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If you really want to enjoy the Alps, just avoid Hallstatt, Fuessen, Pragser Wildsee/Lago Braies, Ortisei/Urtijei/St. Ulrich, Varenna, Bellagio, Lucerne, Iseltwald, Interlaken, Lauterbrunnen, Jungfraujoch, Zermatt, Annecy and you are fine.
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Oct 11 -
I went downstairs to Silvia Cafe for a coffee and a croissant; I asked for, and received, a hot latte macchiato, scold-free, €4.70. The day began cloudy, but sun was promised, so we walked some eight minutes to the Haunold Baranci bus stop, and took bus 446 to the Anderter bus stop to connect with the 440 bus to Fischleintal. Unbeknownst to us, the Südtirol card isn’t valid on the 440 bus, which surprised us, as we thought we took it last December (I have since read last year’s trip report and we actually took bus 446 on December 15). So we paid €5 each to the bus driver, who seemed annoyed with us for our ignorance; probably because he has to deal with dumb tourists on a daily basis. I have since researched, and found this: In the period from 06/09 – 10/13/2024 the Fischleintal valley can only be reached with the Fischleintal Shuttle Val Fiscalina (line 440). Fair enough. Before and after this period, the Fischleintal valley can be reached with the public bus line 446. However, the timetable also said the Fischleintal valley can only be reached via shuttle from Dec 6-14; I’m curious as to why. What's happening from Dec 6-14? To make matters even more confusing, I’ve read on the following site that the Südtirol Alto Adige Pass and the SextenCard are valid on shuttle 440, but other guest cards are not. Evidently the Südtirol Alto Adige Pass is different from the Südtirol Pass? But when I google Südtirol Alto Adige Pass, the Südtirol Pass comes up, so I’m still confused. If anyone here can clarify, I’m all ears. https://www.south-tirol.com/useful-i...leintal-valley https://www.drei-zinnen.bz/en/fischleintal But I digress. The 4.5 km long Fischlental valley is a side valley of Val di Sesto, and leads to the heart of the Drei Zinnen Nature Park in the Upper Pusteral Valley. It has been referred to as the ‘world’s most beautiful valley’, which I don’t doubt for a minute. Once there, we walked from the Fischleintal bus stop (Rifugio Piano Fuscalina) to Talschlusshütte via Trail 102, which took about 30 minutes. https://www.talschlusshuette.com/en/ https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...f4e1af4ae0.jpg Start of the Fischlental valley near Rifugio Piano Fuscalina https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...d6e65eeeb4.jpg Start of the Fischlental valley near Rifugio Piano Fuscalina https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...aef61f9c8e.jpg Talschlusshütte https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...32991d2286.jpg Fischlental valley map The walk began foggy, but the clouds soon parted and we were treated to some fabulous Dolomite views; making me very happy, especially after our shite day yesterday. https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...7a98ca96cd.jpg Wait for it...Fischlental valley https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...82e0ea0063.jpg Fischlental valley as the clouds cleared https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...80267157cc.jpg Fischlental valley https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...97cf7ff935.jpg Fischlental valley https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...a6359411bc.jpg And there they are! Once at Talschlusshütte, we had some wine (€8), and then decided to stay on for an alfresco lunch. Bill chose the risotto with pine butter and mushrooms (not expecting it to be green, €15). He wasn’t a fan. I chose the noodles with garlic and chili, which was simple, but good (€11.30). https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...c40417bcbb.jpg Talschlusshütte https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...f0c47e948e.jpg Talschlusshütte https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...d77bb8d8cf.jpg Talschlusshütte https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...a342e25da5.jpg Talschlusshütte We took our time, enjoying the sunshine and the views in this spectacular valley. After lunch, we walked a bit of Trail 103, until it became steep and rugged. https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...645893153d.jpg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...744db820dd.jpg Views from Trail 103 https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...e1cb267177.jpg Views from Trail 103 https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...bade3dc6a4.jpg Views from Trail 103 https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...2ad4fe658d.jpg Views from Trail 103 We then backtracked to Rifugio Piano Fuscalina. