Sportgastein in Summer - the Hohe Tauern National Park

Wandering in the Weissenbachtal in June

A rushing stream in the Weissenbachtal

It was busy at the bus stop as we waited for the bus up to Sportgastein. The waiting tourists despite their advanced years had failed to grasp the basics of queuing and, as soon as the bus arrived, they stampeded for the door! None of them had their money ready so the bus left late. We avoided getting crushed and still found seats for the 45 minute ride up to Sportgastein, our gateway to the Hohe Tauern National Park. The Park is the largest in Central Europe. It’s a mix of rugged mountains and high alpine farmland. I was sticking to the farmland and made my way across the flat area where the cross-country skiing tracks are laid in winter. 

Down there are the Cross-country paths in winter

A left turn at the end took me up the Weissenbachtal, a valley that’s between the Kreuzkogel mountain, where we downhill ski  in winter, and the ridge of mountains that separate the Salzburg Region from Carinthia in the South.  Imagine a stream rushing through pasture with high mountains on either side all topped off with the bright warm sunshine. With the sharp-elbowed pensions left far below in the distance I only had the very contentedly grazing cows to share my path with.

Looking the udder way

At the turnaround point I made time to cool my feet in the refreshing icy water before heading back. Not sure the elusive local Marmots approved of me using their stream, or possibly didn't like my feet, they kept well away. Re-booted and refreshed I took a circular walk back to Nassfeld and the bus home. Thankfully the oldies had already headed back!

Postcard from Bad Hofgastein in June 2011

Flowers, Marmots and Snow in Summer

TW ready for a hot drink

It’s been an up and down couple of weeks in Gastein.  Apart from all the mountain walks and the cycling, the temperature has been climbing and falling quite a bit. TW was not too impressed with the four inches of snow we found at the top one day. 

Marmot exclusive - in a bit of a hole

Not sure what the marmots think of it all. They hibernate under the ski pistes in winter but have the run of the place now. They don’t take too kindly to my wanderings and let out one helluva shout when they see me approaching. They are pretty elusive, this little groundhog scurried down into its burrow when I tried to take a picture. Have noticed in the shops some form of medicine or ointment that they make from Marmot so don't blame him for being less than welcoming.

The hairy bottomed snow bell?

The mountains look green from a distance but viewed close up there are a myriad of different flowers making up the pastures.  TW has a little book on the Alpenblumen and has been trying to translate the names into English. Some are pretty straightforward others like the Narzissenblutiges Windroschen turn into 'Daffodils Bloody Wind'. We have not seen too many of those fortunately.  Einkopfiges Ferkelkraut she alleges is a 'single headed cat’s ear', not sure that I’ve seen that on a packet of seeds. We have seen plenty of Gentian and Enzian though. The locals use the Enzian roots to make a particularly potent type of schnapps so they make sure that they proliferate!

Empty seats at the Bathing Lake

It looks very nice at our local bathing lake but nobody has turned up yet. Maybe they are all in the bar? So, in the absence of anyone to talk to I had better do my Dr. Doolittle and meet up with some of the local animals.

A Moo with a view.

Like your earrings!

High country blonde - no salons up here

Husky Maiden with nice grey eyes

When you approach an animal its best to show them the back of your hand and they know you are friendly. Tried it on this Husky Guard dog and it worked, just a pussy cat. Sadly it did not like being stroked. Still have all my fingers - just! Happily the doggie was on a chain and I can jump pretty quick when snapped at!

Is it a toad or a frog? Toads have toes so its a toad

Fortunately this big fella can jump as well and didn't get under my cycle wheels as we peddled up to Prossau

Now, you really should come out of your shell.

Could not get a picture of a Marmot, they are far too fast, but this is a really big snail.

Think I'll leave animals to the experts - goats at the Hochalm

Bovine Inspiration

This is cow is the centre-piece of a natural garden. Note the careful arrangement of the Alpenblumen and the rocks. Could be a winner at RHS Chelsea? As long as the cow doesn't eat it all first of course.

Cycling Bad Hofgastein in Summer - bike to the Biberalm

Farms and fields in Gastein

Biberalm – the long and winding road June 2011

Sometimes you can look forward to something for months but then, on the day, it’s a big let-down. Bit like losing a long anticipated Cup Final. Just occasionally everything falls into place and, like my bike ride today, expectations are exceeded and it’s a winning game.  Mind you, my expectations might be a lot lower than many peoples. 
I attempted to cycle up to Biberalm last year but thunder and lightning caused me to beat a hasty retreat from about half-way up. This time I picked a warm and sunny June morning.

Biberalm is very high at around 1730m but is one of the more accessible mountain huts. Visitors without the necessary puff can get there by car or minibus via a steep and winding toll road. Walkers can get to it by a long traverse over from the Schlossalm or by climbing up from behind Bad Hofgastein railway station; first through farmland and then on mature forest paths.

