Goffert parkrun, Nijmegen

Map showing Goffert parkrun's route, a two lap course round some but not all of the park — Goffert parkrun route. Two anti-clockwise laps starting at the top right.

I thought I had the pronunciation of this city down, but my attempts to tell a Dutchman where I was headed proved it isn’t the case. At least you can’t tell on the page, and I learnt my lesson and didn’t tell anyone else where I was. I travelled to Nijmegen from Arnhem, which is under 20 minutes on the train, though I had a couple of miles to walk either side so had an early start. It’s a straightforward walk, so long as you don’t head straight up the elevated road you see when you turn right out of the station – it’s exactly where you want to go, but there’s no walkway, so just trust the maps app when it takes you on a slight detour from the shortest route.

Two bikes and the parkrun flag stand next to a tarmacced path leading to the pavilion, which is an open air structure with a leaning roof in the middle of a tarmacced area. — The pavilion

I was in Nijmegen in March 2020, ready to parkrun here before Covid shut it down. I had it planned for December 2021, too, and again Covid shut it down – those coincidences made superstitious enough not to tell anyone I was coming here till the night before (I may even have said out loud “hmm, maybe I’ll get the train to Utrecht” despite knowing I had no intention of doing so). I was very glad when early morning rain stopped, the trains ran and my legs didn’t fall off or anything on my way to Goffertpark.

The event starts at the top right of Goffertpark, next to the pavilion. The course page suggests the pavilion is named on Google maps, but it doesn’t seem to be any more – so long as you’re at the top right, and the structure above is near, you’re in the right place. There’s a pin for Goffert parkrun in Google maps, and that’ll see you right. There were plenty of other exercise groups around the place, including a group running up the hill on the grass, so I felt like I was in the right place for some effort.

The grass is mostly brown after drought, but large green trees fill the far side of the park. The parkrun flag is setup as is the finish funnel — Leaves on the ground in (checks) August?

I arrived at 8:40, which was just a bit ahead of the event team – they were in the park, just not at the start/finish. I could see a few arrows off in the distance, though, so was pretty sure everything was happening. People arrived – on bikes, of course – over the next 20 minutes. Only 11 of us ran the course, the lowest attendance since June, which made for a nice peaceful run for most of us. Two chatted all the way round, and as soon as they had our attention in the finishing straight, started leapfrogging each other and generally cavorting joyfully, which was very entertaining.

Brown on the ground, green in the trees, with a small basketball court to one side of the path. The start sign is off in the distance. — The start line, seen form near the finish. Run right to left.

The course is fairly flat, so Strava tells me – it reckons on 2m of elevation. Yet there’s a distinct, cruel and short hill part way round the loop, and the finish is definitely uphill. Amsterdam was the same – 2m of elevation despite it definitely finishing uphill. I’m sure there’s a little more here, because of that cruel hill and then an uphill finish, too. You have the benefit of a downhill stretch after the cruel hill, at least, and none of the turns are taxing.

Thin tall trees line either side of a tarmacced path that completes a lap and leads to the finish line — Run up here to complete a lap, then to finish

Afterwards we went to Buuv, a cafe very near to the park, though a little walk away. I mention the walk only because the others were kind enough to stroll with me despite having their bikes to hand, not because it was particularly long – it felt a smidge longer because of the mild guilt. Breakfast was delicious; avocado on toast for me, which means I can’t afford a house, or something. On the way I’d also looked at my kindle and decided not to read a couple of books before I chose one, which is enough to make front page news in the UK these days, so I had a morning of provoking the older generation.

An arrow points up the path to take people onto their second lap, under green-leafed trees. — Start of the second lap

The team at Goffert aren’t big on social media so there isn’t often a reminder on Facebook or Instagram that this event will be happening. But it will! They’re committed and were happily organising who was in charge for the next few events over breakfast. I was made very welcome and enjoyed the tour of the park that the route gives you – there is more to see, with events often held in the part of the park the route doesn’t cross. In a year without drought and a weird warm weather early autumnal leaf drop, there’d be lush grass to enjoy, too, but the place is pretty enough whatever the conditions. If you can stay in Nijmegen, it’s a lovely city with a relaxed atmosphere. Arnhem is, too, and The Netherlands very easy to criss-cross by rail, so you can cast your net pretty wide for somewhere to stay. It’s less expensive outside August – which you’d expect, but the difference for me between Germany and here was pretty stark, albeit totally worth it.

At the top of the tree-lined path, the finish funnel is off to the right, on the grass. The funnel is made of tape wrapped around white stakes that are pushed into the ground. The sky is cloudy with occasional blue. — Finish here

Results from Goffert parkrun event 52, 20/8/22; 11 finishers.

Aug 20, 2022 0

Rheinpark Parkrun, Cologne

Rheinpark parkrun route. A one-lap made up of a couple of loops with a view of the Cathedral on the way back — Rheinpark parkrun route. One lap, head North and away from the Rhine to start, under the bridge and on the path near the river before turning right and coming back down the long straight, under the bridge again and along the river to the start/finish

There’s plenty of public transport in Cologne (see the course page for more), and it’s very accessible given the 9 euro ticket, but I chose to walk to Rheinpark. I was based very near the other parkrun, Aachaner Weiher in the Hiroshima-Nagasaki park, but it was still only a couple of miles to walk to Rheinpark.

Riverside view, with a sign high up saying "Rheinpark Tanzbrunnen" to welcome everyone. A large river cruiser is moored on the far side of the river, with Cologne's skyline behind it. — Welcome to Rheinpark

There are toilets 400m from the start, with a free urinal for men and a cubicle that’s €0.50.

