Day 16 – Alta Badia – September 18

This is to be our last day in the mountains. We decided to do the hike out of Arabba toward Passo Pordoi as an in and back. The gondola from Arabba goes up to Porta Vescova and the beginning of the hike on trail #601. This trail is an exposed single track high up a slope along a deep valley across from the Marmolada, the highest peak in the Dolomites (a few feet short of 11,000'). It’s not one to do on a stormy day, be we had gorgeous sunny weather with exceptional visibility. In 2019 we were sharing the path with goats, but today they were mere specks far below us.

Far ahead of us we could see a choke point in the trail where there appeared to be a swarm of ants, but it was actually two large hiking groups traveling in opposite directions of each other and negotiating how to pass. We have never seen a group while hiking in the Dolomites, let alone two groups of such size at the same time. After a bit of time we were overtaken by one of the groups, and stood aside to let them pass. We literally lost count of how many people. I asked “Quante persone?” and I think the answer was 45! We couldn’t believe it. Soon we overtook the other group which was stopped, so we passed them until we got to a cork in the trail where a small rock outcropping had to be negotiated. An older gentleman was being patiently coached down the footholds while his companions waited, and then we were able to pass. We pretty much scampered the rest of the way uphill to the refugio before it became overwhelmed. About thirty minutes later, as we were finishing beers and snacks they all came filing past the refugio and continued along the trail. We voted to head back to town.

There was plenty of time for rest, sauna and cocktails before Miraval’s extravaganza evening. Once again Bernadette gathered everyone in the lobby for prosecco and passed nibbles. She was in her element, introducing people to each other and welcoming us all into her home. There were mounds of parmesan, speck, bruschetta, and hot appetizers – one of which was shrimp surrounded by spiralized potato and deep fried. OMG. Dinner: tortellini en brodo with truffle, risotto with sea bass, a palate cleanser of lime and beet sorbet served on an ice berg, and filet of beef which was very good, but I had to leave some behind. I skipped dessert, but it was a beautifully plated medley of chocolate gelato, mango mousse, and a passion fruit tart thing. And then it was time for us to pack.


The trail from Porta Vescovo with the Marmolada across the way.

One of two very large hiking groups we encountered.

Refugio Viel dal Pan in the distance.

Day 17 – Travel day to Vienna - September 19

We had a long travel day to Vienna, mostly because we had to return the car to Brixen instead of driving to Innsbruck for the train. We said our goodbyes to the younger, sportier couple who were going on to Trieste to meet up with a cycling tour. My bum knee had made it with lots of accommodations and team Tylenol. I really hope this isn’t the end of our hiking travels.

The drive over Passo Gardena seemed a bit hairier than we remembered. There was a lot of traffic and the usual road construction. Perhaps a bit more road work due to the upcoming Olympics? The service station where we were to return the car was just off the main road prior to entering Brixen, and DH had arranged with a taxi driver to pick us up for the ride into the train station where we had almost an hour’s wait.

The train to Innsbruck was packed, standing room only, but fortunately we had reserved seats. However, there were so many riders with such large pieces of luggage that it took several minutes for us to reach our seats. We weren’t as fortunate on the next train into Vienna. It was even more crowded, and we had been unable to reserve seats until further down the line when cars would be added. Due to the crush we put our carry-ons in the first available overhead, which turned out to be a mistake, and another piece of data to add to our still limited knowledge of train travel. I was able to find a seat further into the car and DH stood in the aisle beside me. After about 15 minutes the man in the window seat next to me said that he would be getting off after Salzburg, and if there was room in the restaurant car for him he would give us his seat. So nice! He was able to get a table so he came back to gather his things, and DH was able to sit down as we watched the train’s aisles become more and more crowded with each stop. That’s when we started to think that we might not be able to make our way back down the aisle to gather our bags to switch cars when the time came. It was time to roll the dice, and as we watched people racing down the platform for the empty cars we stayed put. It worked for us for the most part. We had to give up the seats we were sitting in, but the closer we got to Vienna seats opened up. We’ll never know if we would have been able to make it down the packed aisle to our bags, get off, race along the platform and re-board the train to our reserved seats, but I’m glad I didn’t have to add the weight of my luggage on my knee in a race for the train.

