Another beautiful day of weather accompanied us as we said goodbye to Gmunden and headed for Bad Ischl. We started our journey on the ferry from Gmunden to Ebensee, hoping to visit a modern history museum and concentration camp in Ebensee. However, as we have learned numerous times on this trip, the hours for museums aren't always consistent with what is printed in brochures! After a beautiful journey across the Traunsee we arrived in Ebensee only to find that the museum wasn't open. We were disappointed, but continued on our way.
Upon checking into our new hotel in Bad Ischl (earlier than planned!), we ventured to the
Kaiservilla which is right next to our hotel. Although the tour was in German, they did have a very helpful English card for us to read as we walked through the amazing home. It was amazing to think that we were standing in the room where, on July 28, 1914, Franz Josef signed the declaration of war on Serbia that was to escalate into WWI and change the world.
Following our tour of the summer home, we went wandering through Bad Ischl. Although it is Sunday and stores are all closed, the restaurants remain open so we ventured into a McDonald's for a quick and cheap treat. Make sure you check out that photo below!
Tomorrow we are going to attempt, again, to go to Steinbach am Attersee to see Mahler's composing hut. We asked at the desk about how to get there and he made sort of a grunting noise followed by "they cancelled the main bus from here to Steinbach last year. If you want to go we will have to call ahead and arrange a private bus for you." We'll see if this works or not! I did hear back from the reception at the hotel where Mahler stayed saying that we just need to stop by the desk and pick up the key for the cottage when we arrive. She seems confident that we will make it there tomorrow, so I'm hopeful as well!
Photos from our journey today:
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| Glockenspiel bells in the tower at Gmunden |
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| Waiting for the ferry |
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| Goodbye, Gmunden! |
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| Train on the hillside |
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| Approaching Ebensee |
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| River in Ebensee. The water here is so clear! |
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| The "summer home" |
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| I didn't realize that Franz Josef was such a trendsetter and had the first water park in his backyard! |
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| Definitely planning to visit the musik shoppe tomorrow! |
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| On the bridge to the Kaiservilla |
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| Franz Lehar, an Austrian composer, was buried here in Bad Ischl |
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| Waiting in line for a snack on the Austrian Father's Day |
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| Not sure what Xsunda means, but this looks like a fine accordion! |
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