June 19 - Journey to downtown Feldkirch, about a 10-minute walk from our place. Feldkirch is a major city in the federal state of Vorarlberg (second smallest such entity in Austria).
It is another ‘hot’ day, maybe 28 C. I’ve been watching the warnings about a heat dome over southern Europe, an atmospheric situation where hot air stays trapped in a long vertical column, doesn’t move for days or weeks, and doesn’t allow colder weather systems to pass through. There is unlikely to be excessive heat here, but I am keeping tabs on places like northern Italy and Portugal, where the heat could really become a factor.
Up the stairs to Schattenburg, one of the best preserved medieval fortresses in central Europe.
Schattenberg Castle was built in 1200 CE by Count Hugo III of Tubingen, and was the ancestral seat of the Counts of Montfort until about 1390, when it was sold (along with the town of Feldkirch) to the Habsburgs. It served as a focus for conflicts after that, being bombarded in 1406 and being occupied by both the Swedes (1647) and Nazis (WWII). It now houses a museum and a restaurant.
From here we do a meandering walking tour of Feldkirch. For such a small city, there are many historic structures scattered around on both sides of the Ill River (yes, same name as the one flowing through Strasbourg). For some unknown reason I start getting lower back pain, and while it is fine just walking around town, I decide I don’t want to go for another hike in Liechtenstein this afternoon.
I am in some pain so in the early afternoon we head back to the apartment. Other than an excursion for dinner, that’s all we do today.