Slovenia - Triglav National Park

Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads -  Henry David Thoreau 

Few Images from Triglav National Park :

Some mist, some clouds , the golden hues , Lake Bled at sunrise

As the Golden Rays burst out from behind the Julian Range.

Less than couple of hours later, from another side of the lake .

Hayracks - unique to Slovenia , primarily used for drying hay Or animal fodder. 

Julian Alps  from Kranjska Gora. This region, is also very close to Austria and Italy borders.

Emerald green water and unspoiled surroundings of Zelenci Spring at Zelenci Nature Reserve

Soca - is one of the rare rivers to retain it's emerald color entirely through it's flow.

Lake Bohinj, another glacial lake, is the largest permanent lake in Slovenia

Blazing sunset over the Julian Alps.  Had never imagined will experience it this close .With Mangart  at the background, this is at 2679 metres , the original road across Vrsc Pass was constructed by Russian POW  during WWI in 1915.

Probably one of the last shots of the day .

Salzkammergut - Part III

GOSAU - A Paradise for Real !!

It so happened, while I was building my itinerary (which went through several iterations before I settled on that final one), I happened to stumble upon some images of this incredibly beautiful village called “Gosau”. One look and I did not need any reasoning why/if I want to be there – I just checked all possible logistics and nearest location feasible for commuting. And as it turned out a very easy route from Hallstatt !

The bus (542) from Hallstatt to Gosausee (ie the Gosau Lake) takes less than 20 minutes. Along the route The views kept me engaged ! I reminded myself , This is Salzkammergut and I should expect nothing else. The view is precisely seamless and unless you notice the signboards that indicate beginning and end of each village, you would imagine it’s one big village/town. Somewhere in between I realised here is Gosau. As I waited with all my contained excitement for the bus to halt at it’s designated stop,  I realised to my horror we’ve passed by the village and now we are somewhere near a lake !! All my co-passengers alight here and a disconcerted self now informs the driver that I wanted to get down at Gosau village.  A few words of conversation with the gentleman (which he truly was) I am given to understand since there was no indication from anybody he drove past !

Now, we are at Gosau Lake and he equips me with some info, “ this is where everyone comes to, not the village..Nobody goes there , don’t you want to see the lake “ ..

Okaayy – but I have to go to the village – I have come this far and I just can’t go back with the Window views in my memory . 

He probably gauged my disconsolate state. He said “ Ok go and take a look at the lake , in few minutes I will be going back But not in that direction entirely. I can drop you at a point from where it’s a few minutes walk “  -  This was a moment of divine intervention !

I very quickly wrapped up my Lake side time, got some unmindful images and rushed back.  It was about  8-10 minutes drive and he explained me the directions on the way . 

At Gosausee

My drive back to the point from where I should find Gosau.

I thanked and thanked this gentleman profusely and started on the route as explained to me.
Gosau is not a remote location but (thankfully) it’s not on the usual tourist radar.  
It’s a slice of paradise.

For someone who resides in a concrete forest and amidst a maze of gleaming tall-rises, where if you do not find another human in less than a meter you are engulfed with doubts if something is wrong in the city,  THIS  was nothing short of a Paradise. From the moment I stepped here and as far as my sights could go, there was not a soul around.  Here I am strolling through these pathways amidst vast stretches of greens, surrounded by the Limestone Alps and dense alpine forest with most beautiful clusters of cottages and Not a soul around. Nowhere!  Occasionally a car would pass by with someone waving or smiling but that’s it.  This time that I had here,is the most cherished from the first half of my trip. No clutter in my mind.. No thoughts …I was just engrossed in absorbing all that was bestowed upon…It is not everyday I stroll through an endless natural green carpet and get a feel that I am the only resident here.Miraculously, the weather too seemed to clear out and let me be there.

90 minutes down , I sensed I should trace my path back . I knew the last bus schedule and the time was getting closer for the 2^nd last bus . I have to reach back to Bad Ischl and then to Salzburg. By now I had wandered somewhere in the middle of the village. And to trace back my path I need some help and here lies a bigger challenge – To seek help I need to spot a human first !  I start to retrace my path and only hoping to be able to locate the bus stop before the last one goes by.

After about 15-20 minutes later I meet them and have to walk past them – Only two things were on my mind  a) Wish you spoke my language  b) Please just stay where you are, I am not here to harm you !

Sigh of relief from a few feet away !

As much as I longed to stay back and explore more here, one part of my mind kept pushing me to get to the main road from where the buses go. I was earlier informed by the Samaritan, that I should find a bus stop every 400-500 metres. I just wanted to find somebody now who could give me some sense of direction !

And finally I found this couple. They were extremely kind and explained me patiently . I found the  bus stops (and yes every 500 metres ! ) but hey now I need to decode the schedule that’s on the board .. This way or that way, which side of the road !!!  Well, If not mastered but over the last couple of days I had gathered some elementary sense of decoding the format . And guess who’s driving on this route to Bad Ischl  – Once again the Good Samaritan .

Here’s more from Gosau !

And  finally on the route to go back .

(For better viewing experience, please click on the images and scroll through the right/left arrow keys ).

Salzkammergut - Part II

HALLSTATT.. . did it pop out of a postcard  !!

