Showing posts with label Lienz. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lienz. Show all posts

Thursday, July 25, 2024

Grossglockner Nationalpark: The Moelltal

 


Many skiers know the Moelltaler Gletscher (Glacier) as a fantastic Ski area south of the Grossglockner, the highest mountain in Austria.  But as beautiful as the snowed-in Moelltal is in Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall are at least as attractive for visitors!






If you come from or drive towards the Grossglockner Summit (3,798 meters), hold your horses, stop the car and take a long walk through the flower-blooming meadows and inhale the aromatic mountain air.  



.



Watch the mountain farmers working in high-elevation farm areas mowing the hay with sickles and filling their hay stakes to let it dry for winter storage.  The cows cannot graze fresh food in winter and need to be fed with this hay.



.


Visit the Putzenhof, a wonderful restaurant where you can enjoy delicious food - in fair weather served in their garden under huge shade-spending trees. But that´s not all: the large building houses the gold-digging museum. The area was once famous for its precious metal and gold has been traditionally mined here in the valley and its surroundings.






Homes, churches, and even a small castle give the appearance a homey and cozy feeling due to the liberal use of wood, overhanging roofs, and window boxes filled with colorful flowers.



.



Visitors can even make a road trip on a steep, narrow winding road up to an Alm (meadows in the mountains) from where they can discover the mountain tip of the Grossglockner (Glockner Blick), walking over meadows where cows are grazing.  There is also a guesthouse where visitors can stay overnight, and have a typical Austrian meal.  The view towards the mountain peaks is stunning!



.

Come and enjoy this beautiful Moell Valley any time of the year, smell the roses and the fresh hay, and admire the lovely mountain buildings and the snow-covered peaks.  Visit waterfalls, white-water streams, the gold-mining museum, and drive up to the high-mountain meadows (or even better walk).  This valley has the best of an old-fashioned ¨Sommerfrische¨.








.


<><><><><>

.



Monday, December 30, 2019

Discover Europe by Train




Travel to Switzerland, Austria, and Italy by train - instead of by plane. A great mixture of scenic routes and travel destinations worth discovering leads through the Alps. 

The right ticket for a two- to three-week tour with a total of seven days of travel: the Global Pass for 335 euros (those under 28 or over 59 pay only 258 and 302 euros respectively). And until December 31 you will get a 10% extra discount!

.
Here is a Trip Example:
Stage 1: Trip to Switzerland to Lausanne on Lake Geneva. From there, we like to take the regional train to Saint-Saphorin or Chexbres and relax for a few days in the Lavaux wine region. Overnight tip: the Auberge de la Gare in Grandvaux.
.
Stage 2: The route from Lausanne through the Valais to Brig, where you change trains, is a scenic highlight. We will stay in Andermatt for a few days for hiking. A cozy place to stay is in the Guesthouse Bären.



.
Stage 3: Again there are great views. We drive via Chur to Tyrol and discover Innsbruck at our leisure. A great small hotel is Gasthof Weisses Roessl in the quiet downtown of Innsbruck where you can walk everywhere.

Stage 4: From Innsbruck, we drive via Fortezza in northern Italy over the Brenner route to Lienz in East Tyrol. Overlooking Lienz, there is a lovely place to stay, even for a couple of days: Pension Gaimberg.



Stage 5: It leads to Trieste on the northern Adriatic. The combination of Italian flair and Habsburg history is absolutely worth seeing! A much-praised place is the Bed & Breakfast Punto8, located near the old town.

.
There are now two days left on the Interrail Pass for the return journey to Germany - perhaps with a stopover in Vienna or Salzburg.












.
<><><><><>
.