A gap in the trees

My method of ascent was the trusty bike. I chose to pedal my way up from 830m to around 1730m which is a long old haul. The route meanders up through Alpine Farms until about 1200m where the route enters the forest. There is a toll at this point where cars can pay 5 Euros to take to the forest road. No price to pay for cyclists but there is payment in full in terms of physical effort! The tarmac runs out but the road quality isn’t bad, not too much loose gravel. Had to walk a couple of times on some steep sections and the problem then comes in the form of over-friendly flies. I was the arguably the smelliest, warmest and wettest substance on the forest road at that point so, when at walking pace, they landed on me. Normally the alpine cows or their waste provides a tastier meal than an Englander in shorts on a zig-zag cycle route. 

Still a mountain to climb

My road criss-crossed the walkers route. The walking path goes, more or less, straight up the mountain. To be honest, I was not climbing much faster than a walker I saw several times on the path. In my defence, I did leave him in the dust on the way back down and he did turn out to be an expert 'wanderer'.

He arrived at the Biberalm a few minutes after me. He had parked his car part way up, just before the toll road, and I had passed him not long after.  I reckon he did his 500m climb in under 90mins - that’s good going!

We shared a lunch table and I found out that he was an Austrian from nearby Wagrain. He runs a wander hotel (they specialise in walking holidays) called the Erika in central Wagrain and he also has a mountain ski hut called the Adler. 

The Biberalm - journeys end

He had not climbed the route before but I think he planned to come back with his guests. The Biberalm is just about on the tree line but there's still plenty of climbing above it. In fact, while I relaxed over my lunch he set off up the hill to check out more of the mountain!

I really enjoyed my lunch. One Austrian Lady on the next table, who’s English was as limited as my German, called me ‘Young Boy’ as I had cycled up to there. What me? I told her my age but in her opinion I was still the Young Boy. The age profile of guests in Gastein at this time of year is weighted towards the high end so I suppose it’s all relative - but it made me chuckle.  Her husband was a hunter.  He shoots deer or goats I think.  Pity I couldn’t get him to pick on the pesky flies instead.  The chap running the Alm, Kristian was friendly. He had been to England a few times and spoke English well with a bit of a London accent. He sounded just a bit like Dick van Dyke in Mary Poppins but heh, that’s not a criticism.

A cyclists lunch - going down fast

So, after enjoying the company, my lunch and the stupendous views of the Gastein Valley for about  90 minutes it was time to celebrate with the effortless 8.5km descent back to the valley bottom. 

No flies on me this time!

Lunchtime - a view to cycle for!

The long and winding road down

Salzburg in the Rain

The Sound of Raindrops on Roses

Salzburg still looks pretty good in bad weather and a few raindrops on the roses didn’t dampen our enthusiasm for a wander around the narrow streets and gardens of the old town. The streets were empty as the tourists were forced inside.

 We joined them eventually and had a nice delayed birthday meal at St Peters Stiftskeller. This claims to be the oldest restaurant in Central Europe, it’s been serving since 803 AD.  The toilets are much more recent. The cheap end of the menu is pretty reasonable. That’s one of many good things about Austrian restaurants.  The first glance at the menu might cause a sharp intake of breath but they normally have a few simple, standard, dishes that locals can afford.

France - Travels with an Electric Wok

Down goes the sun - into the Atlantic

Travelling on a budget means making sacrifices. For us it means forsaking restaurant meals and making full use of self-catering facilities. At the top end of the scale, like in Salcombe, the fully functional kitchen was more than a match for our homestead.  Our usual accommodation, unfortunately, is more likely to have just a couple of electric rings and maybe a microwave. So, while others on a trip pack for fashion and style, the first thing that goes into our case is our Wok. 

Biking through the pines

It might seem a little odd but picture the scene. It’s the end of the day, the sun is on the way down but it is still distributing a warm glow. The Wok is out on the terrace on an extension lead. A nice piece of fish or steak is chopped and ready to fry. A bottle of the obligatory local Bordeaux wine is open and the glass is primed.   Enjoy your meal sir – too right I will!

Footsteps in the sand

Getting the Wok to the beach side apartment on budget airlines calls for a bit of ingenuity. It does mean paying for a bag in the hold but the Wok is alloy so does not weigh very much and its capacious bowl can be stuffed with more trivial items like clothes.  Normally TW’s of course. I have to wear and wash to make room for my porridge and her beach tent.

Anyway, France was lovely, and we didn’t have to look at any impossibly expensive wine lists trying to determine the cheapest pichet.  There was "no shall we or shan’t we, or shall we share one" from the dessert menu. Oh, and no dilemma over leaving a gratuity, are we coming back?

Good morning, time for the baguette run

As the Quo used to sing, we are quite happy “wokking all over the world!”