My Way Alpine Europe, Late August - Early September 2018

Our bus ride to Kastelruth was nice. As we drove up the valley before turning into Kastelruth we were confronted with The Schlern. I know, I know, it sounds like it should be some sort of delicious Italian ice cream dish but it is actually a massive chunk of limestone. I mean massive. Think of it as Der Schlern. That totally doesn’t sound like ice cream.

We got a lot out of getting up early to catch an early cable car into the Dolomites. If you haven’t spent a lot of time in the mountains you should know that: a) beards are good and 2) the weather tends to be volatile. Getting an early start gave us a lot of time to maneuver with the weather. We encountered clear skies early, heavy rain mid-day, and breaktaking clear views late in they day. Bring your rain gear, but also stop for some apple strudel at one of the many huts and restaurants. We turned a day with a lot of weather into a day that created lasting memories. With a lot of strudel.

What gear to bring? If you travel a lot I’m guessing that you have a lot of it figured out. A travel hiking trip is a tad different, but a lot of the items you already pack will probably transition well into hiking. I packed a lot of non-cotton, fast wicking clothes mostly consisting of hiking shirts and pants, wool/synthetic blend socks, and a single pair of shoes. I considered going all the way to Goretex but I wore Saucony Kinvaras with runshield, which are Saucony’s light trail runner and mild water protection tech. My feet got a bit wet but never cold, and carrying an extra pair of socks in my pack meant I could continue to hike comfortably. I also packed Xero Sandals. I hiked with an extra layer for more warmth, and gloves.

This is my first trip to Europe checking luggage. I typically take a travel pack with an attached day pack. This time I wanted to take my normal hiking backpack, so I ended up checking my bigger travel backpack (the straps stow). I was still able to carry both when we need to walk to a hotel, and this also let me bring hiking poles. You get hiking poles out one time during a long flight to play around “fencing” in the aisle to pass some time and the TSA decides to not let you carry them on any longer. Sheeesh.

Fussen was a rainy, fun mess. We’d been to the castles before, so we really didn’t get a whole lot out of visiting them. On top of that the Disney Castle had its facade being restored while we were there, and we didn’t care to join a tour. We did have a great hike from Fussen up to Hohenschwangau Castle. The hotel in Fussen gave us great directions. The trees over the trail gave us pretty good cover from the rain. I guess we are either smarter or dumber than everyone else because I we were the only ones on the trail. That was actually nice!

That evening we definitely had to dry out clothes and jackets. My wife and I both have rain coats that err on the side of breathability. I think that is the way to go on a trip like this. Getting a little wet on a really rainy day is a good trade off to have a more versatile outer layer that allows me to travel lighter. There are many good coats out there. We went with Marmot Precip.

Lauterbrunnen Valley, you beautiful son-of-a-gun. We continued to encountered weather, but not the full-tilt rain of Fussen. The clouds rolled in and out in the valley which made for gorgeous views. The hiking was great. My regret is that we did no yodeling. So much for being the obnoxious, loud Americans.

Our first day was a lot of weather but our second day was super clear. The views! After hiking 18 miles the day before we decided to take it easy on a nice, 5 mile hike. We took the train back down which was so relaxing and scenic.

I could have spent a week in that valley. I got to run along the valley floor (logged my fasted 5k time ever!) and my wife and I took a leisurely stroll to see waterfalls. We watched base jumpers plummeting down the cliff sides (with chutes deploying) and wingsuits rumbling across the valley. Everyone we saw seemed to be happy, even the cattle.

Have you noticed how there is a great variety of gummi treats available just about anywhere in Europe?

Our tour manager Don had lived in the valley for quite some time. He has a wonderful book we picked up. We really gave us great pointers during the entire trip, but here he really shined. I think we were able to maximize the time we had in the valley because of his friendly, thoughtful advice.

We also had an (optional) group dinner in at the hotel in Lauterbrunnen. We had really good surprise fondue, and a great dinner with… sausage. So good too.

Funny trip report, thanks for sharing. I almost didn’t catch your punning at the beginning so thanks for the entertainment. I’ve wondered about this tour as a solo female. I suppose it’s like the fully guided tours, you take your chances with the makeup of the group, meaning singles and couples. And whether folks are friendly to mingle with a single or not. How was your group?

Hey Judy,

We had a solo female traveler in our group. I haven't seen her review up yet and wouldn't want to speak for her. I'll say that I thought the group was very friendly. We didn't spend as much time together as we have on other RIck Steves tours. The My Ways format seems similar in some ways but is very different in the amount of free time the group has. However, we did see some members of our group over and over on hikes, which was really fun. We rode the cable cars with couples over and over, which gave us a lot of time to chat. That is an enjoyable part of the experience for me.

The forum ate my Chamonix comment post, so here it is again:

Chamonix, cha cha cha!

These are legendary mountains for me, one of the birthplaces of alpinism and steep-and-deep skiing and snowboarding. I would love to go their in winter, but in summer Chamonix is a (gasp) somewhat reasonably priced hiking paradise. Or maybe it just seemed reasonable after Switzerland. It takes real money to dig all those secret tunnels for their army! Those knives aren’t cheap either, and every soldier gets one. And everyone is a soldier! Wait, we’re in Chamonix.

