It’s cold, grey and absolutely pelting with rain. A far cry from the spring vibes I’d been hoping for so I thought I’d do a photo dump of last week’s highlight - a hike from Bad Vöslau to the Jubiläumskreuz.
A whole post about just one hike may seem excessive. Was it really that memorable? I hear you say. Well yes, yes it was and for more reasons than one.
Along with two fellow year-abroaders, I set off from Vienna for the short train journey to Bad Vöslau last Friday and felt almost nostalgic as we whizzed past the countryside, through which I’d travelled every day on my commute to school pre-latest lockdown. When, or if, I’ll be returning, who knows!
We arrived to sun and, thankfully, a big notice board with a map - no misleading Stadtwanderweg signs here. Or so we thought…
As we wound our way up into the woods, the pine trees and marbled light on the forest floor gave it a somewhat mediterranean feel - reminiscent of the crazy hike we did en famille in Marettimo two years ago. Thankfully this time, it wasn’t quite 45 degrees heat and we’d sensibly brought water with us. No food though, unless you count hot cross buns defrosting in my rucksack on the way
Once up through the trees, we came across a tall stone tower which of course we climbed. After many stairs accompanied by snatches at the stunning view through old, cobwebby windows, we made it to the top and were rewarded with an incredible 360 vantage point, looking out over the whole of Niederösterreich, or so it seemed.
Once back on firm land, we strolled towards the Harzberg hut in the hope a magnum might miraculously appear. Alas, even the open-air vending machines had given up the ghost. What we were met with however, easily trumped any ice cream. Kangaroos. Yes, kangaroos in Austria! And not only that but an albino kangaroo, which I mistook for a spring lamb - hardly surprising. I’ve yet to understand why there were kangaroos in the garden of this Austrian hiking hut but I think it’s just one of those things that’s better not questioned!
On we went, further into the forest in the hope we would one day reach the renowned Jubiläumskreuz for another cracking view. Just before the final leg we took a pitstop at the Vöslauerhütte (still no magnums) and as soon as I turned on my 4G for directions (no thank you Austrian signage!), the BBC notification about Prince Phillip’s passing pinged onto my screen. A historic moment which I’ll never forget and which will forever take me back to that sunny plateau in the Austrian woods, post albino kangaroo sighting.
We then, rather aptly, ate our hot cross buns before continuing to the summit and revelling in the mountain view spread out before us.
Although we met no more Australian critters on the return journey, we did see copious lizards, which I repeatedly mistook for snakes, lots of lovely birds and the odd hiker springing along with walking sticks - we came to the conclusion that we really ought to invest in some of our own if we’re to fulfil the ‘cultural immersion’ aspect of this year abroad!
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