Wed 14. [14 August 1895] Hugo Papa Molly Elsa and I and L'Amor
went by train to Matrei [Matrei am Brenner], a charming little place,
where we took a guide who took us over to the Stubeier Thal. He was
a nice little young man, one of 15 children all settled in Matrei. Some
of them were real guides. We went up a pretty path through woods,
masses of cotton grass growing. At 1.50 we reached Maria Waldrast
a church and convent high up on the hill lying below the Waldrast
Spitze - we went up so fast that we nearly walked our guide to death! I
went on and ordered lunch - we couldn't have any meat because the
woman said it was Friday - which it wasn't - but we had a bowl of
delicious soup and eggs and potatoes. In the church were lots of
offerings to Maria amongst others a grateful notice from one whom
she had cured of Zahn and Kopfweh! We thought it had better have
been addressed the dentist. At 2.30 we started down to Stubei
through a long wood. Our guide left us some way down and we then
walked along the flat to Neustift - a much longer way than we
expected. Hugo and Molly didn't come on but walked back to
Fulpmes. Neustift was a delightful place - a big inn and church and
little else. We refreshed and looked about us. The snow mountains
at top of the valley looked most enticing. All down the valley the hills
were topped with magnificent steep rocks and the pastures at the
bottom were deliciously luxuriant - full of globe flowers and crocuses.
We left Neustift about 5.20 and walked for an hour down the valley to
Fulpmes where we found the children having tea. Then we hurried on
and walked as hard as we could for about 2 hours to the station of
Patsch - it must have been about 12 miles from Neustift. The end of
the walk was a tremendously steep dip into the Sill Thal and up the
other side to the station. However we caught our train with time to
spare and sat at the station eating chocolate and drinking milk for 20
minutes. Our own mountains looked very splendid as we came down
the Stubeier but there were great black threatening clouds behind the
Solstein. Home at 9.30.