The start and finish are in the same place, just beyond (if you’re approaching from the South) a covered part of the walkway in front of the Rheinterrassen Köln.

The word parkrun is chalked onto the tarmac, with further words explaining the concept just out of sight, further along the route. Blue pillars hold a concrete roof over this part of the riverside walkway — Chalk signs explain parkrun and guide you to the start

The start takes you right next to the river for a short while, before a right turn to head into a tree-lined loop. You’re very briefly taken out of the park, past a low concrete wall, before following the twisty route back towards the river. The top section of the course has two long straights, the first along a mud-packed or grassy path (depending where you put your feet or who is in the way), then back along a wide gravelly road. The latter seemed particularly long, perhaps because it was almost entirely in the sun on a day warming towards 34 degrees (but ‘only’ low 20s for the event).

A hard-packed wide mud path heads through a field with trees to both sides of the field — Heading North

The course is very well marked, with arrows to point you in the right direction and red cones on either side of the correct path. Despite that, one runner ahead of me tried to head through a narrow gap as we headed back towards the river – we waved her back onto the path, but her mistake was understandable, as we were looking for the path by the river, and going through the trees would have taken her closer. That North section, then, is by the river, but not right by it, which is worth bearing in mind.

A hard-packed muddy section in the middle of green grass shows where mostly people have walked — A potentially muddy path

Making the turn after the long earth path takes you onto a few cobbles and then that long gravelly section. Nothing much to do here but get on with it, as the route takes you past port workings and grass.

A wide gravelly road with hedges on the left and a grassy bank on the right. The grass is mostly yellow for lack of water. — Heading back South, a long gravelled stretch

The Zoobrücke is a concrete bridge, high above the wide tarmacced path here. A skatepark os on the left, and trees are dotted around by the sides of the path — Heading back under the Zoobrücke towards the finish

I struggled on the second half of the course, and was glad to see the bridge and some shade, before attempting a bit more of a gallop towards the finish. The Cathedral comes into view but by then I was more excited by the finish – from any distance, it’s easier to spot the complex that stands above it, and that covered walkway, than the parkrun flag, but you can’t miss the finish when anywhere near.

Cologne Cathedral is far away but still dominates the skyline on the far side of the river. A wide path heads along the riverside, with a large tree providing shade. A humped bridge (the Hohenzollernbrücke) in the distance leads to the city centre. — View of the Dom on the walk back

The whole event was well run and organised. There was no move to a cafe at the end, with people wandering off to do their own thing, and I made it back to the centre of town before it got really hot. There are a few cafes to the South of the route, which were opening up as I walked past, though they looked more focused on drinking, and I think I would have tried the West side of the river for preference if I’d fancied going anywhere. Instead, I enjoyed the sun and the warmth of the city before a well-earned shower back in Neumarkt.

Results from Rheinpark parkrun event 49, 13/8/22; 19 finishers.

Aug 13, 2022 0

Suermont-Ludwig Museum, Aachen

A double glass door at the entrance of the museum. The museum name is in text, high up on the doors. To the left are the letters S and L, to the right, the letter M. The museum is at number 18 on the street. — The entrance on Wilhelmstraße

The Suermont-Ludwig Museum in Aachen is housed in an 1800s mansion, which has been extended over the years such that it now covers the whole of its lot, where once there were gardens at the back. It’s a gem of a museum, containing art and some curiosities from Aachen collectors, that’s well worth a couple of hours to visit. There’s a lot of religious art and if that doesn’t interest you, you can easily knock an hour off. It is closed on Mondays.

Floorplan of the original Villa Cassalette, showing how the museum has spread into the gardens through three periods of extension work — Info leaflet in the cloakroom

Entrance is normally €6, €3 for concessions, but I went on a Thursday and had free entry. I hadn’t seen mention of that on their website, so it may not be every Thursday. I think the guard said something about all museums being free, so if you can find out which day it happens on, that would be a good day to make a museum day of it. There is a very reasonably priced 6-museum card for €14, though.

The entrance and cloakroom are on the ground floor, along with a small but well-stocked library – worth a look for the ceiling alone, but the quiet makes it a place not to stay unless you want to read in peace. Up the staircase for the sprawling galleries. Only the first floor was in use when I went, but there looks to be extra space on the second floor for more exhibits – perhaps only on paid days.

A large display room showing Aachen residents' collections. It's an eclectic group, with mummies, glassware, hunting equipment, locks and more. — Room of curiosities – even the ceiling is an exhibit

A display case showing over 40 small models of medieval figures, each dancing with the grim reaper. — Medieval figures dance with death

The oldest items here are a small elongated vessel (an alabastron from Rhodes 500-475BC) and a colourful bird, probably a handle of a vessel (Syran, c.800)

A painting of religious allegories, overseen by Jesus and angels in the sky, while people succumb to and try to escape from temptation and devils. — They were just putting this painting back as I wandered through. Seemed to warrant a photo

Ornate decoration in the ceiling. Not lavishly coloured, but there are very detailed carvings. — The ceiling decoration

Statue in a display case of Jesus with a Samaritan woman at a well. The woman is looking straight at Jesus while pouring water into an amphora, with the stream going directly in even while she isn't looking. — Christ and the Samaritan Woman at the well, 1520-1530. Christ and the cocky Samaritan at the well, more like – she’s not even looking, and not spilling a drop!

