You only see what you know (Goethe)
This mural in Saalbach dates back to 1810. It shows an odd funeral procession. The body in the coffin is a hunter (German: ‘Jäger’), and the mourners of the funeral (German: ‘Begräbnis’) are animals. Therefore, people in Austria call this kind of picture a “Jägerbegräbnis”.
Villa Excelsior has already hosted famous guests. For example, Sigmund Freud spent several summer holidays here. My tour guide told me it was here where the Austrian neurologist was thinking about the concept of Eros and Thanatos.
The hotel is situated next to a biking route at the northern beginning of the Gastein Valley. The place is fine as starting point for biking, hiking, skiing and collecting mushrooms. Actually I had a delicious mushroom dish while staying at the hotel.
At my hotel in Dorfgastein I had a fun bedside lamp. One can turn on and off the light just by touching anywhere at the metal. Any ideas how this works?
On a hiking tour near Klammstein, I come across an interesting place. Below Klammstein Castle (Burg Klammstein) there is a tunnel for bikers and walkers only. The structure is part of a cycle route along the Gastein Valley (Gasteinertal).
I often pass Klammstein Castle (Burg Klammstein) on my train journeys through the Gastein Valley (Gasteinertal). In earlier times, this fortification blocked the valley in the north.
One reason to visit the restaurant of Hotel Klammstein was the ‘Pfandlwoche’. In this period the restaurant offered especially dishes served in pans (‘Pfandl’). I had a pan with mushrooms and dumplings. The owner of the restaurant told me the mushrooms were collected in the woods around the hotel.
At the restaurant of Hotel Klammstein, I tried nettle soup as a starter. It was a great alternative to all these noodle soups you often get in rural areas. The hotel owner told me that she collects the stinging nettle at certain places around the hotel.
The conference hotel SPES (Seminarhotel SPES) stands on a plateau overlooking the Upper Kremstal Valley (Oberes Kremstal). It is near the centre of Schlierbach but also next to a forest. It offers rooms in a modern building, opened in 2009, and in an eco-holiday resort at the foot of the plateau.
At the farmhouse of Mr. Weingartner in Schlierbach, I took a lesson in cutting hay with a traditional scythe. Interested people can also take a class learning about some facts regarding agriculture. Though this is mainly an offer just for fun the lessons are pretty informative.
I met the Shropshire sheep for the first time in Schlierbach. These sheep are known for loving grass but not nibbling at trees, so they are ideal for keeping grass short in fruit farms and Christmas tree plantations. They are also the best lawnmowers ever.
In Schlierbach I had the chance to speak with the founder of SPES who is also a local organic farmer. While visiting his farm next to my hotel I came across these free running piglets. Well, the operative word is running! As you can see it was pretty difficult to get my camera ready on time.