Start:  Penzberg

Finish:  Ebenhausen 

Distance:  18

Total:  1240

Today just goes to show; when you’re wingin’ it, you never know what will happen. You just have to use your best judgement and go with it.  I’ll explain. 

Last night was a good night of sleep, thanks mostly to a very efficient ceiling fan. Otherwise it would have been pretty hot. Even in the nicest hotels in Bavaria, they don’t have air conditioning. I’m sure the heat event going on right now is very unusual, but that doesn’t make it any cooler. 

I got away from the hotel, the first time, at 8:00 after a nice breakfast. I say I got away the first time because there was a second time too.  As I always do as I’m walking the first quarter mile every morning, I go over in my mind everything I was suppose to pack and make sure I remember to pack it. Clothes bag: check; toiletries: check; iPad: check; iPhone: check; rain gear: check;  etc. I do this every morning, even though I check my room one last time before I walk out. So this morning as I’m walking along, I’m doing the check drill, and there just seemed like something was missing. Finally, I figured out it was my earbuds for my phone. They’re usually in my right front pants pocket, and they were missing. I turned around and walked a quarter mile back to the hotel, got my key back from the front desk, went in my room, and there they were, laying on the counter. This is the second time in two weeks I’ve misplaced my earbuds. The first time I was convinced the hotel maid in Innsbruck had taken them out of my room on my day off. Later I discovered them in my right front pants pocket of my shorts that had gone through the washer and dryer; my earbuds were nice and clean, and they still worked!  

Today I was suppose to walk 16 miles to the town of Icking which is about 10-15 miles south of Munich. A couple of days ago, I thought I called a hotel in Icking where I planned to stay.  But today when I stopped for lunch, I thought I’d better call one more time just to make sure I had a reservation because there’s only one hotel in Icking. So I stopped at a nice little cafe in the town of Wolfratshausen at about 12:30, had a sandwich, and gave the hotel a call. They had no idea what I was talking about. They had no record of me making a reservation and they were booked up for tonight. So I struck up a conversation with Angela, the owner of the cafe, who by the way spoke perfect English, and told her about my lodging dilemma. She recommended walking to a monastery called Klosterladen Schaftlarn near the town of Ebenhausen. She gave them a call for me and they had rooms available. She also told me there was a shortcut along a river that would cut some distance off my walk. I looked it up on Google Maps and it agreed. I took off following the route and quickly found it to be a very difficult, deep woods route. In addition, my phone signal started getting spotty.  I was a little worried about following the right route as there were forks in the trail. I also came to a creek crossing that was underwater so I took the plunge and went knee deep in water with my shoes on. Suffice to say I was very glad to get to my destination in one piece. 

The monastery is quite nice. There are about four buildings in the compound with a school with 850 students, lodging that looks like it was once a convent, the church, and a restaurant.  The only drawback is there is no cellphone signal and guests are limited to three hours on the internet. I’m glad it was recommended by Angela and it got me a few miles closer to Munich where I walk tomorrow. 

So that’s my adventure for today. Hopefully tomorrow’s walk into Munich will be a little less eventful. And I definitely have a hotel there with an email confirmation. Thanks for reading. 

Start:  Oberau

Finish:  Penzberg

Distance:  19

Total:  1222

Another great day of walking in Bavaria, though the heat made it seem more like Texas. I knew it was going to be a hot one when there was no coolness in the air when I started walking this morning.  And after last night’s challenges getting to sleep because it was hot in my room made for a pretty long day. 

I got started a little later than I like on a reasonably long walking day because breakfast was not available until 8:00. I made sure I was ready to hit the trail immediately after eating and was out the door at 8:30 with 19 miles to cover. I wandered my way through the little town of Oberau and once I got to the edge of town I found myself walking on a very busy road; lots of trucks and cars and no shoulder.  I kept looking for the bike trail along the road for the first 2-3 miles but didn’t see it. Finally in the distance on the other side of the railroad track I saw a bicycle go by. So I immediately began to look for a way to get across the highway and railroad track to get on that bike trail. After another mile I walked through a small town where I was able to transition to the trail.  From that point on I followed the bike trail the rest of the day. Sometimes it was paved, sometimes gravel, but always better than walking on the highway. 

By about 1:00 I was getting pretty hungry. Luckily I walked through a small town that had a grocery store.  I don’t recall having eaten in a grocery store before on this walk, but my options were limited. In the back of the store I found a deli and even some tables to sit and eat. I got a sandwich and Fanta and after a 30 minute break, and the purchase of a Snickers bar, I was good to go. 

