GOSAU - Austria (Sat 18 July)

We woke this morning to rain, and plenty of it. If we were at home we would say that it had settled in for the day, but who knows. What we do know that the 6 degrees C is little hard to take after the days we have been having.

We were aiming for Salzburg today. We had a discussion last night about whether we would go there. After all Salzburg is the ‘Sound of Music’ capital, as it was filmed there, and it still attracts tour groups. Also Mozart was born there, but despite the fact that his fans flock there, Mozart couldn’t wait to leave. Although neither of us wanted to go on a ‘Sound of Music Tour’ or visit the house that Mozart was born in, we decided that it would be a shame not to go since we are so close.

We went into the info centre in a little place called Bad Ischl on the way. By the time we got there the clouds had lifted a little (despite the fact it was still raining heavily), and sitting just a couple of hundred meters above us was fresh snow. It had snowed over night and that morning. How cool is that, in Austria in the middle of summer and it snows! Not only cool, but very cold.

So we aborted our plans and went to the hot baths in Bad Ischl for several hours instead. Well they said hot, but by our standards ‘Tepid’ would be a more accurate description. But certainly warmer than outside.

After extracting ourselves from the warmth we went for a drive around the lakes and ended up less than 10 kms from Salzburg before heading for home again. You can imagine this being a very beautiful area … in fine weather. It was reiterated to us again, we would love to come back here in the spring. Winter might be another matter altogether.

I have already mentioned the heaps of firewood, but they really are impressive. The most organized heaps of firewood that I have ever seen. Imagine logs of wood about 1200mm long, all split lengthwise and stacked. Stacked side by side in an organized pile about 2 meters tall and 20 – 30 meters long. That is what you see in almost every back yard. Some will have several of these, some will have a shed for the purpose that will have a roof and the two end walls, some of the sheds will be double sided. Whatever the method, firewood is a serious business. I said that the lengths were about 1200 mm, but there is no ‘about’ about it. I saw an older couple cutting up logs for firewood and they had a measure stick that they used to make sure that every length was exactly the same. The whole approach reminds you of a squirrel working away to store away nuts for the winter. It’s the same here, on a fine day it is a hive of activity haymaking, cutting firewood, or getting outside to ride bikes or some other outdoor activity. You get the impression that they are getting ready for the long winter, and the long hours indoors.

Oh … and by the way, it is still raining. No let up today, and no photos. Let’s hope it is clear in the morning.