Painting of genteel folk making music. All are finely dressed with ruffs and much shiny clothing, maybe silk. They lounge, play or look on with great confidence — And while we’re talking about rocking an attitude, look at these genteel folk making music. Especially the one in a white silk(?) jacket

Exhibits are grouped first by their century – largely 15-1600 and 16-17 – and then thematically. There is a large selection of Dutch paintings.

A painting of peasants drinking outside in a village while children play with animals in the street — Joost Cornelisz or Cornelis Droochsloot, Village with Drinking Peasants, c.17th

A painting of a Dutch river, meandering through the landscape with a bridge in the foreground and a town in the middle, while a mountain rises at the back of the scene. — Pieter Vermeer, Dutch River Landscape

A painting of married man and woman, separate but painted and arranged such that the man faces right and the woman left, so that they complement one another — A married couple – it was a Dutch ‘thing’, apparently, to have separate paintings of married couples arranged in relation to each other.

The painting below is displayed on a screen, so the animation can be shown. The painting has been simply (in effect, probably not in practice) such that the bee that sits on the flower at top flies away, a dragonfly flies in to sit on the blue flower and so on. I found it mesmerising, and it brought the painting to life in a very interesting way.

A screen shows a still life painting, with a shell containing flowers, more shells and a lizard in the foreground. Insects alight on the flowers, and have been carefully animated so as to bring motion to a still life. — Balthasar van der Ast, Flowers in a Shell and Snail Shells

There is free wifi in much of the museum, which is useful for looking up occasional latin phrases (perhaps I should have known that Ecce Homo means a representation of a scourged Jesus, bound and crowned with thorns. Equally, I would have ignored one, but by the time I was on the third, I had to check). I looked up the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard, which is referred to in the painting below. Workers recruited early were offered a denarius for their full day’s work, which was a very generous offer. Through the day, more people were recruited, not offered a set amount but told it would be fair. At the end of the day, all were paid a denarius, to the complaints of those early workers. And this is like religion – devout all your life or not, the rewards are open to all.

A painting of a market, with goods, sellers and buyers in the forefront. Behind people are milling - presumably some of these are workers about to head to the vineyard. — Kopie nach Pieter Aersten (1508-1575), Market Scene, (with the parable of the workers in the vineyard)

Naked nymphs or angels painted in bright colours on a background of cloud and blue sky - the ceiling in the library — Ceiling decoration in the library – taken at an angle in an attempt not to disturb readers

A lovely museum, big (one of the largest provincial museums in Germany, the entry hall info board says) but not too big and with lots of beautiful things to see.

A large brown building on a large square. People are sitting on the steps in front of the huge building, which has turrets on both the left and right side. Trees run up the side of the plaza towards the city hall. — Aachen’s city hall

Aug 12, 2022 0

Friedrichsau parkrun, Ulm

Friedrichsau parkrun, two clockwise laps by the Danube in Ulm — Friedrichsau parkrun route, 2 clockwise laps

Heading North and wanting to make progress through Germany towards the Netherlands, I picked a place somewhere away from Munich. I ended up in Ulm, which seemed adventurous but it’s a big place (126,000 inhabitants) and right on the beaten track, in that I could get a train directly there from Munich. It also put me back on the shores of the Danube, which has been a nice recurring theme of this trip.

The parkrun is to the NE of the city, and the number 1 tram stops very close to the start. Despite that, and even though had got my 9€ ticket for August some time back, I walked the 2.5km from the centre, and walked back the longer route along the Danube, which was all very pleasant. Even more pleasantly, the weather had broken. Last week, I saw a sweaty mess just walking to parkrun; this week I wore a long-sleeved top for the wander there.

Cones mark the finish on a cobbled path by a lake. The parkrun flag flies under a tree, while green grass neatly marks the verges

The start and finish were already setup when I got there at 8.30, while the event director was out setting up the comprehensive arrows on the course. The route map probably looks complicated, and there are plenty of places where two paths go in similar directions, but there are backup “yes, really this way” arrows in any place with ambiguity, and we really couldn’t get lost. The one exception might have been at a point where a sign had fallen, but it was still visible, and I and the other Brit there were following an experienced German runner at that point. One of the runners behind paused to put the sign back up, too.

There’s a toilet near the start that needs a euro for entry – my fellow Brit was not impressed by the state of what he found inside, but needs must. The start is by the Tiergarten entrance and looks over one of the lakes in the park.

A yellow arrow directs us left after the start, with a right-turn just visible along the path. Other paths criss-cross the location, while the route goes round a large green field in the middle of the picture — Shortly after the start, go left, then right after the monoliths, round the field.

There weren’t lots of people there, but they were all friendly, with several English speakers. Nonetheless, we felt like visitors rather than a majority, as is sometimes the case, and that feels like a good way round.

The route is pretty flat, with just an occasional incline to test a different set of muscles. None of the turns are sharp, either, and that combined with the significantly cooler weather meant I ran significantly better than last week – a relief, to prove it isn’t just pizza retention slowing me down.

A wide cobbled path heads into a tree-covered area which hides a bridge over the park's lakes. — View from the start line – beyond the bollards is a bridge, then you emerge into the field, above

We were presented with watermelon as we finished, and there was lemon drizzle cake and some other biscuits – frankly they had me at lemon drizzle – to tuck into and encourage people to hang around. Not that we needed to wait for the finish, with the tail walker running to keep up with the people at the back and less than 7 minutes separating all the finishers. Clicking through previous results, that’s a rarity and walkers are as welcome here as anywhere else.

