Via Claudia Augusta

Last month, we finally closed the loop on the Via Claudia Augusta, a cycle trail that runs from Donauwörth in Germany (near Augsburg on the Danube) to Verona, with an extension to Venice. It's named after Emperor Claudius who formalized the passage about 2000 years ago, when it was an important trading route of the Roman Empire, linking the Po Valley to the Danube. 

We did a big chunk of the Via Claudia Augusta (in 2009!) when we were returning to Germany from Greece: We rode from Venice to Bozen, took a train over the Alps to Bichlbach, Austria and continued along the trail to the end at Donauwörth.  Almost 10 years later (in 2018), we again rode our bikes through Italy, but this time from Venice to Verona and then up to Bozen for the train to Germany. Both times, it was too early in the year to attempt riding over the mountain passes (and I wasn't really up for it.) Then, during our bike trip celebrating Matthias' 50th birthday in 2019 we did another brief section from Imst in Austria to Füssen, Germany, though we ended up taking a shuttle for about 15 kms over the Fern Pass (from Nassereith to Biberwier) because the bike route in our direction was reported to be in disrepair. Well that was a fun trip down memory lane! But after all that, we still hadn't done about a 180 km stretch of the Via between Imst in Austria and Bozen in Italy - including the Reschen Pass and the Vinschgau Valley - which I imagined would be the most beautiful (and challenging) part. It was!

One of the wonderful things about living in Passau is that we can reach the Alps so quickly. We saw them from afar on our first day riding to Marktl, the birthplace of Pope Benedikt and home to one of our favorite campsites. The next day riding to Bergen brought us to the edge of the Alps and on the third day we rode over some of the foothills to Kufstein, stopping at a sennerei (cheese-maker) which was closed but fortunately had a vending machine (I can't find the photo!) The campsite there was expensive (39 Euros, the women told us, somewhat apologetically) but the location was good for a trip up the mountainside the next day to Hintersteiner lake and a couple of alms for lunch/snacks. The lake was really an afterthought because the trip up to the alms wasn't that far...but it was gorgeous! 

Riding toward Kufstein

Hintersteinersee

At the alm near Kufstein

From Kufstein we rode along the Inn Valley toward Innsbruck and stayed at a campsite about 15 kms outside of the city. That was handy because the next day we stopped by the Markthalle in Innsbruck and met up with Cousin Mark. Mark and I were able to spend some time catching up while Matthias bought goodies at the Markthalle (a win-win for me!!) We then continued on to Imst, where I wanted to stay for two nights, but because a bike marathon was scheduled that weekend, the entire campsite was booked for the following night. So, we began our sojourn along the as yet new-to-us portion of the Via Claudia Augusta through Landeck to Pfunds, close to the Swiss and Italian borders. At the campsite there we met a few Dutch cyclists, following a route from Holland to Rome, where they arranged (with other travelers) to rent a bus to take them and their stuff back home. The campsite was an ideal stop before the challenging way over the Reschen Pass, which was made even more challenging (or just confusing) because of a detour, the description of which was complicated to even the native German speakers, not just me and the Dutch. But after a couple of doubts and wrong turns (including a steep, unpaved path....twice because I thought it was the wrong way!) we made it over the top and enjoyed a scenic lunch before coasting down to our campsite in Laas in the Vinschgau Valley. Yes, our battery-assisted bikes help A LOT, but we still felt pretty good about it!

Mark and Matthias in Innsbruck

Detour!

Picnic spot by the Reschen Pass

We thought the campsite at Kufstein was expensive, but in Südtirol, 39 Euros in Kufstein seemed almost reasonable. Then again, the campsites offered a lot, including beautiful facilities and gorgeous views. We stayed in Laas two nights so we could explore the area and rode along the valley and up to a beautiful "hofschank" Platzmaiahof where we had a scenic and delicious tirolean lunch. Of course, all of our meals in Tirol (Austria) and Südtirol (Italy) were amazing: bread from local bakeries (Vinschgauer brot is wonderful!), Tiroler speck (bacon), landjäger and wurstl from butchers and local cheese from shops and supermarkets!   

