Austrian Alps and Lake District (Salzkammergut)

Thursday, May 10, 2018

 

We were awake a good while before the neighborhood roosters sent out their calls, and as the forecast looked promising, we decided to stay local and enjoy some of the area’s natural beauty.

 

A short drive from our apartment in Gosau is Gosausee – Gosau Lake.  There are six or seven parking lots near the lake, which attest to the recreational value of the venue.  There’s a cable car (set to open for the season on Saturday) to hiking trails high above the valley floor, but we were perfectly happy to stay on terra firma.  The lake is ringed by a level, mostly paved walking path, with off shoots to other lakes and opportunities for some rock climbing along the way.  We opted to circle the lake and spent an enjoyable couple of hours taking photos, reading the information at several educational stations devoted to water, and taking in the surrounding peaks, forests, and rushing streams.  The lake water was quite low, whether due to lack of snowfall, the early time of year, or some other factors, we don’t know.   

 

The town of Hallstatt was our main destination this afternoon.  It’s a scenic gem of a spot, with a tiny “downtown” perched on a small ledge of land on the shore of Hallstatter See.  What doesn’t fit on the narrow level shore climbs up the mountains that meet the mirror-like surface of the lake.  It’s truly lovely, and somewhat reminiscent of Bellagio on Lake Como; people flock to it because of its beauty, but the crowds do take a toll.  Nevertheless, we enjoyed our wander, particularly the small central square, ringed with small homes, shops, cafes and a hotel; flowerboxes enhanced all their facades, the Lutheran church steeple towered over the scene, and mountains provided the backdrop.  The Catholic church is a couple of levels above the town, with a balcony overlooking the rooftops, lake and mountains.   The churchyard contains a beautifully-maintained cemetery, with blooming flowers adorning each raised plot; we wondered if there is a local “Plot of the Month” competition.

After leaving Hallstatt, we took a drive to see a couple of the other lakes in the area (Grundlsee and Altausee); as we drove, the clouds that had begun to threaten did actually produce some rain.  Because of the surrounding mountains, the weather can change rapidly here, so the rain was intermittent and varied in intensity.  In any case, we were lucky, as we were in the car and ready to call it a day.

 

This is Ascension Thursday, a national holiday in this Catholic country, and there were lots of others joining us at each of today’s stops.  Most shops, businesses and schools were closed, and people were out to enjoy the lovely spring weather. 

 

We’re planning to spend tomorrow in Salzburg, about an hour away; we’ll see how many of the locals decide to make it a four-day weekend and join us there.