in early winter i rugged up and walked out one windy wet day along the sofienalp path, one of the vienna’s little hiking trails, wanderweg 8. the trees were all brown and bare, the cold was starting to bite, and the wet mooshy leaves mixed with the clay soil underfoot to make for dirty slippery fun.
the walk is a nice one – my favourite of the half-dozen or so wanderwegs i have walked. it goes up at a decent slope through a nice wooded hillside, and opens out to fields and rambles through small valleys and along a couple of nice streams. there are plenty of little secluded patches that make you feel like you are really alone (i met no-one on the day i did this walk, though usually on these walks i meet a few other people, but not many, when the weather is cheerier…)
i did happen to meet a couple of geese and some pretty muddy horsies, who were very grumpy (they were viennese horsies) – they stared balefully at me even after i gave them an apple. i know – it sucks to be muddy and cold….
in australia where i live, just south of sydney in the royal national park, there are no distinct seasons, so for me, this is spectacular. in a month or two there will be snow – wow!!!
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