Austria
Miesenbach

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    • Day 3

      Five Fingers Viewing Platform, Hallstatt

      September 28, 2023 in Austria ⋅ ☀️ 70 °F

      The Five Fingers Viewing Platform in Hallstatt, Austria, is a renowned vantage point offering breathtaking panoramic views of the Hallstatt Lake and the Dachstein Alps. Named for its distinctive hand-like design, the platform extends out over a cliff, providing a thrilling perspective of the surrounding natural beauty. It has become a popular destination for tourists seeking awe-inspiring vistas and opportunities for photography. The Five Fingers Viewing Platform is a must-visit spot for those looking to immerse themselves in the stunning landscapes of the Hallstatt region.Read more

    • Day 29

      Obertraun Day 1

      October 9, 2023 in Austria ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

      We took a private shuttle bus, CK Shuttle to Obertraun, Austria yesterday. After 9 transfers on public buses and trains, it was an indulgent luxury to have a door to door transfer. Our host at Cesky Krumlov even carried all our bags down for us. Our driver was from south India, now living in Cesky Budějovice, a city half hour away from Cesky Krumlov. He studied biology in Czech Republic, and stayed on. He learnt the Czech language before he left India, and continued his language study as part of his course which was all done in Czech. His wife is from north India, and they speak only Hindi to their 7 year old son so he can communicate with grandparents when they visit India.

      Obertraun is on Lake Hallstatt , part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Hallstatt Dachstein Salzkammergut characterised by tall peaks and breathtaking views of the lake. Our accommodation in this heavily touristed and therefore expensive area is at the end of Obertraun, about a 2km walk to the main town where the shops, restaurants and transport are. On the way back, we thought we took a different route by what our host called the "local stream". Silly Perth people that we are, we think we followed the local drain instead and ended up back on the road we took into town. It was full of gushing water over pebbles, and looked very stream like. It wasn't until the next day, on the bus that we saw the said stream which we would have called a river.

      Grocery and food prices here are almost 3x that of the Czech Republic. Fortunately our Airbnb apartment is well stocked with herbs and sauces for cooking, and even has Vegeta a powdered vegetable stock.

      Distance walked 9.3km
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    • Day 21

      The Austrian Alps: Atop and Underground

      July 12, 2017 in Austria ⋅ ⛅ 72 °F

      We spent our day high above Hallstatt, visiting lookouts and caves. The day started with a cable car ride and 1-mile uphill walk to the Dachstein Ice Caves, where the temperature is always slightly below freezing, so we finally used those warm jackets we've been lugging around Europe all this time. The walk alone was fantastic, because of all of the wildflowers on display and informative signs about the alpine flora, not to mention the views above the valley. In the cave, the water that seeps in makes interesting ice formations, some with blue or gold tints. It's so cold in there that the ice growth in the winter exceeds the melt-off in the summer. In August, they even bring in a piano and hold concerts in one of the larger chambers - brrr!

      After leaving the ice cave, we took another cable car to a lookout point at about 7,000 feet. There is a platform that hangs out over the cliff--overrun with tourists, of course. It's just as easy to sit on the mountainside above the platform and take in the views without the stress.

      Coming down from the Dachstein mountain lookout, we went up the mountain on the other side of the lake to tour the salt mine. Hallstatt means "place of salt," and there has been salt mining here for 7,000 years. Salt obviously was an extremely valuable trade good in those days. While it is still an operating mine, it is a big tourist attraction where they describe the old and new mining techniques and some of the archaeological findings in this prehistoric cave. For example, in 2002 they found a wooden staircase which dates from the 13th century B.C. It is the oldest wooden staircase discovered to date in Europe, maybe even in the world. There are replica wooden slides used by the miners that we tourists get to use for fun to go between cave levels -- they are zippy! By then, we were 2 km deep in the mine, and we exited on a small train in a small, narrow tunnel -- tall people watch out!

      Back down at lake level we finished the day with a walk to a waterfall nearby our pension. It had rained heavily overnight both nights, so the river was running fast and high. Since we couldn't translate their trail markers very well, I'm not sure if we got to the waterfall, or just a really great rapids, but by then it was time to return for dinner. Being in the high mountains (even in the Julian Alps of Slovenia), the weather has been more changeable -- afternoon/evening thunderstorms are common. We've gotten lucky with not getting caught in the rain too much -- we've generally been indoors when it starts up again.

      One last thing about Hallstatt -- because of the sheer cliffs the town is built against, there continues to this day a profession of keeping the stones from falling on the town -- something like "stone sticker."
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    • Day 2

      Hallstatt - Wiesberghaus

      July 3, 2022 in Austria ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

      Busem Obertaun - Hallstatt
      Pěšky: Hallstatt - Wiesberghaus 1884 m
      11 km
      9.40 - 1.6.30
      stoupání 1570 m
      klesání 200 m

      Ráno jsme vstali dřív, než jsme chtěli. Vzbudili nás motorkáři, kteří byli čilí jak rybičky už od 6 a dost hlučeli.
      Ráno jsme ocenili, že nemáme aura v kempu. Odjížděli jsme před 8, a to byla ještě zavřená závora.
      Rychle jsme posnídali, sbalili stany a odjeli k lanovce Krippensteinbahn. Na parkovišti se Adam začal balit. Včera jsme si špatně přečetli jízdní řád a byli jsme tu o hodinu dřív, Adam se aspoň v klidu dobalil.
      Bus jel včas. Přesunuli jsme se do Hallsttatu a vyrazili už po svých.
      Stoupali jsme podél řeky, viděli jsme krásné vodopády, zprvu cesta společná s bikery (MTB). Les vypadal jak v pohádce, mechem obalené kameny a skály. Údolí bylo čím dál užší. Stoupalo se celkem prudce, bylo vedro.
      Ba chatu jsme dorazili v 16.30, dali si pivko, Víťa podmáslí a čekali jsme na večeři.
      Sprcha byla s výhledem, tj. venku za dřevěnou plentou byla hadice na konci se sprchovátkem, napojena na velký barel, voda studená.
      K večeři byla polévka s frigátovými nudlemi, zeleninový salát s bramborovým salátem, uzené (tlusté), opečené brambory, zelí (hnusné) a křenový dresing, dezert - palačinky se zmrzlinou.
      Nad chatou je takový pidikopeček, že kterého jsme pozorovali západ slunce.
      Spát jsme šli kolem 22.00.
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    Miesenbach

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