Austria the return
Day 61
We leave Belopeški Dvori apartments but Stu wanted to get petrol in Slovenia as it’s cheaper than Austria but we forgot! So we actually turn round and drive back 5 mins saving a whopping €4.60! Every little helps. Whilst at the station a man shouts at me to move the car forward, while Stu is paying, and is quite relentless until I simply point at the steering wheel being the other side!!! He rolls his eyes and mutters and shouts, patience is slim across Europe not just at home! As it’s raining we decide to drive straight to our next destination as it has check in from 11am. Result. We enter Austria and it is the first time we are stopped at border control and asked to present our passports! I wanted to ask for a stamp too but they were not very cheery in the rain! We have seen many colours of water recently aqua blue, aqua green and the road up to our apartment is a fast flowing aqua brown! The instructions say ‘The road to the flat is an adventure.’ It’s true. A single track road but for 2 way traffic and a mist that is obscuring any view at all! Once in we have a lovely covered balcony with cushioned chairs and blankets to sit outside, we have a cup of tea and watch the rain. We realise we don’t have enough milk so look for a local shop. The nearest is a 2hr round trip! Add the fact that we are 1300m above sea level results in a rock, paper, scissors for who’s driving down! Me and Wilson go for a quick look around nearby and I’m reading a sign when the dog jumps out of his skin with a whimper when he notices a giant cow stood next to him! It was there the whole time but Wilson is not observant so ended up petrified! We decide we will all go to the shop in the town of Arriach which is very cute. It has an easy 45min dorfrundweg - ‘village circular path’. It has a tiny wooden amphitheatre that looks like it could house cows one side and have performers the other! At home we cook a Fish Pie in a saucepan as theres no Pie dish and then go for an adventure through the tall pine trees. We come back and watch ladies football and it’s inspiring to see the talent of these woman.
Austria
Day 62
Glamorous start with Stu scrubbing his pants. The ‘scrubba washbag’ a nifty device is a great compact bag with a washboard thing inside, great for travelling. We wiggle down to
Villach a nearby town. Pastel coloured buildings in the old town, nice river and a pink church that looks like it could be in a Wes Anderson film. We decide to walk towards it via a river walkway and it disappears. It’s a big tall building that you shouldn’t just be able to lose. We could see it from the bridge and as we turn back we’ve totally missed it and have passed it a fair way. We laugh as it seems impossible we couldn’t see it but as we walk towards it again it manages to hide behind trees and other buildings and becomes allusive once more, but we make it! And for all its camp exterior it’s very modest inside. So lovely to have such colourful buildings. There’s pinks, greens, yellows everywhere. We drive in to Ossiachersee and follow the wassellfallweg ‘waterfall path’. There’s three waterfalls at Finsterbach Wasserfälle. The first is not too steep to get to with a trail you can walk to get so close to the fall. The second is a much steeper climb with huge steps and rugged terrain up 635m above sea level. This one has a basin and a mighty weir system. The third? Unknown! It was enough getting to the second. We march back down to the huge lake and have a drink.
