Bicycle trip through the Altes Land (30/03/2024)

On a cloudy, yet rather warm end of March day, our friends Margo and Denisz came with Ania and me on a bicycle trip through the Altes Land, an an area of reclaimed marshland south of Hamburg now known for being the biggest contiguous fruit-producing region in North Europe. We first reached the neighborhood of Blankenese on the western end of the city of Hamburg, right on the bank of the river Elbe. Here we intended to take the ferry over to Cranz, a village on the other side of the river. However, unfortunately, the tide was quite low and once on the ferry we were told we would not be able to head over to Cranz and instead had to do with Finkenwerder, also on the other side but further east. This meant that our bicycle ride would be much longer due to the added kilometers both on the way there and back. We left the ferry terminal and biked along the Hamburg Finkerwerder Airport, used as a manufacturing plant by Airbus. Cycling on a dike along a nice countryside we then reached the village of Borstel with its windmill Aurora and a nice main street sided by old houses and the church of St Nikolai. A little further on we then reached Jork. The town featured a small yet pretty old town with nice timber-framed houses. We also managed to visit the main church, St. Matthias, originally dating to the 13th century but refurbished in a baroque style during the 17th and 18th centuries. It featured a nice interior with a wooden ceiling dotted with stars to symbolize the dark night sky and outside a semi-detached thick wooden tower. After a quick lunch break, we got back on our bicycles and decided to start heading back this time taking a different way. We passed through the village of Estebrügge, with at its center the church of St Martini. Also refurbished in the baroque style, this too had a thick wooden tower. From there we cycled through more countryside, passing by some nice blossoming trees and here and there some timber-framed farmhouses. After some time cycling we eventually came to the airport once again and a while later to the Finkerwerde ferry where we then took a boat back to Hamburg. Once there we decided to watch the Easter Fires, which in this part of Hamburg are built all along the bank of the river. We picked one of the larger ones and sat down beside it waiting for it to be turned on. We waited quite a bit as apparently according to the firemen the wind had picked up and for safety reasons, they decided to wait for a more calm moment. Eventually, well after sunset, the many fires along the Elbe started to be set on fire, and so di the one next to us. We watched it burn for a bit and then decided it was time to head back in the city, have dinner at a burger place called Peter Pane and then head home.

The beach in Blankenese

The village of Jork

Interior of St Matthias

The church of St Matthias

Another view of Jork

Jork's main street

The church of St Martini in Esterbrugge

One of Hamburg's Easter Fires

Hike from Rehfelde to Berlin (16/03/2024)

