After finishing our trek through the Rosengarten group and coming off the trail, we had a couple of days to decompress before heading to Spain. Moving from mountain huts, heavy packs, and rocky trails back into city streets is always a bit of a shock to the system.
We spent our first couple of days resting our legs in Bolzano, checking into our favorite spot, Castel Hortenberg. After days of rifugio bunks, it was incredible to drop our gear and completely unwind. Walking around the town square, grabbing food, and wandering through the markets without backpacks on felt like an absolute luxury. It gave us a chance to slow down, air out our gear, and enjoy being down in the valley while looking back up toward the ridges we had just climbed.
From Bolzano, we made our way north toward Germany, stopping briefly in Innsbruck before spending a few days in Munich. Forrest had to work while we were there, which gave me plenty of time to explore the city at my own pace. To be completely honest, I did not take many photos in Munich. Instead of carrying my camera everywhere, I spent most of my time walking through the shops and eating my way through the city. After weeks of trail rations and mountain huts, trading hiking boots for pavement and enjoying good meals and quiet city streets was the perfect buffer before our week of wine tasting in Spain.
