Following flights from Phoenix to Chicago to Zurich to Salzburg we were picked up by our host Heinz Spitzer. The weather was beautiful and Heinz drove us around Kuchl a neighboring town and Golling which would be "home" for two weeks. We were met by his wife Hannelore and their daughter's dog Bosco. Inside our apartment Hannelore had left a freshly baked apricot kuchen (cake). After unpacking we took a walk through the lovely Golling town center and returned home for a short nap to help tide us over until the Austrian bedtime. Following our nap, Heinz and Hannelore drove us up a nearby mountain for a magnificent view of the surrounding valley. It always seems in Austria and Switzerland that there just happens to be a restaurant at high remote locations in the mountains. We ate dinner while we watched the sun set over the mountains. When we got home Heinz brought out beer and wine and we enjoyed the perfect Austrian evening. It couldn't have been a better day to start our Austrian vacation.

Thursday was orientation day in Kuchl. Terry Seiwald covered a lot of information and handed out valuable information to help us enjoy our two weeks. We ate lunch at an outside restaurant. Kuchl is a beautiful village with high mountains as a backdrop. Terry allowed us to send our first email message to family and friends to let them know we arrived safely. The afternoon allowed us to explore Kuchl and to go to the local grocery and stock up on food. Barbara had fun trying to read labels. It was near 30 degrees C (85 degrees F), and warm by Austrian standard. The nights cooled off nicely however.

Friday was the Idyll guided trip to Halstatt a beautiful Austrian village situated in the central mountains and is the oldest Austrian settlement. It is a little too touristy for us but worth a trip. The trip did give a lot of experience in changing trains and finally a ship into Halstatt. We found that you have to be more careful with trains in Austria because they aren't labeled and not as timely. We looked through an old Lutheran church with a very plain interior near the lake and a larger ornate catholic church higher on the mountain that included a bone yard in the cemetery. We visited two museums and took a break at a seaside restaurant. We came home separate from the group by taking a loop rather than returning the same way. It was a long day but the day had just begun. We were invited to Heinz's birthday party that evening. In addition to our hosts and their son and daughter, their next-door neighbor (who owns the local wine shop) and one of their son's friends also attended. It was a wonderful meal including tender steak, pork sausage, a special mushroom dish, salad, cucumber salad, beer, wine and champagne. We ate, drank and talked until 12:30. It was great fellowship and we really felt tied into the Austrian culture.

Saturday was a beautiful day and we decided to go to Zell Am See. Just when you think you have the train system figured out it bites you. We had planned on taking the 0828 train but whenever you are the only ones on the platform you know that you've missed something. Sure enough there was a little symbol that meant that the train didn't run on the weekend. No problem we thought, we'll catch the 0928. But it didn't show up either. I am sure there must have been an announcement (in German of course) but we didn't pick up on it. Finally I went into the station and although the train agent didn't speech English we did understand "kaputt" and we were able to get a projected time. Overall we left about 2 hours later than planned. Zell Am See is a beautiful year-round sporting resort town located on an alpine lake. Since it was such a beautiful day we decided to take the cable car to the Schmittenhohe (6457 feet). We walked up the road about 45 minutes to the talstation. The view from the top was spectacular. We had lunch at the restaurant walked around a little and rode down.

On the way back to town we met an English couple that showed us a wanderweg (trail) that went through the woods and was a much more pleasant walk (of course the fact that it was downhill helped also). The train ride home went through beautiful valleys and along a river. In the evening we went into Golling and ate outside at the Golden Stern. It was a beautiful evening and we ordered a 3 course meal. For the appetizer Barb had the tomatoes and soft balls of mozzarella and Bob had cep (mushroom) soup. For the main course Barb had cep tortellini and Bob had chur fish with potatoes in a great cream sauce (very similar to trout). For dessert Barb had tinnen (chocolate mousse with shaved chocolate and strawberries). Bob had blackberries with ice cream. It was a great evening to be eating outside and besides it wasn't smoky outside. There was much activity on the street to enjoy as well as the food.

Sunday we went to Salzburg. Our initial goal was to go to the Dom cathedral where we heard there was a concert at 1000. Actually it turned out to be mass and the music was outstanding. There was an orchestra and a full choir. The cathedral was packed. Following mass we walked around the old town and I found an internet café where I updated family and friends on our vacation. We then rode funicular to the Hohensalzburg which is a massive fortress begun in1077 and stands today as the largest completely preserved medieval castle in Central Europe. We took the guided tour, which featured the living quarters of the prince-archbishops and a visit to the dungeon. We also climbed the tower atop the castle for an excellent view of the castle and Salzburg. The tour provided listening devices that could be programmed to many different languages. Then it was merely a matter of punching in the number of the location where you were to get a complete narrative. By the end of the day we were tired and knew we had to return to Salzburg to see some of the things we missed.

