EuroTrip - Day 41

Ice Ice Baby

We have almost reached halfway through our EuroTrip but still we have not yet seen the real charmer - a snow fall. We have been desperately waiting to see it. If I say this to any European, they will give me an expression like 'what's the big fucking deal with the snow fall !!' Who can explain them, for many Indians like me who come from the heart of the country, the only glimpse of snow fall is that shown on the tv or cinema screen (unless ofcourse you have had your honeymoon in Kashmir or if you count the ice in your freezer as snow).

It was a high time that we see some ice (if not snow) and that we do it at the best possible place. Salzburg in Austria came as the natural choice as it offers one of the biggest ice caves in world. Werfen situated at a distance of 30 minutes from Salzburg is the destination for these caves that are called Eisriesenwelt. You can reach here by taking the SBahn from Salzburg. The route is scenic and if you wish you can get down at any station on the way (with around 15 stations on the way, this train journey is more like a local train in Mumbai).

Werfen is also famous for its castle and the driving routes around the city (in the Alpes region). You get a real good view of castle during your bus journey to the starting point of the trek to the caves. A 20 minute walk, followed by a 3 minute cable car ride, followed by another 20 minute walk takes you to the entrance of the cave. We met one Indian family on the way and exchanged notes with them. Their local host had lots of stories to share, we overheard a couple of them and then left their company.

The view of the mountain ranges was improving as the sun rose in the sky. The colors changed from dark greyish cloudy to real sky blue. Snow capped mountain looked like a small stroke of white brush on this large landscape. The clouds sprayed a few puffs of newer shades and made it a memorable treat to watch. I can tell you here that I am really short of words to describe the scenery that we saw. May be a picture or two will give the real understanding of what I am trying to explain. It is unimaginable - take my words.

The mountains are also covered with some loose ice that has formed due to recent snow falls. They acted as ammunition for our snow fight. Fighting in snow is fun as long as you don't hit each other on face. We are kind of novice in this game. Switzerland should be the real testing ground for it, I guess. :-)

The ice-caves are natural formations of stalactite and stalagmite that have been getting constructed due to the natural process. Out of the known stretch of 42km long caves around one km long section is made accessible to visitors from May-Oct. The guided tour starts with a lively young chap giving you a brief info about what to expect (there are 700 steps to climb and then 700 to get down in the 70 minute long tour). He will also distribute carbon lamps as any other source of light is not permitted inside the caves. Photography is not allowed so don't expect to get a sneak preview without feeling the chill.

These caves were explored almost a century back and have been a big attraction for the travelers and scientists since then. Using methods which are similar to that of finding age of tree (for finding age of a tree they count the rings in the trunk; for ice caves it is the number of layers), some of the ice formations have been dated back some 4000 years. Many a ice monuments (the polar bear, elephant etc) have been built over decades and there is very little change that is observed from year to year. One more interesting piece of information about these caves is the way they are formed. There are a lot of thermodynamics funde involved here. But let me tell you these one is the coolest example of the theory of thermodynamics. The chilly winds that pass through the gate as soon as you enter the cave just gives you a hint at what is the magic behind these caves.

The 70 minute trip ends in no time as you are spell bound throughout by the amazing storytelling by the guide as well as the beauty of the place. And as soon as you come out, you find yourself back among the sky blue panoramic view of the region of snow covered mountains. The journey back is as entertaining as the way up. We met Bora and A1 on the way. It's a small world you see!

Castle would have been our next stop but by the time we reached the town, its entrance was about to be closed. So we had to give it a miss. One suggestion, the best way to cover both is to do the castle tour in the morning followed by the caves tour. The bright sunny afternoon view of the mountain range is an unbeatable experience.

Salzburg, the town of Mozart, is rich with culture and heritage. The old town market is a UNESCO world heritage site and boats of the best of architectural marvels in this region. Just take a walk through the narrow lanes and you will get a feel of the rich culture that flows through this town. The museum here is voted the best European museum of year 2009. Alas it also closes even before the sun sets (which, by the way, happens as early as 6pm in month of October).

The castle is situated on a small hill and it oversees the central part of the town. You can get a view of the castle from the streets in the old market. In evening, all the monuments are well lit making them more attractive and photo-worthy. The cathedral is one of the biggest of its kind in this region. This baroque style monument was destroyed in 1944 and renovated a decade later. The highly ornamental carved arches and domes make it a treat to watch (especially after watching so many of those Notre Dames). To our good luck, they were conducting some event to promote the idea of World Religion. There were different exhibits with life-size figures put showcasing different interpretation of life, death and religion. These were the interpretation that young students of this area had come up with for the theme of World Religion and a world church. There could not have been a better way to spend an otherwise chilly and rainy night. Till midnight the warmth of the church kept us going after the real long day.

We had changed our plans after discussion with Bora and A1 and now we were on our way to Budapest. The night long journey was going to be a test of our stamina as we had not had a good rest for over 4 days. I hope we survive this night. As there is a beautiful city that awaits us the next morning.