When paying the uncheery, particularly slow and mis-ordering waiter, he gives the wrong change. I try to point out that doesn’t add up so he counts it like I’m an imbecile and essentially gives himself a 25% tip! After a few times of addressing it I quit! But Stu couldn’t bare it and kept going through the maths until the man owned up and said he had no more change! Stu gets the money. The guy must make a killing if he does that to everyone but I doubt many return! We drive round the lake but then it starts to drizzle once more so we head home. We have stayed in some remote places but this might be the remotest! The nearest house is about 5 minute drive down the steep path but they have a box outside the farm for fresh eggs. This is the closest thing to a local shop! We place our money in the honesty pot and buy 10 eggs. No-one has been in any of the other apartments since we arrived so stu decides he will make a fire. They have a big bath tub with ash in that they use and like everyone, LOADS, of wood! We decide to use our much smaller fire pit/cooker we have with us. I say what if the owner comes back as we are doing it (fire making for clarity!). We have a little balcony but not quite sure if the garden is also for use or just their personal garden?!?? They haven’t answered any of our questions through the chat so we just go for it. And at 9 o’clock two head lights shine down the drive!! I call the dog back into the house and hide, I mean leave Stu to talk to the owner. She comes over, says it’s totally fine and warms her hands by the fire! Phew. She then goes and get a box of super dry wood for us to use. She obviously received our message that the heating is not working as she brought us a radiator and then leaves again! We roast marshmallows and watch the champions league final
Austria
Day 63
Stu wakes up and goes out on to the balcony in his pants and yells ‘HELLO’! It reverberates round the mountains. We laugh at the absurd start to the day and I hope no one misconstrues it for ‘HELP’! It’s my day to start scrubbing clothes but at least there is actually some Sun to dry them, hoorah. In the instructions to get to our apartment it said follow the toll road. Toll? We thought that seemed unlikely as it’s so remote. But it’s true. 50m up from the house is a barrier with a 7 euro toll which enters into the Wöllaner Nock area, it’s there to protect the wildlife so that’s money well spent . As we have a Clearer sky it’s time to explore. With more winding we head up for a visit. Our average speed over the rocky terrain is about 9km an hour! We stop to look at the view and just down the way another car stops and they start hollering and shouting. I’m watching as a dozen or so cows follow each other in single file up the vertical hill and congregate around them! Don’t know if it’s for feeding but then they are all up on the road and a car coming along will just have to wait until the bulky guys move! We drive a bit further and come across old structures that were once for cable cars. I wonder when they stopped being used and why. Walking around, it’s so peaceful and calm with sensational views. Back in the car and the next place we are going to stop has no room for us to park as a group have come to fly some mini gliders so we keep driving which actually is even better as we reach the end of the road and there is a lone restaurant! Remote but full of ramblers. I have a drink that the owner is so proud about and tells me how good it is for the stomach that she writes the recipe for me and then gives me the pen to write it in English next to it! We weren’t planning on lunching out but it’s adorable and in the middle of nowhere with a view of the mountains so who could resist that. (Goulash with a sort of macaroni cheese?)
At one point a helicopter goes over the restaurant and we hear an audible ‘oh no’ from people working there and then the owner comes out sees the helicopter and says ‘oh no’ too she says this is not good. A remote and beautiful place but treacherous and not easy to get help if there’s a problem I guess. We have our first schnapps and it burns. It’s the good stuff! We figure we should walk it off so We venture on a lovely easy, flat path. The wind is hitting a final section of snow left at the very top of the mountains so we wrap up warm. Reaching our end point I sit and just look at the valleys and mountains. It’s so quiet (except for Wilson panting, rolling in the grass and cow pats and chewing on sticks). We wiggle and wind home, and it’s time for number 24 in the forest book. Poetry in small things. Choosing 2 objects and taking it in turns to write adjectives about them and then writing a paragraph using these words. It’s a whimsical Sunday so why not! Stu makes another fire as the lady has been back to fill up the box she gave us with more dry wood and kindling. It’s a very chilled and calm afternoon. Finished with fantastic food and losing ourselves in our books
Austria
Day 64
Arrived in the rain. Leaving in the rain! But also then the Sun, thunder, cloud, mist, snow, cold and warmth. All the seasons in one morning! We manage to take a lovely route passing multiple lakes and stop at Millstätter see. A place that threw 1000 pagans in the lake that turned to statues… I only saw one pagan statue and they looked pretty happy. We have a drink at a brand new place that a guy bought in January and has been open for 2 months. It’s right where the boat tours arrive and he will make a killing, especially with his prices! He’s a nice guy and brings Wilson a packet of treats and when we say we are searching for a laundrette he says he has a washing a machine we can use if we want! If only we knew that on arrival! He informs us he won’t iron though and laughs a jolly laugh we wish him luck he’s for a great high season on the lake. The drive to Radstadt has tunnels through mountains that stretch for 6kms at a time. When I was younger we used to Hold our breath going through a tunnel, here you would surely die! We arrive at our apartment and Stu washes some clothes and I hair dry them! I don’t think we will start up our own company. We walk the town of Radstadt which is steeped in history, literally dates stamped on the floor in medieval font and information that we may try and follow and translate tomorrow, but for now it’s time to walk the 9 mins back as Stu wants to cook schnitzel! We eat, drink Bitterol Spritz(the Lidl equivalent of Aperol but 10 euros cheaper!) and quiz the evening away. An interesting part of our apartment is it has an egg timer style light, so judge your wee correctly or you are plunged into darkness!