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...a95421589a.jpg Talschlusshütte https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...b3891f0e1f.jpg Walking back to Rifugio Piano Fuscalina https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...22e514886b.jpg Walking back to Rifugio Piano Fuscalina From there, we continued walking to Moos via an easy gravel path through a park-like pasture, the views and the changing larches gorgeous. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...412b7383ef.jpg Walking to Moos https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...c25ec22cba.jpg Walking to Moos The trail eventually forked, one direction leading towards a road, the other to a muddy path alongside a farm. We chose mud over asphalt. We eventually cut back towards Moos, located the nearest bus stop - Moos Kirche - and caught bus 446 back towards San Candido. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...69bcab6832.jpg Moos We decided it was a good time to visit Dobbiaco, so we stayed onboard, and got off at the Dobbiaco bus station instead. We visited the church, then got back on bus 446 and took it to Kruezbergpasse, a high mountain pass situated at 1,636 meters that connects the Puster Valley with Cadore. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...62f18fd8cf.jpg Dobbiaco church https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...e2a60b8775.jpg Dobbiaco church https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...327858dd0b.jpg Dobbiaco church The Kruezbergpasse Hotel was closed, so we poked around, looked at the information board for potential hikes, then got back on the waiting bus 446 to San Candido, getting off at the Haunold Baranci stop and walking back to our apartment. https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...376064b776.jpg Kruezbergpasse hiking map https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...90a83ec59c.jpg Kruezbergpasse https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...009a3e04e1.jpg San Candido https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...d8d3dc2205.jpg San Candido https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...2019b3af28.jpg San Candido https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...497c2935a2.jpg San Candido Later we went downstairs and had drinks at Silvia Café, an Aperol Spritz and sparking water, €6.90. It’d been a beautiful, but tiring day. We’d logged 6.5 miles. Bill went to a kabab shop around the corner for his dinner €7, I was full from the pretzels I’d had with my Aperol, so took a pass. To be continued... |
Alto Adige is the Italian name for Sud Tirol. So they should be referring to the same thing.
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Mel, what a fantastic trip report again! I only noticed it today (very busy with work and I rarely visited Fodor's lately) and read it in once piece. You covered most of the Dolomites in this trip! Sterzing is one of my favourites, too. Lovely first stop after Brenner Pass whenever driving to Italy. I would have so much more to say, but just this as you asked for clarification:
In peak season in summer there is a special transport/mobility solution: The shuttle, organised and financed by the community of Sexten. Hence no public transportation (bus 446), no private cars. Only two cards are valid: The Sexten guest card (because the tourists who stay in Sexten pay a tax to the community) and the Südtirol Pass. The latter is not a guest card, it is an (online to subscribe) abonnement on an annual basis for anyone who has a tax ID in Italy, who live in the EU or Switzerland or work/study in South Tirol. The price is max. 640 Euro per year and is calculated per km that you use it - the more km you use it, the cheaper is the price per km. See this link: https://www.suedtirolmobil.info/en/t...suedtirol-pass Makes sense to me that only tourists who pay tourist tax in Sexten can use it for free (Südtirol Pass users must pay, too, as described above.) |
Well, that makes sense Ingo, thank you for the explanation.
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Coming from a country where rural transport is scant to non existent, I’m just so impressed by the transport you’ve been able to use. When we go on holidays, we definitely prefer to not drive so good transport really adds to any place’s appeal.
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Public transport in most of the US is pretty awful too dreamon. And that includes cities.
