Category Archives: Summer

Splendid Strasbourg, France, 6-2015

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The pronoun and verb “I do” were the best two words that I have ever spoken in my life. This simple phrase has brought me happiness for over 25 years and were spoken to the love of my life, Franz. In celebration of our silver anniversary we wanted to visit a city that exuded romantic ambience where we could reflect on the past, revel in the present, and plan for the future. We chose the quaint but sophisticated city of Strasbourg, France. And an excellent choice it was. This ancient city is situated on the shores of the Ill river near the Rhein that separates France and Germany. It also serves as the seat of the European Parliament as well as the capital of the winemaking Alsace region. At the heart of the city center is the Grande Ile which is a UNESCO World Heritage site.


Strasbourg not only lived up to but exceeded our expectations. From our Hotel Cathédrale suite in the historic center we had an amazing view of the 1439 year old Gothic Notre-Dame Cathedral with its single soaring spire and intricate details of the ornamentation. The evening luminance of the stained glass windows was stunning. We enjoyed our time strolling the cobbled streets lined with Rheinland black and white timbered facades, colorful flower boxes, and flowing canals. A boat tour we took highlighted the eclectic mixture of architectural styles ranging from the sleek Parliament to the charming La Petite France that reflected the historical influences from the Romans to Martin Luther and the present.

This blending of Franco/Germanic culture is deliciously expressed in the food and wines of the region. We indulged in the typical Alsatian dishes including Choucroute garnie (sauerkraut, potato, and pork), La Tarte Flambée (German/French pizza), Jambon En Croute (ham, onions, leeks, with a dough crust) and Beerawecka (Alsatian pastry) and of course, my favorite Crème Brûlée. Yummy! Wines bars and Winstube (wine & food) are plentiful and we imbibed our fair share of fermented grape juice. The province of the Alsace Lorraine wines are renown for their white wines that include Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris, Sylvaner and Muscat and a light bodied red Pinot Noir. For our anniversary dinner we chose a small restaurant in the La Petite France quarter called La Cambuse that specializes in Vietnamese/German fusion cuisine. And pleased we were. The restaurant has a nautical theme and the seafood selections were exquisite. We enjoyed the house speciality which is a Vietnamese ravioli stuffed with sea bream in a fragment cilantro broth. Heavenly. It was a memorable evening, with my wonderful husband, in a beautiful place. I look forward to the next 25 years.

http://www.tourisme-alsace.com/en/strasbourg-tourism/
http://www.foodandwine.com/articles/insiders-strasbourg

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Round Up Austrian Style, Schwarzenberg, Austria, 9-2014

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Where have all the cowboys gone? Well in September they’ve gone to round up some ole’ cattle in the Austrian alps and that’s where Franz and this western gal headed out to witness this unique tradition. Every year in late autumn throughout the mountain regions the milk cows and goats are brought down by their Lederhosen clad handlers from the high meadows in the Austrian version of the cattle drive. But this “ain’t” the Wild West. It’s the picturesque valley town of Schwarzenberg in Western Austria. The content cows have pastured high in the alps since the snow melt in late spring feasting on the bounty of native herbs and flowers that add the unique flavor and aromatic goodness to their milk. These busy bovines have spent the summer producing liquid gold and in the Alms the cheese makers have painstakingly handmade their labor into the wonderful alpine cheese the Bregenzerwald is famous for.

For 400 years the flower laden cattle herds have descended from the mountains into the valleys below where they are welcomed back in the Alpabtrieb (cattle drive) where locals dressed in their traditional attire and tourists alike await the highly anticipated lactose laborers from their summer season back into the valley to spend the long winter. It was a lively festival atmosphere in town while awaiting the arrival of the celebrated cows. And upon hearing the distant clanging of hundreds of bells there was a perceptible change that reverberated throughout the crowds. The Alphorn musicians that were placed on the main road into town began playing announcing the approach of the herds. At the head of each herd was the most beautifully decorated cow adorned with flowers wreaths that symbolized that she had produced the most milk throughout the summer. If a herd had suffered a loss of an animal during their grazing months they are not decorated. As the procession came into town the noise of lowing and bells was deafening. The cattle entered the town square with the enthusiastic crowd welcoming them back with much applause and admiration for the beautiful bovines.

