Europe, Hiking, Slow travel, Travel Diary

Walking the Koppenwinkl Loop

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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 67 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 very 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.
The Koppenwinkl trail followed the Traun river & began & ended in Obertraun. The advantage of rainy weather is that we got beautiful soft images such as these…
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Europe, Hiking, Slow travel, Travel Diary, Trip Planning

Why I LOVE Salzkammergut

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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.

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?

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

Why I LOVE Haus Hepi

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Obertraun Austria

Have you ever stayed at a place where you thought, “I could live here” or “I would like to be adopted by these people?” Well, that is EXACTLY how we felt after a five night stay at Haus Hepi in Obertraun, Austria.

A year ago when I began planning a trip “somewhere” in Europe, I knew two things: we wanted beautiful landscapes for hiking & a place to stay that felt like home. I looked at farm stays all across Bavaria & Iceland, coastal cottages in Portugal, villas in Costa Rica. I used a lot of non-English search terms, trying to find lodging that only the locals would know about…and that’s when I discovered Haus Hepi. I had never heard of Obertraun, but Haus Hepi’s site said they had a hiking package which included customized advice on hiking itineraries plus transportation from Salzburg plus the option to add dinner prepared by a professional chef. PERFECT! I built the rest of our two week trip around this place, & boy am I SOOOOOO glad I did.
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