Not in Europe though. |
Oct 12 -
Some days just work out, and today was one of those days. Another hot café latte and croissant for me at Silvia Café, where I saw yet another man drinking wine at 8:30 am. Huh. After waffling about how to spend our last two days in San Candido, we walked to the Haunold Baranci bus stop and took bus 446 to Kreuzbergpass (the border between Alto Adige and Belluno) to look into a hike Bill had noticed when we were up there yesterday. https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...42f56081fb.jpg Walking to Haunold Baranci bus stop https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...13cab00f24.jpg Cable car to Monte Baranci The proposed hike didn't rock my boat, as it was on the shady side of the valley and didn't seem to offer any views. So, I talked him into crossing the road and undertaking the hike to Alpe Nemes, which looked like it might include some views as well as lunch at one of the few remaining open mountain huts. https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...7ad5293e56.jpg Hiking map It was a great hike; a steady climb of some 917 feet on a well-graded path, with views of the Sesto Dolomites; seven miles return. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...b66b317956.jpg Start of hike across the street from Kreuzbergpass Hotel https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...78a1282f8f.jpg Hiking to Alpe Nemes https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...b5adb1e0c3.jpg Hiking to Alpe Nemes https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...f3f920b7ed.jpg Hiking to Alpe Nemes https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...5c2b6d7480.jpg Welcoming committee, Alpe Nemes Hütte/Rifugio Malga Nemes Our alfresco lunch of massive plates of polenta with mountain cheese at Alpe Nemes Hütte/Rifugio Malga Nemes (Bill’s with bratwurst, €19.50, mine without €14.50) was well earned and delicious, but there was no way I could eat all of mine (€45 with wine). While ordering I asked our waiter what kind of cheese came with the polenta and was told ‘cow’. Fine, as long as it’s not gorgonzola:cool: https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...59f7309f6f.jpg Lunch with a view, Alpe Nemes Hütte/Rifugio Malga Nemes https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...065efb4766.jpg Polenta with bratwurst https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...4060ad1b85.jpg That's a pile of polenta! https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...b52b96e73a.jpg Alpe Nemes Hütte/Rifugio Malga Nemes https://www.drei-zinnen.info/en/alta...nemes-hut.html After lunch, we backtracked to Kreuzbergpass and caught bus 446 back to the Haunhold Baranci bus stop in San Candido, where we popped into my favorite San Candido establishment, the Wachler store, for drinks (€8) and to pick up a few more gifts, busy on this Saturday afternoon. Here we saw a customer with a large, well-behaved cat on a leash. https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...39bb2178a2.jpg Return hike down to Kreuzbergpass https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...72f73e8785.jpg Return hike down to Kreuzbergpass https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...72464e5c7d.jpg Return hike down to Kreuzbergpass https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...3dc5453ead.jpg San Candido https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...f0b416b11c.jpg Wachler store Then it was back to the apartment to chill on the balcony for the first time since we’d arrived in San Candido. https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...28ad55d10b.jpg View from our balcony That evening as I typed up my notes, thuds, bangs, and the sound of furniture scraping the floor overhead indicated that our quiet nights had come to an end; a herd of elephants had moved in above us. And something was going on outside, someone shooting caps or something, making a racket at 9 pm. As much as I liked Residence Silvia, I probably wouldn’t want to stay here in high season when it's hot and busy. To be continued... |
Oh that looks like a great walk to Nemes Rifugio.
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Oct 13 -
This morning we were greeted with a brilliant sunrise. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...4ce4234b9f.jpg Sunrise (and cranes) as seen from our balcony Today was the last day of the summer season; the last day bus 444 would run to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Tre Cime di Lavaredo, said to be the symbol of the Dolomites in South Tyrol, and one of the reasons most tourists come to San Candido. We’d booked tickets online yesterday for the 10:05 am 444 bus from Dobbiaco/Toblach busbahnhof, €18 each with a flexible return. We took bus 446 from San Candido to Dobbiaco, arriving well before our booked bus to Tre Cime, so we walked around town for a bit. It was quiet on this Sunday, but I was surprised to see a few businesses open here, and also in San Candido before we left, including Wachler, which might have been open because there was an event in town. Shoot. We could have gone out for a coffee instead of choking down that crap in our apartment. https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...ea5f4099d4.jpg Booths across from Dobbiaco busbahnhof, evidently you can buy tickets here if there is room on the bus We eventually boarded bus 444, and were off. Well, as far as the Dobbiaco/Toblach train station anyway, where more people boarded. Some didn’t appear to have tickets, so they were taken to a booth at the station where they could purchase tickets for the few remaining seats (we’d intentionally gotten on the bus at the busbahnhof so we’d have a better choice of seats). The shuttle bus takes an hour to get from Dobbiaco to Rifugio Auronzo, passing Lago Di Dobbiaco/Toblacher See, Lago Di Landro/Dürrensee, Bivio Misurina/Abzweigung Misurina, Misurina - Genzianella, Lago D'Antorno and ending at the parking lot below Rifugio Auronzo/Auronzohütte. https://maps.app.goo.gl/VwWaB6GdfSUfLfgHA It’s a beautiful drive, and made me realize how much is on offer in the area; somehow reading about it and seeing it just aren’t the same. As we inched higher and higher, the views became more and more dramatic. There was a line of cars at the toll booth, and most spaces in the parking lot appeared to be full. We were let off the bus in the parking lot below Rifugio Auronzo/Auronzohütte, where we walked to the edge for photos, and then hit the loo, a man shouting in Italian to those who didn’t stop to pay the €1 fee for the pleasure of using the not-very-clean and very wet squat toilets. