Marina's Alm, August, 2023

Friday, 19/08/2023 Our neightbour, from 2 doors down the road bought an alm with an old farmhouse to renovate, quite a few years ago, now. We had yet to visit so one hot Saturday, we caught the train to Felixdorf on the Piesting River, half an hour south of Vienna. We then rode up the Piesting valley.

Above, one of many river crossings. Below, the second wooden bridge was actually a detour simply to see it,

Interesting, but not where we need to go.

We return back to the main road up and over the pass at Acher Pass (800m above sea level), pausing on the way up because of the heat. We finally get to the top, roll down the other side to end up at Puchberg am Schneeberg where we have lunch. We continue up a quiet valley to a resort where we met up with Marina who has booked a place for us there. It is all quite civilised. A very large dam backs onto the resort and we swim from one end to the other end and back again. Marina and Ricki join us for dinner at the resturant attached to the facility. On the Sunday, we get up and ride a little further up the road to where the farmhouse is.

Part of the farmhouse that Marina is renovating.

We have morning tea with the Polish family living there and doing the actual work. We then put the bikes on the back of the ute and Marina takes up the mountain to where her alm is - alm being a summer field, high up in the mountains, or in this case, right on the very top.

Marina and Susanna, with a view of Schneeberg behind them. Schneeberg supplies Vienna with water.

We took the bikes off the back of the ute and rode down the mountain to a nearby resturant where Marina meets us with Ricky for lunch. We continue down the mountain to the vally floor and then along some very lovely trails following the river.

At Neunkirchen, we catch the train back to Vienna.