 Ania and I wished to complete our longest hike so far by walking 60km from somewhere in Brandenburg all the way to our home in Berlin. After some planning, I has decided to start from the train station of Müncheberg, east of Berlin, and walk all the way to our place. However, once on the train, the train stopped for nearly one hour before a random town and eventually, we were let off in a place called Rehfelde as a branch had fallen on the train tracks and we could not continue further. We got off there and I quickly found an alternative to still manage to walk 60km from that point. That meant hiking first eastward, then pointing up north, and eventually back west towards Berlin. After leaving the train station we hiked through the woods and came upon the Pyramide Garzau. Considered as the the largest fieldstone pyramid in Germany, it was built in 1784 probably as a mausoleum for Friedrich Wilhelm von Schmettau. The pyramid was part of an overall complex consisting of the Garzau Castle and the associated landscape park, however by the 20th century the whole complex fell into disrepair. After burning, the manor was rebuilt in 1911 while the pyramid was only rebuilt in 2009. After that, we continued on foot and reached the nearby village of Garzau with its nice fieldstone Dorfkirche, originally dating to the 13th century but rebuilt in the 18th century. Continuing on a bicycle path we reached the next village, Garzin, also with its nice fieldstone church, dating to the 13th century and with a 15th-century tower. Continuing through some countryside we passed through another village, Hohenstein, and then another, Klosterdorf, also with its fieldstone church dating to the 13th century. All these villages had a peculiar small pond in the middle of town, probably once used as a water source or fishing spot. We then continued our walk and eventually reached a forested area. We followed some paths deep in the forest and at one point bordered the Schloss Wilkendorf golf course. They were cutting down a lot of trees next to it, probably planning to expand it or develop some roads close to it. Unfortunately, at one point, as we continued on it started drizzling slightly but luckily we had our waterproof jackets with us. We walked along the western shore of the Ihlandsee and heading further deep into the forest we reached another lake, the Fängersee. Here again, we walked along its slightly hilly western shore and along the shore of the nearby Bötzsee as well. Then we headed west and after a bit left the forest behind and walked through some countryside until we reached the town of Altlandsberg. We crossed its nice old town, which we had visited before, and headed further west. We walked through the small village of Seeberg, with its church dating to the 13th century but with a tower refurbished later in a neogothic style. Soon after we passed over a highway and continued along the countryside. The sun was out and warming us up a little, but as sunset was soon approaching the temperatures dropped. Not long after we finally reached the outskirts of Berlin, a clear drastic change from the nearby countryside we were now surrounded by the typical soviet style tall unappealing buildings and walking along the large avenues. We walked through the areas of Hönow, Hellersdorf, and then Marzahn, and reached the Ikea store of Lichtenberg right after darkness. Here we stopped to eat some warm food but as soon as we set foot inside, due to the stark change in temperatures from the cold outside and warm inside I then got very dizzy and had to lie down as my whole vision went dark. Ania had a similar experience but not as strong as me. I needed a few minutes to recover and then proceeded to voraciously eat my meatballs with mashed potatoes and peas. However, after that we decided to end our walk there, just shy of 7km from our house. Unfortunately, it was too cold outside and my legs hurt so we ended up walking just 53km instead of the 60 planned. 

The Garzau pyramid

Garzau village

Garzin village

Hohenstein village

A cabin in the woods

The Fängersee

Skiing in the Dolomites (08-10/03/2024)

My brother and I decided to go skiing in the Dolomites for a few days. From our aunt's house near Brunico we drove and reached Passo Falzarego where we parked the car and then got the skipass for the day. We first took the cable car up to the Lagazuoi at 2752m above sea level, however once on top we unfortunately found out it was completely covered in mist and we could barely see our own feet. That meant that heading down the slope was super hard and took a lot of time as everything around was white and made our heads dizzy. Once back down we decided to cross the street and head over to ski at Col Gallina which at least had much less mist and had a better visibility. After a few runs there we then moved over to Cinque Torri where we also skied a few slopes. The highest point, Rifugio Averau, at 2416m, was also covered in mist and so we could not enjoy the beautiful view which can usually be seen up there. Heading back down the slopes we then took the new Cortina Skyline cable car which brought us all the way to the Tofane mountains just west of Cortina. Once there was only a bus connection however with this new cable car one can travel between the two ski areas more easily. After reaching the area of Pocol, we did a couple of slopes there, and then moved on to Socrepes. We did a couple of slopes and then decided to look for a place to have dinner as we wanted to eat relatively early and skip the rush hour. We tried heading to the Baita Piè Tofana but found out it had recently been restructured and now was super fancy and expensive. Instead we ended up eating at Col Taron where I had a mixed plate of eggs, meat and some veggies: overall it was so-so. After lunch the weather had improved slightly, opening up and allowing us a a view of Cortina below. However, as we headed on to ski at higher altitudes, especially around the rifugio Pomedes and rifugio Duca d'Aosta, right below the Tofane, the mist was still rather thick. We did a couple of slopes there, and then headed down one of our favorite since we were little kids the Tofanina, a slope heading through the woods which always gave us the impression of being in a land of fairy, gnomes, and other mountain creatures. After a few more slopes here and there we took once again the cable car that took us back to Cinque Torri where we had yet some more slopes before finally heading to Col Gallina and do some more there until closing time. Once the last skilift had closed we skied all the way down to Passo Falzarego where we eventually got back in the car and drove home. 

