Dear Readers, with a rainy, stormy day forecast we decided to take things easy today, but we were treated to some lovely views of one of the fledgling kestrels this morning. Apparently one of the youngsters landed on the hotel owner’s car yesterday, and only flew off when she started the engine. The parents seem to be spending less and less time with the fledglings, so they’ll probably soon be off, hunting for their own food.

Before we got the bus, we had a quick trot around the meadow, just to keep the leg muscles in working order, and I was very impressed by the sheer variety of flying insects on the Melancholy Thistles – flies, bumblebees and all manner of bugs and beetles turn up on them. I’m still waiting for my first Rose Chafer Beetle, but fingers crossed one will arrive before I go home.

And then it was off down to Langenfeld, through the driving rain. First stop was the Backerei – we used to have one in Obergurgl, but it was apparently closed all last winter and is closed now. I’m heartbroken! But getting staff is a real problem everywhere, and so the nearest place for baked goods is in Solden. This place does the most delicious rolls and cakes.

And then off to admire the church, dedicated to St Katherine of Alexandria. It was originally built in 1303, but the current building dates back to 1518. It’s what I think of as a typical Oetzal Valley church – tall red spire, whitewashed walls with paintings, beautifully kept graveyard with wrought iron headstones around the outside. The tower is the tallest in the valley.

The interior is highly baroque, and rather different from the rather more austere interior of ‘our’ church in Obergurgl. Interesting there are what look like relics, but I can find nothing online to give me any details, and if there was a leaflet showing the history of the church anywhere, I must have missed it.

The church seems to be a very active one: It had a sign, in several languages, saying that it was open during all weathers, and that refreshment is available – this would have been very useful a few weeks ago when it was very hot (hah!). But our bus was on the way, and so we headed home. There’s plenty to do and see here, even when the weather isn’t good enough for ambitious walking.