ZERO IN FELDKIRCH

VIA ALPINA DAY 37 –  TUESDAY 28 JULY 2026
FELDKIRCH

DISTANCE HIKED: 0 km
ELEVATION GAIN: 0 m

TOTAL DISTANCE HIKED: 913.95 km
TOTAL ELEVATION GAIN: 45,308 m

Our first full zero and the weather could not be better. The heat we experienced at the start of our hike  is returning for another week or so. We saw the news of the extensive wildfires sweeping through  Spain and France, something we never never thought we would see in Europe. Its reported that a staggering 380,000 people  have been evacuated from their homes.   It is an unimaginable disaster. And then the news of the destructive earthquake in Japan.  We switched off the news and headed outside to explore Feldkirch.

Feldkirch is a medieval town dating back to early 12th century when the Schattenburg castle was built. We visited the castle, which looks remarkable well preserved. In town there were many beautifully decorated buildings in the main square and the quite lane ways. A very relaxed atmosphere with lots of people dining outside and guided tour groups exploring the historic buildings.

I was on the lookout for  a sports shop  to replace my shoes. The closest store I found was in a neighbouring suburb of Rankweil located 6km northeast of Feldkirch. So we got a bus and were so happy we did.

Finding replacement hiking shoes was secondary to the views of the beautiful landscape we found in Rankweil.   Soft eroded mountains  surrounded a flat valley. One section of the ridgeline looked like a window was cut through the top.

While I didn’t get an exact replacement for my Salomon Speedcross I found Salomon  X-Adventure model to be a close cousin. Hope they take me all the way to Monaco.