The problem with going to Austria during the Summer is that the car journeys are just the worst. I am certainly not one for them and find them extremely uncomfortable. The idea of travelling across 5 countries for 14/15 hours is not by my standards ideal. However arriving in Osttirol is certainly worth the wait. Although me and my friend stayed there for a day (the rest we spent in Vienna before setting off to Berlin) we still managed to go for a decent enough hike. It's weird, the difference between hiking in the Alps in comparison to hiking in the Lake District. I'm not knocking the Lake District here but for what's worth I would prefer a hiking holiday in a non-touristy area with good company and remote enough to not rely on internet access or telephone signals. Anyway I digress...
Because the Summer in Austria (depending on where you are) has been a little stop-start, it comes as no suprise to find snow on top of the mountain, which we were climbing. This unfortunately meant that we weren't able to go to the top - for safety reasons. The only problem I had though hiking up is the flies. Whether it is because I'm English (well half-English) and am not used to the environment (wasn't born there) and climate, which meant that I became a sudden target to 30 flies buzzing around your head as I tried to make my way aimlessly up the mountain. Or they just felt the need to annoy me. Either way the climb was definitely worth it, with a mountain lake to finish the hike off. As I we were only spending a day here meant that we had to make the most of the day's hike. Fortunately the weather was kind to us, making great views down into the valley.
So from Osttirol we took a train to Vienna (via Villach) and just spent the time there going to museums and just generally waiting to start our interrailing do! So Berlin next...
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