Third "Great" Grandparent Trip - Our Week In Austria Part 2

Our week in Austria Part 2

Wednesday:

Abtenau Summer Tobogganing Run - we began Wednesday by driving about an hour east of our apartment to the area of Abtenau. We had been here on a previous visit to Austria and this was a highlight for us then and we figured the girls would enjoy it as well. It is called the Karkogel in Austrian but in English we would call this a mountain toboggan run. You first take a chair lift to the top of the mountain and then you mount a toboggan which sits on a track and you begin to descend the mountain. It is an exhilarating ride, first because of the clean fresh mountain air, second because of the amazing views from the top of the mountain and third because of the ride itself. 

And now that we have completed Austria and are writing this post from Switzerland, when we surveyed the girls and asked them which attractions were on top of their lists, the Abtenau toboggan pops up all the time as one of the highlights.

We must point out here, that all over Austria, wherever we went, we heard Hebrew. Individual families on vacation, large groups (organized and just groups of friends), they were everywhere. When we went on the toboggan ride down the mountain at Abtenau, almost everyone was Israeli. Austria is seen as a reasonably priced, as well as a family friendly tourist destination. You can rent villas or ski lodges everywhere that accommodate groups and families. The tourist passes allow families to travel for a reasonable price. 

In contrast, when we reached Switzerland, we stopped hearing Hebrew in the air. Switzerland is a very expensive place to go touring and therefore Israelis choose Austria. 

Lammerklamm Gorge - a short drive away is the Lammerklamm Gorge and while this is supposed to be a dramatic walk through a very deep gorge, because of heavy rainfalls and rock falls in Austria, a major part of the walkway is now under repair and inaccessible. There is another gorge in Austria that we wished to visit called the LichtensteinKlamm but again because of rock slides, it is complete closed for repairs to the walkway system. So we walked through the accessible area which in reality was not worth the time or the effort.

The Gollinger Wasserfall - from Lammerklamm, after a short 20 minute drive, we reached the town on Golling and followed the signs through town to the Gollinger Wasserfalle, which after seeing Niagara and Iguazu, we thought would be a major letdown. Surprisingly, the waterfall, located inside a forested area, and an easy five minute walk from the parking lot, was very pretty and picturesque and had a dream like quality about it. We spent some time taking pictures and then headed back to the parking lot for lunch. 

The Do Re Mi Meadow of the Sound of Music - our next destination on this very busy day, was the town of Werfen, home to the huge Werfen castle that we had already passed a number of times overlooking the highway while driving to and from Salzburg. 

But before going to the castle, we decided to go to something that I had read about while researching this trip. The castle is featured in the "meadow scene" in the movie the Sound of Music, when Julie Andrews and the children all run through the meadow and sing Do Re Mi. When I googled it, surprisingly, it popped up. It seems that the meadow scene was shot from a farm overlooking the town of Werfen and the castle. It belongs to a local farmer and because of the many requests that he had received from people who wanted to visit his "historic" site, he fenced off the area, and erected scenic vantage points where you could re-create the scene from the movie. It is free to visit, easy to find if you carefully follow the directions on Google (there are no signs at all indicating where you are going or what you will find there) and there are few if any tourists. But it is beautiful.

So we went there and spent a few minutes looking through the props of scenes from the movie and as the Von Woolf - Von Feldman Family, sang our own version of Do Re Mi. Lots of fun, very scenic and a great opportunity to bond with some local cows grazing in the field. 

The Birds of Prey inside the HohenWerfen Castle - On to Wefen Castle and our final activity for the day, the Birds of Prey show atop the castle. Entry into the castle is via a very steep long Funicular that deposits you at one of the highest levels of the hill. The show is on twice a day and we were there for the afternoon show that begins at 3:15 PM. We think that everyone there was Israeli, and there were hundreds there. Seated on the grass or on surrounding benches, two or three falconry experts, dressed in period dress, come out with their Birds, falcons, hawks, eagles etc., and put them through their exercises, flying literally above your heads, soaring high above and then swooping back down above the crowd to land on their handlers' outstretched arms. It is a dramatic show in a beautiful setting. 

The kids were exhausted by this time (they are finding it a bit difficult keeping up with Bubbie and Gramps!), and so we headed back to our apartment and two of them made use of the free passes that our Airbnb host had provided to cool off in the local swimming area not far from our place. 

An end to one of the busiest and most enjoyable days on our trip. 

