Take a hat

A circular wander around the Graukogel via Reedsee Around the Graukogel Today I ticked off another of my ‘must do’ walks in Gastein, around the Graukogel Mountain via Reedsee and the Pafnerscharte. The walking route starts near the Gruner Baum Hotel and then goes up the back of the Graukogel to Reedsee. After Reedsee it contin ues up to a shoulder below the summit and then down past Pafnersee and along the flank to a Mountain Restaurant. From there it's a ride down in  a chairlift to the car park. The alarm was set as I needed to be outside the apartment at 7am for my ride to the Graukogel with Hans. Just made it! Two Austrians joined us from the Hotel over the road.  Two Russians followed in their BMW, nothing sinister in that, Hans’s Jeep was full. Hans was concerned that the Russian Lady wasn’t fit enough for what lay ahead but she was determined to come. In the Kotschachtal We parked at the Graukogel lift and were joined by a German Couple for the taxi ride to

Meeting the neighbours in the South From Castle Hill - looking down on the old town of Ljubljana Austria is pretty much at the centre of Europe and our village, Bad Hofgastein, is on a main North–South railway line so there are many opportunities for short breaks to neighbouring countries.  This time we opted for a short trip to the Slovenian capital of Ljubljana. It’s a place we did not know much about but with Mr and Mrs T ensconced there for the summer we knew we would find a willing guide with, if nothing else, a good knowledge of the local watering holes.  Slovenia has been independent for about 20 years having formerly been part of Yugoslavia. The population is just over 2 million. They are in the EC, use the Euro and the locals speak excellent English so it’s a pretty straightforward place to spend a few days despite the difficult name - they seem to have an aversion to vowels! So we loaded up our bikes and headed for the train. You have to pre-book bikes over here

Over the Tauern Mountains from Salzburgerland to Carinthia Nearing the top and the Hagener Hutte We are not very good at Museums. Viewing ancient artefacts in glass cabinets has limited appeal. We still have plenty of interest in History though, particularly when you can actively put yourself in the shoes of ‘the ancestors’ and it involves fresh air, exercise and brilliant scenery. The Gastein Valley is on an ancient trade route across the Alps. The Romans used it to carry their booty South, and of course, they built a road! On this occasion it wasn’t one of those straight as a die highways that we are familiar with at home. This is a mountain road, built two thousand years ago, that wends its way up and across the Tauern Mountains to over 8000feet (2445m).  Today, this area is a National Park and there is an organised walk guided by a Park Ranger that starts in Sportgastein and goes up, over the top, and down towards Mallnitz Station for the Train and the 20 th Century tunne