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Larry's Tour: Austria and Switzerland
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Austria. Switzerland. It’s really one and the same from a tourist
viewpoint the Alps’ snow-capped peaks, picturesque Alpine villages, and a warm,
hospitable population. When God made the world, His sense of beauty must have
been in hyper-drive when He created this part of the earth. It truly may be the
most beautiful area in the entire world. And the most spectacular areas are
from just three to six hours away (by scenic train) from our home base of
Regensburg, Germany.
Salzburg
Let’s start our tour in the area closest to Regensburg - Salzburg,
Austria. Birthplace of Mozart, home for the Sound of Music, and comprised of
mountain peaks, glacier-fed lakes, and incredible vistas everywhere. If you've
had a chance to watch the Sound of Music movie, you already know the beauty of
the area.
For some scenes of Salzburg used in the movie, click on the next link, then
click on each of the links on that page. Notice the mountains in the background
for the “Nonnberg Abbey” picture. Citizens of Salzburg claim that Mirabell
Gardens is the world’s most beautiful garden I have no way of judging that, but
it is certainly in the realm of possibility - it is gorgeous.
http://www.panoramatours.at/en/tour.htm
If I could choose to live anywhere in the world, it might be here Mondsee, a
village a few miles outside of Salzburg.
http://www.abnet.at/tourist/ooest/country/mondsee.htm
For a typical scene outside of Salzburg, here is a nearby village and lake, Zell
am See. The hills are ablaze with color twice a year and the mountains ring
most of the lakes.
http://www.botros.at/excursions/salzburg.htm
A few more pictures and description:
http://www.botros.at/travel/cities/salzburg.htm
Greater Austria
Other pictures of Austria or, in German, Osterreich. (You can click
on any of them for a zoomed image.)
http://www-user.tu-chemnitz.de/~dgr/URLAUB/seen_oesterreich.html
Other pictures of Austria, including scenes from Vienna: (notice the ceilings)
http://gaia.ecs.csus.edu/~reardonf/Austria/Vienna/Vienna.htm
One more a typical Austrian village.
http://www.lowedesigns.com/thebarkans/travelers_galleries/pab_gallery/pages/06-Austrian-Alps.htm
Switzerland
On to Switzerland! The Berner Oberland is the most famous area of
Switzerland - the center of the Alps. You can stay in a pricey resort village
with sky-high priced hotels and snap a lot of pictures - or you can do like we
did and get the Swiss experience by staying in a village with more cows than
people. The cablecar ride up the mountain was the most breathtaking ride I've
ever been on - not in a scary sense but an adventure in itself. Since the rural
village has the best view in Switzerland, it was an easy choice. We stayed in
the downstairs of a couple's home, which they had equipped as an apartment.
Great hosts, great view, and a relatively cheap price - definitely the way to
see Switzerland.
Gimmelwald
Nita and I spent a three-day weekend in Gimmelwald, a mountain
village that hangs on the edge of a cliff halfway up the Shilthorn mountain (and
you can too if you come over!). Since Gimmelwald has about 100 people and 120
cows, there is no grocery store or restaurant in town. For food, you can walk a
few miles down a (well-maintained) mountain path to Murren or take the cable-car
there. The third picture (of four) in the next link shows a couple of buildings
in Gimmelwald and the view from there.
http://www.ryderwalker.com/regional_berner.html
More pictures from Gimmelwald, the valley below, and the top of the mountain.
Gimmelwald is halfway up the Shilthorn mountain and the only way to get there is
by a cablecar that hangs about a thousand feet above the valley floor. On top
of the Shilthorn is a revolving restaurant (called Piz Gloria) that was featured
in a James Bond movie, In Her Majesty’s Secret Service. From the restaurant,
you can look down on 200 mountain peaks. The pictures in the next link that
show people standing in front of a railing are taken from the restaurant. It’s
kind of strange: there are very few people on this rural mountain, but at the
top, there is a world famous restaurant. Go figure!
http://ttnnikki.homestead.com/gimmelwald.html
Better pictures from the restaurant on top of the Shilthorn. We were there the
last weekend of October and all the mountains were totally covered with snow.
http://www.gimmelwald.com/schilthorn.html
A view from inside the restaurant. This isn’t really roughing it!
http://www.corkscrew-balloon.com/balloon/97/oex/img/0026.html
More views from Gimmelwald. The ones labeled “View from the hostel” show the
view that you can have if you come over. (The hostel - a dorm-style apartment
for college students - was about four houses down the path from us.) The second
picture in the third row (early morning picture) shows the Eiger, the Monch, and
the Jungfrau mountains three of the more famous peaks in the Swiss Alps all
directly across the valley from Gimmelwald.
http://homepage.sunrise.ch/homepage/avong/gimmelwald/valley.htm
Murren
Murren is a “resort town” and is the closest town to Gimmelwald
(several hundred yards down the mountain but a few miles if you take the path).
It is a cute Alpine village with several nice motels, shops, and restaurants -
definitely touristy compared to the working village that we stayed in. We spent
some time here shopping and eating. Beautiful views basically the same as from
Gimmelwald.
http://www.ktb.net/~bewier/Murren.htm
More views from Murren and the Lauterbrunnen valley at the bottom of the
mountain. (Gimmelwald is listed here but there are no pictures from there on
this site.) Again, click on the pictures to zoom in.
http://www.lauterbrunnen.ch/sehenswe.htm
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