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...e93c19ff41.jpg View from Rifugio Auronzo/Auronzohütte parking lot We then began the climb to the closed Auronzohütte and set out on the #101 trail to Rifugio Lavaredo. We certainly weren't alone, but I can't imagine the crowds this area must draw in the height of the season. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...a9be1c7807.jpg Walking #101 trail to Rifugio Lavaredo, those small dots are people on the trail https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...0ca03bea20.jpg Walking #101 trail to Rifugio Lavaredo https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...402c571761.jpg Looking back to Rifugio Auronzo/Auronzohütte https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...59359847d5.jpg Looking back to Rifugio Auronzo/Auronzohütte https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...ad2ebde5f8.jpg Walking #101 trail to Rifugio Lavaredo https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...cdbd008e0f.jpg Tre Cime https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...e7b1d9efa4.jpg Rifugio Lavaredo Rifugio Lavaredo was the only open restaurant, so understandably busy. Although early, we crossed the terrace, where a few young guys were entertaining the crowd with a kazoo, guitar and a makeshift drum, and took a seat indoors. Here we had a good lunch of shared polenta with cheese - I mean seriously cheesy - a rather small order of sauerkraut with speck, and a small side order of potatoes with onion and speck, washed down with a ½ liter of house white (€41) all good, but a bit stingy size-wise. The young employees were working their tails off filling drink orders and taking payment at the bar; it was a bit of a scrum. I asked if they were closing today and was told they might stay open for drinks for a day or two before closing for the season. The restaurant was heaving when we left, most people drinking, not eating. https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...abc7d74e34.jpg Rifugio Lavaredo https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...98761cd8a1.jpg Very cheesy polenta https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...74cd4fb78b.jpg Potatoes with onion and speck https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...be3cf74500.jpg Rifugio Lavaredo - the band https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...fb7cd30901.jpg Rifugio Lavaredo We then set out on the walk up to the Forcella Lavaredo Ridge to take in the fabulous views. Wow. Tre Cime, Drei Zinnen, Three Peaks...no matter what you call them they're spectacular. We’d read about a 3:20 circuit of the peaks, but didn’t have the time or inclination, although I suspect it would have been a nice trek. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...750050132d.jpg Walking up to Forcella Lavaredo Ridge https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...223d0f03d2.jpg Walking up to Forcella Lavaredo Ridge https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...285acfe169.jpg Forcella Lavaredo Ridge https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...976e3b29a1.jpg Forcella Lavaredo Ridge We then walked back towards the rifugio and went cross-country, walking a few side trails, completely away from other people, just taking it all in. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...921a4d9a79.jpg Wandering side trails https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...8b7b9ea3c6.jpg Wandering side trails We logged 5.3 miles and spent about four hours here, spectacular. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...7ead28b60b.jpg Return walk to Rifugio Auronzo/Auronzohütte Eventually we tore ourselves away and took the 3:05 pm 444 bus back down to Dobbiaco, once again the drive beautiful as we passed through a sea of yellow larches, then connected to bus 446 back to San Candido. https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...05b4e05702.jpg Dobbiaco busbahnhof We rounded out this beautiful day with Limoncello spritzes in the cozy Orso Grigio Hotel bar, which was our kind of place, mellow and sedate, €23.30. https://www.hotelorsogrigio.it/en/restaurant/ https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...5642eaf89d.jpg Orso Grigio A good way to end our stay in the Dolomites. As luck would have it, we also discovered a nice little bus timetable booklet, which would have been very helpful during our stay; we'd been relying on the Südtirol app, and had had a few issues. We then paid our apartment bill, bought tokens for the washer/dryer in the basement of Residence Silvia (€5 to wash, €5 to dry), requested a late checkout and a ride to the bahnhof for the next day, picked up kebabs for dinner (€14 for two) and then it was back to the apartment to prepare for tomorrow’s departure. Note: Here’s a helpful blog on the logistics of getting to Tre Cime di Lavaredo, which I wish I’d found before we went, as we were pretty clueless. https://www.catsninelives.com/how-to...e-di-lavaredo/ Tomorrow we head to Kufstein, Austria for the final leg of our journey. Thoughts and Impressions: We really enjoyed our second stay in San Candido. We were a bit surprised by the number of what appeared to be Middle Eastern visitors, most of whom seemed to travel in large groups via van. We never saw them on a trail or on a bus, but they were quite visible in the shops and restaurants in town. To be continued... |
Great scenery and photos! We haven't been to Tre Cime di Lavaredo on any of our trips to the Dolomites. I have read about long waits just to get into the parking lot.