A view of the finish line showing the lake behind the path, and a housing block that overlooks the lake. — Trams will arrive on the left of this area. We picnicked on the grass at the finish afterwards

A cafe is listed on the event page but even on this cooler day, there was no movement that way, and we just lounged on the grass. I felt particularly grateful to be able to do just that, given my fellow Brit had a 10-hour drive to get back to Durham and had already left. Instead, I took a leisurely stroll over a bridge and along the South bank of the river to head back to town. The day warmed up, most of Ulm was about walking and cycling and I felt lucky enough to head to another small parkrun in a relatively remote (but populous) spot. The town is a natural spot to stop if you are heading back from Austria to a French ferry, and avoiding toll roads, so I hope they’ll continue to attract a small but privileged group of tourists.

A view of the Danube river from the bank, with the Ulmer Münster poking out between trees in the distance. — Danube view

Ulmer Rathaus, the town hall, with brightly-coloured painted frescoes all over the building from the first floor upwards, and different district flags flying. — Danube view

Results from Friedrichsau parkrun event 20, 6/8/22; 13 finishers.

Aug 6, 2022 0

Revoltella Museum, Trieste

On an extremely warm day in Trieste, I didn’t fancy going far, but anywhere cool was a real draw. This museum covered both bases, being a couple of minutes walk right in the middle of town, and mostly air-conditioned.

It isn’t hugely expensive, at €7. Reviews stress how beautiful it is, and sprawling, which is useful information. Even more useful is the irritation of those who weren’t told about the app (“Revoltella”) – download that, get the code from reception (it is on a card, but the card is filled with info and it’s easily missed) and you can read/have narrated extra information on any item with a number next to it. I found the narration interesting and very soothing, though towards the end of the visit I was reading them as tiredness hit. It gave for me the perfect level of background about the picture and, more importantly, talked through the techniques used. An art historian would be less enamoured.

Painting by Giovanni Fattori showing soldiers in camp reading a letter from home. — A painting with a number. Giovanni Fattori; soldiers reading a letter in camp

The museum grew out of the collection of Baron Revoltella, who left his house to the city to house it. He left quite a bequest; the building, the collection and funds to expand it. He was a financier of the Suez Canal, among other things, and there is a whole room devoted to paraphernalia from his visit there.

Dark wooden bookcases stand from floor to ceiling in the library, while a chandelier lights the room. — The library

A statue and fountain stand in the middle of four pillars at the bottom of the main staircase. Pillars and stairs are all marble. — The library

A tall room with purple walls and curtains. In the corner is a small screen which is supplied with a view of the square outside by a system of mirrors. — This room overlooks the square, with a camera obscura in the corner to give the baron a preview

The Baron’s palace is itself a great exhibit, just strolling through the rooms looking at old furniture is probably worth the entry price. There are a few artworks here, some with narration, along with the Suez Canal exhibits. It’s worth knowing there are several more floors, so as to avoid feeling done once you’ve seen the lavish accommodation, ballroom and so on.

A painting from a high vantage point shows the Suez Canal, looking operational though still under construction. — Suez Canal

A similar image to the previous, showing the Suez Canal, this one a print. — Suez Canal

It is a bit of a gear-change to then head to the floors containing just art, but I was soon into the run of it

Walls are white and decorations, including the chairs, gold in the dining room, seen through the two pillars that mark the entrance from the next room — The dining room

The museum has actively sought to extend its collection with works, concentrating on artists from the region but not restricting itself to them. There’s a gallery of sculptures which then feeds into more art, before you climb the stairs to a couple more floors. On one of these I had very close attention from one of the staff, which became a game as I attempted to out-wait him on one piece, or tuck myself slightly out of view behind another. If I’d felt any irritation or sense of unwelcome, it was removed when he called me back to let me know I’d missed out the top floor. The stairway was part-way round the fifth floor and I’d forgotten all about it.

A painting of young girls outside a church after their first communion. The scene is full of people, but attention is drawn to three girls in the foreground by the sharp, almost photo-realistic depiction of their features. The one in the front is the only character who seems to look directly at the viewer, holding attention — Carl Frithjof Smith, After First Communion, 1892.

Self portrait of Rodolfo Thaler, with a thin brush in his mouth showing he is at work, while a box holding paint and brushes lies open at the front of the scene, dominating the picture — Rodolfo Paolo Anelli Thaler, Self Portrait, 1945

The artist has painted a self-portrait while holding a mirror, onto which they have painted a younger version of themselves. — Rodolfo Paolo Anelli Thaler, Self Portrait, 1945

A medium-sized open gallery has modern art on the walls and sculptures on different plinths around the room. Lots of skylights allow natural light into the gallery — The top floor – modern art and sculpture

I thoroughly enjoyed both my visit and the chance to cool down in the building, though I was pretty tired by the end, from the walking, the reading and the concentration. I went through some areas more quickly than others, but always found something to grab my attention. It’s a gem of a place, whether you go to see the art, to experience the feel of the place or both.

The Revoltella Museum website (museorevoltella.it/english/)

Aug 2, 2022 0

Mensola parkrun, Florence, Italy

Route map for the Mensola parkrun, a three lap route, roughly in a figure 8.

Mensola parkrun route. 3 laps, anti-clockwise from bottom right

Mensola park is a (as of 2022) fairly new park to the East of Florence. I walked there from the centre, around 6km, but the number 17 bus goes very close. Buy your ticket at a tabaccheria. Firenze Rovezzano station is near (1.4km away), but trains don’t run there first thing in the morning. There’s a North and South part to the park, with the run happening just in the top section, North of Via della Torre. The entrance is past the football stadium (and museum), just past the Beach Volley & Tennis Centro. There are no toilets in the park.

