SUMMER HOLIDAYS, day 10: survival of the fittest (*G*)

wednesday, 23 august. (happy birthday, dad!) the weather looks promising. very promising. the plan is to walk the marlinger waalweg as far as töll, and then either walk on (algunder waalweg, tappeiner weg, back to merano) or turn back or take the train back to marling. a waalweg is a path along the old water irrigation channels (still in use) above the apple orchards. so the waalwege themselves are not steep at all, they are perfect for walking, but getting to the waalweg is a different story: the centre of marling is quite a bit uphill from alex' flat, and from there it's a steep ascent to the actual waalweg. but once we are there, sweating and panting, we know that the hardest part is done. *phew*



since sepp usually walks faster than i do (especially uphill) i decide to set out at a fast pace and let sepp catch up with me eventually somewhere along the way to töll. so, after admiring the view of marling, merano and surroundings, i set off.



on my way to töll, i overtake quite a few people who are strolling along rather more leisurely, while the only one overtaking me is a jogger. yay! whenever i look back over my shoulder, there is no sepp. still, i walk on. it's wonderful. the sun's shining, it smells of apples, the view is adorable, and i love walking like this, developing a rhythm. i can't quite believe it when i reach töll after only 50 minutes or so. i sit on a bench and wait for sepp. read a little, have a bite, and wait. only, sepp does not show up. eventually, being a bright young thing, i take out my mobile phone and check for messages. a-ha! one from sepp telling me that he can't seem to catch up with me (ha!!), and he is turning around and heading back towards marling. hm. i call him, letting him know where i am and trying to persuade him to follow me. no such luck.



i am not quite sure what to do, so i stop for a drink in töll (certainly no cocktail though) and decide to walk on - the algunder waalweg to gratsch, and to take the bus back from there, or to walk all the way back to merano. it's actually quite hot, and just beautiful. the algunder waalweg seems to be less frequented than the marlinger walk. i've got my mp3 player, so i can listen to some lovely music, there are apple orchards all around, only occasionally interrupted by vineyards, bees are buzzing, butterflies fluttering, and i follow the little gurgling channels to algund, and from there to gratsch. i don't stop often, only occasionally for a sip of water, and to admire the view. unfortunately, sepp's got the camera, so there are no pictures at all of the walk back towards merano.

at gratsch, i still have not had enough. just below dorf tirol the waalweg joins up with the tappeiner weg which leads back to merano city centre. it's a promenade offering glorious views of merano and its surroundings, mountains included. it's not nearly as late as i'd expected when i get back to merano (only 3pm), and i am not completely exhausted either, but i still catch a bus back to marling from the city centre instead of walking back, simply because there are so many people around that i'd have to stroll back - continuing at my brisk pace is out of the question. i'm lucky to just make the 15:12 bus to marling where i find lazy sepp reading on alex' balcony.

i don't know exactly how many kilometres i've done, maybe 14. just about perfect. i'm in desperate need of a shower though!



in the evening, alex takes us to the forst brewery beer garden where sepp can enjoy his new favourite drink, forst beer. lovely food too! afterwards, we get some ice-cream in town, and wander along the promenade listening to live music, watching a couple of middle-aged ladies discover the joys of head-banging (and their husbands edging discreetly away). it's a mild evening - our last in the area. back at alex', we keep him from getting enough sleep that night by chatting way too long before finally saying goodbye.



pictures of day 10