Austria
Day 65
It’s just joyful to wake up to blue skies and heat after a few hit and miss days. We spied a bakery yesterday that will be our first stop. It has a gorgeous ornate front that puts Greg’s to shame! We then do the history trail we spied from yesterday.
The name: ‘1000 years 1000 steps’. Bold claim. After the 1000 years history lesson I would say I’m not any clearer on the information as some of the google translate was shaky at best. But we enjoyed it and it’s an adorable town with old castle walls surrounding it, beautiful flowers lining the city wall and crazy gigantic metal bikes on display that have been entered for the Guiness Book of records - records! We decide we will dine out for lunch and choose the converted post office hotel. Lovely sitting on the balcony with the view of the square. Stu has a massive bit of Beef so Wilson was happy that he couldn’t manage it all. Then Stu goes for a swim while I read my book. He comes back invigorated by the Schwimmbad. It’s set with views of the mountains and he said it’s impeccable. I excitedly pack my swim stuff with a spring in my step and I get there to find they have closed it an hour and half early! We walk instead to get food for a home cooked risotto. We’ve tried to balance being in the middle of nowhere with being near something at all so it was lovely to be able to walk in and be so near to this gorgeous little historical town, Radstadt.
Austria
Day 66
First thing I do is head to the Schwimmbad with my €6 for my swim!! I get there and she says it’s €9’s, only after 1pm it is €6. So I say yes that’s lovely. And as if I’ve haggled she says ‘ok I give you a discount €5!’ That’s lovely I say and put down my coins. She then says but there is no receipt because the computer is kaput. That’s fine. Then she pushes my money back to me and replies ‘ok just go for free!’ A curious interaction but hoorah to free swim!!!
Stu was right it is totally immaculate. Completely made of shiny metal with no mouldy, falling off mosaic tiles in sight! A view of the mountains, olympic starting blocks and no one to race. only me in it! There’s a hotel and bar attached to the back of it and Stu brings the dog round there so we can all have a drink together. Then it’s up the mountains to Rossbrand. It’s a wow. Wilson immediately whizzes and zooms in the remainder snow and the views are once again breathtaking. We walk to the summit and the size of the beautiful cows, and their horns, that start arriving makes me nervous with the dog, we’ve been charged before! We give them their space and head to a bar and cafe at the top of the mountain! They have seats lined up to embrace the view of the other summits. 100’s of them. But then our save space is encroached by a massive cow that breached the electric fence and is now roaming around the car park!! We exit another way and enjoy the quiet walk back to the car with Wilson in his element pouncing in puddles and bounding back to the snow he found early! It’s an exceptional place to visit. From where we are staying the hike is 10km long going up 884 vertical meters . So you can choose a gruelling walk up steep terrain or drive up and have an easy 20 minute jolly to the summit like us! Ending up 1727 meters above sea level! It’s a magnificent vista. We wiggle back down with cows courteously laying just on the side of the road so not blocking the traffic today! We get home and Stu goes for his turn at the swimming pool. We walk to a restaurant for dinner and while deciding what to have I say ‘oooh something smells nice over there’ it takes quite a while to realise Stu is reading the menu over a candle and the smell is in fact him setting it alight!
