Austria (Grunau Im Almtal)

About two hours northwest of Vienna is a small town, not found in any guide books and barely found on the map.  We decided to stop here because 1- it’s cheaper than Innsbruck and Salzburg and 2- we needed to a break from the cities.  Grunau seemed like the perfect option.  Our bus winded down the narrow roads to drop us off in what seemed like the middle of nowhere, between wooded and rocky mountains.  The hostel that we stayed in was very homey; it was run by a husband and wife who were more than friendly and accommodating.  Every night the wife would make an authentic Austrian dinner.  We were in the routine of making our own dinners, but we couldn’t pass up home cooked food.  The milk and eggs they used were fresh from his cousin’s farm down the road!  This was definitely the right place for us!

We rented bikes on our first full day and went off to explore the area and visit the Almsee, a lake we had heard was worth visiting.  The 18 km bike ride to the lake was not too bad considering we were in a mountainous region.  When we first got a glimpse of the lake we were a little surprised because it didn’t look like the pictures we had seen or anything too impressive.  However, as we continued around the lake we understood what all the fuss was about.  Behind the lake were these beautiful rocky mountains and the water was a breathtaking shade of blue.  The water in the lake was coming in from the mountains and was crystal clear…and extremely cold!  We read that the water was only in the lake for 10 days before it flowed into other rivers, keeping it very clean and chilly.  All around this area people drink straight from the rivers.  We were a little hesitant at first; however we were quickly converted because it was wonderful, refreshing water (and we clearly live by the logic of “everyone else is doing it”).  The only negative in this day was that as soon as we began the 18k back it began to rain very heavily.  It probably got us moving faster, but by the time we got back we were drenched and exhausted, ready for nice hot meal. 

On our other days we enjoyed hiking up to a waterfall, exploring the rivers and town, and venturing off to another lake up in the mountains.  We were able to get a little taste of New Hampshire, while discovering a beautiful new area.  Grunau had a nice mix of mountains and rolling green hills.  It is more of a winter town because there are more ski areas right around there and we talked about how fun it would be to come back during the winter (once we have replenished our funds).  As nice as this break was we, especially Marilyn, were excited to get to Munich where her mom and brother Dan were meeting us!