28 Jun 2014

In the Austrian Alps

Austria 14 - 21/6/2014

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We spent a lovely week in Austria. We stayed at a hotel in village Badgastein in Gasteinertal but made trips also elsewhere.

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To climb or to take the cable lift? Well that's the question!

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An impressive waterfall runs through the village Badgastein.

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We visited village Heiligenblut. Großglockner in the background, behind the church.

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The trails were rather well marked. Our walks were leisurely as we didn't want to push the kids too hard.

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There were some very tame squirrels along the Kaiser Wilhelm Promenade trail.

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Hohenwerfen fortress has an interesting history. It can also be seen in the film Where Eagles Dare.

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We met some marmots in the Hohe Tauern national park.

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It is over a decade since I last visited the Alps but I remembered correctly: walking in these landscapes is a wonderful way to spend your holiday. A week passed far too quickly. We could easily have spent another week exploring the area.



26 Jun 2014

Giant's kettles in Askola

Askola 7/6/2014

Some 20 giant's kettles were found in Askola in 1950. They were emptied in 1965 and since then they've been a local attraction.

We packed our backpacks and visited the area in early June.



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We were greeted by this fellow when we arrived.

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Some of the potholes are large...

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... and some are smaller.

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Each of them has a name.

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Many of the potholes were occupied...

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... and we saw some other locals as well.

A nice place to visit, and not too far away from Helsinki where we live.