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Even more spectacular with that dusting of snow!
We went by car that day, it was a €30 entry I think, and one car in, one out, once the car park filled. So a long line when we left. We were with my mother, so only went to the ridge, I’d like to explore a bit more. |
Mel, I really appreciate you including what sort of food you ate and what it cost (we love food and always travel on a budget). The food seems quite plain and highly calorific. Were there many vegetarian choices that were lighter? My experience of German and Austrian food is that it's very meat, potatoes and cheese oriented - is it the same in the Tyrol? How readily available are cuisines from other countries? Thanks!
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ms_go - all the more reason to take the bus, to bypass the queue.
dreamon - Austria seems to specialize in plain:) It can certainly be meat heavy, hence all that cheese, polenta, soup and pizza for me, but there are usually at least a couple of salad options on the menu, many with goat cheese. And some dishes come with a salad, such as Spätzle, which is best shared IMO as it's so heavy. We found the food in Tyrol a mix between Austrian and Italian - you'll often find pizza, polenta, risotto and pasta right alongside bratwurst, dumplings, potatoes, Spätzle and Kaiserschmarrn (which I never tried as I'm just not a fan of pancakes). But unfortunately, the 'Italian' food isn't nearly as good as the food we've had in 'real' Italy. We noticed a lot of items we consider Swiss on the menus as well, such as barley soup, rosti, (mountain food) etc. Austria is also known for it's pumpkin and pumpkin oil, so lots of pumpkin and pumpkin soup on offer. Cuisines from other countries are available in bigger cities (such as Kufstein, which is coming up), but sadly it too can be damn dull, as it seems toned down for the bland Austrian palate. And of course the food options in mountain huts is often limited due to logistics and is typically heavy as, well, it's mountain food. |
Thanks heaps, Mel. We're also vegetarian (and don't eat a lot of cheese - goat/sheep cheese is our preference when it's available) - sounds like we'd be fine but food wouldn't be a highlight either.
Talking of mountain huts, I've been astonished by what they can serve up using only very limited facilities, it's sometimes excellent. All that hiking usually burns off extra calories! |
As long as you don't go to Austria expecting incredible food, you'll be okay.
I once got chided for calling myself 'quasi vegetarian', so let me set the record straight...I don't like meat in general, so eat very little of it. I despise fish, seafood and eggs. I love cheese, potatoes, most dairy and chocolate. So...I'm not a vegetarian so much as the world's pickiest eater:) |
Originally Posted by Melnq8
(Post 17612491)
As long as you don't go to Austria expecting incredible food, you'll be okay.
