Alpine Adventures

Today was a pretty warm one and, since it was our last opportunity, Eleanor and I decided to humour Gaz and take the Achenseebahn down to Jenbach. The little mountain railway runs from the boat landing stage at Seespitz, down to Jenbach station, where it meets main line trains heading to Innsbruck, Salzburg or the Zillertal. We raced from Pertisau to Seespitz, Gaz and El taking the boat, stopping first at Buchau, me walking. The boat won, but I was only a few minutes behind. I was in time for us to load into one of the little open carriages, before Georg (the engine) steamed into action.  Jenbach is not the most fascinating of places, and the Innthal was much sultrier than the Achensee, so it was something of a challenge to fill the hour and a half until the next train up. We had a little wander through the village centre and a look at the church, before heading back to the station.  The return journey failed to hold Eleanor's attention. Perhaps it was boredom wit...

We had a quiet day today. No chance of walking after yesterday's efforts.  Eleanor just wanted to stay in our holiday house and play. So we started with our pre breakfast swim. Then Gaz and Eleanor went to play in the children's playroom. I did eventually get the rucksack packed and agreement that we could go up another mountain (this time the Feilkopft, by vintage bus. The options for getting up mountains without expending your own energy are many and varied around here!). When we finally persuaded Eleanor to leave the playground (discovered behind our hotel - it took us until today to find the playground closest to us) we had missed the bus and there wasn't another one for an hour and a half. So we hopped on the boat to Gisalm, when we did some paddling,  stone skimming and playing on the playground!  We had got agreement to walk back to Pertisau from Gisalm, via the lake path, but by the time we were ready to leave the clouds were mustering in the North We...

We had something of a surprise this morning when, at breakfast, Eleanor announced that she wanted to go up the cable car and do a walk today! Her choice of cable car may have been influenced by the presence of the playground outside the Alpengasthaus Karwendal, but we weren't going to argue. So, after a morning swim (this is becoming routine now), breakfast and a little play with the Lego, we packed up the rucksack, donned our walking boots and set off, through the gloomy wood, past the deserted Alpenhof Hotel, up to the cable car base station. It didn't bode well that Eleanor used up one of her shoulder rides, only 200m from the hotel, but she was walking (sort of) so we made the best of it. 
 Once atop the Zwolferkopt, the mountain which the Karwendal cable car ascends, we made an unsurprising stop at the playground, before heading up the hill (via the escalator!) and setting off on the path towards the Barenbadalm. The path was full of interest as, in ad...

We are learning that our experience of Achensee, with child, is necessarily very different from our first visit, a decade ago.  Then we walked up multiple summits, on either side of the lake. Trips up cable cars marked the start of the exploration of the higher ground. Now, it seems, it is the end. However, we are definitely seeing sights we never explored on that previous visit. Who knew that the Achensee contained so many, and so varied, playgrounds? 
 Today we explored play areas in and around Pertisau. Our first port of call, soon after waking up, was the pool area in the hotel. Ok, so not really a playground, but there was plenty of enjoyment to be had, particularly as we had most of it to ourselves. This was our third trip to the pool, we managed a short burst before dinner on Sunday (to compensate for all the walking), then a v long swim last night  (including swimming through a thunderstorm in the outside pool, it's not as if you can get any wetter). Like most thi...