Climb Every Mountain

Up and over the mountain was today’s theme! We drove to the Almbachklamm, a natural gorge just south of our hotel in Germany. The Almbachklamm is one of Germany’s finest gorges. We entered the gorge hear the Kugelmühle, a marble ball mill and began what would be a 3.5 hour hike. We then hiked along stone and wooden planked trails that hugged the gorge cliff face. Sometimes it was very narrow and there was only a rope to hang onto for guidance. The gorge was full of beautiful rock cliffs, waterfalls, and wild flowers growing in the rocks as well as along the riverbank.

Kugelmühle in Almbach, Germany:
The watermill has been smoothing out marble stones since 1583

There were many bridges and staircases in the gorge

Once we got to bridge 19 we had to make a decision as to which path to take. However first we hiked about five minutes to see a large double waterfall. While viewing the falls the kids noticed that there were little pools and rather large steady boulders to climb. Liam in particular was able to climb up to the halfway point and reach out and touch the left waterfall with his hand. He said that the water was sharp and cold!

From the waterfall we hiked straight uphill and out of the gorge. It was very steep, but once on the ridge the woods became very quiet except for the occasional chirp of a bird or rustle of a tree branch.

The wooded path switchbacked a lot up the gorge. Sometimes we thought it would never end!

At the top of the gorge we came across the little village of Mesnerwirt. There was a stunning yellow and white country church in a field of yellow dandelions, as well as a small restaurant. We had a refreshing meal and drank a lot of water before heading down a different path back to the Kugelmühle and the car. The gravel and root path made it difficult in places. Occasionally we would stop to enjoy the views and listen to the coo coo birds in the forest!

Back down we go, but this time with hiking sticks found in the woods!

We hiked 3.5 hours and spent another half hour for lunch at the top.
The gorge entrance is between the two mountains behind the kids. We then hiked up and over the mountain behind the house.

Our afternoon adventure took us back to Salzburg in order to see the Hohen Salzburg or Salzburg Fortress. In hindsight we probably should have done the Fortress the day before, because the only way to access it is to climb 20 minutes uphill! There was a funicular, but we didn’t discover it until after the climb! Needless to say we were a bit cranky, but a little café inside the fortress gave us the well-needed treats we had earned. We had ice cream, apple strudel, coffee, and tea.

Hohen Salzburg as seen from the country road behind it

Hohen Salzburg or Salzburg Fortress as seen from the Dom Cathedral of Salzburg in town

The white washed buildings within the fortress were charming and I particularly liked the museum and chapel. However the best part of the fortress was the lookout from the parapet and castle walls. It was the highest point in all of Salzburg.

View of Salzburg and the Salzsach River from the fortress

At the very top of the fortress with the Austrian Flag

We took the funicular down the hillside and did a little shopping before heading back to the car. On our way we passed by Nonnberg Abbey. Faywen wanted to look inside briefly, but she and I discovered that the Sisters were singing Vespers. The door was slightly cracked. We just stood and listened to their heavenly voices. It was a befitting way to end our visit to Salzburg.

The sun setting on Unterberg Mountain as seen from the Abbey Gate

For dinner we ate at a local lodge restaurant. The interior reminded me of how Gaston from Beauty and the Beast would have decorated his restaurant, because of all the antlers and taxidermy animals. The food was traditional German stews and Schnitzel. Faywen’s schnitzel were even shaped like dinosaurs!