It is known as being a bit exposed, and it certainly is that, but there is shade on a couple of lovely bits of the course, and at the meeting point. This Saturday was a little cooler than recent weather, but the temperature was still in the high 20s when we started, and was climbing into the 30s. This was their first birthday, so we celebrated afterwards. There isn’t a cafe nearby, so they usually bring something to eat and drink, but we may have been treated even more specially. There’s a Lidl en route (1.8km away) if you walk, and I was very glad I’d picked up extra food and drink. The run director had spotted me outside Lidl as she drove past, so I’m very glad not to have got lost which might have sparked the mystery of ‘what happened to the obvious parkrunner heading to our event?’

Through two thick trees stands dry grass and a villa beyond, at the end of a straight line of tall thin trees — Looking through the trees at the meeting point

I bumped into a few other tourists on the way in – in a group of 6, there were English, Australian and Danish. The Australian had been walking to Firenze parkrun when he bumped into the others and it was lucky he did, as that event is not currently running and may not restart – the run director who was there when I ran in 2019 is now running this event and it’s much more convenient for volunteers.

A sign at the park entrance, hanging on a metal gate, points participants to the start. Behind is a grassy bank, brown for lack of rain, with trees standing up behind that. — Shown the way at the park entrance – you can’t see the start point from here because of the bank, but it is only a minute or two’s walk

Runners in parkrun shirts head off along a gravelled path, with one running barefoot — Shortly after the start, so I’m still close to all these people, who finished far ahead

Although the ground is brown for lack of rain, the course is colourful, with the brown complemented by the beige of the gravelled path and grey stone, and offset by the green of plants and trees. The clear blue sky and bright sunshine helps that, too, though it meant I struggled on the actual run. The course is undulating and twisty, with gravel underfoot, so although you can’t really call it hilly, it isn’t the easiest. I’d have done a little better on a cooler day, though.

Hills in the distance give a view as a long straight path marks the course. Beside it the plants are very green. — Runners spreading out on the route

A slight right curve on the route, heading towards hills. — Runners spreading out on the route

I had been amused to bump into a runner I knew last week, and even contacted a friend I met the same day, in Rome in 2019, saying she should say hello to him if he was back in Rome. He was not, he was here, so we again had a couple of photos together.

Luigi and me, pictured at two different parkrun events on consecutive weeks - we hadn't arranged to meet. — Luigi and me, in Florence (top) and Salzburg

Although I came from Certaldo, a 45 minute drive away, and he from Rome (c.3hrs), we had started our journeys around the same time. Admittedly, that is partly because I caught the 6:17 train not the 6:59, to allow more than an hour for the walk, but also Rome has much quicker and more direct trains. It’s a fairly straightforward piece of tourism either way.

On top of a berm stands the parkrun flag and some cones to mark the route. — The finish line. The course runs on the lower path, toward the camera, up a small hill then (on the last lap) turns left to the finish

The park was very quiet apart from us. One other runner joined us for a while, one other walked a dog and I saw a couple of people walking through the Southern section of the park. There was plenty of room, in any case, and would have been even with more than the 22 finishers we had. The volunteers were excellent, giving briefings in English and Italian and smoothly navigating us round the course. I had my 500 shirt on, so was encouraged with “Cinquecento!” – I managed to splutter that I felt like a banged-up old fiat in reply.

People in purple, red, hi-viz and other colours stand around talking in groups after the event has finished. Bags rest on a bench made from a cut-down tree stump. — Gathered after the event

After the event, some purple-wearing participants chat, while the event paraphernalia (a message board and some poles) rest on some tree stumps. To the right of the path are a few trees, mostly hiding the view of the hills behind. — Chatting after the event. The noticeboard reminded us all it was the event’s birthday

I absolutely loved this event, despite being a bit hot from the very start. The contrast between the dry park and the green hills in the distance is gorgeous, and it is overlooked by villas, enabling a heap of romantic fantasies. The event is slickly run and well worth the effort it takes to get there from Florence. If you run along the river it adds a couple of km, but allows for extra sight-seeing opportunities.

Results from Mensola parkrun event 52, 30/7/22; 22 finishers.

Jul 30, 2022 0

Round Salzburg with the Salzburg Card

At €30 for one day, €39 for two and €45 for three, the Salzburg card gives access to public transport (not including the S-bahn) and (one entrance only for each) attractions across Salzburg. Even in one day, it can save a small fortune, but over three you can avoid a lot of expense, and head into attractions purely on a whim. I was in the city for a week, so a three day card made sense, though I waited till after two very hot days had passed. I bought the card online, and saved a screenshot of the QR code to my phone for use, though there are plenty of places to buy a real one, and everyone else I saw had an actual card in hand.

I am not much of a one for heights, so the cable car at Untersbergbahn (South of the city – get the bus) was a challenge as well as a quick way up the mountain. Full price – €28 both ways, €18 one. Some people walk up and get the cable car down, though there are also long walks signposted on the mountain if you want to spend time up there. I had a short walk and took a ride down through clouds. It is quite a dramatic ride up, heading towards a cliff face before rising steeply to crest it, then jolting over the edge to hang over a valley, moving on and up towards the next peak where it stops. Most of the car I was in audibly “oohed” at that first jolt – the sense of space opening out under your feet is quite something.

