The Salzkammergut - Lakes!

Our drive out of Salzburg includes a stop at a caravan store looking (unsuccessfully) for a bolt and the rare find of an LPG outlet.  A short distance down the road to the Austrian Lakes district we meet a father & son from Salzburg at an unbelievable lookout over the spectacular Wolfgangsee.  

They tip us off about the local delicacy -  “Steckerlfisch”  telling us that people drive over the border from Germany just for a feed of this magnificent dish at a little roadside hutte.  So, on good advice, we trickle down the hill and ‘kill’ time on a grassy ‘beach’ alongside the most brilliant sapphire lake.  

It is so incredibly beautiful with sparkling warm azure water inviting us to go for a paddle and then spread the towels to drip dry in the sun with a book. A few lazy hours pass.  Kel floats on her back dreaming of all things beautiful and kind.  

Wil reads in the van but eventually joins Kel in the Lake. 

These sort of moments make the work of travel (getting along in a foreign language, finding one’s way around maps & signs, feeling like the odd ones out…..often because unknowingly we’re doing the wrong thing, often feeling like we’re intruding and imposing, being jammed in with no real privacy, playing teacher & parent and struggling in our very, very confined space in all weather, buying stroep not peanut butter & stock not soup…) thoroughly dissolve.

Recharged, we find the hutte 8 kms down the road and order 2 steckerlfisch and quickly, another 2.  They are salted & smoked whole over a BBQ and served on paper with a wedge of lemon and a plastic fork!  Delicious!  Kel & I pick every last bit of fish from the bones whilst the boys finish off with yoghurt & fruit.

Steckerlfish!

With full tummies, we continue south this time along Hallstattersee to find a large carpark with views over an altogether different serene dark emerald lake, squeezed on both sides by granite peaks.  A whiskey as the sun sets leads us satisfied to bed.

18/8

Jeff scoots off first on the bike and returns telling tales of a gorgeous wee UNESCO listed lakeside town, Hallstatt, with pastel coloured houses and a small handsome square that’s tightly snuggled against the steep cliffs.  Set in a narrow V-shaped gorge, entrance to the town is boom-gated being too narrow for traffic.  I tag & speed off to have a peek.  The houses are mostly wooden and the spires are short, plump and onion-bulb shaped.  A pounding waterfall just behind the town gives it a peaceful & natural music despite the arriving congestion of tourists (the Japanese tend to find the small quaint villages.)

Hallstat before the crowds roll in

Back home, I follow Jeff’s example and enjoy a cleansing swim in the lake cheered on by Kel before breakfast with a view. 

(Jeff addit: the view was for the 6 Italian lads on a Vespa tour who pulled up for a rest just as Jen de-kitted and dived into the lake.)

Maths tests and then into Hallstatt.

We park & ride to a playground with diving board into the gorgeous lake, flying fox, and amazing tyre spinning thing collecting that I spied on my bike ride this am.  But first, I collect a  massive puncture along the way which my man promptly and uncomplainingly fixes.

1 awesome spinny thing!!

Once there, we spread out and relax at the water’s edge, swim and play for hours. Hallstatt is a little quaint, ancient wooden town cupped by imposing rock walls & nourished by still waters at it’s feet.  We loaf about and time stands still.

The boys ride over to town searching for a new tyre & spare puncture kit…..and bread.

Finally, we drag ourselves off to Obertraum on the other side for lunch at 1700 and happen upon a beautiful lush park where paragliders are landing offering us mealtime entertainment!

Drive onto Grundelsee, another beautiful lake in the 80 odd lakes district.  No parks.  People congestion ++

Turned around & drove on through scenic pastures toward the Danube Valley stopping at Liesen (industrial hub) in wohnmobile free park for the night alongside railway.  Here’s a few pics of a bog standard drive through the Austrian country side in summer, taken by Jen from inside Ed, behind a dirty windscreen.

19/8

Quiet night and sleep in.  As campsites are jammed in and comparatively very noisy, we don’t mind these desolate concrete pads. Often they have terrific views across fields and mountains just no electricity and facilities.  We’re pretty good with the baby wipes & considerate bush toilet.

Up only at 0800 for 10BX outside local gym across the carpark.  Breakfast with kids and then whilst they school, we bliss out on another coffee in the sliver of shade Ed has cast, sitting outside the van on the asphalt ground.  Just over the way we admire the European communal veggie plots lining the railway tracks. Would be too much legislation & paperwork to do this at home.

The map shows an easy drive to Lunz am See - it looks pretty on paper, small and off the main roads.  Along the way, we stop to marvel at the crystal clear water of a nameless roadside brook bouncing down pretty little terraced cascades passing small cute towns.  Here we met Rudolph and Dorothy (late 70s) doing a cycle tour from Ulm who invite us to stay on our way back through Germany if we wish.  We have met with such amazing hospitality.

Just along the way a bit we parallel THE most spectacular river Salza which carves through a white gorge which on a white pebbled bottom, almost glows an impossible azure blue further emphasized by the brightly coloured kayaks that decorate its surface like pretty little ‘beads’.  Talk with Wil about returning together for this river gorge, more white water experiences, cycling, Mozart and furstballs!

Kel keeps the whole team bright with her wonderful BK imagination and delight in the world of Harry Potter - it’s enough to start Jeff on the books.

Lunch by another rushing stream.  Distended after heavy great German sourdough, cheese etc, we make our way to Lunsersee and maybe a stop for the night.  But……..it IS small  and it is in the middle of nowhere but as it is crawling with massive summer Sunday crowds, we exit left.

The hot stifling day draws us into a cool McDonalds off the highway for iced coffee, mango smoothies, more maths, writing and e-mail downloading.  I get swamped with my first homesickness.  I feel like we’re constantly unknowingly intruding, am frustrated by language isolation and am missing my kitchen, washing machine & toilet.  

Our now loose plans have us heading toward the Danube valley and come what may.  Jeff marks a bend in the river on TomTom and we arrive in a deserted shady spot beside the Danube cycle path - homesickness disappears.  So we make a coffee and the kids boot up after a few ball games.  The cycle path makes for a great skate track.  A mob of rowdy youths collect where we’re skating - small cars, caps on sideways, alcohol, cigarettes, chicks.  A completely different crowd of farming boys pull up next to Ed on their trail bikes and play out a sweaty game of soccer demonstrating a fair amount of talent!

Snack dinner & cards, then plan sights along Danube for tomorrow. There’s so much to see!

Bed....so quiet!