“How about a week at Sankt Johann Im Pongau in June?” I asked. “San who, in what and when?” was the anticipated response. Not many non-Austrians have heard of Sankt Johann. In fact I’m not even sure many city dwelling Austrians have heard of it. It is a charming little Austrian alpine town with a lot to offer adventure seekers, active vacationers and families alike. Located about an hour train ride from the Austrian city of Salzburg, of Sound of Music fame, Sankt Johann certainly has a lot to offer nature lovers. Let me summarize the highlights of our week there in June.
The next day, waking up to a misty morning, (see photo below) we decided to take a train to Werfen, to see the world’s largest ice caves, Eisriesenwelt. It was a “baptism by fire” experience for someone who is not a regular at the Gym. The shuttle bus from the train station took us to the foot of the attraction. After that it was a 20 minute uphill trek. Next it was a 3 minute uphill cable car followed by another 20 minute uphill trek along the side of the mountain. Our reward for all this uphill exercise was to climb 700 stairs uphill to view some spectacular ice formation in the caves, even in summer (see online images). Although this seems like an activity for the super fit, little children and Austrian grandmothers somehow breezed through the trek and 1400 stairs. Upon our return to the hotel, a bowl of hot Hungarian goulash hit the spot and I scheduled a nice massage at the hotel spa.
Our next stop was the cable car station at Alpendorf. Now this was a good half hour cable car ride through the alpine mountains with breathtaking views of the Alps while seated. Once we got to the “top” of the cable car ride, we had to walk “ten” minutes to take a bus to the pinnacle of this mountain. The walk to the bus stop was a nice leisurely hike with a lot of amazing alpine views and benches to sit and relax and picnic. We had packed a nice picnic lunch. A picture perfect day for a picnic. Lush green hillsides with mountain views and wildflowers growing around. At the pinnacle of this mountain was a lookout tower to get a better view of the mountains and a viewing platform to see the amazing Alps towering around us.
The next day we decided to see the Leichtensteinklamm, an incredibly beautiful gorge in the mountains with a waterfall flowing through it. This took us around 2 hours to walk on the trail and bridges to see the waterfall and the rushing waters through the gorge. Once again the words breathtaking, amazing, spectacular come to mind. Brings to mind the verse from the Bible “the voice of the Lord is as many waters”. Can’t help but marvel at the awesomeness of a God who created such beauty for our pleasure.
Following our two hour walk alongside the gorge through bridges, we stopped at the on-site restaurant for some sautéed fresh trout fished from the gorge. Categorically, the freshest fish dish I’ve ever eaten. For the meat lover, there is the classic Wienerschnitzel with potato salad. Once again a good end to a supercalifragilicious day.
Driving through the quiet mountain roads through small alpine towns we arrived at Lake Jagersee. The crystal clear lake nestled among the mountains with swans and trout swimming is a little piece of heaven on this side of the Jordan. I’ve never seen such natural beauty before. Makes one want to bow and say a prayer of thanksgiving to God for His awesomeness in creating this. A picture perfect day for a picnic by the lakeside. A nice walking trail winds around the lake and leads to icy mountain streams with water melting down from glaciers above. There were boats for hire which we rowed around in circles in the picture perfect lake. A nice apple strudel topped with ice cream at the local resto was a nice way to end the day.
Well, next it was back to Werfen by train to see the castle on the hilltop Burg Hohenwerfen. This was where the movie Where Eagles Dare was filmed. After a forty five minute hike along the Salzac River to the cable car to the castle we took a tour of the castle and waited for the eagle show. We were certainly not disappointed. The show lasted almost an hour and seeing the eagles fly across the sky with the Alps as the backdrop was a beautiful and memorable experience. The show was spectacular and we had several close encounters with the majestic birds of prey. A nice plate of sausages with the best homemade Austrian sauerkraut was a delicious treat, while watching the eagles fly across the sky with the Alps towering behind.
Our guide to drive us to Vienna was kind enough to drive us to the highest mountain on the Austrian Alps. The drive itself is not for the faint hearted. We drove through winding mountain roads and ascending to 4000 meters to the mountain facing Mount Grossglockner, the highest mountain in the Austrian Alps. This was the best of the best. As it was said in the Bible regarding the wine, ‘You have saved the best for the last’. Words cannot express the beauty of the Alps. Once again we bow down in awe of an All-mighty God who created the heavens and the earth with such splendor and majesty.
The guide drove us through the scenic mountain route to Vienna via Hallstatt, typical tourist destinations. The natural hot springs in the spa town of Bad Gastein would have been a good experience as well. So if you are in for an adventurous, spectacular vacation with breath taking scenery and natural beauty, visit Sankt Johann Im Pongau, Austria.
Travel Journal 