Day 32: Salzburg – Sankt Johann im Pongau
July 18th, 2008
Honeymoon over, today was my entry into the alps. I saw snow-peaked mountains in summer for the first time, and almost wore out my camera snapping pictures of them.
This morning I awoke to the sounds of campers trying to unbog their caravans. For some reason I gained a small amount of satisfaction from this. There was one caravan, with German numberplates, which was actually as big as the flat I lived in in Wroclaw.
The rain didn’t stop in the morning, so I rolled up my soaking wet tent and left Salzberg with the usual moderate navigational difficulties. These distracted me enough that I forgot to visit the Wasserschloss — a castle on a lake which apparently was filmed in the Sound of Music.
I did, however, go and see Festung Hohenwerfen. Festung means fortress, like Festung Breslau. Well I didn’t actually go in, just walked to the door and took some photos (it cost €10, not even including the nanna train up the hill).
Coughed the affordable €3 to walk through the Liechtensteinklamm. I went there without any faint idea what a klamm is. It’s actually a gorge with waterfalls and rivers through it. This one had a boardwalk, with signposts ominously but not quite eloquently disclaiming all liability if they fall down onto the rocky creek below. Was wet, and worth the look.
Got to Schwarzach in the afternoon, just as the tourist bureau closed, and spent about an hour asking about and looking for a tent campsite. Had to go backwards to Sankt Johann im Pongau to an OK place run from a restaurant, with toilets and showers in a cool underground bunker. Scored the left-overs of a “traditional Dutch dish” from my neighbours. More food: almost always welcome.
Dep 9:30, arr 5:45, dst 89km.
Tags: tourreport