Thursday: 

The Flying Mozart Ski Lift to the top of Mount Grafenberg - on Thursday morning, we headed into our small town of Wagrain and took the lift to the top of the mountain we were facing in our apartment, Mount Grafenberg. Atop the mountain, is a small Glacier lake and a very creative playground that we enjoyed for the hour or so that we were there. A giant trampoline, rope walks across the lake, long slides down the side of the mountain....and a very refreshing, clean air walk around the lake, was a great way to begin the day.

The Salt Mines in Halein - last time we were here, we visited the very picturesque town of Hallstatt and its salt mine deep inside a mountain. This time, based on what we had read comparing the various salt mines in the area, we decided to visit another salt mine, a much closer drive to where we were staying, in the town of Hallein, which is right on the border of Germany. In fact when you ride the train into the mountain and the inner depths of the salt mine, you actually cross the border into Germany with no passport or visa control!

The tour was very well organized. We were first taken into a dressing area where everyone was provided with protective clothing overalls. We all then mounted a train car that took us about a kilometre into the depths of the mountain. The temperature drops from the mid twenties outside to about 12 degrees inside. Very cool! Our guide showed us a couple of films that explained the importance of salt to the economy of the area in medieval times and how controlling the salt mines enabled the rulers to stay in power. It also explained the process of mining salt and then we actually rode a small boat across an interior lake where the salt was extracted from the walls of the mine and salt content percentage was controlled. 

Getting from one level of the salt mine to levels below was fun and we now understood why we needed protective clothing. You got on a long wooden slide that you rode down to the next level of the mine to continue the tour.

When exiting the mine, we were all handed mini packets of salt, and then we were deposited in the gift shop where naturally you could buy salt souvenirs. 

It was a fun visit and somewhat educational as well.

Shopping for souvenirs in the pedestrian street of Salzburg - we ended our day by driving back into Salzburg and spending an hour souvenir and gift shopping. 

And so ended our Sunday to Thursday tour of Austria. 

We think that you will agree that this was a week packed with visits to majestic mountains, lakes, rivers, gorges and some of the most beautiful vistas that one can imagine. Sometime in the middle of the week, the girls began the day with "guess where we are going today? We will see mountains and rivers and cows....". And while you would think that after a few days you would become used to the amazing landscapes that were visible all around, all five of us continued to be overwhelmed by the majesty of God's amazing creations. 

Our accommodations the entire week was in a two bedroom villa in the small mountain town of Wagrain. The owners, Chris and Maria, originally from England, own a number of ski lodges in the area and run a first class operation. We booked on Airbnb and were not disappointed. There was lots of room, the apartment was well equipped and the location was within an hour drive of all the attractions that we managed to squeeze in during the week.

The weather cooperated amazingly and while there were periods of mountain fog early in the morning, most of the days were sunshine filled with temperatures in the low to mid 20s. Ideal for hiking and touring. 

We left each day quite early and returned in the early evening at which time our "catering crew" swung into action and prepared creative delicious meals. The granddaughters admitted at the end of the week that they had had somewhat low expectations for the meals that would be served on this trip, owing to lack of availability of kosher products, but were pleasantly surprised by what they actually experienced. We must give a special "shout out" to granddaughter Eden, who volunteered to be the "top chef" for our trip and who really took charge of the kitchen at all times. 

Fran and I have to admit that we eat much simpler when we travel alone; Eden simply could not cook without having all the ingredients that she needed. Not having her lemons or her fresh avocados was a disaster 😀! And how can you have supper without potatoes three different ways? Fried, baked and sweet potatoes as well? And while our travelling version of a vegetable soup is quite simple, Eden's is truly gourmet ! So thanks Eden.

Friday morning, we targeted 7 AM for our departure, but in fact were on the road at 7:30 AM (late again...OMG!) for our 5 hour trip to Davos for Shabbat. The drive was uneventful and long. And when we arrived in Davos early Friday afternoon, the sight that greeted us was totally different than the previous Friday. Last Friday, the streets were literally filled with Chassidim, such that if you took away the surrounding mountains, you might of thought that you were on the streets of Bnei Braq, Geulah, Williamsburg or Borough Park. 

But this Friday, being after Rosh Chodesh Elul, other than the few hikers and backpackers,  the streets were empty. The supermarkets had the kosher items on half price because their customers had all packed up and left. And over Shabbat, instead of the hundreds of Chassidim in Shabbat dress walking to one of the 6 or 7 Shuls in town, there was now only one minyan in town and that minyan had scaled back operations to one minyan for mincha and one for shacharis. Perhaps 20 men and 15 women attended shul this Shabbat. 