View of the Untersberg mountain from below, With cables disappearing toward the mountain, appearing to not rise toward the peak. — Cables from ground level

From the top of the mountain - trees in the foreground, then a view of a green valley, partly blocked by mist. — Trees and then a drop

Protective fencing cables behind me as I take a selfie looking over the valley. — Trees and then a drop

Having bottled even the shortish walk up the next peak – it apparently takes an hour or so, and much older people and small children took it on quite happily – I was soon on my way North to the Hellbrunn Palace. I hopped off the bus at the zoo, a stop before the Schloss, just because some other people did, and ended up popping into the zoo (normal price: €12.50). Several people commented later that it seemed an odd place to have a zoo, several km South of the city, but it grew out of the wildlife collection/facilities built for same by Markus Sittikus, one of the city’s archbishops. It’s dramatically situated, built right up against the rocky hill in the middle of the park, and with the Untersberg mountain visible as you look away from the rocks. Plenty of animals, and it made me smile. On a day with temperatures 30+, it didn’t seem quite so cruel to have some of them there.

Flamingos outdoors, with the mountain behind. — Pink Flamingos

An empty-looking enclosure, but giving a clear view of the mountain — Pink Flamingos

A large outside space with lots of birds in the water or nearby. There were also antelopes and ibexes in this enclosure, not shown. — Pelicans and others

After the zoo, I exited at the South side which took me into the park. I walked through, heading up the hill for the added difficulty, which brought me to the “Little-month Palace”. Set on a hill, this now holds the Folklore Museum (Full price €3.50. Entry included with entry to the Hellbrunn Palace, but you can go straight in with the Salzburg card). It’s worth a look, and they do a good job of providing a variety of exhibits, with folklore on the ground floor, art on the second and an example of a Great Giant Samson on the top. It’s a lovely building with great views over the estate from the top floor. It gets its name from the story that it was built in a month, though that is referred to as a legend.

Folklore Museum, painted sandy yellow, is in the middle of a forested area, so trees are all around — Folklore Museum

Looking down the hill to the main palace and its gardens, with walks marked out in a grid format and ponds. — Folklore Museum

Finally, I went down the hill to the main palace and the highly recommended Trick Fountains. At one time, all the posh houses had or wanted trick fountains, but when they fell out of fashion they were mostly removed, making these a stand-out feature. With a Salzburg card, you still need to head to the ticket office to get a timed slot for the fountains and you then use that ticket to enter the palace whenever you want to. I wasn’t initially keen – you’re given an audio guide, but then held in the first area. There is a reason for that, though; for one, they want to take your group’s picture and sell it to you later, but they also want to keep everyone together at a table surrounded by seats. And a lot of very wet concrete. The bravest, or most game, sat obediently at the table while the rest of us watched from the side, as a member of staff showed us what the hand-operated controls do.

A view of a large ornate pond, with two statues acting as fountains — The first area

A large table surrounded by stone seats. The seats have a hole in the middle and a nozzle underneath, so guests can be squirted and get very wet backsides. — The first area

Once through the first 3 items on the audioguide, you are free to walk at your own pace, with the audioguide talking you through each item and guiding you to the next. The whole thing won me over – the mechanisms are ingenious and very clever given their age, but also very naff (reminiscent of those jerking Santas in Christmas dioramas). It certainly invited opinion, I can’t imagine anyone thought “oh, let’s just leave it, it’s harmless”; nope, once this was out of fashion, it would have looked like the crappest thing in the world.

Entrance to part of the palace; inside there are grottos and some hidden squirting nozzles. Outside are ceremonial deer heads which also contain nozzles that fire, seemingly at random, to catch the unwary. — Deer head hide nozzles

Inside a grotto, a staff member shows how a variable stream of water makes a golden crown rise all the way to the ceiling, several feet above. — Deer head hide nozzles

But for all that, when someone is squirted by a nozzle they didn’t spot, a deer’s head catches you on the way out with water coming from its mouth and antlers, covering a large area, or people run toward a grotto as the whole pathway is given a ceremonial squirting, it is tremendous fun and funny. Some of the nozzles are under control of the staff, who will give you time to avoid the water if you want – or indulge the kids who very definitely want to get wet.

Different grottos in different themes. The closest has sea shells decorating the walls. Beyond is one with a ruined effect - it was built to look like it is falling down. — Ponds

I moved on to the palace, which has a very interesting exhibition about the life of Markus Sittikus, who built or inaugurated the Palace, Salzburg Cathedral and so on, despite not living to a grand old age.

Ornate ballroom, with painted walls and ceiling all around giving a sense of space despite it not being a huge room. There is a comfy seat in the middle which revolves slowly to give a view of everything - tablets at the seat give more information about the room — The seat revolves, because of course it does

A room full of paintings and stuffed animals. Many are real, but many are mythical, with a large 'unicorn' in the middle, and an eight-legged horse in a painting. The impression of a trickster waiting to catch you out pervades. — The seat revolves, because of course it does

The next day I used my card in the city, using the lift (MönchsbergAufzug) to get up the mountain to the Modern Art Museum, walking back down and going to the Natural History and Toy museums

The middle of Salzburg. A tunnel goes through the mountain, which has a sheer face presented to the town. An ornate horse pond is in front. — Cliff face in town

A shot of a wide video screen - three projectors are needed to show the whole image. — Cliff face in town

Space Lego from the 80s in the toy museum. — Bits of my childhood, in a museum. Space Lego

Playmobil pirate ship in the museum — Bits of my childhood, in a museum. Space Lego

I took the funicular up to the fortress. Having seen a queue outside the day before, I was going to wait till later, given the fortress is open till the evening, but there was no queue at 4. Once inside I realised that even a long-looking queue is only in place while the gates are closed and should clear fairly quickly – the Salzburg card lets you jump the queue in any case, but I preferred not to. The fortress is large, with several museums inside; the state rooms are not included with the card unless you go up before 11, but there’s plenty to see. I picked an entrance via some steps, which took me straight into the fortress but I felt a little as though I was being shuffled through a tourist experience for a while. I’d recommend walking round the outside first and enjoying the views, before going into the museums – they start with the regimental history, while I was still wondering what each room was.

