Sankt Anton am Arlberg

More mountains were on the agenda. I took the train from Innsbruck to Sankt Anton am Arlberg for a couple of days. I came this far in Austria, I may as well as take advantage of a few quiet days in the Tyrol region. And quiet it was. The summer is full of hikers, and the winter full if skiers. Not many people are around in the fall. I was ok with it though. 

The train ride was super quick. Not only did I have some great views of the surrounding mountains, but I got to see a rainbow. I wish I could have gotten off the train to really enjoy it. It looks unreal.

Rainbow.

Once I arrived in Sankt Anton am Arlberg, it was obvious it was a ski town. I can only imagine what it's like in the winter. I went to look for a bus that would take me close to the guesthouse I was staying in. No such luck. I kept walking hoping I would come across one, but I ended up walking the entire way. I guess the buses are on break and waiting until winter to resume service. It's usually not a big deal to walk but it was about 1.5 miles and included hills. It was a good reminder to not buy anything new. Yeah right. That probably won't last long.

I finally arrived at the address but it was all quiet. The entrance was unclear as there were multiple buildings. I spent more than 15 minutes trying various doors (locked and unlocked), calling out 'hello', and circling the area. Finally, one door I tried had an answer to my call. Apparently the switch I thought was a light, was a doorbell. Noted. I was a little frustrated at this point but the woman was nice and friendly, so I got over it quickly. 

After handing off my laundry, I headed back into town to explore a little and get dinner. The walk was a little far, as explained earlier, so this would be my one trip out for the evening. The one great thing about small towns is that everyone says hi to you. It's very welcoming, especially from children. I do wonder if it's obvious I'm a tourist. I know I blend in here more than in other parts of the world. Of course, once I speak, I it's obvious I'm not a local. 

Pfarrkirche St. Anton und Mariahilf.

I got dinner at one of the few places open, and relaxed for a bit. I was looking forward to a couple of low-key days full of beautiful scenery. Especially since the place I was staying in was someone's home, and it was nice and cozy. 

The following morning, I enjoyed a delicious breakfast at the time that I had requested. So accommodating. I love it. Later in the morning, I went for a hike. I wasn't entirely sure where to go since there were so many options, but the women at the guesthouse recommended going to Verwallsee, a lake in the woods. So I packed my backpack, and headed out.

I walked through town to some pretty great views.

Fall leaves

Rosanna River.

I made my way into the forest and walked along the Rosanna River for a while.

Covered bridge.

Saw the trees turning colors.

Green and yellow.

And about 3 hours later, I made it to Verwallsee. The views were pretty, but the lake was a bit smaller than I expected. It was more like a reservoir to be honest. The hike was very nice though, and after doing a lap around Verwallsee, I headed back. Unfortunately the lodge near the lake wasn't open. So no beer on this hike. And I had to pee. I would have squatted, but it was too cold, and I was near water. I remember you shouldn't do your business near water sources. I think it could have been fine. But I hiked back quickly nonetheless.

Verwallsee.

I had another low key evening with some wine at the guesthouse. Plans were made for the upcoming days. Since my next stop wasn't too far, I decided to do some more hiking the next day before leaving town.

I headed out right after breakfast and it was a beautiful day for a hike. I first went straight back from the guesthouse and made my way up to the Munteck viewpoint. The blue skies helped the views for sure. After an hour, and 123 flights according to my Fitbit, I made it to the top. The snowy peaks and the valleys down below were gorgeous.

Snow.

The Tyrolean Alps.

I made it.

Mountain towns.

I got a little taste of snow on the first part of my hike but I was about to get some more. I headed back down the mountain and across to another mountain. This time I hiked up to Gampen, and got some slightly different views of the valley. I also saw first hand what the skiers go down in the winter. To say it would be slightly scary would be an understatement.

More snow.

Made it to 1850 meters.

Endless peaks.

After reaching the top, and taking a few photos, I needed to head back. Of course it was the long way back. You can't just go down any way you want down a mountain. You have to follow the path. Even if it's going in the opposite direction that you need to go in. Because of the snow, I did slip a few times. But I did not fall. It was a little more muddy here than snowy, so I preferred to not fall on my butt. I took my time, but I had to make it back to the guesthouse to pack up my stuff and get to the train station. I made it back with plenty of time and my host gave me a ride, which was super helpful. I got my ticket and was soon on my way. 

Schaan, Liechtenstein was my next stop, and it was a brand new country for me. I was excited to go check it out. 

Innsbruck

My next stop in Austria was Innsbruck, a very popular place in the wintertime, but absolutely gorgeous in the fall. My first full day there was such a perfect fall day. The sky was blue, the leaves were bright, and the temperatures were perfect. My first order of business was, of course, to get a run in. I love fall, but the weather hasn't necessarily been cooperating. But days like this remind me why it's amazing.

Such a perfect fall day.

After my nice long run, I went exploring in town and saw the obligatory spots like the Cathedral of St. James and the Golden Roof.

The Cathedral of St. James.

Goldenes Dachl.

I also returned to the river and crossed over to explore the other side. There were a few smaller neighborhoods that were really cute. And hilly.

Colored buildings.

After a bit of wandering, I caught the bus up to Hungerberg to check out the view.

View from Hungerberg.

And then somehow I ended up on a hike. I just followed some people and waited to see where the path would take me. I saw a bunch of families hiking, so I figured I would be fine without my sneakers. And I was. It was a nice walk through the forest uphill.

I, of course, treated myself to a beer once I made it to the lodge. I sat and enjoyed the view for a while. Once I finished my beer, I took a different way down the mountain, and made my way back to the Old Town of Innsbruck to get dinner.

A break for beer.