Within the Bregenzerwald there are collectively 9000 head of cattle alone. Of the herds that came down into Schwarzenberg there were 1500 head and in the group we welcomed there were 500 head that had begun at 3:00 am and had come from the Schröcken Alp driven for over 12 hours. That’s a long and arduous trail considering its alpine vertical terrain. “Dang! Them are some hardy ole’ mountain buckaroos and cattle.”

So in honor of the festive occasion we had a “hankering for some local fixins’ and went to fetch us some grub” at the Gasthof Hirschen diner and “chuck down some vittles” that included Käsespätzle which is a dish made from Spätzle (dumplings) layered with aged Bergkäse (mountain cheese) and topped with crispy onions. So folks that’s how “them thar Bregenzerwälders round up thar cattle Austrian style. Yee-haw!”

http://www.bregenzerwald.at/w/en/history-and-tradition

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Scaling the Marmolada by Via Ferrata, Italy, 9-2014

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Once a year I get together with three of my cousins and a couple of friends and scale a mountain, preferably one with a glacier where we also have to climb a bit. This year’s choice was the Marmolada, the queen of the Dolomiti mountains in Northern Italy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marmolada). We chose the highest of the five summits on the ridge, the Punta Penia. We drove to our starting point near the town of Canazei. The area is called South Tyrol, it was the site of heavy mountain combat in World War I (http://www.worldwar1.com/itafront/marmolada.htm). After hiking for an hour and a half we reached our beautiful hut for the night, the Rifugio Contrin (http://www.rifugiocontrin.it). After a good night’s sleep we started our tour and reached the “Forcella Marmolada” in a couple of hours.

Marmolada1

That was where the real fun began. A “via ferrata” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Via_ferrata) is an “iron path” that leads up the steep rock face. We all brought a via ferrata kit which served to attach the climber to the metal cable. Every few yards one has to disconnect the carabiners one at a time to continue to the next rock joint. This enabled us to scale the steep rock face that would otherwise have been impossible to climb. Below you can see the entire course starting at the bottom right.

Marmolada Westgrat Klettersteig

 

Two hours later we reached the end of the via ferrata and the beginning of the glacier. Here we took out our crampons, attached three people to one climbing rope for protection against falling into a crevasse, and marched to the peak.

Marmolada

We then descended along the glacier, on the diagram above on the bottom left. An antique single person lift then took us to the bottom of the valley. It was a fantastic two day tour!

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Celts, Salt and Skulls in Hallstatt, Austria, 8-2014

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The aged surface of the skull was intricately painted with tendrils of ivy and flowers adorning the precious piece. Details from its past life were carefully scribed in old German with a Maltese Cross placed just above the vacant eyes that gazed forever into eternity. Who was this person who had inhabited this skull? And who were the others that rested in the small room below the St. Michaels Church overlooking Hallstatt Lake in Austria. This candlelit ossuary has been the resting place for many of the former residents of the small town with over 700 painted skulls and 500 undecorated ones that have been carefully arranged in family groupings. This unique collection of skulls in the Beinhaus (Bonehouse) is the largest of its kind in the world representing a long tradition of the Hallstatt people in honoring their dearly departed in this unique manner.

 

The charming village called “the Pearl of Austria” occupies a narrow space between the steep granite faces of the Dachstein mountains and Hallstatt Lake. The emerald waters plunge to 126 meters and runs 5.9 kilometers long making it a popular destination for scuba diving. Its depths is home to a aquatic treasure the Reinanke fish that is found here and in only one other lake in the region and makes for some delicious eating.

Soaring peaks preside over this idyllic setting and hold another hidden cache of wealth deep inside the cavities of the dark stone. Hallstatt is the site of the earliest known salt mine in the world and this valued white mineral has been mined here since 5000 BC. The area in and around Hallstatt has been inhabited continuously from Neolithic times with both Celts and Romans establishing their roots here. Acknowledged for its universal value it has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for Cultural Heritage. The pristine beauty and recreation possibilities of Hallstatt and the greater Lake region of the Salzkammergut has since earlier times been sought out by the nobility. It was the choice for the summer residence of the former Austrian/Hungarian Emperor Franz Joseph and his court who had established elegant estates in the region and today it continues to lure visitors from around the world. The Chinese have even gone one step further and have replicated their own version of Hallstatt in the province of Guangdong.
http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/xeroxed-village-chinese-secretly-copy-austrian-unesco-town-a-768754.html

