Number 3: Austria 2008

Number 3: Stubaier Höhenweg, Austria

For me, one of the most rewarding things to do is hiking in the mountains. It gives you the illusion that you have achieved something. The exercise in combination with the clean, crisp air reloads the batteries for weeks afterwards. In the alps, treks of several days or even weeks are made easy by the dense networks of mountain huts, which are run by the alpine clubs. And after a day of walking, there is nothing better than let your tired body fall on a seat, get a cold beer and enjoy the delicious food some of these huts have to offer..

In 2008 we did a hike around the Stubaital in Austria, south of Innsbruck. On the route are the Nürnberger, Dresdner and Regensburger Hütte, which all offer additional possiblities of day trips to the surrounding summits. The trip crosses numerous streams, worried marmots, fields of wild flowers and even a glacier... if it is still there 12 years later.

Unfortunately, in the cramped dormitories of the huts a pandemia will strike relentlessly. So I am afraid that even after the travel restrictions will be lifted, the huts will stay closed until the last source of infection has disappeared. And that can take a long time.

The climb to the Nürnberger Hütte starts harmless along the valley to the Bsuchalm

The track starts climbing

Marmots follow our progress attentively

Also the sheep stick to rhe slope

The clouds and the rain move in

The path gets precarious

 

Finally, Nürnberger Hütte at 2297 m

A short moment of sunshine reveals the view from the hut

The next day starts cloudy. The weather in the northern alps can change rapidly. Sunshine can change to snow in the same day even in what is considered summer. The worst are thunderstorms. Each year, lightning causes victims at high altitude

The ascent to the ridge to the Sulzenauhütte

The crest: no view at all

Crossing some makeshift bridges

The Sulzenauhütte offers a welcome break and snack

The next night we spend in the Dresdner Hütte. It is in the middle of a ski area, is massive and has a self service restaurant. The surrounding slopes are spoiled by adaptation to the wintersport

The next day the weather has improved, lake on the way to the Regensburger Hütte

Sheep always seem to find a tasty meadow

A couple of little lakes on the way to the Regensburger Hütte

On the way to the Regensburger Hütte

Sheep suspended above the Stubaital

A short photo break

Even begin of July we had to cross some snowfields

Der Abstieg zum Grawagrubenferner

Damals musste man noch über die Ausläufer des Gletschers

Hier gab es auch Leitern und Stufen

Foot of the glacier. I wonder how it looks like 15 years later

Das Ende des Grawagrubenferners

The tongue of the glacier. Mosst of the alpine glaciers are disappearing quickly

After the glacier, the path descends over scree fields

Hochmoos above the Neuen Regensburger Hütte

Falbesoner Bach

The Neue Regensburger Hütte waa very full. Meanwhile they have built another enormous, modern building next to the traditional structure. I hope people like it more when they take into account that they get a bed there

Below the Regensburger Hütte the creek turns into an impressive waterfall

Regensburger Hütte, Waterfall and Falbesomer Ochsenalm

Falbesomer Ochsenalm at 1830 m

Number 2: Ethiopia 2012

The African Queen: Lake Tana, Ethiopia

The center of the ethiopian highlands, between the old empirial city of Gondar and the commercial center of Bahir Dar, is covered by a big lake, lake Tana. The lake in fact is the source of the blue nile, which leaves the lake to the east, curves around it in a spectacular gorge and exits the country to the north,

Lake Tana

It would be possible to take a bus or plane from Gondar to Bahir Dar but I thought it would be more interesting to take the boat, which leaves from the port of Gorgora a couple of hours from Gondar a couple of times a week.

I had to take the only bus from Gondar at sunrise to go to Gorgora, where the boat was supposed to leave the next morning at sunrise. On the bus I met an elderly couple from Brighton and a French couple who had the same idea.

The place to stay in Gorgora was the port hotel, a remainder of real socialism. We were the only guests

The huge dining room of the hotel. However, the kitchen was not working, nor was there any restaurant in the village. So we bought some provisions at the market stands along the dusty streets

Bedroom. But even the mosquitoes had forgotten the place....

The abandoned tennis courts

There are ancient churches everywhere in ethiopia. Here the one in Gorgora

The priest

Finally the ticket office opened and we got the confirmation that there actually was a boat leaving from the deserted port

Sunrise in the port. The boat, to the left, built by the italians during their brief occupation before 1940, is still empty

That changed quckly. I do not know how this looks like in times of pandemia. The few shady places were quickly occupied. In the morning it was so cold that we did not think of shade. Later the shade was so coveted, that the people sitting there did not leave their spots during the stops.

The fishermen and villagers on lake tana use beautiful but unstable looking boats from reeds..

After some hours of cruise, there was a stopover with lots of loading and unloading. We had time to explore the village

Children are always curious and want their photo being taken

This refreshment parlour obviously was not used for a while, so we looked for another one

.... in the middle of the village we found this tea house, which also had some snacks

While we were waiting, some of the villagers were busy with wheelbarrows to load boats with sand. Note the state of the pier. 

One of the hard working girls posed for a picture

Late in the afternoon the African queen arrived at Korcula. There we had to look for a place to stay. The boat would continue the next morning at six (all public transport in ethiopia is supposed to leave at sunrise, and arrive before sunset. for safety reasons night travel was not allowed).

The streets of Korcula. 

We found a room in a motel like establishment ... 

.....

.... and a meal in this restaurant. With Hugh and Annie

Preparing the dough for the ethiopian bread, which is served as a plate for all meals

Baking of the pancake like bread

The next morning the journey continued. The boat people were already on the move

The biggest sight at the destination at Bahir Dar, the cascades of the blue nile after it leaves the lake. There is not such a lot of water because most is diverted into a power plant a bit downriver. But at least that means they have stable electricity in Bahir Dar.

Link to other posts about Ethiopia:

https://h-s-coronastories.blogspot.com/2021/05/number-67-ethiopia-2012.html

https://h-s-coronastories.blogspot.com/2020/12/number-48-ethiopia-2012.html

https://h-s-coronastories.blogspot.com/2020/10/number-41-ethiopia-2012.html

https://h-s-coronastories.blogspot.com/2020/07/number-31-ethiopia-2012.html