The rest of the afternoon drug by. The terrain has flattened out quite a bit so I wasn’t doing very much climbing and descending, but by the time I got to my hotel in Penzberg it was 90 degrees. When I got here at 3:00 I was beat and glad to call it a day. 

Tomorrow I get within one day of Munich. It’s suppose to be hotter but I only have 16 miles planned so one less hour of walking will be nice. That’s all for today. Time to do laundry, get some dinner, and sleep under a fantastic ceiling fan!!  Thanks for reading. 

Start:  Mittenwald

Finish:  Oberau

Distance:  16

Total:  1203

Today got off to a great start but as the day went on, the frustration grew. But when it comes right down to it, any day in the Bavarian Alps is a good day so I should stop my complaining. 

I had a great rest in Mittenwald last night and the sun rose this morning at 5:15 with perfectly clear, blue skies. After a good breakfast, I hit the road at 7:45 and immediately had a little climb of a few hundred feet as I walked along a back road between Mittenwald and Garmish-Partenkirchen. It was a narrow farm road with some locals headed into town for work but for the most part the heavy traffic was over on the main highway. After about four miles on the backroad, it joined the busy highway. Luckily for me, there was a great bike trail running beside the highway that continued for the next six miles into Garmish, and it was downhill all the way. When I was within about 2-3 miles of town, I came around a curve and saw Zugspitze, the highest mountain in Germany. It stands 9718 ft. above sea level and is just south of Garmish-Partenkirchen. Also, as I came into the east end of town I could clearly see the Olympic ski jump hill. The ski jump was built in 1921 but has undergone renovations so that it is now a modern hill used in international competitions. Interesting note:  the 1936 Winter Olympics were held in Garmish-Partenkirchen and Adolf Hitler open the games at the ski hill. 

Once I was into Garmish, I needed to stop by the Vodafone store to get a new SIM card for my phone. This took me about a mile off my route but my old card was running out tomorrow so I had to get it taken care of. After standing in line for 45 minutes, and then dealing with a somewhat rude attendant, I got my new card and am navigating with ease on Google Maps in Germany. I stopped into a little cafe for some lunch, then got back on my route to the little town of Oberau where I’m staying tonight. When I got to town, I headed to the most prominent hotel here, walked in, and the lady at the desk said they were full for the night. GREAT. I asked if she had any ideas other than taking the train on down the line to another town, then backtracking tomorrow. She recommended I go to the tourist information office for help. So I walked a half-mile up the hill to the office. They were open and the nice lady made a call to the Hotel Garni Edelweis, a small B&B another mile up the hill and in the opposite direction than I need to be going. They had a double room, for the price of a single, so I said I’d be right there to check it out. So up the hill I went and found it to be very nice. The owner met me at the door, showed me the room, gave me a 1 liter bottle of Diet Coke, and I was happy to be alive!  

The only other thing I have to say about today is it’s heating up, as advertised. I’m descending in altitude and the heatwave forecast for Central Europe is arriving on schedule. I’ve got 19 miles to walk tomorrow, 16 on Wednesday, then I’ll be to Munich on Thursday where it’s still forecast to be in the mid-90s. Stay hydrated is my motto for this week. Thanks for following along. 

Start:  Seefeld, Austria

Finish:  Mittenwald, Germany

Distance:  10

Total:  1187

Today was an easy day in two respects;  short distance and downhill. 

I got a great rest last night at Hanna’s Alpengruss B&B in Seefeld. I took my time getting on the road due to the short day so after a great breakfast, I was out the door at 9:15. There was a very slight chance of rain today but it was cloudy and cool anyway. Hanna and I had a discussion before I left about today’s route. She thought it was a bad idea to walk on the road between Seefeld and Mittenwald. She showed me an alternate route over the river and through the woods. I politely listened but didn’t take her advice. I must say she was right about the road though. It was bumper to bumper traffic and the road was just straight enough that vehicles could go pretty fast. Luckily today was Sunday which kept the trucks off the road for the most part. 

Where I’m staying tonight in Mittenwald is a nice sized Bavarian town in the foothills of the Alps.  It’s known for the manufacture of violins, violas, and cellos which began in the 17th century. It’s really a touristy place with lots of sidewalk restaurants and hotels around the center of town. 

Today got me started on my descent from the Alps. I lost 900 feet of elevation today and will lose another 1000 feet tomorrow when I go through Garmish- Partenkirchen and that will just about do it for major mountain ranges on this walk. The foothills will last a couple of more days but end by the time I get to Munich. 