We had a wonderful Shabbat with our granddaughters; great meals with lots of zemirot, happiness and bonding. And if Shabbat is meant to be a Yom Menucha/Day of Rest, then we were machmir/very strict in its observance this week. We slept well, but we cannot get over the amount of time that teens are able to sleep...it is absolutely astounding. 

Sunday we leave for the Interlaken area in the heart of some of the most majestic peaks in the Swiss Alps. 

Here is a preview......

We hope to spend some time in Lucerne on the way down, and then journey to our new apartment, another Airbnb in the little town of Hasliberg.

More to come

All the best

Fran and David 

Third "Great" Grandparents Trip - Summary of our week in Austria - Part 1

We are writing this on Motzaei Shabbat at the beginning of week #2 of our trip. 

Let's start by clearing up a misconception that has been created by our title for this trip. We have not yet become Greatgrandparents. Although we look forward to the day with great anticipation, we have no married grandchildren yet.

We however look at the opportunity to travel alone with our grandchildren as a singular memorable experience that allows us to develop wonderful bonds and connections. And therefore, those trips are great! So the title becomes the Third GREAT Grandchildren Trip. Each of our grandchildren trips have been GREAT and this one is no exception. We actually received humorous messages from a couple of our children asking whether, in this very fast paced world, they had blinked and missed something! 

On Sunday morning we began the drive to the area just south of Salzburg, Austria. When we told Eden, Emunah and Kyra that we would leave at 7 AM, we received looks of astonishment and bewilderment. But we explained that there was a five hour drive in front of us and while the first part of the drive would be four hours straight, we would then be able to space out the final 100 kms. or so, by stopping and visiting a number of attractions that we believed would break up the day and make the driving experience a bit more interesting. 

And while we do try to stick to schedule, it was admittedly difficult to leave precisely at 7 AM, but we were on the road by 7:15 AM, following the instructions that Waze was mapping out for us on the iPhone. 

Because we are so far behind the eight ball in terms of reporting daily (about a week behind), rather than give a detailed day by day report, we are going to try and catch up by summarizing each of the places that we visited from Sunday till Thursday last week. 

If your style of touring is anything like ours, ie; packing in as many attractions as possible into your day; spending minimal time on shopping and meals (because you made this long trek to actually see something unique, do something different, etc), and if you are travelling with a party of 5, then the cost of touring can become quite expensive. When touring Austria, there are many "passes" that group multiple attractions in one card for a single price. We looked at a number of them and determined that the best for our itinerary was the Salzburgerland Card. Many other cards offer discounts of 20% or 2 for 1 offers, but the SalzburgerlandCard packages close to 120 attractions that you enter for free once you have purchased the Card. The card costs 66 Euros per adult or 33 Euros per child (under 16) and is good for 6 days of touring. Our total for the 5 of us was 297 Euros.

Since we have now completed our Austrian portion, we can report that by using the SalzburgerlandCard from Sunday till Thursday, we visited attractions that would have totalled over 700 Euros had we not had the card. So we saved about 400 Euros or close to $600 Canadian. 

Our advice to anyone visiting this part of the world is to spend a bit of time researching the various cards to determine which works best for you. If you are headed for the Salzburg area, we believe that this card works wonders. It will certainly save you money. 

Here is a brief summary of the attractions that we visited from Sunday till Thursday.

Sunday:

Gerlos Pass - the Gerlos Pass was the first of many dramatic mountain passes that we crossed in our trip thus far. It is the doorway to many of the sites in the Salzburg Tourist area and is a series of hairpin switchbacks in the road that first allow you to climb to the top of the mountain at an altitude of about 5000 feet and then wend your way down the other side. The first road across the Gerlos Pass was built in 1630. The road that we took was completed in 1962 and you pay a special toll to pass across it. At the very top, we stopped to have our lunch and enjoy the scenery.

Krimml Falls & The World of Water at Krimml - as we descended from the Gerlos Pass, we were greeted by the sight of the Krimml Falls, Austria's highest waterfall. The local tourism bureau has capitalized on this beautiful natural resource by building an interactive exhibit dealing with "water" and combining it as a package with the Falls visit. This was a very good spot for us to stretch our legs after the 4 hour morning drive from Davos. 

The National Park 360 Exhibit in Mittersillt - after we left Krimml Falls we stopped at what we felt would be a worthwhile exhibit. It was called the Nationalpark 360 in Mittersill. And it featured a 360 degree wraparound movie of scenes of the national parks in the area. We had visions of Ontari-ari-ario at the Expo 67 World's Fair in Montreal. But the movie here was boring and dull with no music to liven it up. Additionally there were some displays of the flora and fauna in the area, a climbing wall etc. At 10 € each, it would have been a disaster, but given that it was included in our SalzburgerlandCard and situated right on the road we were driving, made it much less painful. Would not recommend stopping here. 