The morning after, waking up early once more, we drove in a similar direction as the previous day but eventually reached La Villa in the Alta Badia area. Here we parked the car right next to the cable car, and then after buying our skipasses, were the first ones to reach the top of the Piz La Ila mountain. Here, at about 2100m, is set the Moritzino, a hut and club very popular among young people for the apres-ski drinking. As it was still empty of people we immediately headed down the hard but amazing Gran Risa slope, which freshly beaten as it was, made the way down incredible. We decided to do it a second time as soon as we reached the bottom but my brother found out he had lost his skipass heading downhill. So I quickly got the cable car once more and slowly went down the slop to try to find it. Unfortunately I couldn't find it but once down my brother had managed to reprint his at the ticket booth. Heding up the mountain once again we then decided to move and head towards other slopes. We skied down the eastern side and reached first San Cassiano and then back up to the Piz Sorega we headed all the way down to Armentarola. After a few slopes there we then decided to do the whole tour around the Sella mountain group by following the famous Sellaronda. Our first stop was the town of Arabba which we reached after a few slopes and skilifts. From there we opted for a small deviation to Porta Vescovo to consider if to go to the Marmolada as well. A quick view from the top there made us rethink as we saw the Marmolada was covered in clouds and wouldn't become dangerous and not fun to ski with barely any visibility up there. So from that point we continued on and reached Passo Pordoi. We did a few slopes there and then on the nearby Col dei Rossi, right above the town of Canazei. Then we decided to look for a place to eat and chose the Baita Gherdeccia where we ate at the self service restaurant there, some canederli. After eating we got back on our skis and move over to the Passo Sella where we skied some really nice slopes right below the Sassolungo. Moving onwards we headed down to the Plan de Gralba and finally down to Selva di Val Gardena where the sun greeted for a little while. Once in town we took of our skis, crossed the street, and then got on the cable car which took up to the Dantercepies hut. Here we skied a couple of slopes in the sun, but because it was rather warm, they became slushly and hard to ski. We headed back up the Dantercepies and crossed over the Passo Gardena skiing then down to Colfosco. Here we did a couple of slopes right below the Sass da Ciampac, and then moved over to the nearby town of Corvara in Badia, to finish around tour around the Sella group. For the last hour or so we skied up and down the Piz la Ila in all directions trying to do different slopes. Then for the final slope we headed up to the top at the Moritzino where we finished off our day with a final ride down the Gran Risa. However it was nothing compared to the morning as it was now full of bumps which made it a pain for the legs and really tough. Once back down to the car, before heading home we decided to drive to Corvara and have a snack. We stopped at the Stüa dal Tê Raetia where we had tea and sacher cake. Then after a brief stop at the supermarket to get some local delicacies we headed back home. 

On our last day in the mountains, as we were quite tired and it threatened a heavy snowstorm in the afternoon, we decided to do a short snowshoe tour instead of skiing. We packed our bags and drove off passing by once again the Passo Falzarego. Here it had already started snowing but we were heading further so we drove downhill until we stopped at a tiny parking spot along the road. We parked the car, put our snowshoes on, and headed down along the road that eventually led us to Andraz Castle. Dating most probably to the 11th century, it is the highest castle in Italy located at about 1700m above sea level. Though now partly ruined, it still stands nice and strong with its thick grey stone walls to oversee the road leading up to the Passo Falzarego once an important strategic location between several valleys. Set now during a snowstorm and surrounded by the white of the snow itself was really a sight to behold. Despite it being open only in the summer we were able to visit part of it headed up the stairs to have a commanding view of the area. From the castle ruins we then walked a little further to reach the small hamlet of Castello that grew up around the castle. Despite its remoteness, there were actually a couple of houses with cars outside meaning there were people in there as well. From there we then headed back to the castle trying to snowshoe away from the road but that proved quite hard as the snow was knee deep and very fresh and soft. After one last look, we decided to head back to the car as we didn't wish to get caught in the snowstorm too long while driving towards home. On the way down the valley, we decided to stop for lunch in Pieve di Livinallongo at the Pizzeria Klematys. Here I had some really tasty canederli and then an apple strudel as dessert. The prices were also much better than the previous days. After lunch we had a little walk around the town, visiting the church of San Giacomo Maggiore dating to the 12th century but remade in a gothic style and with a tall bell tower. After that it was time to go so we got back in the car and drove on home. 

