Week 19 - Austria & back to Germany

We left Saltzburg in Austria, and headed for Zell am See. Another place that had been recommend to us. It was difficult to find a parking place but Andy persevered and we managed to find a space near a supermarket. The car park ticket was only valid for a couple of hours so after eating a quick lunch we walked down to the lake. What a beautiful place. The Lake was like a mirror, reflecting the mountain scenery.

Since our visit, we learned that the water freezes over in wintertime and people go skating on it. They even put a wooden seat in the middle so you can sit down and put your skates on. How cool is that! After a lovely walk around the edge, we wandered through the town and back to Harriet.

We spent the rest of the afternoon driving through the stunning Tirol countryside. It really is like a scene from “The Sound of Music”. In between the villages of painted houses were lush green fields where the Cowes wore big bells around their necks.

Our last day in Austria was spent driving through the Stubai Valley up to the Stubaital Glacier Gondola. There’s plenty of parking there free of charge. 

We found the ticket office and paid to go to the top. The first gondola is quite big and stops a third of the way up. 

We stayed on it until we reached the second station and then got on the smaller cable car to the top. It swayed about a bit in the wind and was pretty cold but the views made up for it. We took a few photos and rode back down again. I’ve never seen scenery like it and it will stay with me for a long time.

We used to look after German students when the girls were small and one of them told me about Neuschwanstein Castle. The white one that Walt Disney allegedly used as his inspiration for Sleeping Beauty’s castle and where they filmed Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Well, it’s been on my bucket list for over 20 years, and we were so close to it I had to find out if we could visit. I love google and use it for everything. It said it was so popular it was best to reserve tickets online, at least 2 days in advance!! We didn’t have that much time to spare so a bit disheartened, we headed to Füssen.

Füssen is a really pretty town with lots of painted buildings and the lovely ornate shop signs which I love. 

We called at the tourist information to ask if they sold tickets there to Neuschwanstein Castle and the lady told us just to go to the ticket office in Hohenschwangau. We explained that we’d read how you need to book them in advance. She assured us that we would be able to get tickets easily. Maybe October isn’t as busy as the summer?

The following day we drove to Hohenschwangau, parked in one of the paid car parks and luckily, bought tickets for the castle. 

They are very strict on times as you have to visit the interior with a tour guide. Excited, we set off walking up the hill. It’s a long way, at least 40mins walk, and don’t forget the “uphill” bit! You can travel part of the way by bus or horse & cart if you want to but there’s still a 15 minute walk afterwards. 

They also warn you of the 300 steps inside. It was definitely worth the effort thought, it was stunning. Highly recommended. Unfortunately you’re not allowed to take photos inside but there’s plenty of souvenirs to buy if you’re so inclined. 

PS. The walk back down was equally as strenuous.

We needed to be in Bad Waldsee on Sunday evening, as we had an appointment to “winterise” Harriet on Monday morning. We needed somewhere to visit on the way so chose Kempten. The weather had changed overnight from warm autumn days with blue skies and sunshine to arctic temperatures and snow. Kempten was freezing so we managed a quick walk around the town nipping into shops and coffee houses to keep warm before eating tea in a Bella Italia. 

I love Germany, it’s another country that’s Motorhome heaven. There are usually stellplatz (Motorhome parking places) in every town and the one in Kempten was no exception. 3€ for 24 hours with fresh water and grey and black disposal points. Whats not to like.

Week 18 - Austria

We drove through the beautiful Czech countryside and headed for the Austrian Border. Autumn is a stunning time of year when all the leaves are tuning colour. 

We stopped at a fuel station along the road to buy a vignette for the Austrian roads and to fill up with Diesel and LPG.

We crossed yet another order with ease and carried on to Traunfall, a place that had been recommended to us by someone on trip advisor. We parked there for the night. It didn’t look much from the parking area, but after a short walk in the morning down the hill, we spotted a river and waterfall with the most amazing colours. This was our first encounter with Austria, we new we were in for a treat.

We carried on then to Bad Ischl. On the way we pulled in by the lake at Traunkirchen to gaze in wonder at the scenery. What a place to stop for lunch.

I’d never heard of Bad Ischl before. On the surface, it’s a gorgeous upmarket little town surrounded by stunning mountain scenery. We woke up to blue skies and sunshine, so took the opportunity to walk to the cable car station just up the road for a ride up to Mount Katrin. The views from the top were stunning.

Later on, as we were eating lunch, I read a bit about the place. I googled Bad Ischl and this came up on the Telegraph ... There was, of course, another tragedy waiting in the wings for Emperor Franz Joseph. In the summer of 1914, the emperor’s nephew, and the heir to the Habsburg throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, was shot dead in a street in Sarajevo.

In the month that followed the assassination on June 28, Europe was plunged into diplomatic frenzy as Austria-Hungary, coming under pressure from all sides, weighed up how to respond. Ministerial delegations from Vienna travelled to Bad Ischl to confer with the by now clearly wearying 83-year-old emperor and to convey the urgency of the situation.
Visitors to the Kaiservilla today can see the rooms in which ministers and diplomats seeking an audience with the emperor would have had to wait; they can then step into Franz Joseph’s private study and take a long, hard look at the solid wooden desk, complete with quill pen stand, at which, on July 28, 1914, the emperor signed the declaration of war on Serbia, which in turn triggered the set of alliances that led to the outbreak of the First World War ... wow, is all I can say.

Anyway, we spent the afternoon wandering around in the sunshine and even managed a horse and cart ride around the town learning more about the Emperors holiday home.

The following morning was spent trying to retrieve a hoselock nozzle from the water fill pipe that had accidentally come off the end of a stellplatz hose we’d been using to fill Harriet with water. We gave up in the end and had to admit defeat. We walked back into the town to a coffee house we’d spotted for a chocolate fix. The answer I find, to everything haha.

We love to use public transport and the next day was no exception. Our destination - Hallstatt. When we did some research, the parking and campsites were so over priced, it made sense to use the train. The Stellplatz in Bad Ischl (€8 per night) was only a 5 minute walk to the station and the journey was really scenic.

We got off the train and followed the crowds to the ferry. 

What a way to see Hallstatt for the first time from across the lake. It’s beautiful. The town is only small but again the views were stunning. 

We even took a motorised boat out onto the water for an hour. A good way to escape the rest of the tourists.

We drove 10 miles up the road from Bad Ischl and parked at St Wolfgang. Another stunning Austrian town. The clouds didn't want to move out of the way today but it stayed dry so couldn’t complain. 

We even tried some Austrian street food which was delicious. 

We’ve got into a routine of going to bed at a reasonable time but trying to get up in a morning is another thing. By the time we’ve showered and eaten breakfast it’s gone 10 o’clock. No idea how we’ll adjust to a “normal life” at the end of this adventure?!!

We headed for Salzburg as we’d found a stellplatz on the edge of town with a washing machine and a bus stop. After the washing and drying was done we headed out. It was only a short ride into the middle and soon found our way into the old part with lots of squares and narrow shopping streets to explore. Salzburg is the home of Mozart, so another popular destination for tourists. 

I loved all the ornate shop signs and even McDonalds had to keep in with the theme.

We visited the stunning cathedral and bought yet another hat pin for our collection.

We found a great little restaurant for tea (dinner for my southern friends) away from the main drag and walked along the river in the dark before returning to the Stellplatz for a second night.