Monday we decided to go to the Liechtenstein Schlucht (gorge). The gorge is not in Liechtenstein but was named because the Prince of Liechtenstein donated money to finance the walkway that lines the gorge. We took the bus to the end of the line and walked along the road about 20 minutes to the gorge entrance.

When we returned we found that there was a much prettier trail through the woods. The gorge was spectacular. It took about 30 minutes to go up the gorge on stairs and walks literally built into the side of the gorge. After our walk through the woods we caught the bus back but found that it went to the down town area and not the train station. We were told the bus to the train station would come by in about 25 minutes. We decided to walk through town to the train station. There were many stores but they were closed from 12-2 (as most businesses are during this time). It took about 10 to 20 minutes to walk to the train station depending on how much window-shopping you do. We walked into town on our way home and went to the wine shop owned by Manfred Schwarz (Heinz's neighbor). We bought some wine and a special cork remover. When we got home at our door was a bucket filled with gladiolas from Heinz's garden.

Tuesday marked the end of our first week and although the weather had been good rain was forecast. We decided this would be a good day for the Salzbergwerk (salt mine) tour in Bad Durrenberg. We trained to Hallein and decided to take the gondola. This required a walk through town to the gondola station. The trip up the mountain was pretty but obscured by some clouds. When we left the lift station we stopped at the hawthorn salt vapor inhaler which is suppose to help respiratory problems. Then we took the steep walk down to mine realizing that we would have to climb back up to the lift station later. We got there early, which was good. By the time we finished the tour there were long lines. We were able to get right in and put on our white coveralls. We took the train to the heart of the mine. The highlights of the tour are two long slides that you have to slide down to get to the lower levels of the mine. The history of salt mining in this area goes back to 600 BC. The salt mine tunnels actually go into Germany. Following the tour we went through the rebuilt Celtic Farm Museum located adjacent to the mine. It was well done and included English translations on displays. We climbed back up the road to the church and had lunch at Gasthof Bergnannstreau. We returned via the gondola and walked to the train station. We found the first train wasn't running because of work on the track between Kuchl and Golling. The second train was apparently cancelled but we only had to wait about 50 minutes. Once we got back to our apartment Heinz took us on a great trip. First we went the Voglauer Furniture factory and display room in Abtenau. The furniture showroom was nicely done and did an excellent job of displaying this expensive furniture. We watched a woman hand painting a design on door panels. Next Heinz along with his daughter Claudia and Bosco took us to the Lammer Klamm, a local gorge. It was very nice although not as spectacular as the Liechtenstein Gorge.

When we returned to our apartment Heinz got Barb some blueberries, tomatoes and parsley from his garden. We sat out on the patio with Heinz and Hannelore and talked for a while. Living in an apartment like this and being able to interface with the hosts really gives a good understanding of the Austrian people and the Austrian culture. We learned that the funny looking tower on some homes was actually a bell tower used to call in the farmer when dinner was ready. We also found out that the tall decorated poles found from time to time are celebration towers for the May 1 celebration. There is much tradition that goes with the celebration.

Wednesday (Mittwoch) was a special day since Heinz and Hannelore had invited us to go hiking with them. We drove about 25 minutes to a town called Pichi-Preunegg and then headed South over hair pin gravel roads for about 25 minutes rising about 2000 meters. We paid a farmer for access to the area since he maintains the road. When we arrived at the parking lot we found the area to be very popular based on the number of cars. Ursprungalm Hutte was located at the beginning of the hike. This is located in a beautiful valley where the 1996 German HEIDI movie was filmed.

We began our hike with Bosco up a steep trail and climbed about 800 meters in 1.5 hours to the Giglachseehutte.where we took a break. The hutte overlooks a beautiful valley with a series of lakes. There were numberous pictures of Arnold Schwarzenegger with the family that runs the hutte. Arnold grew up in Graz and his mother still lives there so he has frequented the area. After our break we hiked for another 30 minutes to the Ignaz Mattis Hutte where we had lunch. The huttes are a focal point for many trails that run through this area and can be used for overnight accommodations. There were many cows and Barb found one that took a likening to her. From here we hiked to the end of the lake then around the lake and back to the Giglachseehutte and back to our car. Again we were impressed with older and very young hikers we saw on the trails. When we got back to our apartment Heinz gave Barb a hugh zucchini about 12" long with a 12" circumference. The Spizers were always sharing vegetables and fruits from their garden, flowers from their garden, their time and their friendship.