We arrived in Vienna where it was in the 80’s, and the sun was low in the sky. We grabbed a taxi to our Air BnB apartment which turned out to be just as lovely and spacious as the photos indicated. We were in a quiet little street, just around the corner from the Votivkirche and not far from a transportation hub. Just across the street was a little restaurant called Aspic which served small plates. It was the perfect little casual spot where we enjoyed the friendly service while eating a simple meal outdoors in the balmy evening. It was closed during the rest of our stay in Vienna.


The living room of our rental in Vienna

Looking at our apartment building from our sidewalk table at Aspic.

That was a lot of hikers on your trail!
Even so, it must have been a shock to leave the ‘quiet’ mountains and join the crush on the trains.

I’m really enjoying your report and photos.

Adelaidean This was the first time in three trips to the Dolomites that we saw a group of hikers. It was quite the scene to watch the two groups pass each other on the single track.

Day 18 – Vienna – September 20

I had been disappointed with myself on our spring trip when I didn’t do much advance planning for Bologna. While we enjoyed the trip I felt that we could have taken better advantage of what the city had to offer if I had put some effort into it. Therefore I arrived in Vienna with a plan based on reading trip reports and the Rick Steves’ Pocket Guide to Vienna. Not having used one of his guides since a very long ago trip to the Cinque Terre I have to say that I was impressed with the organization and information in this city guide. It was easy and quick to read beforehand, and I made a day to day list of things I wanted to do based on opening times and the weather forecast. Both of us knew that the list was a suggestion as we tend to wander off plan easily and happily.

We got off to a late start with the basic plan of following the tram tour outlined in the Vienna guide, followed by a visit to St. Stephen’s and possibly the Treasury. We nixed the tram tour for the walking tour in order to find breakfast pastries along the way. We immediately deviated to the Votivkirche around the corner from our apartment. The exterior is beautiful with many different aspects. The interior is a mix of old and new, and it is set up for a light show with lots of scaffolding and enormous light stands throughout. We weren’t interested in the light show having seen one in Montreal. It’s just not our thing, but from the outside at night it makes a stunning sight.

Heading toward Stephansplatz we popped into a small Billa grocery that had very good looking, inexpensive and tasty pastries – breakfast on the go. With lots of deviations from the various maps and guides, we made our way to St. Stephen’s. Inside we sat in a pew facing the Maria Pocs Icon admiring it and then reviewed the information in the guidebook. About that time Mass began so we were able to hear the organ. We decided not to wait until Mass was over in order to pay to walk the length of the nave. It would be easy enough to come back if we changed our minds. We exited and toured the exterior of the cathedral. I admit that the cannonball stuck in the wall looked fake to me. This cathedral didn’t speak to us the way others have, despite its history. I often wonder if we would be better served if we took a guided tour, but DH has a low tolerance for that.

At this point we were still heading for the Opera House which was to be the start of the walking tour in the guidebook, but now we were hungry so we began to look for lunch as the hangry was settling in. No, I didn’t want a wurst standing up, no DH didn’t want to try any of the restaurants on side streets we passed. After a bit of circling around I spotted an attractive, busy spot. I did a quick search for Google reviews and asked for a table, hoping that DH was still with me. It turned out to be Plachuttas, a restaurant I had tried to book for dinner with no luck. The meal was exactly what we needed. DH had a plate of incredible roasted porcini mushrooms, and I had a house cured salmon salad with avocado and crème fraiche along with sparkling water. There was great people watching, especially the ballet of waiters carrying large trays out of the kitchen, weaving in and out between tables, busers, servers, and even a small boy whose parents let him ride among all the tables on a scooter. Large parties filled tables full of huge plates of schnitzel.