Platzmaiahof

Tiroler Klöße and Speck

Camping in Laas

About 10 days into the trip the weather started to change and we were expecting some rainy spells. So instead of staying put we decided to move on and rode to a campsite at Bozen. We changed our plans a bit because we knew the campsite at KaltererSee (Caldero) wouldn't be too great in the rain. Instead, after the night in Bozen we rode to Brixen, where I had selected a campsite outside of town that looked cute and reasonably priced. However, as we were approaching, and the storm clouds were gathering, we found the road to the campsite closed (with an unclear detour) and realized the site was a bit far from the town. So, we doubled back to an expensive campsite (46 euros!) we saw in Brixen, which turned out to be a great decision! It started pouring rain just after we set up camp and came back with our groceries, and it didn't let up for the next 24 hours. Fortunately, the campsite had ample covered spaces for eating and other nice facilities, and was close to town. Also, our 46 Euros per night included "guest passes" which entitled us to free bus rides and admission to local museums. Perfect for a rain day! We went to the Hofburg in the morning, and the kloster Neustift (monastery) in the afternoon.  Both had great museums and Kloster Neustift also had a winery and wine bar to help pass the rainy afternoon. The campsite was also walking distance from a great restaurant with typical Tirolean fare. Needless to say I really enjoyed our rain day in Brixen!

Wine at Kloster Neustift!

The rain stopped the following day and we set off over the Brenner Pass toward home. We've done this route many, many times by train (Munich to Bozen) but never by bike. I wasn't too excited because although there was an established cycle route, it ran mostly next to what is probably one of the busiest autobahns in Europe. I thought of it as more of a way to get somewhere as a destination in itself (as the Reschen Pass is.) But, although we considered going back the way we came, we figured we'd give it a try as we'd never done it. I probably won't be doing it again. The bikeway was fine, but there was a lot of  headwind, the traffic was loud, and there were no campsites in our (comfortable) cycling range. There were a few quiet and scenic parts, though, and we did find a nice table for lunch. And, the pension we booked just over the pass on the Austrian side was quaint and hosted by a charming lady. So after a good rest, and a good breakfast, we rode down (but not always down) the mountain back through Innsbruck (with a quick stop at the Markthalle) to Jenbach on the Inn. It started to rain again that night and didn't let up the next day so we stayed an extra day in Jenbach.

A pretty spot on the way to the Brenner Pass

Wine in Jenbach campsite

The campsite by Jenbach was nice, but there wasn't a whole lot to do there (we went for a couple of short hikes and then had a, nice dinner at the campsite restaurant.) And the weather wasn't looking better for the next few days so we came up with a plan: We would ride back to the campsite at Bergen (two days from where we were and two days from home) and stay there a few days to visit Traunstein and tour around the mountains of the Chiemgau. We liked this area and wanted to explore it further. 

Matthias found a good Butcher shop in Traunstein!

We left Jenbach in the rain but experienced some afternoon sunshine that enabled us to dry off and set up our tent at a quiet campsite just over the border in Germany. The next day we had an easy ride to Bergen. Unfortunately, when we arrived they told us we could stay for two nights on our spot, but then the tent area was booked up for a wedding party that weekend. Although there would be space elsewhere in the campsite, Matthias wasn't keen on the party atmosphere, so we we decided to make our way back home. We hit some rainy weather on the way back to the campsite at Marktl but then had a lovely day for our final ride home. Yes, we got back earlier than expected, and we probably should have spent more time in Südtirol, but it was a case of "leaving the party while still having fun" so in all it was a great trip! And, I got back in time to see the Met Opera Live in HD production of The Barber of Seville in Passau - so that was a plus! And now I'm all caught up! Yay!

And of course there's a photo album

Molto Malta e Pure Italia!

I just finished writing up the entry about our latest bike trip over the Via Claudia Augusta to Italy and realized I forgot to post about our winter trip through Italy to a new land for us: Malta! I've been wanting to go there since my friend Matt raved about it a few years ago and my research turned up that it was interesting, historic, picturesque and....inexpensive! I finally convinced Matthias to give it a try for our winter trip this year after promoting the fact that we could get there without flying (something he dislikes more and more these days) and - did I mention - it would be relatively inexpensive. 

We spent January in Passau taking care of medical appointments and other humdrum domestic details, and then I got a chance to meet up with Matt in Vienna for a few days at the end of the month. We spent a dizzying two days running around doing silly and wonderful things (Strauss Experience and boys choir: BAD, Light show at the church and Freud House : FAB!) and then I came back to get ready to go (and to pick up and complete our absentee ballots for the German election - as soon as they were available.) I had found a way to take the train from home all the way to Sicily in one day + one night, but since Matt was going to be in Munich as we were passing through, we took the opportunity to spend a night there. That turned out to be a nicer, more relaxed way to do it anyway - taking an afternoon train to Munich on February 4th and spending the evening with Matt before getting the train to Italy the next morning. 

