Wanderwegs

They are called Stadtwanderweg and they form a network of hiking trails around the city of Wien.  Literally "City Wander Ways" the dozen or so looping trails surround the city of Wien and are accessible by public transit.   If you want to go for a hike all you have to do is throw some food and water in a pack, hop on the bus or tram that gets you to the Stadtwanderweg of your choosing, and off you go!   There are about a dozen different trails, all of them mapped and posted with signs.  There is also the Rundumadum Trail which forms a loop around the city and links up many of the smaller trails.   (I know, Rundumadum!?!?!  I did NOT make that up.)

The Wienerwald surrounds much of the city of Wien and starts abruptly at the edge of the city.  The transition is knife-like, city to steep hills and woods.  There is not much in the way of urban or suburban sprawl along the edge of the Wienerwald.  The Stadtwanderweg trails circle through the woods and meadows of the Wienerwald, climbing up and down the hills while offering views of the City or the Danube or Lower Austria.  (Parenthetical Geography Comment:  Lower Austria is not the southern portion of Austria, which is how it has stuck in my small brain.  Lower Austria is actually the Austrian state that surrounds Vienna and makes up the northern and eastern portion of Austria.  The land is lower in elevation as it slopes down to the Hungarian plain along with the Danube or Donau river, hence Lower Austria.)

It was a brilliantly sunny day offering warmth where the sun shown and chill in the shadows of the Wald.  We rode the 60A Bus to the start of Stadtwanderweg Sechs, disembarked at the Kirche, and set off up the steep hill into the Wienerwald. 

The lovely old-fashioned arrow signs mark the way.  They are almost always accurate.  It helps to take a picture of the map before setting out.  Just in case. 

It was a warm climb up the hills of the Wald.  After the chill and fog of the Wien nights, breaking a sweat was a blessing.  This would be one of those "sweater on-sweater off" hikes and we were glad to have it.  Stadtwanderweg 6 is about a twelve kilometer loop over the ridges and down into the valleys of Lower Austria to the south of the city.  The way offers some steep climbing, lovely ridge walking, and some surprisingly good views.

We broke out of the woods and into a large valley bathed in warmth.  The sun was shining directly on the fields in front of us.  Lunchtime!!  We baked like lizards in the solar glow, trying to soak up the heat at the same time we were wolfing down our sandwiches.  Glorious, glorious day! 

At the edge of the field was the Wiener Hütle, an inn for walkers and bicyclists.  There is also a small road that dead-ends here at the Hut.  Folks how don't wish to hike the loop can drive up to this meadow to wander about and enjoy the hospitality of the Hut. 

We climbed back into the woods, over another ridge, and then dropped down to the next valley with its busy roadway.  We crossed back into the Wald near the first village of Lower Austria south of Wien.  Here is where the arrow signs led us astray.  After a wrong turn towards the village and then a cross country jaunt through a field, we struck a wooded path that returned to the #6 trail.  The way was through the shaded wood and uphill, but much colder now without the sun. 

Almost without warning, we stepped out of the woods and into the wash of the late-afternoon sun in an enormous meadow.  The sweaters were back off and we frisked across the grass like puppies, picking up sticky goobers of mud on our shoes in some of the lower spots.

 
















The shadows get long early in the day at this time of year and we still had kilometers to go.  My Heart is really not four meters tall.

Kilometers to go, hills to climb, and the chill of the woods to contend with.  We completed the walk through the Wald and then the last kilometer through the lanes on the outskirts of Wien.  The walking got cold once we were back on the edge of the city.  We reached our bus stop but the schedule showed a 30 minute wait for the next ride.  It was too cold to stand still.  We continued down the Liesing Fluss towards Liesing Platz, adding another 2.5 kilometers to the walk.  Our dogs were barking a bit as we neared the big bus stand.

Crossing under the aquaduct with the last of the sun.  Liesing Platz is just a bit further.

We were hoping for an after-hike Eis (gelato) in Liesing, but had to cope with disappointment as everything was locked up tighter than a drum.  Footsore and chilled, we hopped our 62A bus and rolled along home.

What better way to recover from a vigorous walk than with slabs of herring on Brot?  Yummers!!

This is the third Stadtwanderweg that we have hiked together.  The city trail system is extensive, with lots of side trails and other regional trails branching off of the Stadtwanderweg.  A Brother could get himself good and lost trying to hike all of the possibilities.  It is also an amazing network for mountain biking.  I am seriously re-thinking my idea of buying a fixie/single-speed urban bike.  As of later this morning I will have a kick-scooter for urban transport, replacing the urban bike idea.  Given the great terrain surrounding Wien, it seems a pity not to explore as much as possible and a mountain bike would be the ideal tool for this.

Speaking of scooters, it is time for me to grab the U-6 train and head down to the 6th District to pick up my cute new transport device.  And so Friends and Neighbors, it's time to say "Ciao for Now!"