Gimmelwald, Schweiz (Switzerland)

I woke up to the most amazing view today, right from my bed here at Esther’s Guest House in Gimmelwald.  I mean, I opened my eyes and there it was.

I had breakfast with the British family; Mom and Dad and two young girls.  They are on a three week holiday in France, Germany, Italy and Switzerland and have one more week to go before heading home.

I spent some time catching up on my writing and checking emails and such and got a late start today.  But that’s OK, that’s the beauty of this trip.  I just decided I’d stay another night anyway.

I hiked to Mürren from Gimmelwald, the sign said it’s a 50 minute hike; that’s for people that hike.  For me, a little longer.  It was a constant upgrade with several switchbacks, but I made it in an hour and 15, with frequent stops.  If someone else came along, I greeted them and just pretended like I was taking pictures or some such thing and when they passed I returned to hanging over the railing, breathing heavy and wiping the sweat from my face.  The hike was fantastic though with breath taking views of Read Full Article & Comments…

Appenzell to Gimmelwald, Schweiz (Switzerland)

After a good night sleep and breakfast, I drove to Wasserauen, where I caught the cable car up to Ebenalp.  My goal was Berggasthaus Äescher.  I wanted to stay here but they were full, but I still wanted to see the place since I was in the neighborhood and all.

I started my hike down a scenic path.  Hiking down is tough on my knees and I have a tendency to sprain my ankles easily and that was on my mind.  If that happened, I’d be in a bit of a pickle and I seriously considered turning back, but curiosity got the better of me.  I just had to see what was around the next bend, and the next and the next.  I passed a couple of moo cows along the way and figured if they can do it, so can I.  Of course, they were lying down.  I just took it slow, watching Read Full Article & Comments…

Hallstatt to Zell Am See, Österreich to Appenzell, Schweiz
Hallstatt to Zell Am See, Austria to Appenzell, Switzerland

Another rainy day in Hallstatt.  It really hasn’t let up at all, this storm seems to be stalled over Hallstatt.  The creeks and streams and waterfalls are raging, I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s some flooding somewhere.  Tis time to go though; I have a long drive today to get to Appenzell in Switzerland.  I don’t have any reservations anywhere, my main target is Gimmelwald, but that would be too long of a drive so, Appenzell is a nice half way point that my friend Alba strongly recommended I see.

Once I was out of the lakes district, the weather was clear and sunny.  I had a great drive and a great time, it was a good full day.  I was in a great mood and just listening to my tunes going down the road.  Missed a couple of turns, but got straightened out eventually.  That’s getting so frustrating, I’m seriously considering buying a GPS.  I stopped in Zell am See and drove around a bit, lovely town.

The maps I have leave a lot to the imagination; I keep looking for better ones.  I came up to a booth of some sort and had to pay a fee, I thought I was in Switzerland and this is the road use permit or something.  After another couple of hours I came to a toll booth and I handed my credit card to the guy.  He looked at me real funny.  I looked around and noticed several serious looking men in uniforms.  Apparently, this was the Switzerland border and I just handed my credit card to the customs agent.  I don’t know what that other booth was.  Well, he handed my credit card back and I think he realized what Read Full Article & Comments…

Hallstatt, Österreich (Austria)

Oh my gosh, that bed here at the Gasthof Simony was so comfortable, it rivals my own bed.  I slept like a baby.  I awoke this morning to the sound of quacking ducks, a whippoorwill, and something that, I swear, sounded like a turkey gobbling, but it couldn’t be.  The sound of the water lapping up against the foot high timbered sea wall, the sound of the Stephanie going across the lake to pick up Hallstatt‘s first visitors of the day and the smell of breakfast added to the ambiance.  Boy, the wake up call service here is awesome.

After breakfast I returned to my balcony.  It’s a glorious cool morning and I can’t see the tops of the mountains for the clouds that are gently floating by about a hundred feet off the water.  On the garden deck below me, the cistern is full of water and is topped with gorgeous fresh flowers for temporary keeping while Read Full Article & Comments…

Salzburg to Hallstatt, Österreich (Austria)

Last year, I had planned a two-week trip to Europe for this summer, mostly in and around Paris.  Three months ago, I was flipping through the channels on a Saturday and came across PBS which was doing a pledge drive.  They were doing a marathon of Rick Steves‘ Europe Through The Back Door episodes and I got hooked.

One of the first episodes that I watched that weekend featured Hallstatt, Austria.  It looked so enticing; I decided I must go there.  I saw several places that looked great, but there were two that really got my attention, Hallstatt and the Cinque Terre in Italy.  But Hallstatt was the first that spoke to me.  It struck me as a place I could have several of those “perfect moments”, a place where I wouldn’t be able to think about other unimportant matters even if I wanted to, a place that would be a pure escape.  I did some research on the web, read Rick’s guidebooks and made a booking at the Gasthof Simony for a lakeside single room with balcony for two nights on August 14 and 15.

Today is August 14.  I woke up at the Salzburg Youth & Family Guesthouse Hostel, showered, had breakfast, checked out, and then sat back down in the lobby to research some places in Switzerland.  You see, Hallstatt is the last location that I pre-booked before starting this journey, so I needed to have a quick look on the web while I knew I had a good internet connection, make a couple of calls and book something for at least a couple three nights.  I’m extremely anxious to get to Hallstatt, which is only 78 km away by the way, but these things can’t be rushed.  They must be savored, like a fine cut of beef or a nice wine or whatever your favorite decadence.

I left Salzburg about noon, not really feeling good about Read Full Article & Comments…

Salzburg, Österreich (Austria)

Today is a down day to rest my weary feet, do laundry, pay bills, take a NAP, etc.  I mean really, what else would I do in Salzburg? I did manage to walk into town today for a bit and hung out at Mirabell Gardens.  Lovely.  And so much like a park.  Why, it could be a park; today, it was a park.  I did the usual park things; watch people, take some pictures.  Then I saw one of those city bus tour buses and thought why not?  At the last minute, I was moved to a small VW van, the overflow van.  It was me and a lady from Germany.  Our tour guide was a tiny lady named Barbara that could barely see over the steering wheel.  She was very informative though and answered all my questions.  Sweet lady, but couldn’t drive well at all.  I had quite the headache at the end of the tour.  It was just a 1.5 hour tour and it gave me a good intro to the city and I was able to get my bearings.  I figured I’d go Read Full Article & Comments…