Home Base
We woke up leisurely and enjoyed breakfast at our amazing AirBnB. The house was perfectly suited to our two families and had all the amenities needed for our few days stay. It had just recently been renovated and the owners were a lovely young couple who took much pride in the end product. Two of the rooms even had beds made of a special kind of wood (blanking on the name) that lowers your heart rate for a better night's sleep! The open plan kitchen / seating area / hang out space was command central for the 8 of us. It was where we enjoyed leisurely breakfasts, packed lunches for the day, ate dinner (one night anyways) and where us adults would cozy up to chat after the kiddos went to bed. And the views were insane. Like some fake movie set backdrop, almost surreal. Understatement to say that it was a special spot to call home and amazing views to enjoy all the while.
Where's the Hike?
Bellies full from breakfast, we headed into the nearby town of Lofer, Austria to do a hike that had been recommended by our AirBnB host, Daniela. She referred to it as the "waterfall hike" and that's about all we knew. With some help from the tourist center in Lofer, we figured out that we needed to take a gondola up the mountain, and from there catch the Waterfall Trail "Auf Die Alm". Off we went!
Stunning. Simply Stunning.
The waterfall hike was nothing short of fantastic. For about 3.5 hours we wound our way up the mountain, wowed by amazing views left & right. Particularly cool were "stations" positioned along the way that provided entertainment for the kids; things like a cow bell "piano", a "spin the wheel for your favorite local flower", etc. We thought we'd need those to keep the kids motivated along the hike, but they were ALL such troopers. No one complained. No one asked to be carried. No one said they wanted to go home. No one asked how much longer until we got there. Remarkable, really!! They (us all) were truly mesmerized by the beautiful nature around us at every turn, and that must have been motivation enough to carry on.
Field of Critters
At one point the trail opened up onto a massive field, full of thousands of crickets bouncing all around. Try to catch one? Challenge accepted! All four kiddos where down on their hands & knees trying to catch a grasshopper. Paige had the most luck. Her patience & determination paid off in dividends when she caught not only a grasshopper, but also a teeny frog!
Check out this awesome video of Sadie passing by :)
Waterfall Wonder
We made it! We were all psyched to see the waterfall of our "waterfall hike" in all her glory! Doug got a great video of the scene:
Cheers Atop the Austria Mountain
As if enjoying & completing that beautiful hike - in a beautiful setting - with great friends - wasn't enough, we then got to relax with a beer & kaiserschmarrn dessert and enjoy even more epic views atop the mountain! We had taken a lunch break along the way to chow on our packed lunches, so by that point we were ready for some celebratory food & drink. Talk about a perfect way to cap off the afternoon.
AND . . . The mountaintop had some rad playgrounds with the BEST zip line EVER!
Cheers to German + American NYC friends reunited in Austria!
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