Matrei was literally a breath of fresh air after the previous crowded cities. I was surprised by how similar this part of Austria seemed to New Zealand. Green fields and trees dominated the valley floors, and white fluffy clouds brushed the mountain tops above. Here I was reunited with some old friends: Ben, Andrea, Nelleke, Jill and Neil. We stayed in a lovely old homestay and had some good home cooking of stuffed peppers and nachoes.
On my first full day there, we set off on a day hike up a mountain. We started off at the bottom of a valley, gazing high up to the snow tipped mountains above – our destination. Following a river, we passed through a wee village and chased some goats down the path. The trail quickly steepened, though the heat never got unbearable. Soon the valley floor was far below us, and the glacier much closer.
Setting off, we passed a small lake, which made for a decent foreground in some photos. Soon the ground turned to pure rock, and we had to clamber over some stoney slopes to get towards the glacier. We finally got there, and peered underneath it to see a cool light green cave.
After a hard last half hour slog up the hill, we finally got to the hut, our destination. We lounged around, looking down the valley where we had come from in a few hours, and watched some sheep mill about. The walk down was a lot faster, unsurprisingly, but left our legs aching due to some steep steps. As the sun went down, we stopped at the village on the way back, enjoying a beer in the sun and looking back up at where we had been.
A Nomad's Travels 