Monday, August 26, 2013

Salzburg and Schafberg Railroad

While we were in Fuschl am See we mostly just relaxed, but we did do two fun things that I think should not be missed if you are in the area. 

The first was a trip on Schafberg Railroad, which is a cog railroad that brings you up a beautiful mountain overlooking another lake called Wolfgangsee. The railroad lasts about 45 minutes and you are rewarded with a beautiful view at the top. 

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You can even see the Dachstein Glacier, second glacier of the trip!

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 There are a few things to know if you are going to do the Schafberg Railroad. First of all, there are two restaurant bars on the top of the mountain with beautiful views. But, despite being big restaurants, they don't take credit cards at all. So if you find yourself in a position like we did aka your ATM cards are shut off and you have only been in Austria one day so all you have is Icelandic krona… solve that before you get stuck on the top for multiple hours with no food. Also, kids on the train under 6 don't get a seat. I'm assuming they are free, but I don't know that for a fact. If the train is packed, which it will be in the summer, that means if you have a 5 year old they have to sit on your lap. I don't have kids (obviously) but I do teach five and six year olds and I can't imagine one of them sitting on my lap in a crowded warm train car for 45 minutes. Fortunately, we will crowded in a car with much smaller children who were all delights and prompted me to read about the secrets of European parenting. 

 

We also checked out the city of Salzburg on the way out of Austria. We didn't really do anything there other than park and walk around, but it is definitely a beautiful and old European city. 

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And just like that, we were saying goodbye to Austria and headed off to Munich. If I had to choose, I'd say Austria was my favorite country of the three we visited. It might have been the relaxation talking though :) 

Where is the most beautiful place you have ever visited? 

 

6 comments:

  1. Stranger kids sitting in your lap? That is so very strange!!

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  2. Beautiful :) I wouldn't want my five year old sitting on my lap either! The most beautiful place I've ever visited is probably Portofino, Italy.

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  3. Wow that is GORGEOUS! Really sucks you got stuck at the top with no food though. That sounds like a recipe for a HANGRY afternoon :(

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  4. That is breath-taking! Good to know about the no credit cards! Yikes!!! (PS - I love your yellow dress)

    Excited to see your review of Munich.

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  5. Wow, those views are AMAZING. Yikes about the cash-only thing, though. I hope you weren't super hungry at that point. Did prepared-for-all-things Kelly have snacks and water in her purse? I hope so!!

    It's tough to pick a most beautiful place. In terms of nature/surroundings, New Zealand tops the list. In terms of a beautiful city, Paris tops the list.

    I have never been to Austria but your posts make me want to go!!

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  6. There's something about nature, untouched nature that is just stunning. Snow-capped mountains, peaceful streams, stormy ocean waters ... all of it amazes me, too! The most beautiful place I have ever visited? That's a really hard question. My vacations tend to be urban in nature, so I wouldn't necessarily equate that with stunning beauty. Maybe I should revisit this question after our trip to Italy, since we are planning to visit Lake Como and Cinque Terre during our stay. =)

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