Sunday, September 17, 2006
Hiking in Austria Again - Liedlalm
Austria is just great for hiking. It is hard to believe that I never hiked when I lived there, but now, I really enjoy climbing up some mountain, enjoy the view, spend some time at a cabin, and get a good exercise at the same time. So when Ellen and I spent a few days in Austria recently, we did a few hikes again. One of them was to a place called "Liedlalm" in Leogang, near Saalfelden. It is a nice hike. Not too long (took us about an hour and 20 minutes), and not too steep. Although it still was a good exercise. It is actually also a good place to mountain-bike to, although we hiked in this instance.
To get there, drive to Leogang and look for the signs that guide you to the historic mine. The mine itself is interesting too. It is a medieval silver and copper mine (among other things). It is very impressive to walk (and sometimes almost crawl) the tiny tunnels and see how they used to work back then. This blog is not about the mine, but for more information, click here.
For the Liedlalm hike, go all the way to the mine and the park at the area across the river opposite the assembly-house of the mine-tour. This is a great starting place for the path we took, which leads up over alpine meadows with great vistas. The alternative is to follow the path that leads to the mine-entrance. Some people prefer it, as it is more in the shade, but I do not like it very much (for the same reason). I prefer a little heat and great views and a gradual incline over a shadowy walk in a canyon with no view and a steep climb at the end.
This is an easy hike in terms of finding your way. Just follow the road and the signs and you can not go wrong. At the end of the hike, you get to a cabin that serves food and drink. Here is a photo, with Ellen sitting in front of the cabin:
As with all these places, do not expect a full restaurant. Instead, you will get served traditional food. I always enjoy a refreshing buttermilk, although Ellen thinks it is odd for an adult to drink milk. (We shall see who has healthier bones when we hit 100!). Liedlalm also offers a special treat: Try the awesome "Almwuzel". It is almost like a mixture between a "Kaiserschmarrn" and "Salzburger Nockerl". Probably terribly fattening. But hey, how often are you going to get the chance to try it?
Here is a view on the way to the top:
After our snack (which was really a meal, although we only paid 7 Euros for the two of us), we went back down to the car and drove home. However, if you were looking for a more serious hike, you can also continue on towards one of the summits nearby. We will leave that for another day though...
Posted @ 10:31 AM by Egger, Markus (markus@code-magazine.com)