The train and boat trip.

Travel blog about our trip to Austria in September of 2006
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Pieter
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The train and boat trip.

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5 September 2006

Beautiful weather, 28 – 30 degrees.

After the “klettern” we did yesterday we are taking things slow today, first a trip on the train with a steam engine to Jenbach and next a boat trip on the Aachensee is on the program.
At 9:00 we’re all ready to go and waiting to board the train. Everyone who is complaining that smoking is bad for you: take a trip with this little engine, I think they burn just about anything and not just coal. Even heavy fuel is going in the firebox and it’s not the type which is low on sulphur. People wearing contact lenses should wear goggles because of all the soot that is flying around.
The first part of the trip is slightly uphill, but at Eben it’s going downhill to end up 400 meters lower in the valley. Here is where the cogs come in handy and explains why the boiler is slightly tilted on the engine. Next time we’ll take a closed carriage, unfortunately the closed carriage was reserved for a bus load of old age pensioners, I think the total age exceeded the 5000 years. Some of them had to be hoisted on board with a stretcher.
After enjoying a drink on the Jenbach station we went back up, this time the trip was better, because the engine was behind the carriages. This meant less smoke and soot inside.

Next we boarded the salon boat on the Aachensee. It was noon, so it’s time for a cold beer and it tasted very well, staring over the lake. One of the crewmembers spotted my Eagles t-shirt and wanted to know all about is, especially when he noticed the shirt being from this year’s concert. I’ve made a friend that day, because I could go as I pleased to take pictures. When we docked at one of the piers Margreet wanted to pull me away, but the guy said it was okay for me to be there. After the boat left again, we started talking again about the Eagles and their songs.
The boat trip is a nice way to see the landscape surrounding the Aachensee, especially in this weather, we could even see the hut where we’ve been yesterday.

We also found another walk, but the votes against it were stronger than the pro’s. Naturally we didn’t forget about our tummies, the rumbling is hard to miss, so we left the boat at Pertisau for a walk and a lunch at Hotel Christina. A delicious pasta dish and real Wiener Schnitzels went down a treat. The rest of our time here we did some shopping and sniffed at the Tiroler Steinöl, just oil they extract from slate.

Next we went back to the pier to catch the boat for the last leg back to Maurach. We were welcomed again by the Eagles fan who had lots more stuff to share. Maurach comes in sight and while disembarking the friendly man wished us an “sehr schöne urlaub”. Time to head back to the hotel to enjoy a liquid refreshment awaiting dinner.

Just another day down the drain.
Don't put your mouth into motion, before your brain is in gear.
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