Hello Again St. Wolfgang

Photos by Betsy

We were up rushing around this morning getting packed to have our luggage moved and getting our backpacks together for a walk. Once everything was packed and in the lobby for pickup, we studied the walk directions. We couldn’t just walk out of Hallstatt, we had to take a bus, maybe two depending upon the time and bus schedule, to another location and then begin our walk. We had some options today so we chose something that didn’t involve a lot of road walking. We prefer paths to asphalt.

The bus was supposed to arrive around 9:30, then 10, then 10:30. A crowd waiting on the bus was gathered staring at that tunnel in the mountain – the only way in and out of Hallstatt. The whole crowd got excited when we saw one emerge, but it was the wrong one.

We love Hallstatt, but this morning we were feeling trapped there. We saw a taxi pull up and drop someone and Betsy asked the driver if he could take us to Bad Ischl. He said he already had a fare. So she walked back to our hotel and asked about a taxi, but the hotel operator said taxis were unreliable and it would cost too much. Time is money and we were wasting a lot of time standing around.

Finally, a bus came that we could board, but it was going to require at least two bus changes and another couple of hours of waiting time. It was 11 a.m. and we were anxious to get across, or through, the mountain and to our walk. It took a while to board because most people buy tickets from the driver, plus there is a lot of confusion about which bus and a lot of languages being spoken. We were in the line to get on when a second taxi pulled into the lot and dropped someone off. I stepped out of line and walked over and asked what he would charge to take us to Bad Ischl. From there, we could catch the bus to Strobl (places we’ve been already, but the route is different today). He told me the price and I called to Betsy just before she was stepping up on the bus and we both climbed into the taxi. I could feel the eyes of the crowd on us and one guy came and asked if he could ride along to the train station, but that was the opposite direction from where we were going. Plus, the whole problem with the bus situation is that work is underway on the train track so some stations are closed.

Once in the taxi, I asked how much more it would cost to just drop us in Strobl. It felt like that scene from White Christmas when Bing and Danny are on the train and Danny keeps asking how much to Vermont. We opted to pay the extra money to Strobl to save time waiting on another bus in Bad Ischl. It was money well spent.

Our driver was born in Hallstatt and now lives with his wife in the same house in which he was born. His son runs the taxi company. He said his son is his boss at work and his wife is his boss at home and he’s happy with that arrangement. He told us about a three-week trip he made to the U.S. when he and his wife rented a motor home and traveled out west visiting the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Arches National Park and lots more places. He said it was trip that is still always in his mind because it was all so beautiful. We told him we felt the same about Austria and particularly the lake region where he has lived all of his life.

He dropped us right at the lake path so we could start the walk. It was a great path around the lake and then through some wooded area where the path was quite steep, but we needed that after not hiking the previous day. After a while, we realized we were on the path we missed a few days ago when we were lost but still on another great path by the river.

The lake water is so clear and so are the rivers we’ve seen. The actual drinking water is the best we’ve ever tasted, right from the tap. We’ve noticed it in the hotels and at every restaurant.

It was a lovely last walk in this region. We tried to take it all in and enjoyed the weather and the scenery.

Unfortunately, the path ran out before we got to St. Wolfgang and we walked on a roadside walk/bike path for a little more than a mile.

As we entered the village, we saw a restaurant with strategically placed outdoor tables and a wonderful view, so we took a seat for lunch. We both ordered an appetizer size salad with local feta cheese and lots of greens and sprinkled with rhubarb, cranberries, nuts and strawberries and dressed with an apple balsamic vinaigrette. It was delicious. Betsy ordered ravioli, which came with a lot more salad, and I ordered the grilled char filet and lentils. Mine was delicious. Hers was a little disappointing as the ravioli was made of wonton wrappers and fried. Plus, she didn’t expect another salad, though that’s certainly a healthy surprise. And it had some more of those juicy little tomatoes!

Our server was a friendly but sort of an acerbic kind of guy. Betsy asked his name; it sounded 10 syllables long. “Oh Lordy,” she said after hearing it and he laughed and told her to call him Timeo. She asked if his leather shorts were comfortable and he said they were and said he much preferred them to black pants, which we both were wearing. We liked him.

It was good to get back to the same hotel we stayed in the first night here. The woman working the desk had moved all of our luggage into our room, including those we had stored here earlier in the week. This time we have a room facing the lake with a wonderful little porch that we enjoyed.

We spent some time reorganizing our packing, putting all the hiking kit together since we won’t be needing sticks and hiking shoes in Vienna or Prague. The past two trips, we’ve shipped the hiking stuff back home and we may do that in Vienna, but we don’t want to spend half a day figuring that out. So, we’ll just see how it works out.

Tonight, we’re relaxing in the hotel, enjoying the view and looking forward to a good night’s sleep.

Next up: Vienna.