Trip Reports: Hiking in Austria, Basque Heritage and the Camino in Spain
I’m in Portugal making final arrangements for our new trips here next Spring. It’s been a great fall on the road here in Europe and I wanted to share just a bit about where we’ve been and what we’ve done.
Hiking in Austria
We spent eight days in early September hiking in the Montafon Valley near Switzerland. It’s been some time since we’d been in the alps and I’d forgotten just how wonderful it is: Green mountain pastures, cows grazing, and a view of peak upon peak upon peak. Edwin de Bruijn, our trip leader, did a great job of selecting the right trails for the group’s ability, often riding cable cars up the mountains to get to the good parts fast.
The family-run hotel where we stayed was great and the dinners were memorable.
Next year we will return to the Montafon Valley on one trip, while adding a second trip for more serious hikers to the East of Innsbruck.
Basque Tour in Spain
Our tour of the Basque area of Spain, sponsored by the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Boise State University, explored the history and culture of the Basque people while visiting Bilbao, Pamplona and the small fishing port of Lekeitio. From fishing to farming to boat building, the Basque area has a unique history with its suppression under Franco and the large numbers of emigrants to both south and North America.
High points ranged from the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao to a visit to a “witches” cave near the French border.
Walking the Camino in Northern Spain
For our final trip of the fall, we returned to Pamplona to lead a group along the Camino pilgrimage path. The weather cooperated as the group walked and ate its way for 100 miles to the town of Santo Domingo. Highlights included a pepper market where they were roasting red peppers from the local pepper harvest to a visit to an organic winery in the Rioja region.
Next year we will Walk the Camino again in Spain. We will also walk the Camino in Portugal in both April and September.
For the artists:
Don’t forget the Painting Trip next year in Porto, Portugal, in May and the Painting Trip to France in the Dordogne region in October.