The following afternoon I took the train to a nearby mountain town, Seefeld. I read good things about it and decided it warranted a visit. By the time I arrived, after getting a run in and doing some errands, I just had the afternoon to explore. 

I first took a walk around Wildsee. It really didn't take long and was very flat. I was hoping for sunnier weather but at least it wasn't raining.

Wildsee.

Mirror image.

Since that didn't take that long, I went to see about hiking up one of the mountains. There was a tram that went up, but I wanted to hike. I saw a ton of people coming down so decided to give it a go. The sign estimated 1 hour and 45 minutes to get to Rosshütte. If it took me that long, it would be dark on my way down. I was hopeful it was an overestimation. And it was. It only took me an hour. I now had time to drink a beer. You see the pattern? Do a hike, drink a beer. That's how I roll. And it's not my fault they are selling them at the top. A girl gets thirsty.

Hiking up.

Hike reward.

Mountains galore.

Stunning.

Once I finished my beer, I headed back down. I went a different way to change up the scenery.

Another mirror image.

After doing a mini tour of Seefeld, and scoping out the hotels I would stay in when I'm rich, I headed back to Innsbruck 

The next day, it was time to head out of town. But first not without getting some tea. I met a few girls in my hostel, and we headed into town to a cafe for a couple of hours before I left. They were really great and I had a nice time chatting with them about various things, like the election, traveling, and offshoots of both those topics. It was a very nice ending to my visit.

I had one more stop in Austria before leaving the country. Next up, Sankt Anton am Arlberg.

Salzburg

I didn't plan on going to Austria on this trip, but I somehow made it back. The last time I was in Austria was 12 years ago. And I only made it to Vienna on that trip. After hearing such great things about Salzburg, I just had to go for a few days. 

I arrived in Salzburg pretty quickly after leaving Regensburg. And I was staying near the train station, so I had a seamless check-in. After dawdling a bit and stopping at H&M, I went to find food. I had thoughts about heading towards the Old Town, but after a short walk, I decided to turn around and settle for a place near the hostel. The food was alright, but I was still hungry after. Good thing I have a small supply of food that I travel with. I settled in for the evening and planned out the next few days.

The first thing I did, was book a bike tour of Salzburg. The Sound of Music bike tour. The following morning, I met up with other The Sound of Music enthusiasts. As we introduced ourselves, we had to say what our favorite song was. Now I haven't seen the movie in a while, but "Do-Re-Mi" came to mind first. So that was my favorite song for the day. Which was good since I actually remembered most of the words as we sung the song throughout the tour.

We  started the tour in the city and went around to the various filming locations. Again, it's been a while since I've seen the movie, so I didn't recall a bunch of these scenes. It really just reminded me it was time to see the movie again.

Salzburg.

Residenzplatz.

Petersfriedhof.

Schloss Leopoldskron, one of the Von Trapp's fictional homes.

The hills are alive.

Mirabell Gardens.

After biking along Maria Von Trapp's life, my new friend Cason, who is from Georgia, and I grabbed some wurst for lunch, and then headed to Untersberg, a nearby mountain. The mountain was also featured in The Sound of Music.  After a bus ride to the foot of the mountain, we rode a cable car up to the snowy peaks. Earlier that morning, I hadn't anticipated hiking and playing in snow. But to be honest, I wouldn't have been able to do much about it since I was wearing as many layers as I could.

When we arrived at the top, we did about a 45 minute hike. Since there was snow on the path and some of it was pretty steep, I definitely fell on my butt a lot. At some points, I just gave in, and slid down the path. It was fun being in the snow for sure. It made up a little for missing last winter.

Top of Untersberg. 

It was really beautiful up at the top and we had some amazing views. And one thing I was quickly learning, there was always a lodge at the top of every mountain. So of course we grabbed a beer before the last cable car went down the mountain.

Playing in the snow.

After returning to Salzburg, we got dinner at a local restaurant to enjoy some local fare and beer. To cap off the night, we got a great view of the city again, but all lit up this time.

Salzburg at night. 

The following morning, I went for a run along the Salzach River. I'm loving all the cities with paths along their rivers. Make it's a way more pleasant experience for running. And they usually have amazing views.

Salzburg mornings.

Later that morning, I explored a little bit more of Salzburg before taking a trip out of town for a few hours. With every river, there is a bridge. And with every bridge, there are countless locks of love. Seriously. Everywhere. It's sweet. The lock industry must be doing well.

Locks of Love.

I then had to find the birthplace of Mozart. And I also added Amadeus to my list of movies to watch again. 

Mozart's birthplace.

After grabbing some lunch, I met up with my new friend Cason, and we took a bus to Hallstatt, one of the most picturesque towns in all of Austria. Or at least what I'm told. The first thing we did was take the tram up the mountain to see the town from above. The views were stunning.

Hallstatt down below.

We had a limited time in Hallstatt, so made our way back down the mountain and went along Hallstatter See to get the picture that everyone takes when they visit.

Hallstatt.

Before I knew it, we had to leave. We were the last ones on the bus. Whoops. I could have spent hours there wandering the narrow streets. I had originally looked into spending the night, but it was way too expensive. Like a few hundred dollars. I hope someday I can return.

One last picture.

We returned to Salzburg and promptly got some glühwein at an outdoor wine market. We hung out for a little bit, but then headed to Augustiner Bräu. There is a brewery in Germany, but this one is specific to Austria. I figured I was due for a liter of beer since fully recovering from Oktoberfest. We made some new friends, and we swear we didn't drink all those liters.

So many liters.

Liters with new friends.

My last morning in Salzburg was beautiful. I spent it hiking up the hills behind the Old Town to check out all the churches. I definitely could have spent more time in Salzburg. But it was time to move on.

The city's churches.

Off to Innsbruck.