Today is our last day here in Austria. The flight tonight is at 8.20pm so we are going to get some time here before then. A quick visit to Bad Ischl where the declaration of the first world war was postmarked and the summer home for royalty, Franz Joseph Hapsburg. We had a great breakfast here but didn't stay too long. Brian had decided to take the trek from St Giglen to Wolfgang so we met him there and had a quick look around. Another very nice town, bigger than St Gilgen but also well worth a look, would have liked more time. To finish off the day we took the cable car from St Gilgen to the summit of Zwolferhorn the nearly 1800m mountain that overlooks St Gilgen. More fantastic views. At 3.15pm we head to the airport and bar some traffic jams that Helga had warned us about we got there in time.
Another great trip with the lads and a truly wonderful destination. My only problem with the place is that it can be very quiet at night. In fact it can be quiet during the days with shops closing at lunch and no bars at night-time. But I think that it fits with the values and culture of the place. The locals are very proud of their background and will wear their traditional clothing and costumes as a matter of routine, and fair play to them, rather than adopting the now ubiquitous western style of dress.
Some Facts:
Sankt Gilgen: Is named after St Giles, it has 3,675 inhabitants (Jan 2010) and it is 545 m (1788 feet above see level. It lies on the north westshore of the Wolfgansee lake and it covers 98.67 sq km (38 sq ml). It is promoted as the "Mozart Village" although he never set foot there, but his grandfather worked in the town, his mother was born there and his sister lived there after she married. A cable car takes you from the centre of St Giglen to the summit of Zwolferhorn. The other main towns on the lake are St Wolfgang and Strobl. The lake and town are naed after St Wolkgang of Regensurb who, according to legend, built the first church her in the late 10th century.