After my previous day's timed tour, I decided come hail..come storm, I will stick to my own itinerary the following day.
Next day soon after breakfast, with no hail & no storm but some clouds I headed for Hallstatt couple of hours from Salzburg, a village by the Lake Hallstatt whose existence goes back to 7000 years . 

The first view of Hallstattersee 

Hallstatt is a popular lakeside village in Austria and you should be prepared to expect a lot of crowd. It is also known for the oldest salt mine in the world dating back to prehistoric times.There are separate Salt Mine tours and one should allocate atleast half a day if you want to visit the same.
It's just very nice to wander around the charming cottages through the lanes and climbing over the steps to have some rooftop views over Hallstatt. Plenty of souvenir shops and lovely lakeview restaurants, some dating back to 14th-15th century when they were breweries or other storehouses. I randomly chose one such where I spotted an empty table perfectly located facing the views.

As the ferry slowly approaches closer to the village , that's the sight of Hallstatt

 

Many do opt to spend a couple of relaxing days here and once the crowd has dispersed by evening, you have it all to yourself. Surrounded by the mountains with the clouds hovering as low as they can get, alpine forests and a glassy lake, the setup is surreal. A day trip is good as it's a very small village but if you can stay back it can add to your experience .

How to reach :
Now this is a 3-step journey. 
1) From Salzburg, Bus 150 takes you upto Bad Ischl.
2) from Bad Ischl you board the train which takes less than 30 minutes to Hallstatt (you will not miss the train as the train and bus timings are kind of aligned ). 
3) At Hallstatt,the train stop is at the other side of the lake and you need to take the ferry which will take you to the Lakeside village. Again timings are aligned and you will get regular ferry services and takes not more than 10 minutes to reach the other side. 

It may seem bit complex with all the changes but it's all very simple and you don't need to go search the stations...the bus/train drop you exactly where you' ll get your next connecting transport.

Salzkammergut - Part I

Ever since I had seen the images of Salzkammergut region, it was always on my mind to be here someday. The countrysides lured me with its pristine landscapes and views straight from a postcard. Salzkammergut, is the region that stretches from Salzburg to Upper Austria, surrounded by Salzkammergut mountains(part of the Alps), dense green alpine forests,glacial lakes,rolling green meadows, and dotted with very typical pretty cottages. However, Salz means Salt and Salzkammergut means "Estate of Salt Chamber". In earlier days this used to be a prosperous zone thriving on Salt mines. It was such an important and valuable commodity in those days, Salt was known as White Gold.

My original plan was to cover St.Gilgen & St.Wolfgang on Day 3 but due to weather conditions I had to swap my itinerary between Day 2 and 3. Weighing the pros n cons and so that I don't lose more time, decided to join a tour group and informed the hotel which they coordinated. Started around 2 pm with Panaroma Tours and the tour was for 4.5-5 hours (with travel - yes very little time !). The tour guide gave us a lot of information about the region during the drive (The pros).

We drove amidst lush green valleys,by the lake sides with turqouise water and  Limestone Alps and came to a view point where we were given 5 minutes to absorb all that was in front of us (300 seconds ?? The cons)..seriously I mean you have 300 seconds to absorb the sights...compose the frame..recompose..hold to the moment ..and not to forget the digital vices..Huh! Anyways he generously added a couple of more minutes. That was the first view of  St.Wolfgangsee ( See in German means lake) . 

The lake has settlements around it and the most popular ones are St.Wolfgang, St.Gilgen ,Strobl and few more.

Another few minutes drive and we reached St.Gilgen from where we would board the Ferry/Boat for a 45 minutes ride and finally reach St.Wolfgang village. 

Below are few images taken from the boat.

St.Gilgen is a very charming village but unfortunately could not explore it due to the fixed plan I was bound to .

St.Gilgen 

Leaving St.Gilgen behind

Approaching St.Wolfgang

On reaching St.Wolfgang we were briefed about the town's history and some know-how . We could then wander on our own but within a limited time frame .

The frescoes and windows ...The oh-so old world charm !

We hurriedly completed our "timed"  self-tour of the town and gathered back at the square as was instructed. The journey back took us through the same scenery with more grey skies and a spell of shower. 
Though this was'nt exactly how I had planned this day trip, but that is travel - the uncertainties can drop by anytime. But, with the turqouise lakes, a scenery to behold and the old world setups every moment was beautiful  .

I was based out of Salzburg and this region can be easily covered on day trips . There are numerous lakes and villages and it's not possible to cover all in a short duration but you can choose a few. You can also divide your stay between Salzburg and any of the scenic towns in salzkammergut. 

How to reach :

Option a) 
Bus - Easy & Convenient- There are regular buses at frequent intervals starting from Salzburg Main station(ie Bus 150). The last drop location is Bad Ischl and there are numerous lakes and towns in between. you can actually hop-off/hop-on on the route and decide on covering the places of your interest. But very important- you must know the bus timings/schedule and the last bus going back so you can plan accordingly. The time table is usually displayed at every point ( frequency on weekends may vary).

Option b) 
Take a Group Tour like Panorama Tours Or any other.

Option c) 
Train- Takes longer/ Requires Change - in short complicated option.

Option d) 
Drive down