I once got chided for calling myself 'quasi vegetarian', so let me set the record straight...I don't like meat in general, so eat very little of it. I despise fish, seafood and eggs. I love cheese, potatoes, most dairy and chocolate. So...I'm not a vegetarian so much as the world's pickiest eater:) Loving your photos, and I tip my hat to you because brrr sometimes it looks cold. I always think I'll return to that area but everyone talks about how crowded it is these days. When I visited, I was solo, so for safety reasons didn't mind seeing other folks occasionally on trails. But mobs--didn't experience them and wouldn't want to. |
October 14 -
It was bound to happen; Bill had passed his crud on to me. I was now masking in public and on the bus/train. We'd purchased Einzeltickets on the VVT app for today's trip to Kufstein about a week ago, and had also booked seats as we know EC trains can be very busy; especially this one, which began in Verona and ended in Munich (€39.30 for both including reservation fee). This morning we’d received an ominous e-mail from OBB advising that our train from San Candido now left from the bus station, so we thought perhaps bus service had been put in place due to a train issue. So, we turned up early at the San Candido bahnhof and asked the man behind the ticket counter if we needed to take a bus - twice - once showing him the e-mail. He told us no, the train was running as usual. Huh. And so it was. The near empty train from San Candido to Franzensfeste (yep, again) was free with Südtirol card, so we had double tickets, but the cost was the same whether from Brenner or San Candido, so a moot point. Upon arrival in Franzensfeste, we switched to the EC train; it was absolutely heaving; we were very happy we made seat reservations. Our seats were occupied, we had to uproot the guys who’d sat in them before we arrived. The overhead luggage bins were full, the spaces between seats were full, and the bike storage at the end of the carriage was full. Bill was determined though, and he somehow managed to find a place to shoehorn our bags, having to rearrange when more people left/boarded the train. People were everywhere; passengers were standing at both ends of the carriage, blocking the bathroom and the doors, luggage was blocking the aisles. It was absolutely nuts. How would people get off in the case of an emergency? Surprisingly though, no one seemed upset, they just took it all in stride, stepping aside best they could when someone needed to use the loo, get off the train or rummage for their luggage. I was seated next to a lovely and chatty French woman, who peppered us with questions about our home state, as did the young man seated across the aisle. They seemed surprised that that we live in the mountains of CO yet spend most of our time in Europe in the Alps and wanted to know why. We tried to explain that it just wasn’t the same, as although we live at a higher elevation than most places we’ve visited in Europe, the Alps are more prominent, the glacial valleys steeper and more impressive. We didn’t mention how much better Europe caters to hikers than the US, or how much we enjoy taking a cable car up a mountain, and then hiking to a hut for lunch. We just don’t have that at home. My seatmate asked where we were going and seemed confused when I said Kufstein. She and the guy across the aisle said they’d never heard of it. As so often happens when we travel, we were mispronouncing it, saying ‘cuff-steen’ instead of ‘kuuf-schtain”, confirming what we already knew, that we’re hopeless. We got up well before our stop, worried that we’d not be able to retrieve our luggage in time to get off, as it was now buried under a mound of bags at the end of the carriage, surrounded by standing passengers. We sighed with relief when we got off two hours later; traveling with luggage on busy trains stresses both of us out. Upon our arrival in “kuuf-schtain”, aka ‘The Pearl of Tyrol”, we located our apartment, a stone’s throw from the train and bus station. I’d told the owner what time we’d arrive, and we were met at the door. After getting settled, we did what we usually do, located the closest grocery store, in this case Spar, to pick up provisions. Then we poked through town and popped into the inviting Liebelei, a nice little café/bar, for a pre-dinner glass of Grüner Veltliner, €5.80 each. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...ef910add35.jpg Kufstein Fortress https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...fb69d92a59.jpg Kufstein https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...30882d57a6.jpg Liebelei It was immediately evident that we were no longer in Italy, where an Aperol Spritz would set you back €4.70-5.50, here it was €8.50. Our wine was served in lovely Riedel glasses, made right here in Kufstein. https://www.tyrol.com/things-to-do/a...stein-old-town We then sought out Bombay, which promised “exotic Indian cuisine”, both of us looking forward to some spice, hoping for a change from all the bland food we’d consumed over the past few weeks. Bill ordered chicken tikka masala, asking for spicy; the waitress responding “yes, of course”. I ordered the chili paneer, requesting medium spicy. What a disappointment; neither dish was the least bit spicy; I don’t think I’ve ever had such bland Indian food. Maybe it was toned down for the Austrian palate, but it was damn boring. We asked for more chili and were handed a shaker of chili powder. The naan was okay, but just too thick. