Day 8

August 26, 2021

Kalterer See

Today is my last day in Bozen which means I’m down to my last local ride, the Kalterer See. The Kalterer See is roughly 15 miles south of Bozen making for a very nice little day ride.

My day started as always with breakfast buffet at the Youth Hostel. I think I’ve shared my opinions on this previously, but if not, it’s a pretty weak offering. One type of buns, one type of sliced bread, one type of flavorless cheese, and no fresh fruit. Basically one type of everything except cereal where there are four types. The last couple days I’ve seen more and more people not following the mask rules. Today there were people at the breakfast buffet without masks on. After breakfast I had a nice chat with the manager about it. More than anything I’m just pleased that I speak German well enough now to complain to management about things. I’ve no idea if they will start enforcing anything. I’ll be breakfasting at a bakery in the morning instead.

After that little event I headed for the Kalterer See. I retraced mostly the exact same route out of Bozen as yesterday. Once out of the city I rode a bit along the Etsch to the turnoff for the Kalterer See. The route starts with around 700’ of climb up out of the valley along the side of the hills. The route uses an old rail line so the grades are never terribly dramatic. The route gives you a very nice closeup view of Schloss Sigmundskron which houses one of the several Messner Mountain Museums. I’m not a museum person so I gave it a pass. I’m sure it’s interesting if you’re into that sort of thing. In one area there was a succession of playgrounds directly on the trail. I’ve never seen that before, but if you were riding with kids they would be fun places to stop. There are several areas with great views as well. Overall it was a very nice ride along the rail trail, at least equal to the ride on the Ritten.

An old train along the trail which I assume used to be part of the railroad that ran along this line

The route takes you through a couple towns, St Michael, Ganda, and Kaltern. St Michael didn’t look very interesting, but Kaltern was really quite nice. Nice city square, lots of old buildings with character. I also met an Italian law professor that was curious about my bike. He was there waiting to meet his brother who was apparently taking longer than expected to get there. He didn’t speak any German and I don’t speak any Italian so we compromised on English. He has actually been to Minneapolis/St Paul. There is a university there that his university has an association with. I don’t think he had the name of it quite right, but I’ll give him a pass on that one. Once his family arrived he was very pleased to introduce his nephew to me and show him my bike. Nice guy, fun chat.

One of the more interesting buildings on the square

Looking down the Main Street leading out of town towards the Kalterer See

The only steep downhill, or really steep hill of any kind, was the drop out of Kaltern I was a little confused by the signage, but my Pocketearth app set me straight and I found the Radweg the other side of the road.

Outside of Kaltern you get your first view of the Kalterer See. My Bikeline book has a photo of it which is okay, but not very exciting leading me to not expect much of this ride. Bikeline clearly just had the wrong angle for their photo. The Kalterer See is really swell in my opinion. It sits on a plain between two sets of mountains giving it a very dramatic backdrop. The other side of the mountain to the east lies the Eisacktal which I rode through yesterday. From the Eisack you’d never know there was another valley hidden around the other side. I should add that I also encountered a small snake slithering across the path. It was clearly in a hurry, but I was heading downhill so I had to hit the brakes to avoid running over it. My brakes are at least powerful enough to lock the rear wheel.

Interesting bit of road the rough the vineyards and orchards

The See is popular for paddle sports, and despite its proximity to Bozen, I didn’t see all that many people out on the See. There were a decent number of hikers and cyclists, but I think maybe the Kalterer See is not especially well known. There is bike path and hiking paths around nearly all of the See and the bits where there isn’t have minimal traffic. There are Apple and grape orchards all around the lake and apparently it is a notable area for wine production, at least according to the info panels around the lake.

A castle up on the hill overlooking the See

Originally I was going to just ride around one side of the lake, get some photos, and leave, but I enjoyed the views so much I decided to ride all the way around instead. It was worth it. On the north side of the lake there is also a swimming pool and recreation area that was pretty busy today with it being fairly hot. There also appear to be two campsites, at least one of which had a sign out front saying it was full. There was also a public restroom at the swimming pool. You’re supposed to pay, but I happened by as someone was leaving. I did patronize a bakery in one town so I feel I did contribute in some way to the local economy. Plus I’m recommending it as a ride destination so I think that counts too.

On the southern corner of the lake there are wetlands with hiking trails. I didn’t want to leave the bike anywhere so I didn’t get to check them out

I expected a steep downhill back to the Eisack river from the See, but it actually was relatively flat. So, if you want to visit the Kalterer See but don’t want any extended uphill, hit it from the south end. The ride along the Eisack back to Bozen is VERY flat, though it does gain some elevation. There are a fair number of picnic tables along the way, but really no services just as I mentioned yesterday. I had a bit of a tail wind so I made quick work of it. It’s a nice route, but the scenery doesn’t really vary so it could get a little monotonous. In fact, if you were riding from Bozen, I’d recommend riding back the way you came, especially on a warm day since there’s some very good tree cover through the woods and the continuous downhill grade would give a very nice breeze. And honestly, it’s much more varied scenery than along the river.

A military installation halfway between the Kalterer See and the Eisack. It appeared to have been abandoned awhile back.

One of several cycling bridges over the Eisack

Once back in Bozen I made some preliminary preparations for departing for Meran in the morning. Things like doing my daily laundry, recharging devices, and reorganizing my bags.

I’ll be in Meran for only one night and the plan is to drop off my unnecessary baggage at the youth hostel there and then ride an up and back in the Passiertal which runs north of Meran. It is supposed to be a very nice ride. If I have time in the evening I’ll explore some of the park areas in Meran which are also supposed to be nice. I’m sure the tourists are also aware of that.

And finally, if you are in Bozen looking for a decent restaurant like I was, I can definitely recommend Gul. Indian food and not far from the Rathaus. Better prices than most of the places around here, good service, and generous portions. I’ve now eaten there twice. Obviously not authentic Italian, but I’m not here for the culture at this point. Fear not, I’ve eaten my share of Schüttelbrot. Also Eccetera has good gelato (ice cream.)

Fancy building in Bozen in a sort of out of the way spot

With the right lighting Bozen can look interesting

A street on my walk back to the Hostel from supper

Looking across the train station to the Rosengarten. I’ll bet the upper floor rooms at the Hostel on the station side have some nice views

Today's ride: 35 miles (56 km)
Total: 193 miles (311 km)

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