Straden and Gleichenberg Volcano Walk ‘Oh, I do like to be beside the seaside! Oh, I do like to be beside the sea!’ That’s my favourite song, but I never thought I’d be singing it on the top of an extinct volcano in south-eastern Austria. Believe it or not though, we really were at the seaside. Or at least, where the Styrian seaside used to be. We were back in Vulkanland, Volcano Country, this time in the village of Straden….
Kaskögerlweg Volcano Walk, Styria It looks like a giant camel far off in the distance, the two matching humps over 40km away but still clearly visible from any number of elevated points around here. I’ve grown used to being surrounded by the Alps, but I hadn’t realised that those twin peaks, the Gleichenberg volcanoes, are the centre of a large volcanic region known as Vulkanland in south-eastern Styria. I certainly had no objection to setting off to explore the area…
Egg Hunt in Styria I’ve never thought of the Oldies as eggheads, but they certainly have eggs on the brain at the moment. With Easter just round the corner, they’ve started an egg hunt with a difference. They’ve been seeking out places with egg in the name. It’s not the most egg-citing activity I can think of (sorry, couldn’t help that one), but I don’t mind. At least it gets me out and about again, even if it is a…
Vogelbeer Panoramaweg Nature Walk The hills are alive with the sound of … footsteps, chatter, picnics being unpacked, neighbours hailing each other in greeting. Yes, it was that time of the year again when Austrians escape the fog down in the valleys and head for the hills in search of winter sunshine. I don’t know if it is anything to do with the covid situation, but I don’t think I’d ever seen so many walkers out, especially mid-week. There certainly…
Terceira Island Crater Walk The day started out cloudy and unpromising. I think the Oldies knew themselves that they were being overly optimistic, setting off to drive up to the top of Serra de Santa Barbara which, at 1021m, is the highest point on Terceira. ‘Ah well, the weather’s so changeable, it’ll probably be gorgeous by the time we get thereʹ they said. Half an hour later, we were sitting in the car on the summit, in impenetrable cloud and…