Cinque Torri

Forest trail

A frozen lake and the cable car

A view of the Tofane

Around Passo Valparola

The Armentarola slope

Around Passo Pordoi

The view towards Canazei

Below the Sassolungo

A view of the Sassolungo

Around Passo Gardena

Near Selva di Val Gardena

A view of Colfosco

The Cunturines mountains

Corvara in Badia

Passo Valparola during a snowstorm

The castle of Andraz

Another view of the castle

Pieve di Livinallongo

Snowshoeing in the Dolomites (01-03/03/2024)

At the beginning of March, Kyle, my brother, and I, decided to do a snowshoeing trip in the Dolomites. We left Vicenza early in the morning heading north towards the mountains. After a brief stop in San Vito di Cadore for a second breakfast we then reached Cortina d'Ampezzo and drove further up to reach the Sant'Uberto parking. We left our car there and then put our snowshoes on. We left the parking heading down along the trail to reach the Boite River. Originally when planning the itinerary we had seen that there wasn't much snow and the temperatures were above the season's average. However, as we had gotten closer to the dates the temperatures had dropped and it had snowed quite a bit. That meant though that the trail was much harder as we made double the effort to advance through the nearly knee-deep snow. We took turns to be the forerunner but still, it took a lot of time and effort to advance. Strangely, as we had started the walk, despite the altitude at around 1400m, it was raining and we had rain until at least 1600m. After that, the rain eventually turned into snow. Once we reached the Boite River, we crossed over its snow-covered wooden bridge and passed the now-frozen Fanes waterfall. This marked the beginning of the Fanes Gorge which we started following heading uphill. We had two mountain massifs towering above us, on the right the Spalti di Col Bechei with the Taé and Col Bechei peaks, while to the left the Croda del Vallon Bianco. Unfortunately, due to the weather, the peaks were barely visible covered by a blanket of clouds and snow. After a push uphill we then reached a relatively flat plateau set at about 1840m where we took a short break. The place, known as Pantane, was the border between Veneto and Trentino-Alto Adige. We continued on, further heading uphill until we reached the Lago Limo, a small lake now obviously frozen over and covered in snow. A snowstorm had also caught up with us and we could barely see a few meters in front of us. Up until that point we had been the only ones walking along the valley on that day as there was no trail on the snow to see and we had only been able to follow the partially covered signposts and the trail on our phones. From the lake, a short downhill trail finally led us to the Rifugio Fanes, set at 2060m and the place where we would spend the night. The way there had taken more than we expected, due to the snow, more than six hours, and right before sunset. Once inside the hut, we were shown to our room and we treated ourselves to a nice warm shower. For dinner, we had a full-course meal which also included refills. We had a tasty bean and pasta soup as a first course, salmon with potatoes and zucchini as a second course, and a cake for dessert. 

