Two Day Tour

With the incessant rain, Georg and Julie organized a two day
tour. 98.732% of Austria is scenic, but where does one go
when it's rainy?

Day 1:

We drove about 3 hours to Mauthausen, one of the WWII
concentration camps. Not as well known as, for example,
Dachau and Auschwitz; its story is equally grim. We toured
the remaining buildings, the museum replete with photos and artifacts, and the post war memorials erected by various nations. It was emotionally exhausting. The most disturbing thing for me was the methodical and 'scientific' nature of the genocide. The site was relatively crowded with visitors, now almost 60 years after its liberation by U.S. forces.

Night 1:

We stayed in Bad Ischl which is at the confluence of the
Trauen and Ischl rivers. It was the summer playground of
the Hapsburgs, as was most of the Salzkammergut, the lake
region around Salzburg. It was also the site of Franz
Lehar's villa, purchased via his success with the 'Merry
Widow'. We wandered about in the rain in this beautiful
small city. Imagining the Hapsburgs in their playground,
while fresh from the Mauthausen visit, was totally bizarre.

Day 2:

We drove to Werfen to visit the world famous (even though
you may not have heard of them) Ice Caves. After a very steep but short drive up from the valley floor, we parked the car in one of the few open spots in the parking lot at about 1000 m. elevation. We expected a short walk to the cave entrance, but walked a bit further than expected to find a gondola lift. Since we were with Tiroleans we rejected the lift and the six of us (age range 9 years to 63 years) walked up to the top of the lift and then the rest of the way to the mouth of the cave. Inside, the elevation of the tour reached just under 1800 m. So this 9 year old Tirolean girl had no problem marching up the rather steep 800 m. rise.

The cave features dramatic ice cliffs, steep ice slopes, and stalactites/stalagmites of ice forming beautiful otherworldly sculptures. The conditions are exactly right to form ice from water that leaks in from springs and melting snow. Our tour explored 1 kilometer of the cave. Another 41 kilometers are mapped, but not open to the public. The average of 3 or 4 people who wander away from their tour guide are usually left for the cave bears.

When we left I sighted and photograped a Gams. Others in our now dispersed group saw several more, with kids. Eli, Sophie, and Julie took the lift down. Jessica and Georg scampered down the steep switchbacks. The old guy walked down carefully.

Night 2:

We made it back to Kirchberg. The Winters, old friends of Georg and Julie's, had arrived from Burgenland with their wine delivery truck and stayed overnight. Eli and I headed to bed , lest we learn too much German.

Richard
2004.07.16