2015 Trip Day 10
Wow, double figures already! So today has, of course, all been based around the Achensee. I went out this morning and purchased some food, drink and other necessities from a supermarket on the far side of the lake. (As breakfast isn't served until 8am, I like having something to eat beforehand if I'm hungry. Extra drinks help as well.) I then caught the lovely steam-train from Maurach to Seespitz and then the boat to Pertisau, and all just to bring my shopping home. *g* (The joys of a holiday card that gives me free travel on both train and ferry as often as I like for 7 days - I intend to get my money's worth!
In the afternoon I did something that has helped to half-cross off something that was extremely high on my wish-list of things to do. I set off to walk around the entirety of the Achensee. For the uninitiated, this is the lake in the Tyrol beside which I am staying. It is quite a large lake - the biggest in Tyrol, in fact - and the perimeter is 21.3kms. So today, because I had nothing else to do (!!) I set off to see if I could make a dent in that substantial distance.
And, because this is me and I'm sometimes a bear with rather little brain, I decided to do the hardest part first.
I began my walk heading for the Dripping Rock, which is on the western shore of the lake. I've done this bit of the walk before and loved it. It begins nice and flat, but has a few slightly interesting parts over bridges and things like that. However my plans went much further! I continued past the Dripping Rock and headed towards Gaisalm. Now this, in and of itself, is not a foolish idea. Many fellow Chalet fans have done it, and while it is not anything like as easy as the first part from Pertisau, it is not massively challenging. The proscribed time on the sign (which one should always take with an entire shaker full of salt) said it would take 1.5 hour to get to Gaisalm. It took me just over 2. This meant I missed the ferry that might have taken me back or elsewhere on the lake, but never mind. I decided to press on to Achenkirch.
Remember that discussion we had to day 2 about me doing silly things. This may or may not have been another one. I know, I know, it was on the list. But maybe, just maybe, trying to do it as part of the same walk as the Pertisau-Gaisalm leg (making the whole walk a total of about 10km) was a big over-optimistic. Basically, everything below my waist hates me and is letting me know it. I will be thrilled to bits if I never, ever see a flight of stairs again, and - oh, yes - I'm afraid of heights! Somehow I always forget that while gallivanting about on lake-paths with sheer drops away to the water!
Incidentally, I think in EBD's imagination (if she ever actually did the walk from Pertisau to Achenkirch) Gaisalm was only about 1 km past the Dripping Rock, and Achenkirch only 2-3kms beyond that because otherwise I can't imagine how she could completely forget the many other dripping things (not including one completely knackered Aussie dripping with sweat) on the path.
Oh yes, and I had considered walking down (I'm not, thankfully, silly enough to consider both up AND down) from the two cable cars in Pertisau and Maurach, but I am now wondering about taking the cars both up and down depending on how I pull up tomorrow. (I will also be waiting for the clouds to leave as otherwise there will not be a view worth mentioning from either of them thanks to the recent snowfalls and fog.)
Plans for tomorrow are a long, lazy ride on the ferry to the head of the lake and back, and then catch the train to Jenbach and see the museum there. In other words, keeping the walking to a minimum. I wonder why...
In the afternoon I did something that has helped to half-cross off something that was extremely high on my wish-list of things to do. I set off to walk around the entirety of the Achensee. For the uninitiated, this is the lake in the Tyrol beside which I am staying. It is quite a large lake - the biggest in Tyrol, in fact - and the perimeter is 21.3kms. So today, because I had nothing else to do (!!) I set off to see if I could make a dent in that substantial distance.
And, because this is me and I'm sometimes a bear with rather little brain, I decided to do the hardest part first.
I began my walk heading for the Dripping Rock, which is on the western shore of the lake. I've done this bit of the walk before and loved it. It begins nice and flat, but has a few slightly interesting parts over bridges and things like that. However my plans went much further! I continued past the Dripping Rock and headed towards Gaisalm. Now this, in and of itself, is not a foolish idea. Many fellow Chalet fans have done it, and while it is not anything like as easy as the first part from Pertisau, it is not massively challenging. The proscribed time on the sign (which one should always take with an entire shaker full of salt) said it would take 1.5 hour to get to Gaisalm. It took me just over 2. This meant I missed the ferry that might have taken me back or elsewhere on the lake, but never mind. I decided to press on to Achenkirch.
Remember that discussion we had to day 2 about me doing silly things. This may or may not have been another one. I know, I know, it was on the list. But maybe, just maybe, trying to do it as part of the same walk as the Pertisau-Gaisalm leg (making the whole walk a total of about 10km) was a big over-optimistic. Basically, everything below my waist hates me and is letting me know it. I will be thrilled to bits if I never, ever see a flight of stairs again, and - oh, yes - I'm afraid of heights! Somehow I always forget that while gallivanting about on lake-paths with sheer drops away to the water!
Incidentally, I think in EBD's imagination (if she ever actually did the walk from Pertisau to Achenkirch) Gaisalm was only about 1 km past the Dripping Rock, and Achenkirch only 2-3kms beyond that because otherwise I can't imagine how she could completely forget the many other dripping things (not including one completely knackered Aussie dripping with sweat) on the path.
Oh yes, and I had considered walking down (I'm not, thankfully, silly enough to consider both up AND down) from the two cable cars in Pertisau and Maurach, but I am now wondering about taking the cars both up and down depending on how I pull up tomorrow. (I will also be waiting for the clouds to leave as otherwise there will not be a view worth mentioning from either of them thanks to the recent snowfalls and fog.)
Plans for tomorrow are a long, lazy ride on the ferry to the head of the lake and back, and then catch the train to Jenbach and see the museum there. In other words, keeping the walking to a minimum. I wonder why...