Europe, Hiking, Slow travel, Travel Diary, Trip Planning, Walking Holidays

Gosausee…See it to Believe it

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woman standing next to an alpine lake in Austria

There are some places that just have to be seen in person to be believed. Gosausee Austria is one of them.

Day 6 of our two week sojourn in Austria & Germany gave us one of the prettiest hikes we’ve experienced so far. Having spent the previous day on an easy hike & lounging around, we were ready for something a little more challenging (but not TOO challenging as I wasn’t sure how my knee would hold up). Our innkeeper Larry swore that Gosausee was one of the prettiest hikes in the region, with a breathtaking view at the midpoint of the loop.

Trusting Larry’s sage advice, we sprinted downhill to catch the “5 past 9 bus.” Larry told us everything we’d need to know about what bus to take & when to hop off & get on another one, so it was fairly easy. What took us by surprise was that we were the only non-Chinese people on the bus. Seeing that one of the couples was staying at the same inn as us, we attempted a stilted conversation & that’s how we found out that it was a national Chinese 10-day holiday. The nearby town of Hallstatt is a Unesco World Heritage site, so it’s very attractive to Chinese tourists who like to check off that “I’ve been here” list. Hence why we heard more Mandarin that day than German.

car driving narrow road around Gosausee Austria

The bus dropped us off at Gosausee, the lake region just south of Gosau, & THIS was the first view we had…

people standing by Gosausee Lake Austria

I promise I didn’t Photoshop this image in any way, the sky & water were really that clear. And that’s just the viewpoint! The natural beauty just got better & better as we began the 7.5mi loop around two lakes. Crystal clear water to our left, towering mountains ahead & to our right, with glimpses of pristine forest in between…wow! It reminded me of the Cascades region of Washington, only with more layers & quirky tidbits such as death plaques & drinking troughs.

Happily frolicking past lake, meadow & forest, Eric & I thought it was a cakewalk of a hike until we rounded the first lake & began a slowly misleading trek upward. By the time we realized how steep the climb would be, we were silently cursing Larry for saying “it’s just a wee steep”…until we reached the second lake & saw this…

alpine lake Gosausee Austria

THIS view was why Larry told us to take that hike, & I promise you that the photo doesn’t do it justice. A photo simply cannot capture the 360 view all around you. It can’t relay the sounds, & the smell, & the feel of crisp autumn air.

mountains with snow at Gosausee Austria

Eric & I stopped there for awhile, just sitting in silence & munching on trail snacks. The walk back around the opposite side of the first lake was just as pretty & I was disappointed to see the trail end.

woman hiking Gosausee Austria with fall leaves

Since we still had plenty of daylight left & my knee was cooperating, we decided to stop in Hallstatt on our way back to the inn. Had we listened to our innkeeper, we could have taken a different bus route & gotten there quicker…but we’re not always the sharpest tools in the shed…so we took the very first bus that came along & ended up waiting for 45min at a transitional stop. Which was fine in retrospect, because it afforded us the opportunity to watch a group of school kids hop off the bus to pee in the woods AND to observe a bus driver patiently wait for a very old Chinese man to stop & take a toilet break as well. Our faith in Austrian bus drivers was redeemed that day.

Hallstatt was gorgeous & one of the most unique places we’ve visited. The town was small (you could walk it in less than 30min) & it was built in layers, sandwiched between hills & a lake. Some of the buildings were built into the rock wall & there was a funicular (cable car) that took people up the mountain to the salt mines (which were the heart & wealth of this area for centuries). We enjoyed pastries at Maislinger Backerei & Konditorei, where the poor worker got stung by a bee while reaching for my strudel, informed us she was allergic, stopped to take medicine while we watched her finger swell, then promptly returned to her customers.

Maislinger backerei & konditorei in Hallstatt Austria

Have I mentioned that bees were in every pastry shop we went to in Austria & Germany? Or that my husband is deathly allergic to bees/wasps/hornets & carries an Epi pen with him at all times? He couldn’t BELIEVE someone would work in one of those bakeries with an allergy like that. Ahhhhh…for the love of pastries.

church and buildings of Hallstatt Austria

With more time, we would have toured the salt mine & walked what is supposedly a very pretty loop trail from the salt mines that takes you past waterfalls & great views of the valley below. But alas, the sun was setting & quite honestly, I was tired of the hundreds of tourists constantly fashion posing & poking me with their selfie sticks. Plus, we had to get back for dinner at 7pm…couldn’t miss one of Larry’s glorious dinners! Our plan was to take a boat across the lake, but we missed the last one & didn’t want to wait for a bus. So, we walked the 3mi around the lake, through the little village of Winkl, & on to Haus Hepi…with exactly 30min to spare before dinner.