From this stop we headed right to our accommodation at Wagrain which is covered in more detail below.

Monday:

The Salzburg Fortress and Funicular - this was to be our Salzburg Day. So early in the morning, we drove into town and parked for free at the Outlet mall and took the bus into town. We walked thru the centre of town, stopped to point out Judengasse (Jew Street) from the time when there was a Jewish Community here, admired the old architecture and marvelled at the huge Fortress that lurks over the city below. It is very high and huge. 

We walked thru a section of the shopping street and could not help but notice Mozart everywhere. Mozart was born here in 1726 and lived here for many years. Salzburg was where he composed many of his famous works. So the city fathers have capitalized on the Mozart phenomena and are marketing Mozart everywhere. There are concerts and museums dedicated to Mozart. A large statue of Mozart is in the centre of the Mozartplatz Square.  

Also, a popular chocolate has been developed called the Mozart Kuggelen which is marzipan covered with chocolate. The local Austrian brand is not kosher, but the Reber brand knockoff from Germany is certified kosher, and is available throughout Salzburg. So we all stopped off and had our first Reber Kuggelen experience. 

From here we walked to the Mozart Square and then visited the Panorama Museum which features large murals in a 26 metre circumference, painted by JM Sattler in the early 1800s that depict life as it was in Salzburg 200 years ago. He painted these scenes from the vantage point of the HohenSalzburg Castle. It was a very detailed painting in the round and is well worth visiting. 

We headed over to the square in front of the funicular and took some pictures of the man on the globe, the giant chess set and then we added to the graffiti that adorned the underside of the globe. 

And then we headed to the funicular which took us to the top of the of the hill that is the site of the castle overlooking the entire city of Salzburg. 

Construction on the castle began in 1077 and while it looks like many a battle could have been fought there, there never were any, because any army that thought of capturing Salzburg took one look at the imposing castle and had second thoughts about the chances of success. The castle eventually surrendered without a battle to Napoleon in the 1800's and in recent years is home to thousands of tourists who flock up for the amazing views.

When we descended from the castle, we walked over to the Mirabell Palace and Gardens, site of the filming of many of the famous scenes of the Von Trapp family in the Sound of Music. 

Tuesday:

Archery in Niedersill - on Tuesday morning, we drive about an hour to the small town of Niedersill where we had booked archery lessons for our group. We were using professional archery equipment and our instructor, though not speaking any English at all, was very patient with us and successfully guided us in the fine details of archery. It was really a wonderful way to start the day, and it was an activity that was enjoyed by all.

Weisssee Glacier World and Gondola Lift - from Niedersill, it was a short drive to the gondola lift that would carry us to to top of a very high mountain where we hiked around a glacier lake called Weisssee. It took about 20 minutes for the Gondola to complete the journey to the top and the scenery and fresh air on top was wonderfully refreshing. 

The Grossklockner HochAlpenStrasse - we continued our Tuesday adventure by driving to the top of the Grossklockner High Altitude Road, one of the tallest mountain passes in all of Europe. The pass is 48 kms. Long and consists of 36 hairpin turns which take you to the top of the Grossklockner Mountain to a height of about 2500 metres. When we first drove this road a number of years ago in the early summer, there was still deep snow atop the mountain. But this time, in late August, there was only snow on the peaks facing us, and the temperature where we were was in the low to mid teens. From the top, you had a bird's eye view of the entire area. Had we continued down the other side of the mountain, we would have ended up in Italy. 

The Kitzlochklamm Gorge - on the way back, with three very exhausted teenagers in tow, we made our final stop of the day at the Kitzlochklamm. A klamm in Austrian is a gorge. And Kitzlochklamm is a very deep gorge. You begin at the bottom of the gorge beside the river and begin a gradual climb until you are facing a very tall raging waterfall. You then climb up the stairs in front of the falls. It seems like hundreds of stairs (actually 450 steps) till you reach the top and then you begin the walk through the forest, gradually descending till you reach the entrance to the gorge, where you first began. It takes about an hour and seeing that I had promised Kyra that this attraction was relatively flat (when it clearly was not), for the rest of the trip, there was a running joke about the flatness of each attraction to which I would take the girls. 

More to come.....Part 2 which will cover Wednesday, Thursday and Friday is in production and will be posted soon....

All the best

Fran and David