About 6 miles into today’s walk I crossed the Austria-Germany border. Just like on the Austrian border a few days ago, there was a small guard building with a gate but the road has been rerouted to bypass the check point. Shortly after the abandoned guard shack was a sign marking the border.  

Today ended my short walking route through Austria. I spent only four days there, and one of those was a day off. So I only walked 36 miles to get across this slender stretch of Austria that is wedged between Italy and Germany. The last part of today began a 663 mile/45 day stretch across Germany.  I don’t know if any of you have noticed the international weather, but the week coming up will find Central Europe in a major heatwave. Though it’s nice and cool here in Mittenwald today, the forecast calls for mid-90s in Munich when I get there Thursday.  I hoped for cooler weather to walk in but I guess I’m use to that kind of heat from home. 

That about does it for today’s update. I hope you all had a great weekend. 

Start:  Innsbruck 

Finish:  Seefeld in Tirol

Distance:  15

Total:  1177

Today’s walk was another exercise in “dodge the rain.”  After yesterday’s day off, today had me climbing back up in the mountains to the small ski village of Seefeld in Tirol.  As the clerk at the hotel desk this morning described it, it’s where “all the people with money go in the winter.”  It really is an amazing little village, not too different from Breckenridge, or Telluride Colorado.  But getting here was not easy.

My day started at 4:30 AM. I wanted to get on the road by official sunrise at 5:15. By leaving that early I hoped to walk my 15 miles before the forecasted rain would begin at 11:00. Of course 5:15 was too early for breakfast at the hotel so I checked out of my room and walked by the deli in the train terminal and got something to eat as I walked. The weather was overcast, damp, and 58 degrees. My route out of Innsbruck was nice and flat for the first 7-8 miles. Then it was time to climb. I had two choices on my route; follow the road that had a steep climb, or follow a footpath that had a really steep climb. I chose to follow the road, even though it was a mile longer.  The higher I climbed the more I got in the clouds. With absolutely no shoulder on the road, and fog/clouds so thick you couldn’t see 100 yards, it got a little crazy. Also, by this time the traffic was picking up with cars and busses going up the mountain to Seefeld for the day, or coming down after being there overnight. Several times I had to step off the side of the road for safety reasons. It gave me an excuse to take a short breather because I was huffing and puffing the last 7-8 miles. In all it was a 2300 foot climb.

I got to Seefeld about 10:30 without getting wet. This little village is covered with those cool Bavarian-looking hotels. I passed several as I came into town and decided to stop at one once I got near the city center to inquire about a room. Unfortunately, the one I picked was booked up for the night. However, the desk clerk recommended I walk over to the tourist information center at the train station for help finding a room. So I did as instructed and walked to the train station. The lady at the counter was able to pull up every hotel and B&B in town and look at their availability. She gave me three recommendations and called all three to get the rate and make sure the rooms were available at such an early check in time. Of the three, she recommended the Alpengruss B&B. It was about 4-5 blocks walking distance so off I went. When I arrived, the owner, Hanna, was expecting me. And I promise you, I made a wise choice. Hanna’s place is perfect. I have a nice little apartment overlooking the town.  After checking in and a short rest, it was back into village center for some wiener schnitzel for lunch, and of course hot apple strudel with vanilla sauce, ice cream, and whipping cream for dessert. 

Tomorrow I have a relatively easy 10 mile walk across the Austrian-German border to Mittenwald, Germany. It’s another super cool alpine town I look forward to visiting. Also, the rainy weather system is moving on east and tomorrow is suppose to be a nice sunny day.  So that’s it for today. Have a great Saturday!!!

Start:  Innsbruck 

Finish:  Innsbruck 

Distance:  0

Total:  1162

Today was a day off, and I needed it. I’m a day ahead of schedule which means I pounded the pavement for the last couple of days to get ahead. It’s nice to just kick back and take a break. 

I had a couple of errands I needed to take care of; one was to do laundry in a real washing machine. Luckily there was a place a couple of blocks from the hotel called The Blue Bubbles Laundromat. This is the first time I’ve been to a do-it-yourself laundry in many years. Seems things have changed since my last visit. I went in there with a pocket full of coins, but you don’t put the coins into the slots on the washer and dryer like you use to. Now it’s all centrally controlled from a touch screen. Luckily there was an attendant there and with a quick tutorial I was in business. 

