6th June, 2016

Well, we did not see any lonely or not lonely (there does not seem to be an antonym for lonely – suggestions anyone?) goatherds or indeed any goatherds at all, but we were certainly ‘high on a hill’ as we spent the day visiting first Zell am See and then the mountain of Kitzsteinhorn. Zell is an attractive small town on the western side of Lake Zell and a popular tourist destination in both winter and summer. The lake is really beautiful with the mountains in the background. They were higher than they appear on my wide-angled lens….

We eventually found the information centre and decided to make an assault on the highest point in the neighbourhood via the nearby town of Kaprun. This is the site for the cable car and chairlift all the way up to the viewing platform, restaurant, cinema and ski slopes of Kitzsteinhorn at 3029 metres. The weather was a bit changeable and we were a bit worried that we might end up in a cloud, but we were set off in a number of cable cars and a chairlift – as you can see, Val enjoyed the trip in the latter, though I had to prise her fingers off the rail at the end! There was plenty of snow at the higher levels and a few skiers.

The facilites at the top are very impressive. Our first stop was a viewing platform, accessed via a 360m tunnel which was very interesting as it had various exhibits about the geology of the mountain (permafrost, quartz, etc). No, honestly, it WAS very interesting! It was also cold! We arrived eventually at the platform – and were blown away (not literally) by the views.

The walk back up the quite steep incline of the tunnel at some 3000 metres was fun (!), but we made it and went for an over-priced hot chocolate and a quick visit to the cinema. I was tempted to say that I spent hours photographing the following pics – but it is much easier just to do it in the cinema and then crop them accordingly!

It was time then to journey back down followed by a trip to the supermarket and a drive round the lake.

A great day out – tomorrow, Sazburg!