We’re now no longer on any kind of walking tour because we happen to be right at the Albertina. My notes say it was crowded, but my overall impression at this point is that one thing I really liked about Vienna was how accessible all the museums were, and how easy it was to see the art. So I guess it was crowded, but not as crowded as museums in other cities? The most interesting aspect of the Albertina for me was being able to see work by artists in the Batliner Collection who had influenced Wayne Thiebaud whose work we had recently seen in San Francisco.

It was time to walk back to the apartment, but we found ourselves in the park in front of the Rathhaus where a festival was going on. There was live music, lots of wine, beer, and food stands. People were enjoying the shade on this hot day, perhaps one of the last of the summer. We grabbed a glass, found a bench, and took part in all the people watching while we rested our weary feet.

DH did most of his restaurant research by looking at Google “what’s near me” which found us this night at Roth in the Hotel Regina near the Votivkirche. The food was acceptable, but not great, except for a wild mushroom soup. The special of the week, venison stew, was not good. The pumpkin seed ravioli was flavorful, but the pasta was dense and chewy. A small salad was chopped iceberg lettuce. We had an unremarkable syrah by the glass and an equally poor apple strudel. Service was attentive and friendly, but I don’t recommend the food.


Looking skyward at the Votivkirche

Window shopping along the way to St. Stephen's was interesting.

A gorgeous display at Blumenhaus.

The Maria Pocs Icon - St. Stephen's

Delicious salmon salad for lunch

The Albertina - The Avenger by Ernst Barlach

The Albertina - The Seamstress by Helen Schjerfbeck

The festival area in front of the Rathaus

The Votivkirche at night with the light show inside

I love your photos of Vienna! We've never been, and honestly, I haven't seen that many photos of Vienna so your photos have opened my eyes to how beautiful the city and the architecture is. Especially love the floral display at Blumenhaus!

Love that last photo!

Thank you, KarenWoo and Melnq8. Most of the photos were taken by my husband, Marty.
Day 19 – Vienna – September 21

Hofburg Treasury, Heidi Horton Collection

It’s Sunday, so lots of things in the neighborhood are closed. We popped into a nearby patisserie for a pretty dismal pastry (I know! We’re in Vienna and should do better!), far preferring the ones at the little Billa grocery which is also closed.

The main objective for today is the Hofburg Treasury, and based on our wanderings yesterday we know exactly where it is. We arrived at the opening hour and there wasn’t a crush of visitors. The Treasury is a wonderland of shiny beautiful objects and ornamental clothing. Some of the bead work and the christening gowns are spectacular, along with a golden ewer reserved for royal Christenings. The overviews in each room are well-done, short and sweet explanations with a lot of history packed in. All of the information is posted in both German and English.

By the time we finished in the Treasury we were ready for lunch, and today there was hardly any line at Bitzinger. In fact it would have been good to have had a few more people in front of us so we could have had more time to figure out just exactly which sausage we wanted. Rather than slowing things down we just asked for a bratwurst. Here that meant two skinny dogs, rather than the fat ones. Propped up in the shade against a nearby wall, we had an enjoyable snack lunch of a flavorful sausage with plenty of snap.

It turns out that the wall we were propped up against led to the Heidi Horton Collection which I had read about in a trip report by fourfortravel so in we went. This is a very interesting space with an eclectic collection – lots of 1900’s Vienna up to modern day. My favorite was a Klimt landscape, Church in Unterach, that I felt I could walk into. Never having studied art I was only aware of his more famous golden paintings. All I can say is treat yourselves to searching out his landscapes.

It was another very hot afternoon as we made our way back to the apartment. We made our way through the Volksgarten, and stopped once more to enjoy the festivities going on by the Rathaus. A cold one, a park bench in the shade, and lots of people watching were the perfect antidote to museum-tired feet.

