TRIPLE A – FOR ATTERSEE, AUSTRIA AND MY SUMMER AT THE LAKE

Nestled like a jewel, framed by hills and mountains lies the crystal clear lake Attersee. The multifarious colors are just unbelievable and lake Attersee, which is situated in the upper Austrian region of Salzkammergut, is the biggest lake in Austria which is entirely in Austria. Distinctive mountains like the Schafberg (1783 m), southwest of the lake, or Höllengebirge (1862 m), southeast of the lake, are enclosing the lake. Furthermore, lake Attersee, with its size of 47 km² is part of the European Network 2000. Thx. to www.steemit.com at this point which makes it possible for me to show parts of my homeland.

After being traveling for several months this spring I decided to spend the summer at one of Austria’s beautiful lakes. Surprised by the overpriced possibilities I almost gave up my search but then I found a mobile home at a campground in Nußdorf, which was in the papers for sale. I contacted the owner and he agreed on renting it out to me for the whole summer, great! The idea behind it was to settle down a bit by having my own little space for a while. As a blogger, traveler, ​and libertine (who is always searching for the ‘right’ lifestyle) I do not have many belongings. The few things I call my temporary possessions are all in a rented storage garage! This kind of lifestyle makes it possible to be flexible in terms of locality and requires less fixed costs.

Besides all of that, I could not think of any better or more beautiful location to work all the travel material into blog posts. Right now it is mid-July and I am already here for more than ten weeks; here in Nußdorf – Attersee. And untill today this exceptional place is capturing me every day again with its beauty and diversity. Without a doubt, it is the best summer I have ever had in Austria! The camper feels like my castle, the lake like a huge ocean and the surrounding mountains a terrain ready to discover.

Writing about Attersee and its regions, the experiences, the research and (photographed) material I collected until now, would fill a book. Therefore it is really difficult to decide where to focus on while writing about these regions. I had to choose… and so the focal point will lie on the lake itself and with that, I would like to share with you my fascination for it. Besides, I invite you to become part of my sporting activities which will mirror fragments of the multifarious natural beauty of this region. But Attersee and its tourism, as well as the overwhelming amount of secondary residences, have (and still create) a downside, an unmissable drawback…for those who look beneath the shiny surface of this jewel! The lake itself did not forfeit any of its beauty, but undoubtedly the region with its lack of innovations did. I still could not find out if the given possibilities for the existing potential are blocked by governmental authorities, consciousness or unconsciousness!

The left-hand side of the picture you can see Mondsee and the lake at the right is Attersee facing towards Unterach am Attersee which shows you fragments of the natural beauty of the region.

I am not just loving the lake(s) in this region but also I am addicted to the mountains.

And one of the best ways to explore it is by combining it with sporting activities such as hiking, mountaineering, by bicycle or MTB or like me​, through trail running. The rented camper at Nußdor, of course,​e provides the best base camp (I could not have asked for any better). I am able to reach most of the starting points for (my) exploration by MTB and for some activities, ​I can even start right away from the campground. What a privilege!

This summer I have made thousands of altitude meters and hundreds of kilometers​ through biking in different districts around Attersee but my mostfavorite​e region and tours are located around Eisenhauer Alm / Eisenau (1015 m) and its highest peak: Schafberg (1783 m). There are many ways to get (close) to the summit of Schafberg, but the most famous one is definitely by Schafberg Cog Railway – St. Wolfgang. For reaching the Eisenau plateau you can choose between many hiking or biking possibilities and all of them are signposted really well. The routes and roads are maintained very well and after your sporting activity I can assure you to find great culinary pleasure by enjoying traditional and local food at any of the mountain huts at the Eisenau plateau. First the sporting activities and then the pleasure… enclosed some details, information and insight views of my trail running activities of the Attersee region:

Enough sports for now, so let’s move on to some information about culinary highlights around Lake Attersee which can be a seductive and surprising challenge. I did spend the whole summer at Attersee but for this blog post, ​I will focus (besides a few recommendations around the lake) on Nußdorf itself. In general, but with a few exceptions, the gastronomy and food service industry in Nußdorf is catastrophic! Since I was self-employed in this business for more than 20 years and had an apprenticeship in both occupations, was teaching, leading and running five​-star​r hotels and restaurants (with up to 84 employees) national like international-wise​, I know EXACTLY what I am writing about here!

I could write a book about my gastronomic experiences at lake Attersee; the incredibility, the variety in terms of quality and standards and the huge gap between them (this definitely would break the mold​ of this blog). The good news is, there are some ‘tasteful’ exceptions where a disappointed savourer feels rescued by quality, kindness and common sense. And here you can find them: Gasthof Schönberger, Fischerwirt, 1er Beisl – Haubenlokal im Lexenhof, Hotel Aichinger and Hotel Ragginger. After all this food we are back at the lake...

We are back at the lake and welcome on board of ‘Attersee – Schifffahrt’. In the years of 1869/70 Graf Khevenhüller-Frankenburg established the first concessionary Attersee – Steamboat Company. The ambitious company ‘Stern & Haferl started as early as 1913 to operate the Attersee Schifffahrt by using an electric drive to power there ships! My most favorite​ spot to board a ship is in the beautiful tiny village of Unterach. This village still spreads out some of the old charm and atmosphere and has, as the only village around the lake, a bypass. The village of Unterach, which was called little Venice in the last century, lies on the southern end of Attersee and until today beguiles its guests through the old villas which were built during the glory days at the turn of the century.

In this last part of the blog post, ​we (I) literally are diving into the lake. Meanwhile, ​it should be obvious that my preferences are not just to be found high up in the mountains, no…! They are also lying within the depths of lakes and oceans. The diving schools around Attersee offer a great service and the quality level​, as well as safety and individuality,​y is very high. Their training methods are state of the art and so are the lessons, which are taught on an international level. If you are interested to dive at Attersee just follow the link for some more detailed information: Diving schools at Attersee.

I myself am diving over 20 years now and I did take my first Apnea (free-diving) course about 15 years ago in Thailand: Apnea – Freediving. So it was about time for me to update my skills, especially in terms of safety and technique and so I signed up for a course at Attersee in July, which was held by the multiple world record holders​ Christian Redl. Enclosed you will find some pictures, a video from the underwater playground and a link with further descriptions about Apnea/free-diving​. Apnea is the technique of diving with your own tidal air. Apnea divers are inhaling before they dive and with the amount of ‘air supply’ (from one last deep breath, ​ they have to manage the dive. The period between inhaling and exhaling is called ‘Apnoe’ (temporary suspension of breathing).

As mentioned at the beginning of this blog post, this summer was by far the best I ever experienced in Austria. The rented camper in Nußdorf as my basecamp played a major role in it. Besides all the positive aspects and fascinating experiences, ​I had this summer at Attersee.
Sommer 2017