Mountains lofty...

Today I went to do the thing that's probably best in Austria: going for a hike. Passing the towns of Kirchdorf and Micheldorf, the tour started from a small car park, then some two hours walk up to the Alp Gradnalm and Mt. Pfannstein, then decending again to the small cabin at Sattelhalt, then going on to Mt. Schabenreitstein and finally back down to the car park. I think it was about seven hours altogether, including a restful stop and some shandy at the Alp Gradnalm... That's what I've been missing: mountains where you can hike around the whole day!

This is where the walk starts

...past the cows...

Gawd, these steep paths put your body back in shape!

A truly sound fauna...

...and flora...

...right up to the summit. Btw, summits on most Austrian mountains are marked by crosses like this one and they've also got a 'summit book' into which climbers who've reached the top can write short comments and messages...

Such a great view again! Impressive?

Impressive. And this can be found half an hour's drive away from my parents' house.