Dinner was a 10 minute walk from our apartment in the direction away from the inner ring. Gasthaus Rebhuhn was another reservation I had made based on a list DH had researched. My notes indicated with a star that they had salads – real salads. Mine came with a very soft, mild goat cheese, walnuts and green olives. DH began with a delicious, rich cauliflower soup followed by sauced mushrooms served with a bread dumpling. We sat outside – inside was packed and stifling hot. Service was pleasant, and we enjoyed the evening. A tram ran nearby, and it looked like there might be more going on in the neighborhood if not for a closed up Sunday evening. Based on our experience I would recommend this for good, solid cooking and actual salad greens. With two glasses of wine and coffee the bill was euro $57.


Golden ewer reserved for royal Christenings. Hofburg Treasury

Mantle of the Austrian Emperor - Hofburg Treasury

Church in Unteracht by Gustav Klimt - Heidi Horton Collection

Elephant, Miquel Barcelo - Heidi Horton Collection

Nice to see the Vienna photos!! We have another trip to Vienna planned for late winter with general sightseeing (including the museums you mentioned) and one special objective: a private, personally tailored tour of the Liechtenstein palace (at one time it was open to the public, now it can only be visited by group or private tour). We also managed to get a great introductory rate at the new Mandarin Oriental hotel in Vienna (it just opened) -- these are the two splurges planned for the trip. We might break up the Railjet train journey from Zurich to Vienna with an overnight in Salzburg as my husband has never been there.

Day 20 – Vienna – September 22

Belvedere Palace, Naschmarkt

The little pastry shop across from our apartment was finally open, so DH picked up a selection to go along with our morning yogurt and tea. Not very tasty. We had blocked out several options for today based on the weather. It’s forecast to be the last of the hot weather (it’s been in the low 80’s since we arrived), and we decided to visit the Belvedere Palace, followed by a visit to the Naschmrkt for an afternoon snack or pre-dinner drinks.

We booked an 11:30 entry time to the Belvedere, and hopped on the tram. We arrived with plenty of time to enjoy the gardens beforehand, and let me just say that it takes a lot longer to walk from one end of the garden and back than it first appears!

The Klimt collection is far larger than I imagined, and it was fascinating to see his work progress from classical society portraiture to his secessionist pieces. Once again, I was taken with his landscapes as well as a series of large, square fanciful botanicals. The Belvedere is home to the famous “Kiss” and there were the usual obnoxious selfie takers posing themselves alongside and in front of this amazing painting. This was the only piece of art that it was difficult to get close to due to the crowd. We were introduced to the work of Egon Schiele here, and DH especially, was quite taken with his work.

Overall, we found the Belvedere to be a wonderfully manageable gallery, and were happy to have spent a few hours there. Then we were back on the tram followed by a short walk to the Naschmarkt to see what it was all about and to find a late lunch. We chose TeWa, with its good looking mezze plates that we passed on our stroll down the length of the market and back up. We shared a mezze platter and a chicken platter. The food was good, inexpensive, and served quickly. Upon paying, it was pointed out to us, not for the first time, where we could add the tip.

We took the tram back to our apartment with a quick stop at Billa for breakfast supplies. Dinner was at Lebenbauer. The clouds were moving in, and it was no longer in the low 80’s as we walked to what would be our most expensive, and worst, meal of the trip. It was still hot enough to sit outside, and dinner began well enough with a few glasses of wine and a tasty pumpkin soup. DH ordered the fish risotto, and I ordered the salmon with zucchini goulash and an herb sauce. Then we waited and waited. We were seated at 7:30 and our entrees finally came at 8:50. The dishes were close to inedible. I had a decent looking piece of salmon atop a mound of purple glop which in turn sat in a sludge of green. I never figured out what the purple was – poi? DH said his dish was reminiscent of a bad night at his college co-op. Those entrees, two soups and three glasses of wine were $150 euros. Yuck.


Reflection of St. Stephen's in store front - Vienna

Back garden at Belvedere Palace - Vienna

Portrait of a Woman, Gustav Klimt

Judith, Gustav Klimt

Cottage Garden with Sunflowers, Gustav Klimt

The Reiner Boy, Egon Schiele

Ugh! Sorry to hear about the expensive, yet bad Austrian food! We had several bad food experiences on our last trip to Austria as well.

