--------Welcome to Fernando Candido's Austria Trip 2006

We drove there this time with my daughter Isabelle. We came from the Czech Republic via the border by Klatovy. At the border there was a town called Zelena Ruda, we drove by a Natonal Park on the German side and we made our way towards Regen. Then we used the 85 towards Passau. Our final destination was the concentration camp of Mauthausen in Austria. I was somewhat curious to see one but I did not know how to explain it to Isabelle.

Isabelle she had seen a sign of a zoo while we were in the Czech Republic in Prestice. We looked for it for a long time and we also walked around but we could not find it. So, I promised Isabelle that we would stop at a zoo probably in Portugal. On our way to Linz we saw another sign and I could not say no to my wonderful daughter again. We stopped at the zoo of Schmiding by Els. Isabelle loved the zoo, especially the monkeys that were numerous.

We started looking for a camping by Els while we were driving south. We found a camping in the small town of Pettenbach, the Austria Almtal Camp. People there were very friendly. It had also chalets of all sizes. Isabelle was surprised to see some overweight woman wandering around topless.We enjoyed swimming in the clean pool. It had also a restaurant and I had a great breakfast, best eggs. They bring them to you in an iron pan right to your table.

I remember there was also a hotel that looked like a castle around a gorgeous pond. It was beautiful there.

We made our way to Slovenia but on our way we stopped in two spots. One of our first stop was by accident, we decided that we needed to get out of the highway. Isabelle was tired of being in the car. We ended up in a village called Spital am Pyhrn (it’s suppose to mean village in the mountains) by the pass named also Pyhrn Pass.. It’s a small, quaint village of of 2500 people. Nice cafes but the main attraction is the Baroque cathedral, the Dorn am Pyhrn, and what seemed to be a convent right beside it. There was also a nice little fountain in front of the church. The inside has many spectacular paintings. We went for a walk and there was a beautiful creek, coming from the mountains, passing under a bridge.

On our second stop. We went to some springs called the Alpen Adria Hotel by Hermagor and Vellach, near the lake Pressegersee. We had a pleasant of couple of hours swimming in the pools alternating between the inside pool and the outside one. It was raining sometimes and windy,so it was nice to have the option of being inside. The resort was really clean and well maintained. It is considered a four star hotel.

In winter the Nessfield skiing area is located 12 km away (free shuttle apparently).

You can have a single bed for around 75 euros (2007 prices).

http://en.woerthersee.com/static/cms/images/schiefling/sch1big.jpgJust before you reach Slovenia we drove to the magnificent Wortheresee lake in the city of Klagenfurt (population 87 000). A sun and water mecca a real “Austrian Riviera”.

A lot of people were cycling, boating and swimming. There is underwater hot springs that warm up the lake . One of the warmest body of waters of the area. The cycling trail is also one of the best of Austria.

To cross into Slovenia , into the Loibl-Pass , you have to go through some steep hairpins. The angle is so bad that you think your car may flip backward. This pass was built during the second world war . The prisoners of Mauthanesen in many instances lost their lives building this place. The summit of the pass is 1367 meters.

1-Hotel in Pettenbach, Austria by our Almtal camp 2- Slovenian Customs at the Loibl Pass


3- The steep Loibl pass.Is the car going to do a backflip? 4- Spital am Pyrn a quint little village


The lovely inside pool of the Alpen Adria Hotel by Hermagor


6-The Alpen Adria Hotel seen from the air. We enjoyed the outside pool.7-Lake Worthersee by Klagenfurt

Read about my other trip to Austria (2002)

Read about my other trips

I lost all my pictures of this trip so I had to borrow some from the net. If you have some objections of me using them , please let me know
Picture sources: Map from www.greece-map.net
Gorilla from www.zooschmiding.at
Almtal Hotel and Almtal pool from http://www.almtalcamp.at/
Inside pool and Hotel seen from the air from http://www.alpenadriahotel.at/


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