Thursday 19th June

We walked up the gorge recommended by Mel and Ingrid, you could not get all the way up it because last winter some parts were damaged by snow falls and floods. The picture above shows the base of a small avalanche that has been covered by debris and it stretched right up the side of the hill.

One of the many waterfalls along the route.

Viv crossing one of the bridges over the gorge, underneath is some rubble from a previous bridge washed away in a flood.

Having finished our walk we set off again and found a nice spot next to a river for lunch and watched a Dipper searching for flies to feed it's young in a nest under a bridge just up stream. Also just up stream was a chap panning in the gravel deposits near the bridge, we think he was panning for gold as the rocks in the river were mainly volcanic in origin.

This is the view from our balcony, not bad eh?

It constantly changes as the weather sweeps in, one minute you can see the mountains with snow on them then they are gone and the rain rushes across the valley only to clear as quickly as it came.

I was entertained on arrival by a Crag Martin swooping around in front of the balcony it was only the second time I have seen one and this one was really close at times and looks a bit like a cross between a swift and a sand martin with little white "mirrors" on the trail.

We have seen far more birds in two days in Austria than a whole month in Greece and far more different species as well with some good close up views of Black Redstarts, Redstarts, White and Grey Wagtails and Dippers. Hopefully I might get to see a few different mountain species as well before we leave.

We walked into town this afternoon and the hike back was testing as it is all uphill for a mile or more. Once back we went swimming and I had a sauna, an interesting experience. I met a nice Russian couple Mr and Mrs Putin and their son and a nice Italian lady who chatted away for awhile. What made it strange was the sauna plays by "Finnish Rules" which means no clothes on! I was sitting there with a towel covering the marriage bits laughing to myself inside thinking how my mother would rather die than trade places with me! Needless to say Viv chickened out of a sauna.