WeisserTee Your upcoming trip sounds wonderful. I hope you write a report with the details.
Melnq8 I think because we have mostly stayed at half board hotels in the mountains we have usually had good to great food in Austria.
Day 21 – Vienna – September 23

Art Nouveau Walk

Even though it was cold and windy we decided to take a break from museums for some fresh air. The apartment owner had supplied us with lots of info from the TI including a booklet entitled “Route”. This excellent little booklet includes details for seven walks in Vienna. Each walk has a little fold out with a map and information about numbered sights along the walk. I highly recommend you look for it if you are exploring Vienna, and I have included a photo of it below. The walks are: 1. Ringstrasse, 2. Art Nouveau, 3. First District, 4. Musical Vienna, 5.Sigmund Freud, 6. Gusshausviertel and Freihausviertel, and 7.Karmeliterviertel.

The Art Nouveau walk began at the Anker Clock, commissioned in 1914 by an insurance company while expanding their headquarters. The musical clock features historical figures who appear at their appointed hour– Marcus Aurelius and Joseph Haydn among them. The entire group appears at noon. Unfortunately, we would be long gone by that time. We bopped and weaved from the prescribed route, as we do, and DH wanted to skip the shopping mall atmosphere of the Graben and Karntnerstrasse so we missed some things, but enjoyed window shopping on the Bauermarkt.

Further along we stopped at Karlskirche, but didn’t go in. The weather was turning more and more gloomy and we wanted to continue our walk before the rain, thinking we could circle back to the church. From Karlskirche the walk took us to the Otto Wagner Pavilions, originally a station for the underground. No longer functioning as stations, but still artistic, the restored buildings on this gray day were closed, the square between the two was deserted, and the somewhat isolated spot suffered from graffiti. Still, the building and décor are stunning.

Following was the Secession. Built in 1898 the amazing golden domed building served as headquarters for the group of artists who broke from tradition. Surprising to me was the fact that the building sits pretty much at the street’s edge. It is the type of building that cries to be set apart in a park of its own. After taking in the exterior’s details close up, we crossed the street in order to get a better sense of the entire building.

Next were the Majolikahaus and Wienseile apartment buildings, also designed by Otto Wagner. One covered by fanciful tiles, the other with gold reliefs. These, too, were right at street’s edge and we again crossed the busy avenue to take the buildings in. This side of the street was undergoing construction of an extension of a walking path/park from the Naschmarkt which made for an interesting contrast between the aesthetic of 1900 and present day.

Finally, we followed the new pathway to the Rudigerhof cafe, the last spot on the Art Nouveau walk. Its leafy surrounding looked like the perfect spot to relax with a glass of wine on a hot summer day, which this was not. If only we had found it earlier in our stay! Today it looked cold and damp so we gladly headed back to the Naschmarkt for another very late lunch of mezze. We didn’t need to flip a coin as to whether to tram or walk back to the apartment. Tram it was. Back to our lovely apartment for a warming cup of tea.

Dinner was at Guest House Vienna, a place with good reviews and recommended by the owner of our apartment. It was a pretty space, a bit pricey, and neither of us was that hungry. Service was spotty. After a wait, we asked the doorman to call for the host in order to be seated. Once we needed the bill we couldn’t get the waiter’s attention as he was seated at another table talking with other guests. On the other hand, as all I wanted was a salad he made sure the kitchen would put one together for me. DH had moules frites which he said were fine. I had the salad and a mushroom tartine. Including water and two glasses of wine the bill was $65 euros. We walked back to the apartment, enjoying the late evening solitude of Stephansplatz while weighing all the many options for our upcoming last day in Vienna.


Front cover of the pocket pamphlet of walks in Vienna

The Ankerurh, an Art Deco musical clock designed by painter Franz Matsch, is a walkway connecting these two buildings. A dozen historical figures pass along it's face during the 12 hour cycle. At noon, they all file out in a musical parade.

