On the Road Again - Pt 2 - Austria

After our driving trip and finding that the small out of the way places were some of the best we came across, Andrew & I decided to avoid the big cities in Austria and find something seriously small. The Alps drew our attention as we both love mountains so with a quick search we found a small town called Achenkirch that sat on a lake surrounded by mountains.

Two trains and two buses later we arrived. The two bus drivers we ran into were incredibly helpful. The first told us where we had to get off to make the transfer and the second took us straight to the front of the hotel. Lifesavers – both of them!

Achenkirch is a tiny little town. It sits at the far end of the Achensee lake and then spreads out into the valley. The mountains tower above, the ski slopes are clearly seen, though at the moment they are the greenest of green, and the clouds hover around the peaks. We sat in our room for ages looking out the huge window at the stunning view. Then dinner and off to bed.



Our first day we went out walking and found that it was fair day for the town! It was awesome! Festival atmosphere, dance om-pa music playing through the PA, steins of beer and people everywhere – loved it! We spent hours walking around, eating Bratwurst, watching the jumping castle, volleyball, boats on the lake and the major spectacle, the boat jousting competition! We went on the paddling boats, cruised around the lake and came back to a brass band playing Austrian Polka! We laughed to see that at the base of each music stand was a stein or two.











For the rest of the day we explored the town, found some cows being herded along the main road with bells around their necks and generally chilled out. It’s so relaxing to be out of the big cities.







The following day and Andrew convinced me to climb a mountain with him. So we stocked up on water, powerade & chocolate for energy and headed off. We followed a map to a waterfall then found a track that lead up. It was agonising but gorgeous. The trees, the view, the grass and flowers, the little waterfalls – everything was so beautiful and so green. We ended high above the town with stunning views over the valley below. That was until the clouds came rolling in.











From start to finish we walked for 6hrs, climbed over 600m vertically, got totally saturated in the rain, ran into more cows with their bells and one farmer with a mangy dog, and saw the most amazing views. Hiking in the Alps – absolutely beautiful! The hot shower at the end – priceless!





We finished the day with a massive Wiener Schnitzel and a beer. I have to make a point that the food was the best we’ve had this entire trip and the Austrians definitely know how to make seriously comfortable beds.



So now we’re on the train to Prague, Czech Republic. The mountains are gone behind us and the land is flat again. Auf Wiedersein Austria!