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Europe, Hiking, Slow travel, Travel Diary, Walking Holidays

Walking the Koppenwinkl Loop

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river view while hiking Koppenwinkl Trail in Austria

In my last post, I waxed poetic about how Obertraun Austria is a mecca for hiking, which is why our intent was to hike every day that we were there. Unfortunately I was reminded once again that my 37 year old body is more like a 77 year old body…it can’t just keep going without rest. The RA kicked in by day 5 and my legs were shot. I had taken a muscle relaxer the previous night so I was also dopey when we woke up to a dreary rainy day. So we opted for a shorter route close by, the Koppenwinkl loop trail which took about 3 hours.

river and mist shrouded mountains on Koppenwinkl Trail

The Koppenwinkl trail followed the Traun river & began & ended in Obertraun. The advantage of rainy weather is that we got beautiful soft images and had the trail to ourselves.

fall foliage along river on Koppenwinkl Trail in Austria

Once we crossed the river, our walk became more wooded & we began to see moss covered rocks & a closer view of the mountain.

mist covered mountain on Koppenwinkl Trail in Austria

Once we passed through a meadow, we appeared to be heading away from the water but then we reached a swiftly moving stream, a barnyard & the Koppenwinklalm (lake). I wasn’t much impressed by the lake (looked murky to me, like a place Grendel’s mom might live) but I’ve been told it’s magical in the winter.

Along the trail we noticed memorials, which honor someone who died in that spot. Some were quite old & my favorites depicted how the person actually died.

death memorial sign on Koppenwinkl Trail

It may not have been the longer trail which we had planned, but the Koppenwinkl loop certainly did not disappoint. I spent the rest of that day in a drug induced stupor while Eric enjoyed sitting in his Poang chair sipping espresso, eating cookies & reading. Not a bad day after all.

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Europe, Hiking, Slow travel, Travel Diary, Trip Planning, Walking Holidays

Why I LOVE Salzkammergut

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couple kissing at mountain viewpoint in Salzkammergut Austria
I know it’s a bit of a mouthful, but truly the Salzkammergut region of Austria will make you believe that Heaven might possibly exist on earth.

Salzkammergut Hikers Paradise

Lake water so clear you can see the bottom. Forests with moss covered rocks & happy cows coming down a mountain with flowers festooned on their heads. Mountain huts welcoming the weary hiker with warm food & a beer or schnapps. A culture of people who seem happy to take life at a slower pace. A place where tradition is genuinely portrayed by the architecture, clothing & local celebrations. What ISN’T there to love about this place?

walking path from Obertraun to Dachstein with mountains

Nestled at the north central part of Austria near the alps, the pristine lake region of Salzkammergut is a hiker’s paradise! From easy flat walks along pristine alpine lakes to challenging long distance hikes along mountain peaks — this place has it all. Which is another reason why we chose to stay at Haus Hepi in Obertraun.

View from Haus Hepi with mountains in Obertraun

Hiking Base Obertraun

Obertraun is located in the southern part of this region, about 1.5 hours from Salzburg. It’s a small village with one grocery store, a church, a bakery, an excellent recreation complex, & quaint homes. What really makes it stand out for me (besides the totally awesome Haus Hepi) is that the train & bus stop is within easy walking distance & it doesn’t feel like a tourist town. You could spend two weeks in this one town without a vehicle & never get bored because hiking trails are all around you & beautiful towns are either across the lake or within a quick bus ride.

river crossing from Obertraun to Dachstein
On our first full day in Obertraun, we walked through town, past an amazing bike arena, through a forest up to the Dachstein Cable Car. This was about a 40min walk with some ascent but it wasn’t difficult & it gave us a chance to see the town. You can also take the bus, if you’re trying to save your stamina or your knees.

Once we arrived at the cable car station, we purchased our Panorama tickets for the ride up. The tickets cost €30 per person (ouch), but that’s our fault because we could have gotten a discount had we heeded our innkeeper’s advice. So, two cable car rides up & a short walk to the 5 Fingers lookout & we had views like this…

Salzkammergut viewpoint at 5 Fingers
The walk to 5 Fingers was full of tourists and not the greatest walk but it offered amazing views of Hallstatt and Obertraun far below. Certainly not worth €60 but what WAS worth that cable car price was our next walk.
signpost on Heilbronn loop trail in Austria
Heilbronn Loop

Heading back towards the cable car, we took the Heilbronn Circular Trail which was a 3hr, 8km walk around the mountain & up to the 3rd cable car, which we took down. That hike was AMAZING! It began with a steep descent then turned into windy paths with snow & breathtaking views.

woman hiking Heilbronn Trail in Salzkammergut Austria

Then we reached Heilbronner Kreuz, a cross marking the death of 13 students & teachers from Heilbronn Germany in 1954. Once we rounded this part of the mountain the sun began to shine, the snow disappeared, & green trees & meadows began to appear.

mountain hut in Salzkammergut Austria

We saw some crude alpine huts (didn’t look comfy but they did look warm, dry & clean). Three hours seemed like a short hike to me when we first began walking, but by the time we hiked the last trek up to the cable car, I realized three hours was just fine.

hiker standing in snow on Heilbronn Trail in Austria

Thoroughly awed by what we had seen that day, we took the cable cars back down the mountain & walked back for dinner. Visited with our innkeeper’s mom & “the Brits,” then settled in for some German television. Got hooked on a gameshow called Spiel Fuer Dein Land (Play for Your Country), which had German-speaking celebrity representing their respective countries answering questions about the Deutschland. Then we switched to German QVC and watched a guy gyrate on a mini trampoline and fell asleep to the German MTV equivalent. I blame lack of sleep & high altitude for our entertainment choices.

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