Chamonix is a ski town. There is plenty of shopping, plenty to eat, and plenty of cable cars. We had our best hike of the trip in Chamonix. We grabbed the first car of the morning to Plan du l'Aiguille. Amazing views of Mont Blanc welcomed us, then we began hiking. We had spectacular views as the sun crept up through the eastern ridge with glaciers hanging above us. At Mer de Glace I was struck by how far the glacier had receded in recent years, and humbled by its still massive scale. Touring the ice cave was fun. The ice really is blue! We caught the train back down and enjoyed the rest of our day in Chamonix.

We ended our tour then caught a OuiBus to Geneva.

Geneva is a pretty nice city. It is close, OuiBus was cheap and easy, and we enjoyed our last day after the tour. The old town in Geneva is pretty cool to walk around. We also strolled along the lake. All public transportation is free in Geneva if you stay at a hotel. We were close to the main train station, and it was about 10 minutes out to the airport.

Salzburg means Salt's Berg

Salzburg = Salt town. Because it was originally founded to exploit the nearby salt mines.
-burg = fortified settlement, same origin as the English "borough".
-berg = hill or mountain. The english word "iceberg" comes from the German "Eisberg" = Ice mountain
There are plenty of towns in German speaking areas ending -burg, and lots ending -berg, so you have to be careful in spelling them.

Thanks for posting this review.

Jason,
Thanks for your reply. One other question- how were the temperatures? I’ve read that Europe had a very warm summer. In fact, I was in Paris in April and the temps were in the mid-eighties, unseasonably warm. Just curious.

Glad you had a nice trip.

Europe has had a stinking hot summer. Today it is 27°C, much too hot for the 2nd half of September. Last week was cooler (though still low to mid 20's).
In July and August we had 8 weekends in a row where it topped 30°C, OK if you are on a beach, less so if you are working.
Hopefully Autumn will arrive soon.

Enjoyed reading about your tour. It sounds like fun.

@Judy B

Hi. I am a woman who travelled on this tour solo the first year it was offered. I must say my group was one of the friendliest groups I have travelled with and that includes 9 other RS tours. There were always folks to be with, couples or singles, if I wanted, and I usually did. The bus is a good place to break the ice if you are shy of approaching people. In my group, we had an intro to Salzburg walk and right away a few of us decided to eat at a local brew garden.

I usually travel these tours solo and book a single room. I like my nighttime private time, but I usually like to mingle at other times and never have had difficulty doing so. Let me know if you have specific questions.

Debbie

Debbie,
Thank you for your reassuring comments. I had thought perhaps the My Way(R) tours might be more difficult to socialize with others because of the open format. You make a good point about bus time as a way to connect with others who are open to joining with others too.
This tour attracts me with the hiking opportunities and obvious beauty of the Alps in different parts of Europe. And, also the variety of activities in the towns.

The temperatures were very comfortable for us, but it had been extremely hot in those areas just a week or two before. We picked a later tour to try to go when kids would be back in school, but I think it also helped us miss the hot weather. I think a lot of those little hotels don't have AC. And the altitude is really not very high so I didn't notice the effect I often see when in high mountain areas during summer.

Chris,

I'm standing by Salt's Berg.

Because, you know, I was joking :-)

Although I really do like sausage and could write a post on just that. And gummi bears too.

Oh gosh, Jason...what a splendid Trip Report! I'm so glad the Salt monks were out to cheer you on, hahaha!

I really, really enjoyed your trip and was glad I hadn't taken a sip of liquid before I read the first sentence. I feel the same way you do about the Lauterbrunnen valley. So gorgeous.

Many thanks for sharing your humor along with your tour report.

< still laughing about the sausages/Austrian trains/sausages/jogging routes/sausages >

Great trip report. I loved hearing how the My Way trip works.

Judy, my husband and I have done two RS My Way tours and we love the format. On both tours there were several single/solo travelers. We did the Alpine trip in September 2018 and most days I would have my plan and my spouse another so essentially I was traveling as a solo some of the time. I hiked on all the hiking days by myself but would run into others from the tour and join up with them for a bit if it suited me. Hiking in the Dolomites and Switzerland was a piece of cake. Well marked trails and not too techical. Our guide gave us good advice in Chamonix and I rented hiking poles for the day and was glad I did. The trails there were very rocky and not as well marked and I hooked up with another couple on the tour and hiked with them all day. Following the right path in the French Alps was an adventure. For me the Alpine My Way was a great balance of sightseeing and activity. If you can swing it start with a couple of days in Vienna and then train in to Salzburg to start the tour. Not being a Sound of Music buff and because it was raining Salzburg was not the highlight of the trip so don’t recommend extra time there but Vienna is another story. I’m so confident about the people who travel with RS and the overall experience that I’m going solo on the Greece tour this spring (2019). If you like food tours I recommend taking one where it makes sense. Did a small group tour in Marais in Paris this year and vowed I will do one wherever I travel. It gets you out into places you might not otherwise venture, you pick up local history and get to try lots of delicious food. Armed with this knowledge I’m taking a food tour on each of my two “get acclimated” days in Athens. When asked by non-travelers what are my concerns traveling solo my reply is “not being able to try as many different foods” (I love seeing their reaction). With two food tours to start me off in Athens I think I solved that problem.

Oh gosh...I was laughing out loud at this. Thanks for such an entertaining report! I love my xero sandals and just bought their Pacifica wool shoes to wear on my adventures in cities.