Salzburg Expedition – Part 3

There was something flickering in my memory, something about me reading about it before our departure, but I just couldn’t remember what exactly it was about. We got off the train and started exploring, going with the flow. We soon realised this was the home of the famous Silent Night Christmas carol, as the composer, Franz Xaver Gruber, who created the famous melody and sent it out into the world. He was also buried here. We also found out that there was one of the most famous salt mines nearby, allowing tours. Not to mention Hallein prides itself on its quite large Celtic museum, one of the largest in this part of Europe. The name Hallein has its origins in the Celtic word hall, which means salt. This shows how important salt production was in the Celtic times.

Even before we really marched into the town, we had already seen the waterfall in the distance and it naturally became our foremost goal. Right after getting a cup of coffee. We found a nice café that also served as a bakery. The place was really small and there could only be about five people seated at one time. People rotated while queuing at the entrance and treated themselves to some coffee and pastries before heading to work. It also looked like they all knew each other, as they greeted each other and talked to the owner of the café. It was like the whole town gathered to meet there in the morning. The atmosphere was really enviably pleasant.

Warmed up and refreshed, we continued towards our waterfall. The weather was still gloomy. But actually quite magically so. A slight drizzle, mist, reflections in puddles and all that green colour that was made even greener by all this weather. We really couldn’t have wished for anything better. Small streams were trickling between the houses, and there was our waterfall on the slope behind one of them, and the path ended with a sign that explicitly said we were entering private property. So there went our plan to take a closer look at the waterfall.

But that was all right, we already moved on and came across a mining sign and a station of the cross. And so we continued. The path went upwards along a stream, following nicely trodden forest trails with steps and going through pastures. We passed by that famous mine, visited a reconstructed Celtic village, and then finally made a steep climb through the village of Bad Dürrnberg, all the way to the tall church at the top. Once there, we rewarded ourselves with the remaining soft milk bread rolls, and then headed back to the valley. We also visited the Museum of the Celts in Hallein and explored the

The day still wasn’t over and our train ticket was still valid, not to mention we still had lots of energy. Let’s get moving, then. Next station – Golling. The tourist sign indicated a waterfall there. We had to make a choice, it was getting kind of dark, and the waterfall wasn’t exactly right behind the corner. Still, we decided it was worth taking the risk and hurried up. Rain was threatening along the way, though that hadn’t been anything unusual in the last couple of days. We let Google give us at least some general guidance, just in case, and we also noticed the opening hours for the entry to the waterfall. By our calculations, we’d be there only after the gates were already closed. Still, we tried. When we finally got there, there was no one in sight and the barrier was lifted, so we could still make our way to the majestic Golling Falls. Thanks to the gloomy weather, the waterfall was even more majestic than in the photos.

Happy, content, and also a bit tired, we slid between the sheets of the bed in the evening, already eagerly awaiting the next day’s adventures.

Lammerklamm and May Christmas in Abtenau

This was the first time we actually had a plan or, should I say, a goal, which we had already chosen at home. By that I mean the Lammerklamm gorge. It’s located about 30km out of Salzburg. We took the bus. First, we ended up in a ski village called Abtenau. There, we ate our sandwiches, which we hadn’t prepared in advance, and had some coffee in a small café. It was just us and a table full of local pensioners who, despite the ordinary morning, were dressed up formally. There was only room for three tables at the café, and the whole space also included a shop with souvenirs, bits and bobs, porcelain, glass items, decoration and whatnot. All this created a Christmas-y atmosphere. The owner entrusted all of us who were present with safeguarding her café while she had some errands to run somewhere, but when she finally came back, she asked each and every one if they’d like anything else, after which she went to replant the plants. The atmosphere was really nice.

Somehow, though, we had to get unstuck from the Christmas season, comfort and cosiness, and find Lammerklamm, since we had wandered off a bit, getting off the bus a few stations too late. But no big deal, since Abtenau was definitely a place worth visiting, especially because of the lady owner/waitress/gardener and the whole crew at the café.

The Lammerklamm gorge was beautiful. I guess it was kind of similar to our Vintgar gorge near Bled. There were paths and small bridges winding along the gorge, offering a gorgeous view of the river down deep. The entrance fee for an adult is 5 euros. The day was coming to an end and so was our Austrian adventure. We headed back to Ljubljana in the late-night hours.