Light show in Vienna

Matt and Matthias in Munich

On the morning of Feb 5, we got our favorite train over the Brenner Pass (to be revisited by bike this spring) to Bologna, then had six hours to spare before our night train to Siracusa, Sicily. We walked around Bologna and had a nice dinner before going back to the station where we had to wait until midnight (that sucked) in the vestibule because the rest of the station closed at 10. But once we got on the train our beds were made and we were able to sleep relatively well. We had our water cooker and coffee with us so we didn't have to wait until the little dixie cup with espresso was delivered in the morning, and we spent the day in our private cabin (unfortunately they never made the beds, but it was still comfy) and enjoyed the scenery of Southern Italy. Around midday the entire train was loaded onto the ferry to Sicily and we were able to get out and enjoy the boat ride. We arrived in Siracusa on time at about 4pm on the 6th and found our lovely apartment where we would stay for four nights. Siracusa was great. The old town was impressive, but we mostly enjoyed the markets and wandering around the outskirts. We bought fresh veg and Matthias made delicious tomato salad! Wonderful cheese, decent bread and more fresh vegetables rounded out our in-apartment meals. We also found a cute (and cheap) restaurant nearby, and I had some amazing gelato and fresh cannolis in the neighborhood. 

Snacks on the overnight train

Train on the ferry!

Archeologic Park, Siracusa

Siracusa coastline

From Siracusa we took a quick trip on the local train to Pozzallo and walked through the town to catch the 1.5-hour ferry to Malta. I was so excited to use our new personalized Maltese bus passes (had to order them for 25 Euros, but they're good for unlimited bus rides in Malta forever!) Unfortunately, it was a little complicated to find the bus stop and bus was super crowded (it happened to be a national holiday) so we had to stand for the hour-long bus ride to the apartment I rented. Luckily, our moods were buoyed when we arrived at the fabulous "penthouse" apartment. Huge kitchen, large bedroom, two bathrooms and two balconies were ours for the next three weeks. The location in Mellieha was great - walking (hiking) distance to the beautiful rugged coastline, or beach, and the bus was there to take us wherever else on the island we wanted to go. We spent most days walking around and exploring the island, with bus trips Valletta, Rabat/Mdina and (of course) Lidl. I also ventured out to Gozo Island on my own and also made a day trip to the Blue Grotto. And one day I was able to get Matthias onto a ferry to visit Comino Island where we spent a lovely day wandering around. At the end of our trip, I booked two nights in Valetta (mainly because the ferry left at 6am!) and we spent a couple of days exploring the harbor and the Three Cities area. All of it was gorgeous! I have to say, our impression of Malta was muted at first...after the charm of Italy it seemed a bit "too British", although we did enjoy pub night watching Premier League Soccer. To be fair, they don't have a lot of space to grow fresh vegetables like in Sicily and there have been so many cultures passing through the island we couldn't seem to get a good feel for the Maltese culture (which I somehow expected to be more "mediterranean"?) Anyway, the place definitely grew on us, and I would go back in a heartbeat. Even Matthias said he'd go back in the winter, if we were able to get our same fabulous apartment!

Hiking in Malta

Fab apartment kitchen

Mdina

Valletta

After three weeks in Malta, we started our sojourn back toward home. We got the ferry back to Pozzallo and a special "shuttle" that took us further to Catania, where we booked a place for two nights. We also liked Catania, although our apartment there was the least wonderful we had. It was just fine, but the internet and cell service was spotty, so our evening entertainment suffered. There was a great market, though, and good walking-around opportunities. And we were easily able to get the train to our next destination on the way home: Salerno. 

Catania

We got an apartment in Salerno for five nights, mainly because it coordinated well with the train schedules, but also because I wanted time to see the Amalfi Coast and Pompeii. Salerno itself was also great, and our apartment was just down the block from the daily market, which was awesome. More tomato salad!! As our first outing, we took the harrowing and scenic bus trip to Amalfi where we caught another bus up the mountain so we could hike the path of the gods. It was pretty spectacular, even if there were some other tourists around (good thing it was off-season) and Matthias was quite moody. Also, once we finished the hike, we needed to take a few buses - for a few hours - to get back to Salerno. The ride was still pretty, but we were kind of done. Still, it was a great day! The next day we went to Herculaneum in the morning and then on to Naples in the afternoon. It was another full day, but really nice. On our last day in Salerno, I made my way to Pompeii on my own and had nice, relatively peaceful time exploring the ruins. We went out for a nice supper in Salerno on our last night and got the train the next morning to Verona - just a stopover for one night before getting the train back over the Brenner Pass to Munich and then home. 

Almafi

Seaside in Salerno

Herculaneum

Pompeii

It was a wonderful winter getaway and got us pretty excited about living so close to Italy. Thinking about exploring more of Southern Italy and Sicily (and maybe Sardina) in the future. We'll see....

Here's the Photo Album!