After the laundry chore was taken care of, I was off to find a new lightning cord to charge my iPhone and iPad. My old cord got frayed and wouldn’t work half the time. It wasn’t hard to take care of this either; there was an Apple store about five blocks away. 

After heading back to the hotel to drop off my laundry and phone cord, I went out to do some sightseeing in Olde Town Innsbruck. Wyn and I have been here before, and we also came here on a side trip with daughter and son-in-law Karla and Ben when we visited them in London a few years ago.  So there weren’t a lot of things I wanted to see again, and after all, I’m suppose to be taking the day off.  But I walked a few blocks from my hotel and reminisced about previous visits to this awesome city. 

Since I’m a day ahead, I could stay here one more day and be back on schedule, but I think I’ll press on up the road tomorrow and save the extra day off. My next stop is Seefeld, Austria. It’s a ski town only 15 miles up in the mountains from here. According to my route, I climb 4100 ft and descend 2100 ft to get there. Unfortunately, they have a 100% chance of thunderstorms beginning at 11:00 tomorrow. So I plan to leave at the crack of dawn tomorrow and try to avoid the weather. 

That’s all for now. I hope you all have a great weekend coming up. 

Start:  Brenner, Italy

Finish:  Innsbruck, Austria

Distance:  23

Total:  1162

Today was a milestone day in several respects. First, today marked the halfway point based on walking days for this walk across Europe. Likewise, I have reached the halfway point in miles as well. And finally, immediately upon beginning today’s walk in Brenner, Italy, I passed the Italy-Austria border and now have both Greece and Italy behind me. 

The day began with a 4:45 AM wake up this morning so I could catch the 5:52 train back to Brenner where I stopped walking yesterday. I needed to get started early to try and beat the rain that was suppose to begin around lunchtime in Innsbruck.  After a quick stop in the train station for some breakfast to go, I was on the train headed uphill to the Italian border. When the train got to Brenner at 6:30, it was in the upper 30s and foggy. Brenner sits 3200 feet higher in elevation than Innsbruck so the cold wasn’t surprising. It’s a very small railroad town and is at the top of Brenner pass in the Alps. I started walking out of town and before I reached the city limit, I was in Austria. There was not a sign but I could clearly recognize the building that once was the border checkpoint, which is now a pink outdoor clothing store. 

Upon leaving Brenner I immediately started descending. I never saw the bike trail all day so I walked the same state highway that I’ve been on ever since I left Verona 10 days ago. Again, there was no shoulder but at 6:30 in the morning the traffic was almost nonexistent.  That would change soon enough. So for the first hour I had the road pretty much to myself. The downgrade was fairly steep and the road was somewhat crooked. As I got lower in elevation, the fog dissipated and the sun came out. Also the temperature rose quickly as I went down the mountain. 

At around 10:00 I reached the village of Steinach am Brenner. Like many of these villages, it has one Main Street, which happens to be the road into and out of town. As I walked into town, formed up in a parking lot was a marching band and what appeared to be the local militia, complete with rifles.  They were dressed in their finest uniforms and as I passed, the troop commander called the militia to attention, the drum major blew his whistle, and right there, a parade began right down Main Street. I walked along the sidewalk beside them until they got to  city hall where the local dignitaries were waiting for a ceremony to began once the troops and band arrived. I saw a local gentleman standing nearby and asked him if it was a holiday. He said “YA.” I asked what the holiday was celebrating but he didn’t understand my question. However, the fact that today was a holiday in Austria began to help explain the crazy traffic that I started to encounter on my walking route. By mid-morning I believe half the people in Innsbruck had left town, got on their motorcycles, and headed to higher elevation on this twisting, narrow road I was on. There were literally hundreds; maybe thousands of motorcycles, most riding in packs of 10 to 15, going up the mountain I was coming down.  And these folks drive very aggressively, passing cars on curves, etc. I just kept an eye out and stayed out of their way. 

So by about 1:00 I was on the edge of Innsbruck, looking down on the city from above, and luckily no rain in sight. I got to the hotel at 1:45, having walked 23 miles and lost 3200 feet of elevation in 7 hours, 15 minutes, without a break. My shins and feet were shot. As I mentioned earlier in this walk, it’s tough walking downhill.  It puts strain on your feet and legs that’s unnatural. Give me level terrain or a little upslope any day. You can keep the downhill stuff. 