A view of Salzburg from the fortress showing the river and several green-copper domes, including the cathedral. — Panoramic view of Salzburg from above

On my final day I used the bus to get to parkrun and back, all included with the card (though no one asked to see it), took a river cruise – I booked ahead as I was passing the ticket office, asked for 5, he checked whether I’d said 3 or 5, and then I got a ticket for 4. I realised in time to make it back from the Salzburg museum, which is about 1km away. All these things were good, and I was happy with them all, but they also seemed a smidge overpriced without the card – a fantastic bargain with one. I highly recommend you get the card if you plan on doing more than one thing.

A painting of Salzburg showing the Fortress Hohensalzburg and river Danube — Painting of the city

A neon sign in the museum says "Salzburg" — Painting of the city

The Salzburg Card – info on benefits and how to buy.

Jul 26, 2022 0

Hellbrunn parkrun, Salzburg

Map of Hellbrunn parkrun route, a loop round the grounds of the castle — Hellbrunn parkrun route. Not quite three laps, starting at top right and ending at top left

Salzburg is hilly. Hellbrunn palace looks onto hills and a mountain. The parkrun course avoids all of that and has Dutch levels of elevation – 1m in total (there’s always a margin of error, but still).

The palace and gardens are 7km or so from the centre of Salzburg, which meant a bus ride was the best way for me to get there – the no.25 which starts at the main station (and elsewhere) leaves every 30 minutes, so I hopped on the 7.35 to be sure. As a result I was very early, and rode an extra stop to the zoo so I could wander back to the palace grounds.

View of the mountain looking away from the zoo.

I’d visited the zoo a few days before. I wouldn’t normally, but Salzburg’s attractions are all (I thought) slightly overpriced individually, but then a total bargain with a Salzburg card, which covers all public transport and entrance to everything I wanted to do, plus queue skipping for the funicular if needed. 30€ for the day seems steep, though you can easily save with that, but €39 for 2 days, and €45 for 3 becomes more and more of a bargain. I was never actually asked to show the card (digital, on my phone, for me, but real ones are easily available – e.g. at the souvenir shop in the main station) on the bus, but scanned in to other locations willy nilly.

As a result of that prior visit to the zoo and palace, I knew my way around, and strolled through the grounds – essentially, from the zoo bus stop, head left at the zoo and keep following that path. It’s even easier from the palace stop. There are plenty of toilets at the palace, all open around 8am (or earlier, I can only go by when I got there). I used the ones I knew, next to the Trick Fountains, but there are some on the main drive to the palace, and more even closer to the parkrun start, almost directly North of the meeting point, next to the Fürstenweg.

Sandy-yellow painted buildings on either side of the path leading to the palace, a three-storey building with short staircase for entry. — Main palace drive

Two low sandy-yellow buildings, one containing public toilets — Main palace drive

The meeting point is by the small dipping pond – a neat circle on the map, East of the Palace – and that’s where the finish is. The start is further along the path from the palace and the route is nearly three laps. All the way round twice, then the third time, finish at four-way ‘crossroads’ of paths, on the grass. Signs wherever needed, a couple of marshals, and even I couldn’t get lost.

People gathered at the finish line, on the grass where several gravelled paths meet. Trees and grass are on each side. — The finish line

We had a very international crowd. I even knew a couple of them – one I had met at Linz last weekend, and was expecting to see. And tail walking today was “the fast bloke” from Roma Pineto – when I saw his parkrun shirt with the name of the run on it, I recognised him. I ran Roma a few years ago, fresh from finishing first at Roma Caffarella the week before. I hoped for a repeat, but was rapidly disabused by the event director when Luigi turned up and, sure enough, he had a jog and beat me by two minutes. Today, with a sore foot, he walked at the back but I can’t exactly claim revenge – he’d still have beaten me at a jog. We had a photo together for the memories.

There were also runners from Germany (Westpark – another fond memory, as I bumped into a Ware Jogger I knew, and had been racing her son in law (he beat me, too), New Zealand, England and South Africa. The event director was Irish and one of the volunteers from the US, for good measure. To be expected, in such a tourist-heavy place, but still impressive in a field of 31.

Looking away from the finish line – the route comes up the path to the right, then make a sharp right to head along the path on the left. The start is at the end of the left-most path. This is the sharpest turn of the course.

I struggled a little on this very flat course. Partly a week of good food and drink in Salzburg, but also I think that despite the very flat course with only one sharp turn, the ground is gravelly throughout, which takes some of the thrust out of each leg strike. I certainly wouldn’t claim it’s a hard course, but it’s surprisingly un-quick for such a flat one.

There are views on the course, though I’d recommend a good walk around the grounds afterwards to see things properly. If you have a card, or are happy to pay, the Trick Fountains are both tremendously naff and equally good fun and the palace is interesting with a well-curated exhibition on the archbishop Markus Sittikus (show your card at the ticket office to swap for a timed-slot for the fountains; that ticket then gets you into the palace). Most of the participants headed off to the cafe nearby and ended up nattering till midday before hopping on the bus back home. It’s a lovely run/walk, but with the attractions of the palace and grounds on top, you can upgrade it to stunning.

Results from Hellbrunn parkrun event 45, 23/7/22; 31 finishers.