Random sign on a walk around Vienna

Beautiful awning

View of Karlskirche from the Otto Wagner Pavilion

One of the twin Karlsplatz Pavilions, designed by Otto Wagner as railway stations.

Secession building

Ornamentation on the Secession

Owls on the Secession

Majolikahaus Art Deco building designed by Otto Wagner

September 25 – Travel Day Home

We were both awake at 5:30 so decided to get on with it. We had several options to the airport – DH was concerned about taking a taxi during commute time, so we ended up taking the Ubahn to the airport bus. On the bus there was a lot of traffic, but I noticed that while it was all bumper to bumper, it all moved smoothly at the same reasonable speed. We were on an Austria Air flight to Zurich which required self check-in. Our empty third seat created a bit of confusion because this equipment was a 2x2, but the patient attendant at the self check-in kiosk was a great help, and we proceeded to the Star Alliance lounge for breakfast. In Zurich we went through immigration and on to another lounge for our delayed flight home, arriving PST around 7 p.m. Note: the chocolates as you exit the lounge in Zurich are mighty fine.

Overall impressions

We have found since the pandemic when we didn’t travel, and our subsequent aging, that we do less with more time. It’s a big change for us, especially when we leave things undone. While we are in good health we are approaching the age when it is no longer assured that we will return to visit places when there is still so much of the world we would like to see.

Vienna is incredibly easy to get around in with multiple municipal transport options, and it seemed as if there were bike lanes on every street. I noticed, as I have on all of our recent trips that everyone wears some type of sneaker. I no longer pack any type of dress shoe unless I need to attend a fancy dress function. I wore sneakers and my hiking boots through-out Vienna without a second thought (although we didn’t attend the opera). Given the issues I am having with my knee, I was glad to pound the pavement of Vienna in my boots.

We left a lot undone in Vienna. I would love to see the National Library, the KHM, the Schonbrunn Palace, to bide my time in a fancy coffee house, to hear the Vienna Boys Choir, to spend time on or along the Danube, and especially to take a walk through the vineyards as described by fourfortravel in A Speed Date with Vienna and A One Night Stand with Istanbul.
Thank you to those of you who have followed along! I love reading other’s trip reports, and I hope this report helps someone along the way. PJ



Smaragda Berg, Richard Gerstl - Leopold Museum

Setting Sun, Egon Schiele - Leopold Museum

Blind Man, Gustav Klimt - Leopold Museum

PJTravels, thank you for a wonderful report! Very interesting and your husband’s photos are gorgeous. I hope we make it to Vienna some day. I understand what you are saying about getting older, seeing less, and most likely not returning for a second visit. We are in that situation, too. While there are many places I would love to return to, there are so many new places we haven’t visited. Time is too short!

“Time is too short!”… and the long haul is too long!

PJTravels -

I sought out this report to re-read your section on Lech, as it's a contender for our autumn trip - we're thinking about a return to the Dolomites to check out a few new to us areas, and thought maybe Lech would fit with the itinerary.

Early days yet, just started to research, but I can't get too excited about Austrian food.

Melnq8 We have enjoyed both our hiking trips to Austria (Grossglockner area and Lech), but be warned that the weather is already iffy at elevation early to mid September when we went. Not that that seems to bother you hardy two! When we are basing in an area to hike we don't usually self-cater. We stay half-board someplace where we are assured of a hearty breakfast to fuel the day, a lovely sauna to soothe away the day's aches, and a good to excellent meal without the need to make reservations. The food was generally good where we stayed in Lech, there were vegetarian options, and we were asked about dietary needs. I think that one can book on a BnB basis as well. I was afraid that it would be schnitzel all day, everyday, but I only had it once on our last evening in Vienna. Enjoy your trip planning! I'll be looking forward to your report.

Thanks PJ. My head is currently all over the place as there are so many options on my ever growing wish list. Full board is definitely under consideration.