Austria
Day 67
We discover a new quicker packing system, where one throws items out the apartment window to the other person down below. Most efficient. Then we are either out right on time or an hour late. A very dubious exit time given, was it 10 or was it 11?! We can’t resist going back to the lovely bakery and sitting in the sun with a bun before departure. Arriving at the not very far away Rußbachsaag a bit early, we find a place to pass the time right by the river. We dip our feet and Wilson enjoys his new hobby of collecting rocks. He submerges his head, selects a massive rock, removes it from the river and drops it by the side. Then runs back in like he is on a personal mission to clear it up! Once in the apartment we start a slow cook stew and walk the surrounding area. A stunning little town where we walk up to a high point to get a better view. As we ascend I see a sign for a restaurant and where we would have naturally stopped I request to walk one more bend to find it. Then one more. Another and another! It must be somewhere! The last push and Stu says he’ll wait on a bench while I look. I reach a cabin that would be the set for a murderers lair in a movie and admit defeat! But why was there a sign?!?! We leave for Salzburg airport to collect the next guest to the 2divs tour… MY MUM! You get 10 mins free parking at the airport and we arrived, got her, had a wee and were out again all in the designated free time. Smashed it. We come home and Wilson gets on her lap while we all have a drink and catch up. Wilson does manage to swipe 2 wine glasses off with his tail and smash them but it’s a sign of a good night so Cheers!
Austria
Day 68
Stu wakes up tries to make a coffee and smashes a mug! With no help from Wilson’s tail this time. This apartment will be missing quite a few items by the time we leave! We go for a walk around Rußbach, the little town we are staying in. It has a lovely church, quaint guesthouses and restaurants and the river flowing through, where Wilson proudly collects some more rocks! We then drive to the world heritage site of Hallstätter See. It has car parks with the number of spaces left and that number is zero for the first car park. The second car park we are too tall and the 3rd carpark is too far away. We turn around in the hope of a magical other option! We check out some parking that proves to be prohibited and a woman comes over to say I think you are too tall for carpark number 2. We let her know we are aware and is there anywhere else to park? She shrugs and turns back to car park number one just as the number changes from zero to a glorious 1!! We thank her and speed round. As we enter the road a guy who works there says ‘oh you may not fit’… ‘how tall is it?’ we reply and he says ‘I don’t know’!! Very useful. So we go round and there is a metal height restriction, no sign telling us the height and 1 glorious space for the taking! As I take a look I realise the metal height restriction is only half way over and our roof box is on the half of the car where there is nothing! I shout to Stu instructions and with millimetres to spare we are in! I run and stand in the only space and it’s a success! The other cars behind us hoping we would fail turn around and go in search of other options! We have parked right by the funicular so up we go and the view of the lake and the mountains looks super imposed! We queue to get a picture on the Skywalk. A ledge placed over the lake for the ultimate pic. As we queue we meet a lovely family from Mumbai who tell us there are exactly 10 days of cooler weather a year in Mumbai and no more. And those 10 days are 20-25 degrees, so they holiday to find some cool! Pic obtained, we are pretty hungry. Stu runs up to the restaurant on the mountain and gets us a table right on the edge with the sensational view. Suitably stuffed we descend to walk by the lake. It starts to rain so we dart in a place for some beers! Then as quick as ever by the mountains, it clears up and the town of Hallstatt is beautiful. Houses all stacked on top of each other up a cliff face, all pristinely decorated with foliage of pro gardeners! After taking in the splendour we drive home and read our books and relax. The evening involves chatting, Cheese and wine.
We play cards and my mum is like the silent assassin! I brag and trash talk about how I’m gonna win and she just quietly plays and then bam, GAME OVER!
