Biking, Germany, Nutshell, Switzerland

Bodensee Radweg: Trail in a Nutshell

 

Trail Name:  Bodensee Radweg (Lake Constance Bike Trail) – Untersee segment

Trail Type: long-distance, multinational cycling circuit; very well-maintained and almost exclusively paved, with excellent marking along the trail

Length:

Total – Full Bodensee Radweg is 270 kilometers/167.75 miles

Segment: Untersee circuit only is 72 kilometers/44.75 miles

Convenient to: Konstanz, Germany/Kreuzlingen, Switzerland

Marking: Stylized black stick figure on bike with blue rear wheel, on a white background Trail Description:

Bodensee Radweg Signage

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Hiking, Italy

Hiking Through Schioppettino

 

Winding down the side of the mountain, from a basilica through the vines to the wines of Schioppettino di Prepotto, is what this hike was all about in a nutshell.

But the sum of a hike is more than its trailheads. In this case, the trailheads themselves were impressive. The first, (or possibly the second if following the trail uphill) is the Sanctuary of Castelmonte. Visible for miles from below, with views for miles from up top, the site has deep layers of history and archeology as far back as the Iron Age. But today’s sanctuary has served as a prominent pilgrimage church for this corner of the Province of Udine in northeastern Italy since about the sixth century.  However, what is visible now dates to even later than that. Architectural magnificence aside, the site itself is dramatically sited and gorgeous.

The Basilica at Castelmonte

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Italy, Wines

Wine Notes: Friuli Colli Orientali

 

What I Learned

Collio and Friuli Colli Orientali are considered the best among ten zones in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region of northeastern Italy, due to hills, for good drainage and optimal sun, and proximity to cold Alpine air (for good ventilation), tempered by Adriatic influences. (From Cormons, you can sometimes see the Adriatic.) Here, the soils are limestone overlaid with marl and sandstone. Some of the best growing areas in Friuli Colli Orientali are around Corno di Rosazzo.

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Hiking, Italy, Nutshell

CAI 748: Trail in a Nutshell

 

Trail Name: CAI 748 (AKA: Vigneti dei Colli Orientali)

Trail Type:

Mid-distance trail; surfaces from asphalt to rock to dirt, well-maintained in places, but not throughout; the route is fairly well marked.

Length: Total: 11 kilometers/ 6.8 miles

Convenient to: Cividale del Friuli, Italy

Marking: Red and white rectangles, with 748 in black superimposed

See featured photo above, and…

Alternate Trail Signage

 

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Germany, Hiking

Main Red Wine II

 

Completing the first three stages of the Fraenkischer Rotwein Wanderweg (Franconian Red Wine Trail), and breaking off at the train station in Erlenbach am Main, I intended to return to finish the trail. However, life intervened, and it took me a lot longer to return than anticipated. But the delay only heightened my desire to hike the rest of this itinerary, to see what lay hidden around the next curve.

Hidden Treasures of Churfranken

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Germany, Wines

Wine Notes: Churfranken II

 

What I Learned

Lying about 100 miles south of the geographic center of Germany, Churfranken vines grow in red sandstone and loess soils and subsoils. This small area of Franconia’s wine region is in the Mainviereck wine district. The Main River flows through the Churfranken, which generally enjoys a mild enough climate with sufficient sun exposure for ripening grapes.

This area is especially known for its red wines.  In fact, the Churfranken Pinot Noirs are consistently judged the best red wines of the entire Franconian region. So, while local vintners grow the ubiquitous Franconian white grape varietals of Silvaner and Bacchus, as well as Riesling, the reds carry the day here. Blauer Spaetburgunder (Pinot Noir), and Blauer Portugieser are two well-known red varietals locally. Another red varietal is the Schwarzriesling. Also known as the Muellerrebe, it is not completely uncommon in this part of Germany, although you will be hard pressed to find it outside the Franken and Wuerttemberg wine regions.

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Germany, Hiking, Nutshell

Fraenkischer Rotwein Wanderweg II: Nutshell

 

Trail Name:  Fraenkischer Rotwein Wanderweg (Franconian Red Wine Hiking Trail) (FRW)

Trail Type: Long-distance trail; well-maintained with a wide variety of surfaces, as well as stairs; marking on the trail rather good throughout.

Length:

Total – 79 kilometers (km)/49 miles

This segment (Last three stages): 29.5 kilometers/18.3 miles

Convenient to:

Aschaffenburg, Germany

Marking:

A Franconian wine glass (fat-stemmed), mostly red in color, often with the words Fraenkischer Rotwein Wanderweg, set on a green and white background on a square.

Fraenkischer Rotwein Wanderweg Signage

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Germany, Hiking

Main Red Wine I

 

From water’s edge to wine-hills, (literally, Weinberge in German); From an easy start to a more challenging effort; From one side of the Main River, to the other, then back and forth again. This trail provided variety and a sense of anticipation with each kilometer through this little-known corner of Franconia.

Churfranken is in the northwest corner of the Mainviereck wine district of Franconia, and the long-distance Fraenkischer Rotwein Wanderweg (Franconian Red Wine Trail) is designed to showcase as much of this corner as possible. As it meanders along, wine loving hikers will discover the towns and landscape of the red wine for which the trail is named and the area is famed.

Vineyards of Churfranken

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Germany, Wines

Wine Notes: Churfranken I

 

What I Learned

Germany’s Franconian vineyards are found in three wine districts: the Steigerwald, the Maindreieck, and the Mainviereck. The western-most sub-district of the Mainviereck is the Churfranken. This is where the Main River makes a sharp curve north, shortly before it leaves Franconia and enters the lands of Hesse.

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Hiking and Biking European Wine Country