Despite its diminutive size the town has a informative museum that traces its historical roots and the importance of salt and iron to its development. The Hallstatt Museum exhibits a rich display of iron goods and Celtic artifacts that offer a  look into its fascinating past. Two other places of interest are the touring of the local salt mine complete with an underground lake and the other entails boarding a cable car, or hiking, up to the stunning Dachstein Ice Caves. They both offer a special exploration into the beauty that lies within the caverns of these limestone alps and definitely merits a visit. Another highly recommended excursion is our restaurant of choice the Seewirt Zauner. This Gasthaus is known for its regional fish specialities and one can indulge in the delicate Reinanke and enjoy a glass of fine Austrian wine. Yummy! In addition to its cultural offerings there are many opportunities to participate in sporting and outdoor activities that abound in the region. Hallstatt is a sparking gem among of the riches to be found in the Salzkammergut region.

http://www.hallstatt.net/home-en-US/
https://dachstein.salzkammergut.at/en/austria/poi/430010148/hallstatt-museum.html
https://www.salzwelten.at/en/hallstatt/
https://dachstein-salzkammergut.com/en/news/opening-times/summer-operation/opening-times-caves/
https://www.seewirt-zauner.at/en/restaurant-2/

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Mountain Biking in the Bregenzerwald, Austria, 6-2014

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On a very hot June morning my friend Alejandro and I set out to explore the local mountains by mountain bike. We went from Bregenz to Dornbirn and then started scaling the “hinterland”. At Kehlegg we reached a point high above the Rhine valley. Continuing on through the woods on dirt roads we climbed higher and higher until we reached our destination, the Weissenfluhalpe. Sharing the view from this lovely spot were numerous mountain bikers and countless cows that are spending the entire summer in lofty heights on fat meadows.

Weissenfluhalpe

Alex arrived with a bang, his rear tire exploded exactly as we pulled up to the hut. We decided to have a “Radler” first, a refreshing drink mixed from beer and lemonade, it translates to “biker”. After a short break we proceeded to fix Alex’ bike. Since we didn’t have a spare tire we cut up the old inner tube and created a few layers of protection under the gash, and then put about half of the normal pressure in the tire. We were wondering how long this temporary fix was going to last. But alas, we made it down the other side of the mountain to Bezau, the main town in the Bregenzerwald. After a wonderful raspberry cake at the Café Natter we decided to continue our quest. We jumped on the main bike path through the valley and cruised (I cruised and Alex hobbled) to Andelsbuch. From there the bike path is the old railroad track of the narrow gauge Bregenzerwald train (lovingly called the “Wälderbähnle”), http://www.waelderbaehnle.at. The train now runs only from Andelsbuch to Bezau because there were several land slides in the gorge of the Bregenzer Ache, along which the train used to run. After Egg the track dives down into the gorge and stays next to the river all the way to Kennelbach, close to Bregenz. Currently the track is only maintained until the campground in Doren, http://www.camping-bregenzerache.at. After that it becomes very difficult to navigate, there is a half collapsed bridge and two tunnels to cross, and countless small land slides cover the track and make you carry the bike for up to several hundred meters. We had planned to do it, but progress was seriously slowed by the continuous flattening of Alex’ tire. He had to work at least twice as hard as me during the whole ordeal. We were considering what to do next at the campground when a very nice man overheard us and offered us to drive us to our car. We had been on the road for around 5 hours by then and gratefully accepted this amazing offer.

biking the Bregenzerwald

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High above Lake Constance in Eichenberg, Austria, 5-2014

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This morning we awoke to such a lovely spring day and it was quite warm for mid May. We decided to venture out on our local mountain the Pfänder and to explore a few well worn trails above our house beginning at the small village of Eichenberg. But most importantly it was around noon mealtime so naturally we had to begin our walk with lunch at one of the best local butchers around these parts called the Fesslerhof. If you are a meat eater, as we are, the Austrian butcher experience is not to be missed. The Fesslerhof butchers only local animals from our region that have been raised on the grasses of the area and that is full of all the necessary and good nutrition to raise healthy and tasty animals to sell at their high quality Metzgerei. We all had wonderful choices from the menu such as sausages, Leberkäse (formed meat loaf of beef, pork, bacon and onions) and a wurst salad which is sliced bologna with pickles, onions, local cheese, topped with a vinegar dressing. We washed it down with a slightly fermented cider called Most and Franz with a refreshing Radler which is a thirst quenching beer and lemonade mixture. What way to begin a walk in the local neighborhood!

