountain passes for cyclists to enjoy a mountain hill climb day loop. There were literally thousands of cyclists on the road. They were collecting at the pass just as we arrived off the tram. We had a coffee on the pass to warm up before planning what exactly we were going to do to get to our next destination by transit bus which we had not factored with the roads closed and buses not running 😟. Two cyclists from Indiana sat down at our table to warm up. One was pretty much hypothermic, chilled from the ride up and insufficiently equipped for the temp drop. Just shaking. Ali loaned him her down coat with hood while he sipped hot water and I parted with light merino wool shirt for the ride down. It was still clean from the last laundry!

Without a bus we decided to just walk down the mountain path to stay the night at the campground in Canazei. It was an easy 1000m descent past ski lifts, hotels, through the woods, and occasionally crossing the road at a switchback where cyclists were now tearing down at hairy speeds. “Ok Ali, after this next one…GO!”

We made it to Canazei at 1460m in time to find the campground, pitch the tent, find out the complicated process of getting to Toblach today. I’ll have to do another post about today’s journey on buses and trains etc. 😵‍💫 on a Sunday after September 9 when the schedule shifts to winter hours 😳. Tonight we made it to our campsite at Toblach and are ready for a good nights sleep and a hike into another Rifugio 😀.

And…The Adolph Munkel Trail, Val de Funes, then on to the Val Gardena to walk the Secëda Ridge and surrounds. Spectacular!

Day before yesterday (Sept 9) we had one more day in Val de Funes (St Magdalena), so we hiked the Adolph Munkel trail which took us from the same trail head parking lot as Tullen Peak but in the opposite direction and followed a path through mainly forests along the foot of the Geislergruppe of peaks. It was a shorter day (10kms) and a little less exciting than the previous day, but lovely to be out on the trail. We had picnic lunch in a public area near the famous Geisler Alm Rifugio which was packed with hikers. The weather had turned so we had overcast skies and a bit of rain in the afternoon. Nice to be indoors in the evening instead of the tent!

Yesterday was a deluge and luckily a day on regional buses to travel down the mountain to Chuisa then on to another bus to St Ulrich-Ortisei where we decided to splurge again on a pension B&B. It was a downpour, the first real one of the trip (so minimal complaining). We explored the town for only a short while before finding our pension and drying out. Weather forecast was promising for today though..

And it delivered! Today was a glorious day in the Dolomites! We awoke to a cloudless daybreak and exciting plans to explore the UNESCO natural heritage site known as the Secëda Ridge.

Full disclosure: we took the gondola up – more splurging – but it was so worth it as we were able to spend the full day covering about 12 kms of the trails and viewpoints up in this magical place. Incredible rock formations, precipices, dramatic peaks, high alpine meadows. Only drawback was the high tourist traffic-people come from everywhere to take in the scenery (could be the selfie and TikTok capital of the world), but we found as we hiked further away from the photo op spots, the thinner the crowds. It was just such a beautiful day that the crowds didn’t matter. How lucky were we to have such a sunny day at the perfect time! 14 kms today.

Back in the mountains of Northern Italy

We said goodbye to Graz the day before yesterday and had a very restful day on the train first West through the centre of Austria to Innsbruck where we changed trains and headed South to Brenner then another change at the Italian border to the train to Brixen-Bressanone (many place names in South Tyrol are in German and Italian). We had a very comfortable night in a Youth Hostel a short walk from the train station in Brixen and a very yummy plate of pasta in the main square.

Yesterday, after some misgivings about whether regional transit buses were running on a Sunday, we eventually found the right one to take us to the mountain village of St Magdalena in the Val de Funes and where we have been enjoying a few days of day-hikes in the “Geisler Peaks” area.

Yesterday we arrived at our pension (B&B) with enough time to drop our packs and spend the afternoon exploring the hillsides and walking paths around the village.

Today we had an amazing hike up to the Tullen Peak in a group of peaks in the Odle di Eores area where we had lunch under the peak and glorious views of the Geislergruppe Peaks across the valley. We completed a 3000 ft ascent today and lunch was on a lovely grassy meadow complete with a flock of sheep enjoying the last of the high summer pasture. Just can’t believe how hardy the farm animals are in the many alpine farms we’ve walked through!

A really lovely few days visiting with friends from Nelson who moved back to Austria last year; Julius and Gerda, sons Julius and Vincent in the beautiful city of Graz in the province of Styria.

Yesterday Julius took us North from Graz to the part of Styria where his Mom is from and where relatives still operate the farm that has been in the family for generations at Michlbauer. We waited at the farm (allowed time to take pictures of the window flower boxes!) before driving up the access road through the fields while the cows were moved into a new pasture. We could then park further up the mountain from which we had a fantastic hike into the mountains up to the Michlbauerhütte, where a cafe and hikers hut is operated (lots of mountain bikers!) and where we could have our packed lunch of jause. We continued on up to the summit at Windberg, before looping back around to Schneealpenhaus Alm for a yummy coffee, authentic strudel and cheesecake (local cheese). Just a fantastic day and the dinner with the rest of the family back in Graz.

Today, after breakfast Julius took us on a walking tour of the older parts of the city of Graz. Another beautiful city with so much history and culture, beautiful architecture and plaza squares lined with cafes and shops. What I liked about Graz as with Salzburg is how walkable it is in the downtown with green space, bike and walking paths, such interesting alley ways and ancient streets. The main street in the city is reserved for street cars, cyclists and pedestrians. We ended the day with a lovely meal out in an authentic family run Austrian restaurant (the Brandof) where we had the “4 musts of Austrian cuisine: suppe (soup), schnitzel, strudel, schnapps. The seasonal specials had wild mushrooms or pumpkin in the ingredients, and the schnapps was a special blend with Stone Pine cones in the flavouring. So good! 😋. Thank you Julius and Gerda for welcoming us into your home! ❤️