Got away from Vienna today.
Look at the image to the left (click to enlarge it, or any of the pics) and in the upper right corner you'll see WIEN. That's Vienna. Then you'll see the yellow part. That's where we went, into the beginning of the Alps, to an area known as Rax.
It was sunny and hot and we were ready for some high altitude. It took about 75 minutes to drive to this area from Vienna and then we had to take a cable car (the Raxseilbahn) up the mountain...not for those inclined to soil themselves due to fear of heights. I took no pictures of this but believe me, it's a very steep climb and a long drop to the mountain if the cable fails. It's a 2 kilometer ride and, I have to say, pretty enjoyable.
It was still kind of hot atop the mountain but off we went. The altitude didn't bother me as much as the heat, but there were plenty of distractions...namely the fantastic alpine meadows and flowers, and the surrounding mountains.
ABOVE: Not Oklahoma, but it will do.
ABOVE: These were everywhere.
ABOVE:Ladies and gentlemen, the world famous Edelweiss.
ABOVE: This little blue flower was my favorite. It's only about the size of a nickel!
ABOVE: You're starting to get the idea. Alpine flowers.
ABOVE: A guy climbing. What the picture doesn't show is the 200-foot drop. So rope in, or be the world's best free-soloist.
ABOVE: Here's the approach to a hotel-restaurant.
You need good legs up here, and decent lungs. It's only about 6000 feet, but still. The going is rocky, even on the paths, and if you're smart you don't rush things.
We had a drink here, then walk further up the mountain (!) and found a place on the trail to eat our picnic lunch.
By then it had started to cool down a bit...clouds were rolling in and people were starting to head back down the mountain. We did the same.
ABOVE: What you see if you get high enough.
On the way home we took a picturesque route through some pretty little villages along the Schwarza River. Very bucolic, but no pics, sorry.
Got back to Vienna, stopped at the store for some beer, then home and dinner. I'll spare you the details----there's probably been more than enough mention of food in this blog!
The rain is supposed to come tomorrow, and we will probably take it easy in town, go to some museum or happening or something.