Eichenberg has a lovely small church called Heiliger Bernhard (St. Bernard’s) that is situated in the center of the village overlooking the lake and situated amongst a few very good restaurants that serve wonderful cuisine from the region. One notable restaurant is the four star Schönblick (beautiful view) that we frequent on special occasions especially when we have out of town guests because the view of the entire Bodensee region and the lake does not get any better than from the patio. The menu and wine list is wonderful as well. I highly recommend it and don’t forget to eat their specialty dessert platter that tastes as good as it looks.

There are many walks that begin from Eichenberg. The walks are quite easy and accessible and the trails are clearly marked and well maintained. They take the leisurely stroller through fields of flowers and cow pastures, rustic barns, and traditional Bregenz farm houses with window boxes lined with cascading geraniums. And small streams flow down the mountain as they make their way to empty into the Bodensee waiting below. Trees, birds, bees, blowing wind, chicken, crickets, mooing cows and bells are the sights and sounds that leave a relaxing impression on the lucky hiker. Now that’s my way to spend a leisurely afternoon high above Lake Constance.
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Water Games in the Rappenlochschlucht, Austria 5-14

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We had one of my sisters from the States visiting this week. This is her third time visiting us and we had tried to get to a beautiful gorge outside the nearby town of Dornbirn called the Rappenlochschlucht (Black stallion hole gorge). The gorge is one of the the largest in central Europe and is fed by the Dornbirner Ach (river). On her first visit it was closed due to the lingering winter conditions, and the second time it was closed due to an enormous rockslide that happens once a millennium. And what a rockslide it was! It was incredible to have seen the damage that a falling off of a large hunk of the rock slope created within the ravine. Luckily it happened when the gorge was closed and no one was injured. But nevertheless we were finally able to visit the lovely natural wonder. The pathways have been rebuilt at great cost and effort and the results are good. Unfortunately for one who has visited this site before the rockslide it’s a bit disappointing because the path has been diverted to run high up above the gorge and not down at the water level as it had been earlier. The gorge is at its best when one can view the towering rocks and waterfalls from the gorge floor. But there are still areas that one can view the the gorge at the base and can admire the enormity and marvel at the power of running water.

_DSC9611

The force of the flowing water has been harnessed for hydroelectricity and its hundred year old power turbines are still in use today. The energy generated was originally used to power a well known textile plant that was located on the lower elevations of the gorge. In earlier times the textile industry was a great source of wealth within the region. And this is demonstrated by the Rolls Royce Museum and the Crib Museum that are located near the park entrance that earlier had belonged to the wealthy Hämmerle textile dynasty and is a testament to the money created from the water and textile combination. Today the collections are open to the public and are worth a peek. The energy generated in the present time is fed into the power grid of the state of Vorarlberg.

It was a good timing for a visit because it had been raining the past week and there was plenty of flowing H2O and it was especially dramatic. The gorge is all about water and more water. What’s really nice about this site is just how accessible it is. This proved to be helpful due to a ski injury my sister had suffered this past winter and her knee was still recovering but the path was very doable for her. The Rappenlochschlucht is a “show gorge” and has nicely laid out and clearly marked pathways with the occasional bench to rest or simply enjoy the view and it has two small kiosks where you can sit and have a coffee or a small snack. Also at the entrance of the gorge is a small restaurant with a beautiful view of cascading water that serves up good local fare. A visit to the natural beauty of the Rappenlochschulcht is a wonderful way to while away the afternoon.

 

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Sailing on Lake Constance, Austria, 9-13

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 Lake Constance is as close to my heart as the sea is to the fisherman whose livelihood depends on it. I grew up a few hundred meters from its shores, and it seems like I lived in the water during the summer months during my childhood. The lake is shared by Austria, Germany, and Switzerland, and the Rhine has its first river delta, a bird sanctuary, on the Austrian shoreline. Besides its natural beauty the lake is home to all kinds of water sports. Fortunately the amount of power boats is strictly limited so that sailing enthusiasts make up the majority of boaters.

In Bregenz it is possible to have a small sailboat without being a member of a yacht club, the city owns a meadow on the lake, and anybody can apply for a spot there. I received mine after waiting for a year, and then looked for a sailboat that would suit my needs. I found it in an older but sturdy Laser II that can be sailed singlehandedly or with two people, if there’s enough wind. With a sailing area of under 12 square meters it keeps below the legal requirement for having a sailing license. So now I can take my bicycle and ride down to the boat for an enjoyable cruise on my favorite lake. Come with me!

Bodensee

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