A four-way path crossing, surrounded by high trees — View of the finish area (taken on a non-parkrun day)

Looking down an avenue of tall trees back through a hedge and to the grounds of Hellbrunn Palace, very small in the distance — View from the finish area towards the Palace Grounds

Jul 23, 2022 0

Lentos Kunstmuseum (Art Museum), Linz

The Lentos Kunstmuseum is right next to the river Danube and just a short walk from the centre of town. Entrance is €10 and the wifi is excellent – that wouldn’t normally be the first thing I noticed, but I had stayed in two places without wifi and had notifications to update.

The museum is in a distinctive glass building. The galleries are all upstairs on one long floor, with a couple of exhibition spaces in the basement, which also has cloakrooms and lockers (€1, refundable). That long exhibition space is supported by two feet – one has the ticket office and shop, the other the cafe. It’s described as a contemporary art museum, pointing to the majority of the main exhibition being modern art, but there are some older, more classical, pieces early on, too. Reviews vary in the amount of time recommended – I was there for an hour and a half, and that was a fairly leisurely pace.

Soap blocks make a large installation, with three videos projected onto the surrounding walls detailing the soap-making process — Sapun Ghar, Iris Andraschek. About soap-making in Aleppo, and the main installation is soap blocks.

The special exhibition at the moment contains work by Iris Andraschek, in a variety of different media. I’d highly recommend finding the exhibition guide by the entrance, though there was only one copy in English when I went. It gave good descriptions and context for the whole thing.

A series of aquariums, with found objects blown by pumps in the water, forming interesting shapes or making continual noise in the case of the balls in one aquarium — Aquariums, Iris Andraschek 1992-2022

There is a Picasso and a Warhol, though in general the museum focuses on art from artists from the area, or with some link to it. That doesn’t seem to limit them too much in where people are from, or in the breadth of exhibits, and I enjoyed my stroll through despite knowing very little about what I was seeing.

A painting largely with primary colours — Primary colours, sea

A painting showing a country scene — Primary colours, sea

Jul 19, 2022 0

Donauradweg parkrun, Linz

Donauradweg parkrun route on this day only – head NE, back to the first (North) bridge and over, down to the South, back to the Southernmost bridge and finish in the same place, but on the grass.

The meeting point for the Donauradweg parkrun is on the North side of the Danube, just next to (under if wet) the Neue Eisenbahnbrücke (New Railway Bridge). Don’t be put off by the name – it’s a pedestrian bridge, so it can be your route across if necessary. Indeed, it was part of the event route this time, though not currently marked as such on the official course page, which shows the out and back route, staying North of the river. The route I ran, as you’ll see in the comments below, turned out to be too tricky to marshal, so you now run an out and back along the North side of the river. Nothing to stop you having a run or walk across the bridges, though, and exploring the South Side.

Runners cross a bridge, separated from the traffic by a high barrier and from the edge by a metal barrier about 1m high. — Crossing the first bridge (VÖEST-Brücke)

A wide path for pedestrians and cyclists on a bridge marked by dramatic curves rising several feet, which are part of the structure. — Crossing the first bridge (VÖEST-Brücke)

Unfortunately for us, the usual course setter-up wasn’t there this Saturday, and we completed the first turn-around too soon. I figured it was early; we’d been told the turn was after a km or so, and I was initially impressed by how quickly the first runners were coming back at us. Then I made the turn after 100m or so more myself, was only about 600m in and thought it must be too early. Sure enough, we all got very quick times, though they might later get adjusted to fit!

A shaded spot under the bridge, looking at chalk on the ground that shows 'parkrun ziel (finish)'. Beyond is the taped finish on the grass, in front of sports grounds. — Chalk marks the turn to the finish. The start is on the path by the flag.

Looking back up the finish funnel, with two young volunteers giving out tokens and timing, next to the parkrun flag. The bridge looks very low and concrete, though there's a good few metres clearance. — Chalk marks the turn to the finish. The start is on the path by the flag.

The course has been changed to make it more interesting than the old out and back, and to let participants see a bit more of the river (and enjoy the climb up to the apex of the bridges) as they go. Other than the turnaround snafu, it’s certainly successful, and worth the work involved in getting permission from two different authorities. It sounded as though they were keen enough, guiding organisers through the nomenclature – parkrun is ‘official’ to us, but with no numbers etc., not so for the authorities, which makes getting permission easier. The parkrun guidelines required written permission, which was harder to get since the authorities deemed that unnecessary, but eventually they managed to make all the edges fit.

The Nibelungenbrücke (bridge, not on the route) looms in the distance as the route continues on a concrete path on the river bank. — Running by the Danube

Trees give shade to the concrete path, which is bordered by grassy areas. A bank slopes away on the right. — Running by the Danube

There are a couple of little climbs, including one early on – always keep to the higher path is the motto of the route. There are some tight turns, including the two 180s for the out-and-back sections, but otherwise this is a fast and flat route, if you’re not totally distracted by the river to the side.

Linz itself seemed, as I arrived by train, a very relaxed place. The railway station is a little way from the centre, which probably adds to that feeling, but despite being Austria’s third-largest city it isn’t such an obvious tourist destination as some of the others (Hitler spent his youth there and considered it his hometown, but that’s not something they make anything of) so I felt relaxed even in the city centre itself. I stayed up on one of the hills to the South of town, and walked (just under 4km) to the parkrun start though there are buses and trams nearby. There are portaloos and a drinking fountain just to the SW of the start if you need them.

Results from Donauradweg parkrun event 14, 16/7/22; 28 finishers.

Jul 16, 2022 2

Category: Europe