Thursday was Eagle's Nest day. The Kehlsteinhaus (Eagle's Nest) was a project of Martin Boorman's and given to Adolf Hitler for his 50th birthday. It is located on the top of a mountain near Berchtesgaden, Germany. Apparently Hitler only visited the Eagles Nest 12 times. Ava Braun (Hilter's mistress) used it frequently as a glorified teahouse. It has no overnight accommodations. This was a long day with ten different connections most of which didn't meld well. (i.e. we had to wait frequently for the next connection) This is one trip that would be much easier by car. We trained to Salzburg, caught the bus to Berchtesgaden, Germany, another bus to Obersalzberg, then the final bus that took us up the one way road to the Eagle's Nest parking lot. There were many people. We were lucky to catch the second and last English tour at 11:30. The guide spoke good English and gave much history. We entered the mountain thru a long tunnel to the elevator, which raised us 124 m to the Eagle's Nest. The guide then took us to a side room where he completed his presentation. One of the interesting things he pointed out was the irregular mantel over the fireplace. When US forces took over the building they shot machine guns into the mantel to break off pieces for souvenirs. The inside area is now a restaurant. Outside there are many good observation points; unfortunately, low clouds limited visibility.

We reversed our trip to Berchtesgaden and caught a bus to the Konigsee. Again we were surprised at the number of tour buses and people. We walked around the area and then headed home. Unfortunately, we didn't really have enough time to take a boat on the Konigsee.(21) In reading other trip logs this would be a great thing to do. Overall, this was our least favorite day due to the poor connections and the many people. Of course the poor visibility didn't help. Catching the English tour was a redeeming quality and if we had it to do over again we would repeat the trip. We ate dinner in Golling at the Rossli Schwarz (Black Horse) restaurant. We both had very good grilled zando fish with a salad and potatoes. It was very good. For dessert we shared eradberry, which was blueberries in a crispy pancake. It was another great day but we were tired and decided we really "work" hard at our vacations. But there was so much to see.

Friday was the day for the ice caves near Werfen. We had thought this would be a good rainy day activity but Heinz said we needed a clear day. After we made the trip we could see why. The ice caves are located high in the mountains and it takes quit a bit of effort just to get to the entrance to the caves and then there are 700 steps up and 700 steps down. But it is worth it. We took the train to Werfen and then walked over the bridge and took an immediate right to the bus taxi point. The bus took us up a 4km mountain road to the cave parking lot. Then we walked up hill for about 15-20 minutes to the lift station. The gondola lifted us up another 500 meters, and then we walked uphill another 15-20 minutes to the cave entrance. Whew. The entrance was cool and gave us the first indication that it would be cold inside (da, ice caves cold). We put on our coats and gloves. It was a large group and when Barb asked the guide about English translation he had us go to the front of the line. Then after he finished his German narrative he would quietly repeat in excellent English.

The cave was spectacular and they do everything they can to accentuate the features by using lighted carbon filament. There is no lighting in the cave so every 5th person or so carries a lantern. The interesting thing is that the ice cave renews itself every spring and they have to cut away some of the ice with chain saws to make paths for the tours. There are about 1000 visitors a day and 145,000 visitors a year. Beyond what we saw the cave extends another 41 km. We ate lunch at the top of the lift and had an excellent view of the valley below. From the train station on, 25 Danish 8th grade students on a field trip accompanied us. They were very well behaved and we had some good discussions with them. When we got home I went to the Golling library and caught up on email message and sent an update to family and friends.

Saturday was a great day and we wanted to take advantage of it so we decided to go to St Wolfgangsee. We trained to Salzburg and took a bus to St. Gilgen. From there we caught a ship that delivered us to the tollbooth for the steam driven cog railroad that goes to the top of the Schafberg (5,689 feet). Hint: If you take this trip buy a combined boat/train ticket on the boat and that way you don't have to wait in line at the train ticket booth. This saved us at least an hour because we wouldn't have been able to catch the next train. The steam driven cog train traversed a very steep grade up to 25.5% with an "I think I can, I think I can" rhythm. After about 50 minutes we reached the top. We immediately signed up for our return train time. The weather was clear with only a little haze. You are supposed to see 7 lakes. We could see 5 lakes easily and probably could have seen the other two if we knew where to look. The trip down was kind of jerky and warm. Overall we were glad we took the trip but probably wouldn't take it again.

When we reached St. Wolfgang we walked the street leading to the St. Wolfgang church. The altars were very impressive. We then walked to the ship dock and boarded our return to St. Gilgen. The trip was beautiful with many activities on the lake including sailboats, sail boards, water skiing, boats and even some nude bathing. The return trip was uneventful and we got back to our apartment about 7:10. It was a long day but we had good connections and even though there were many people it wasn't overbearing. Barb prepared a Heinz dinner i.e. Heinz tomatoes, Heinz zucchini, and Heinz sausage.