Austria
Day 69
Today me and Barb, aka my Mum, take the dog out for his morning walk. Stu said that late last night, though it was dark and he couldn’t really see, he had found a very cute section with some logs made into fountains and described where it was. So my Mother and I head that way. A little garden right near the flowing river with a gorgeous wooden amphitheatre. It’s adorable. Our plan is to drive about 45 mins maybe 1 hour to another lake but as we are looking round the garden my Mum goes ‘oh look at that’. Across the river we can see what looks like a swimming lake. We decide to have a little nose and cross over a bridge to see what’s what. We find Naturbad & Wasserpark Russbach, an outdoor, natural swimming bath. Theres a sign on the door about dogs and after a quick translation it says dogs must stay outside. I shrugged and said that’s to be expected and then a woman pokes her head out and says the dog can come through and stay on the terrace they have. Perfect. So we call Stu to get the cozzies and towels and when we go to pay we discover it is free due to the tourist cards we were given on arrival at our apartment! Our day is set! It is truly a little gem. Clear and beautiful water, trees surrounding it, Mountain View’s from the pool and only us in it! We take it in turns to keep cooling off as it’s a beautiful hot day. Wilson whimpers and cries when people leave to swim like they will never return and as Stu and I have a dip, at one point I look over and he has climbed up on my mums shoulders for comfort! Whenever we all return and are all accounted for Wilson can lay down too! We have drinks, lunch and as it’s so nice Stu nips back to get our books and we enjoy the idyllic little setting so close to home! The lady running it proudly shows me a festival they had last year where people dressed up in traditional/ridiculous Austrian garb and they judged who could jump or kamikaze into the water off the jumping board best! It looked a complete riot but she says over the last 3 years less and less people come so after this season she will leave and doesn’t know who will run it. Crazy to think this place could close but it is Saturday and for most of the day it was just us 3. Marketing it better sounds essential as we were staying 450m’s away and didn’t know it was there. About 5 we depart to get provisions for dinner. It’s fish taco night and as we cook we hear rain start pelting it down. Then thunder and lightening and woof, a huge storm. Unbelievable after such a lovely day, but that’s mountains for you! We quiz and play cards. As we play I’m certain the silent assassin (Barb) doesn’t stand a chance tonight as Stu and I are both a few cards from victory, but then BAM, GAME OVER. She does it again.
Austria
Day 70
We wake up and can hear traditional music playing so decide to go for a walk to try and find it. We get to the main square, the music has stopped but everyone is in traditional clothing, like we have missed the memo for Sunday attire. The occasion however? Polling day. They have come to vote in their Austrian finest with big cakes. To encourage voters?! We stroll home and my Mum sits with Wilson for an hour so Stu and I can go back to the swimming bath without the cries of the hound wanting to join us. The lady who runs the pool looks genuinely pleased to see that we have come back and after a delightful swim, free again and just us in there… again, we have a drink so she at least gets some money for hosting us! Refreshed we come back and start to sort the car. We need to fit all the stuff back in that we took out to fit my Mum in, but with an extra person as we are dropping my Mum at the airport tomorrow! Everyone breath in. We then have leftovers of all the things we’ve cooked over the last few days. It’s a lunch that Stu says is like when you go to a buffet and go I fancy that, oh and that, and that… and end up with a selection of bizarre foods that have never been plated together before! We then drive to Strobl. A picturesque town by the lake of Wolfgangsee. Stu has a swim whilst my Mum and I find a shady bench and admire the view and the flowers. We then drive to the absolutely stunning St Wolfgang im Salzkammergut. We wander through the cafes, viewing amazing buildings and archways and have drinks and cake right at the edge of the lake. As we drive home it pelts it down. We request it to stop so we can pack the car up in the dry and it dutifully obeys! Then we go for dinner and have a sensational famous Austrian dessert called a ‘Salzburger Nockerl’. Luckily the waiter said it’s best shared by at least 2 so we order one between the 3 of us and it is a mountain of eggs whites, sugar and jam. It’s delicious. It pelts it down once more and we eat our squidgy soufflé in a black out! Again we request the weather to stop for when we walk home and once again it stops as we walk the short distance home! We fill the car with the final bits and then we have the biggest storm to date. The rain crashes on the skylight and as we have to get up at 6am we let the sky know it would be good if the racket stopped and the sky says ‘don’t push your luck’ and crashes down harder like wizards playing in the sky with lightening bolts.
St Wolfgang im Salzkammergut