After a good night's sleep the next morning we woke up early for breakfast and to our surprise, looking outside the window, found it was nice and sunny. We ate quickly and then headed out to take advantage of the weather for a few photos before beginning our second day of snowshoeing. Clearly visible were all the peaks surrounding us, part of the Fanes-Sennes-Braies Natural Park. Leaving the Rifugio Fanes behind we headed downhill not needing the snowshoes as we were using the snowy path used by the snowmobile used to deliver goods and people to the hut. We enjoyed the amazing view of the snow-covered landscape around us and the pink rocky dolomite peaks. Together with the sun in the face warming us up, it made it seem like we were in a completely different world compared to the day before. We continued downhill, eventually encountering a few hikers, snowshoes, or skies along the way, not something we had experienced the day before when it had just been us three. In under two hours, we had reached the Pederü hut, located at 1548m. Here we decided to wait another half hour and have lunch before continuing on the rest of the hike. I had cheese canederli, Will had beetroot casunziei, and Kyle had goulash. Once we were done with lunch a very long and steep ascent awaited us right next to the hut. The sky was now mostly covered in clouds again but with the sun still peering through here and there. That made the ascent a little easier as it meant it wasn't as warm. After the steep climb, we came upon a plateau where the small hamlet of Fodara Vedla is set at 1980m. This consists of a mountain hut and other small buildings used in the summer which now looked abandoned with no one around and everything closed and covered in snow. We had a break here and ate some of the food we had brought with us in the backpacks. Continuing onwards uphill we left the trodden snowmobile path and followed a trail covered in snow through some forest. Eventually, we reached the Rifugio Sennes, set at 2126m, and surrounded by an immense plateau all covered in snow which gave the impression of being in an otherworldly environment. We were going to spend the night there, however, we had to wait a bit downstairs before being shown to our rooms as we had arrived earlier than the previous day. After checking in and a hot shower we then relaxed a little before heading down to eat dinner. In this case, the dinner was not included in the price but we still ordered quite a lot as we were hungry. I had again canederli with cheese and for dessert a tasty kaiserschmarrn. 

In the morning, our last day on the three-day snowshoeing, we woke up early but as there was a snowstorm outside decided to wait it out a little and headed back to sleep. Then finally awake we had breakfast and got ready to head out. Our aim was then to try and head up the plateau towards the Rifugio Biella and from there head back down the valley. However after half an hour in knee-deep snow, with super strong wind, a white landscape, and no way to find the trail under that snow blanket, we decided to head back to the hut and follow the easy direct way down the valley. We left the Rifugio Sennes behind and followed the trodden path downhill, soon after entering Veneto once more. We descended the valley, and on the way down, to our left, up the plateau, we also managed to spot a couple of chamois. As we headed down we met a few hikers heading up to the hut asking for directions or generally just saying hello. The landscape was similar to the first, day, albeit slightly better, with snow all around and low clouds covering the peaks. At one point we reached an opening, known as Campo di Croce, where we met up with the Boite River. We tried leaving the trodden path to take a trail on the other side of the river but the knee-deep snow made it impossible to see if we were following it or losing ourselves in the forest so instead turned around and took the easy way onwards. After a short while, we eventually came in sight of the Rifugio Ra Stua, set at 1690m. Here we stopped for lunch and had probably the best meal so far. I got canederli with deer meat sauce and then again kaiserschmarrn as dessert. Leaving the hut behind we continued downhill and at one point left the trodden path as we were finally able to follow the trail through the woods. It led us along the Boite River and we also managed to see it's nice waterfalls at one point. Then a little further, we also came upon the ruins of a fort used during WWI by the advancing Austro-Hungarian army to control the area and potentially fire upon Cortina, which we could already make out in the distance. In fact, a bit more walking eventually led us back to the parking lot and our car. Driving back, we made a brief stop in Cortina to walk the main street and buy some casunziei before eventually driving home to Vicenza.

The Fanes Gorge

On the way up to the Fanes hut

Thick fog

The Fanes hut

Morning view

Looking to the southwest

The beautiful peaks of the Fanes-Sennes-Braies Natural Park

A hut along the way

More peaks

The Pederü hut

Fodara Vedla

On the way to the Sennes hut

Misty surroundings

On the way down from the Sennes hut

Close to the Ra Stua hut

Waterfall on the Boite River

View of the peaks at the end of the hike