As I mentioned before, today I walked across the border into Austria. It took 57 day to walk almost the full length of Italy, from Brindisi to Brenner. That’s 873 miles and if you throw out the four days off for rest, that’s averaging about 16.5 miles/day.  I can’t say enough good things about Italy. The scenery, the food, the people; it was all just amazing. So now I’m in Austria, but not for long.  Austria is so narrow along my route that I’ll be into Germany by this Sunday or Monday.  

But for now, it’s time for one or two days off.  Because I combined the last three walking days getting to Innsbruck into only two, I’m a day ahead. I’m definitely taking Friday off to recover from the last 10 days. If the weather is nice Saturday, I’ll just save the extra day off and use it on down the road.  That’s all for now. Now it’s raining outside and I’m dry!!!  Life is good and I am blessed. Have a great day. 

P.S. I posted two new videos today. See them on YouTube or select the video tab on my website.

Start:  Mittewald

Finish:  Brenner

Distance:  22

Total:  1139

What a day, WHAT A DAY!  I don’t even know where to start. First, I’m not in Italy where I was suppose to be tonight.  I’m actually in Innsbruck, Austria where I’m suppose to be Friday night. I’ll explain that later, but first about last night. 

I mentioned in my blog yesterday that I was staying at a family inn called the Albergo Thaler Gasthof.  As I usually do, I posted my blog yesterday before dinner so I didn’t know enough  about the Gasthof (Inn) where I was staying to mention it yesterday.  I went down to the ground floor to the restaurant for dinner last night and met Gerik and his father. Gerik, along with his mom and dad live across the road from the Gasthof and the whole place is a working farm. They have about 35 acres and 25 head of cattle. They use the meat and milk from the cows in the restaurant. The farm has been in Gerik’s family for 400 years. The building I slept in was 400 years old; and quite comfortable for its age.  For dinner I had the most awesome goulash meal!  I had no idea what to expect but what they called goulash would be something like our beef tips w/ gravy. It was just amazing. And all cooked by Gerik’s mother. I had a great breakfast there this morning before saying goodbye to Gerik and his dad. 

So on to today’s excitement. I usually stay a few days ahead on the weather so I know how to plan how far to walk each day and when to take a day off. I have a detailed plan on where to walk to everyday, but I adjust based on the weather. Today I was suppose to walk 15 miles to the next little town down the road. That would put me into Innsbruck this Friday, right on schedule. However, the forecast for Innsbruck gets pretty bad starting Friday around noon. So I decided today when I got to my original destination about 1:30 that I would walk on another four miles to another Inn, literally on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere, so that tomorrow I could get close enough to Innsbruck to walk into town by Friday at noon before the rain hits. And OBTW, Saturday will be a day off in Innsbruck; my first day off in almost two weeks.  

So when I got to my first destination at 1:30, I felt OK and decided to press on to the little Inn in the middle of nowhere, even though I’d been climbing all day and the extra four miles meant another 800 feet of climb in elevation. So I passed up my scheduled stop and kept walking. I made it to the little Inn by the side of the road and it looked nice enough. But as I approached the lobby door, I noticed a sign that said “Day Off” in three languages; German, Italian, and English. And the door was locked. But there was a man outside working in the yard, so I approached him. He said sorry, day off. GREAT!  My plan was falling apart. I inquired about another hotel and he said there was one in the next town of Brenner (Austria), but he didn’t think I’d want to stay there. He recommended I catch the train in Brenner to the next town with a hotel. I asked how far it was to Brenner. He said five kilometers; that’s three more miles. 

So as I hustled down the road, with a BAD attitude, I started looking on google maps at the train schedule from Brenner to wherever had a hotel along tomorrow’s route. The schedule popped up and the train was leaving in 55 minutes. I usually walk three miles per hour, so that meant I was going to miss the train by five minutes. So I started speed walking for those three miles. Luckily it was down hill and I made it to the station quick enough. But wait; I didn’t have a ticket. So as the train pulled in, I spotted a uniformed guard by the kiosk and asked him to help me get a ticket. He said yes, but where are you going?  Because I really only knew I wanted to go toward Innsbruck, I just said Innsbruck and I got the ticket and made it onto the train as it was leaving.

Once the train was pulling out, I started looking on google maps for a town between Brenner and Innsbruck, along my walking route, where I could get off, spend the night, then backtrack tomorrow to Brenner and start walking again. Then I realized it’s only 22 miles from Brenner to Innsbruck, and it’s downhill. So I decided to take the train into Innsbruck today, ride back to Brenner tomorrow, and walk 22 miles to Innsbruck tomorrow and miss the Friday rain altogether. That also gets me to Innsbruck a day early so I’ll either have two days off or I’ll bank one and save it for a rainy day. The weather will dictate that decision. 