Sunday had been set aside for a hike with Heinz and Hannelore but when Heinz awoke and looked at the excellent weather he declared it a "Kaiser" day and suggested that we drive to the Gross Glockner. We were excited because this is something we had wanted to do, but you really need a car for this trip. It is hard to describe this trip. The closest I can come is to compare it to the Rockie Mountain National Park Trail Ridge Road except that with the Gross Glockner there is a glacier at the top. We drove about an hour to Flusch and then started the winding road into the mountains. The mountains are in the Hohe Tauern National Park. As we drove up the winding road with beautiful mountains on the horizon we kept asking, "Is that the Gross Glockner?" Heinz would respond, "No, just be patient."

We passed glaciers, mountain waterfalls and finally the Gross Glockner came into view. It is Austria's highest peak at 3,718 m and has a very unique pointed crown with the Pasterzen glacier at its base. We parked in a huge parking garage and hiked to the Wilhelm Swarovski Observatory. He was the founder of Swarovski Optics with the most modern and powerful optical appliances. The company is famous for its crystals as well. From the very modern observatory, using the powerful Swarovski binoculars provided, we could see mountain climbers ascending the Gross Glockner. The glacier is receding rapidly just as other glaciers thoughout the world. There is a tram that goes down to the glacier. We ate lunch at the restaurant overlooking the mountain.

By the time we left the parking lot it was jammed. On the trip back we stopped at the Edelweisespitze, which is the highest point (2,571 m) on the Grossglockner High Alpine Road. This vantage point provides a great 360-degree panorama view of more than 30 peaks of 3000 m or more. The road to the Edelweise Hutte was a narrow, steep road with sharp hairpin curves. As we headed back there were many, many bicyclers struggling uphill. We stopped at a museum at Fuscher Lacke. This display provided a history of how the alpine road was built. We also stopped at the Alpine Nature Show Museum.

We returned home, ate dinner and then accompanied Heinz and Hannelore to the Bluntautal Nature Preserve. This is between two mountains and has gorgeous walks along a very cold stream. There was an ARM BAD which was a trough of very cold mountain stream water that you are suppose to put each arm in for 30 seconds. This action is supposed to be good for you and help you sleep better. The lake and stream were very clear in fact large trout were visible. We walked for about an hour and it was very enjoyable to share. What an enjoyable day!

Monday was the day to return to Salzburg to pick up some of the things we missed on our first visit. We walked to the Mirabell Garden and really enjoyed the beautiful flowers. From there we walked into old town and down narrow streets noting the iron signs above the doors that depicts the type of business. Wouldn't you know it, there was an M for McDonalds. From there we took the elevator up to the Monchsberg for a view overlooking Salzburg. It was so quiet and serene compared to the noisy streets below. We walked along the top to what looked like an old fortress and stopped for a cup of coffee at the Panorama Blick. We went back to the street below and went by the theater district. We ate lunch at a fish place then toured the home where Mozart was born. The displays provided a good idea of the living conditions during Mozart's early years.

We headed home to get ready for the Idyll party in Kuchl. We had authentic Austrian food and an authentic Austrian band consisting of horn, bass, guitar and of course an accordion. Everyone seemed to enjoy their time in Austria.

Tuesday was our last day in Austria and we went to the very impressive Hohen Werfen Castle. It is one of the best-preserved castles and dates back to 1077. We walked to the castle from the train station which was a good walk including the uphill climb to the castle. The castle tour included hand held receivers for non-German speaking people. The tour covered many steps and went to the top of the bell tower. A high point at the castle was the falcon show, which demonstrated various falcons and eagles in flight. We hiked to Werfen and had lunch at the Alte Post. We both had the Menu, which was Frittaten Suppe, Cordon Bleu mit Pommes mit salat und dessert. Very good! We got together with our hosts in the evening and exchanged some gifts. Tomorrow we fly back to Zurich to spend 2 weeks in Switzerland.

We had two great weeks in Austria. Austria is a beautiful country and there are many things to see. Our hosts were absolutely fabulous. The weather was generally good (probably better than most terms). There are some places where a car would be more convenient and timely and there are some places that the train works out great. For example, our trip to the Konigsee and Eagles Nest would have been better if we had had a car; however, a car in Salzburg is a liability. If we were to do it over again we would rent a car for one week and use public transportation for a week. We continue to be amazed at how many people smoke, particularly young people. We also were amazed at the number of cell phones. Cell phones seemed to work everywhere even in deep canyons between mountains. We highly recommend Austria as an untour.