Austria, Day 1 - Thursday, August 23

August 23, Thursday

Our first planned trip! I have always wanted to visit the Alps in the summertime. We left around 9 a.m., driving straight toward Hallstatt, Austria. We made a pit stop at a roadside grocery store in a little Austrian mountain village late in the morning and got picnic supplies. Lots of little pull off spots along the winding mountain road, so we picked one with a creek and picnic table for our lunch.

The first glimpses as we approach the Salzkammergut region.

Overlooking a creek at a pull-off spot along the mountain road. We stopped at a grocery store in a little Austrian village and got supplies for a picnic lunch.

Exploring after lunch...

When we got to Hallstatt, there were so many tourists that all the parking was taken and mobs of people were milling around. Helicopters where swooping into the lake with giant buckets and dumping them on the wildfire smoking on the mountain peak over the funicular railway! The railway was closed (which explained the number of tourists milling around the town), so we drove on to the parking area for the Dachstein Krippenstein to take the gondola up to the 5fingers outlook. The walk was breathtaking and marked with panels identifying the mountain peaks, glaciers, and local fauna and flora. Gorgeous views!

ME got cut off from the rest of us as we went through the ticket scanner for the gondola. I waited for her.

Pulling out... and up!

The view back into the valley.

From the first station stop (we actually took two gondolas up to get to the trailhead for 5fingers).

From the top at the second station; view of the Dachstein glacier (which is over a third smaller than it was 150 years ago due to climate change).

The light kept changing... so I kept taking pictures of the glacier! Stunning.

These girls. Love them!

"Da lang!" (Little phrases and words are coming back...)

View out over the Hallstätterseetal (Hallstatt lake valley).

 

  

Wishing it was a little less cloudy and hazy today...

The ever-changing light over the Dachstein glacier; zoomed in.

Moutain flora! The girls found some really gorgeous wild flowers.

Oh, the adventures we have! Lucky me. 

The lens focused on the green leaves, the blue of this little flower was so deep... the photo doesn't come close!

The photographer at work... She bought a Canon SLR with the money she earned this summer working as a lifeguard. Loving it!

Scrutinizing her shots.

"You have arrived at your destination!"

  

Family shot at the top before heading back to the Talstation.

Storm is coming!

The walk back was a bit intense as a storm was approaching. Our ride back down the mountain was delayed by the wind and lightning! After safely reaching the bottom, I made a dash for the car and pulled back around to where the girls and J were waiting under an overhang by the ticket counters. Then we were off to Salzburg!

We easily found the Jugendherberge (JHB; youth hostel) where we had a large room with bath reserved. We quickly dropped our things off in our room and headed out to find a place for supper. We got caught in a downpour though and with just 2 umbrellas and the first Gasthof that we tried full, I returned alone to the car at the hostel and came back to pick everyone up. There was a pizzeria in the other direction, so we found parking and had dinner there. Then back to the hostel for a well-deserved sleep!