So here I am in Innsbruck, in a Hotel next to the train station. I’ll head back to Brenner tomorrow morning and WALK back to Innsbruck and stay in this same hotel again. 

First thing tomorrow I’ll walk across the border into Austria. Brenner is literally right on the line. So that’s it for today. Thanks for reading.

Start:  Klausen

Finish:  Mittewald

Distance:  17

Total:  1117

Today’s walk took me further into the Dolomites which required a bit of climbing and a lot of detouring on and off Hwy 12 and the bike path. 

I got started around 7:45 again today with plans of getting the day behind me before thunderstorms hit later in the afternoon. Yesterday that plan worked out well as I got to Klausen about two hours before the bottom dropped out. Today the skies started looking threatening about 30 minutes before I got to the hotel but I made it without getting wet again. 

I spent the day trying to figure out the route. The excellent bike path I’ve been following for the last few days is depicted on google maps, but it’s not labeled as a route, and when I put in my departure and arrival locations to get my route, it never shows the bike path as the way I should go.  I’ve been lucky in that the bike route stays relatively close to Hwy 12 which is what google maps is telling me to take. So today I was on the bike path early but I got to the large town of Brixon and the bike path was closed for construction. So I worked my way over a few blocks to Hwy 12 and followed it for a ways, intending to get back on the bike path as soon as possible. Unfortunately, I could not tell on the map where the bike path was located. I kept walking on the highway, which had heavy traffic, hoping I’d see the bike path come back close to the highway so I could jump back on it. After walking on Hwy 12 for about 4-5 miles, the bike path reappeared, but it was on the opposite side of the road from where I had gotten off it. It must have crossed the road and I just didn’t see it happen, but I got back on the path and out of traffic pronto. 

Today I did some climbing, most of it in the last half of the day. It wasn’t too bad, but I would prefer it not come when I’m already tired from walking. 

Also, today I finally got confirmation on what is growing in all these orchards along my route. If you recall a few days ago the vineyards went away and now there are miles and miles of orchards.  As I was walking along this morning, I happen upon a couple standing on a tall stand culling out the damaged fruit growing in this orchard. They were no more than 10 feet from me as I passed so I ask them what was growing on the trees. They said it was red apples. The apples will be ready to pick in late September or early October. These trees looked nothing like any apple trees I’ve ever seen; ie they have very skinny trunks and grow fruit from the ground all the way to the top. They’re also attached to metal stands that support them standing up, kind of like grape vines.  And the entire grove is covered with black netting. Anyway, at least I know what’s growing in the orchards. 

Tomorrow is my last full day in Italy. Thursday I’ll cross the border into Austria. I don’t think I’ll notice any differences; like I said a few days ago; these people up here in the most northern part of Italy think they’re Austrians anyway.  So until tomorrow; Auf Wiedersehen!  

Start:  Cariano

Finish:  Klausen

Distance:  16

Total:  1100

Had another great day walking on the bike trail, even though it was somewhat uphill. Nonetheless, the 16 miles went by fairly quickly. 

I got on the road this morning a little earlier than normal in hopes of beating the afternoon thunderstorms. There is an 80% chance of storms everyday for the next week. Hopefully they’ll be afternoon storms like today and I’ll get through for the day without getting wet. 

I can’t tell you how great this bike trail is that I’ve been on for the last few days. It runs right along the road I had thought I’d be walking on. With no shoulder on the roads, and these crazy mountain roads with their blind corners, I’m really lucky to have the trail. Even better news is that the hotel attendant here in Klausen tells me the trail runs all the way to Innsbruck, Austria. So I’ll be on the trail and off the road for at least the next 58 miles. 

The scenery was amazing today. I’m still walking along the Adige River and it has really picked up its speed since I’m going up in elevation. There is a constant roar from the river and the entire thing is one giant run of rapids. I haven’t seen any recreational activity on the river so maybe it’s a bit too much for the tourist business. 

I’m in the little alpine town of Klausen tonight. It’s a nice town with a city center consisting of shops and cafes. When I checked into the hotel I was all hot and sweaty. I asked the hotel clerk if the rooms were air conditioned?  He said no, we don’t need air conditioning. OK. So I checked in and went to my room and sure enough, it’s comfortable now at 4:00 with the window open and I’m sure I’ll be closing the window later. 

So that’s it from Klausen, Italy. Hope your day was as good as mine. 

P.S. I posted two new videos today.