The part of Südtirol/Alto Adige/South Tyrol where we are spending this year‘s September holiday is called Vinschgau/Venosta, and the mountain on our side of the valley is called Sonnenberg/Monte Sole/Sun Mountain. The name is apt, as it is one of the driest parts in all of Europe (according to official information on the region). Plants and animals have adapted accordingly, and so have humans - more about that in another post.
On Sunday (22.09.2024), we enjoyed a good breakfast and already knew it was going to be a day with no rain but a mix of much sun and few clouds. It was warm enough for short sleeves and shorts, but of course proper hiking boots are a must on the kind of paths we were to walk, even on warm days.
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| Pre-breakfast view from our room |
We walked the short distance from the hotel to where a funicular goes up not quite to the top of the mountain range, but gives lazy folks like me a good head start. (I am not really a lazy walker, but when it comes to long and steep uphill bits, I like to save my breath where I can.)
The funicular duly took us up, and from there, we walked to this viewing platform:
Along the path we had chosen, we crossed two suspension bridges.
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| The first of the two bridges. |
We also stopped for our customary shandy at around lunchtime at this mountain farm where I was most impressed by the beautiful flowers:The biggest challenge for me was the aptly named 1000-Stufen-Schlucht, or Gorge of 1000 steps. Going down, I knew I had to go back up - and although it felt more like 5000 steps, I made it and have to admit that I‘d imagined it more exhausting than it actually was. Of course there was a lot of puffing and panting on my part, but almost as soon as I was on reasonably flat ground, my breathing went back to normal. And my legs felt alright throughout. |
| See me down there, coming up part of the I don‘t know how many steps! |
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| The second bridge, spanning the gorge of 1,000 steps. |
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| At the top end of the gorge. Time to catch my breath. |
We were back at the hotel a little before 4:00 pm, having coffee and cake on the terrace before going to our room to shower and get changed for dinner.
Of course you had no problem with all this up and down hiking, I would have struggled and stopped VERY OFTEN just to admire the views of course, not to catch my breath. HA!
ReplyDeleteI think I might have most been impressed by the size of that beer! Christopher might want to go on that hike just for the beverages. LOL!! Seriously, I am ENVIOUS, I tell you, it is all so gorgeous.
Haha, the size of that beer is not quite what it looks like in the photo, perspective is deceptive! It‘s just a regular 0,4 litre, plus half of it is lemonade - I like shandy but am not so keen on just beer.
DeleteAll that up and down was not struggle-free for me, I did stop to catch my breath frequently, but of course also to admire the view or let oncoming walkers pass on the narrow bits.
I would have been so afraid on the suspension bridges! You certainly have impressed me with your wonderful hiking skills, Meike! Gorgeous views!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Ellen, but believe me - my hiking skills aren‘t great at all! I am often impressed by folks looking well older than me, who appear to be tackling the steepest uphill bits with no trouble. When it comes to walking on mostly even ground, I am good for hours without tiring, but uphill… phew 😅
DeleteAmazing views, but those bridges... I can feel my legs stiffening (and refusing to move) just looking at the photos... ;-)
ReplyDeleteThey are not for everybody, but I don‘t mind them - as long as they look safe and „official“ (I know that‘s not a guarantee for safety).
DeleteThe viewing platform suspended in thin air is more of a challenge. While we were there, at least one person said they were not going to step on it.