Europe - Salzburg, Austria

After the BMW museum we headed south on the Bundesautobahn 8. Driving on the Autobahn was heaven. I felt like a fish reunited with water after a life in the desert. The Ford Fiesta was gutless, but in the unrestricted sections I was able to max it out at just over 100mph. It wasn’t the speed that was so refreshing; it was the skill level and lane discipline of the other drivers. Trucks have to drive in the right lane and the left lane is explicitly for passing. The result is the ability to move a high volume of traffic in just a few lanes. There were no indecisive, distracted, slow-in-the-left-lane, and generally shitty drivers. I’m sorry, but Americans are horrible drivers that operate in an overly restrictive and policed system catered to the lowest common denominator. In Germany driving is taken very seriously and getting a license requires real training. The overall efficiency of the system, the rules, the speed, and talented drivers made the drive south timely and pleasant.

The Autobahn

First Glimpse of the Alps

Our destination was Salzburg, Austria. My good friend Kim had put us in touch with his cousins Michael and Gabby. They own an inn called Hotel Zistelalm. It’s located near the top of a mountain called Gaisberg east of Salzburg. The hundred year plus old building was passed down through generations of the family and was a textbook picture of what an Austrian mountain inn would look like. Once we checked in we headed to the top of the Gaisberg for a walk. The twisty road up the Gaisberg made Colorado’s mountain roads look like super highways. It was barely one lane wide compared to US roads with huge exposure to un-guardrailed cliffs and turns. There is a hill climb race there that started in 1929.

The Narrow Road up The Gaisberg

An Apprehensive Jo

(from my driving)

Our Room at Hotel Zistelalm

Fun at the Playground

The top of the Gaisberg offered 360-degree views of Salzburg to the west, Bavaria to the north, and the Alps to the South. I met up with a local paraglider pilot who filled me in on the 3 different launches and cross-country routes off the Gaisberg. Jo and I walked around for a bit and headed back to the hotel for a lay-down. While we were in the room our car suffered a broken rear window. It was odd because it wasn’t broken enough to unlock the door and nothing was missing. I couldn’t find the projectile that caused the damage either. I chalked it up to vandalism or an accident. Either way we spent the rest of the evening getting a new Ford Fiesta that wasn’t as tricked out as our black one. When we made it back at midnight we were just happy to go to bed.

360-Degree Views from the Top of the Gaisberg

Vandalized Ford Fiesta

Ensuing Pain in the Ass

In the morning we enjoyed a proper Austrian breakfast complete with coffee so rich it made me curse the bitter acid Starbucks serves. We thanked Michael for his hospitality and headed up the Gaisberg one last time. The peak was buried deep in the clouds making it a mystical dream-like experience. Ghostly apparitions of Salzburg’s medieval buildings below would appear and disappear in the clouds.

Breakfast

Hotel Zistelalm Grounds

Our New Ride

Heads in the Clouds

Our plan was to spend half the day in Salzburg then head south into the Alps. Salzburg, birthplace of Mozart, has one of the best-preserved old towns north of the Alps. It is centered around the 17th century Salzburg Cathedral and the Hohensalzburg Castle, which was built in 11th century. Hohensalzburg is one of the biggest castles in Europe, set on top of a large hill in the middle of the city. It was continually expanded as recently as the 19th century. It’s notable for the Golden Chambers, added in the 15th century, and one of the first inclined railroads, built in the 16th century.

Old Town Salzburg

The Fischbrunnen Wilder Mann

(I don't know who this dude is, but he's badass)

The Hohensalzburg Castle

The Salzburg Cathedral from the Castle

The Golden Chamber

The Golden Toilet

Me Using It

(okay it was different one)

Scary Puppets

Scary Faces

After Salzburg we headed south on the A10 along the blue waters of the Salzach River towards Griefenberg. In the narrow valley north of Werfen we got off the highway in search of a waterfall we heard about. The Alps that surrounded us were the most majestic mountains I’ve ever seen. The steep rocky walls of the moraine valley made Colorado’s mountains look like molehills. As we rounded a corner into a wider part of the valley I caught a glimpse of something even more surreal. It was the Hohenwerfen Castle. The 11th century fortress was built on top of a hill at a choke point north of the town of Werfen. It was prettiest castle I’ve ever seen.

Headed South

The Tennegebirge Alps

The Hohenwerfen Castle

When we arrived at the parking lot I spotted an eagle with falconry jesses on its talons. It was one of the birds used in a daily raptor show put on at the Burg Hohenwerfen. We were too late and poor to tour the castle or see the show, but the photographic opportunities were plenty. We were also too late to see the Eisriesnwelt, the world’s largest ice cave, which was high in Hochkogel Mountain. We would have to settle for views of the Tennegebirge Alps, which were quickly being swallowed up by fast moving storm.

One of Two Hohenwerfen Castle Eagles on Patrol

Storm Clouds Engulfing the Mountains

Pressing On to the South

Trying to outrun the storm we pressed on to the south, arriving in Griefenburg just before sunset. That town, settled in another picturesque valley, would be home to our next adventures. Stay tuned…