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...4bd849e509.jpg Bland Indian food, Bombay To her credit, the waitress told me that the first paneer I was going to order was sweet; I hate sweet curry, so changed my order. I appreciated being forewarned. An overall disappointing experience; I can only assume that the restaurant’s 4.7 star rating is due to them being the only Indian restaurant in Kufstein. I wasn’t even willing to give them a second chance, €46.40, including drinks. Ba-humbug. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...fd9b273b7e.jpg Kufstein after dark https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...5b05797df1.jpg Liebelei https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...c1fbecdb12.jpg Kufstein after dark Then it was back to the apartment to cough our heads off. And about that apartment: The location was unbeatable, right across the street from the train/bus station and a short walk across the Inn River to the historic center. We were a bit worried about noise, but it was generally quiet at night, although we could occasionally hear cars on the street. The apartment had too much personal stuff for my taste, and had a funky smell, but it was clean, comfortable and well equipped, and had no stairs. An added bonus was the Nespresso capsule coffee maker, which always makes me happy. As with our other accommodation this trip, guest cards were included, in this case the Kufsteinerland Card, which offered an assortment of freebies. To be continued... |
I love that quote and the image you've taken.
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dreamon - a quote we should all live by! The menus in this post might give you an idea of what's on offer in some restaurants.
Oct 15 - It was warm and humid in Kufstein, we were back to lightweight pants. Our first day was spent getting acquainted with the local buses, first walking across the street and taking a bus from the bus station to a stop near the Riedel factory; we’d told the driver where we were going and he told us when to get off, pointing to where we were meant to walk; evidently he couldn't reach the stop due to construction. Entry into the Riedel factory, the museum, and a guided tour is free with the guest card, but no one ever asked to see ours. We asked about a tour, and were told that an English speaking tour guide would be available in 45 minutes. https://www.riedel.com/en-us/factory-museum So, we wandered the grounds and visited the shop while we waited; Bill deciding that he wanted a set of stemless Riesling glasses, me wondering how he was going to get them home intact. We met under the wine glass sphere for the tour, and I felt a bit bad for our excellent guide who would translate everything she'd just said in German to English, solely for our benefit, we the only two non-German speakers on the tour. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...962d045e84.jpg Riedel At the end of the tour, she led the two of us to a room to watch a video in English, and then we were left to spend as much time as we wanted watching the workers as we stood above the steaming hot factory floor; it was fascinating, and damn hot. I felt for those poor workers. We spent about two hours here. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...ffb516a1ae.jpg Riedel factory floor https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...8a22b7f37a.jpg Riedel factory floor Afterwards we took a bus back to town to explore, stopping for lunch at Promenade Genuss Am Fluss (‘enjoyment by the river’). Here we both had a blandish Flammkuchen, €50.60 with drinks. https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...dbea5e581e.jpg Promenade Genuss Am Fluss https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...fbb6c80c58.jpg Promenade Genuss Am Fluss https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...c9c05f6f05.jpg Flammkuchen, a bit anemic https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...0ec07de590.jpg Promenade Genuss Am Fluss We wandered the afternoon away, ducking into side streets, looking around corners, and checking out a random church. https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...b78c4c7357.jpg Kufstein https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...9f9201be9c.jpg Kufstein https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...a3cb7d5ca5.jpg Kufstein https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...5914462f15.jpg Kufstein https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...1c211924cf.jpg Kufstein https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...274c0cef38.jpg Random church https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...858362983b.jpg Random church https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...f9f6865cff.jpg Kufstein https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...3edc2734c1.jpg Kufstein https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...9f555e278d.jpg Kufstein https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...6424d3a23a.jpg Kufstein We also popped into Vom Fass, a store selling vinegar, oil and just about every kind of liqueur and scotch you could imagine. We were given samples of whatever we wanted, Bill leaving with a small bottle of Swedish single malt that they drew from the cask €17.70 (100 ml). https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...bf79806db9.jpg Vom Fass It got up to about 20c today. 24-25c expected tomorrow. To be continued... |
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