Kals am Großglockner
Kals is a small village at the foot of the Großglockner mountain (3,798 m) in East Tyrol with a population of about 1,200 in 2015, which lies approximately 30 km north-northwest of Lienz. On July 20, I got on a bus 4408 at 9:05am in front of Lienz train station to visit this village. The bus ran north along the river Isel for nearly 30 minutes to Huben, where I changed to another bus for Kals village. Within an hour in total, I got off at the information center in Ködnitz district of Kals and planed the hiking course for that day with the help of a young lady staff there.
St. Georg church
I made up my mind to climb to Mt. Gorner (2,702 m) and headed for the lift station in Grossdorf, On the way, I found a small Romanesque church of St Georg standing in solitude on a green field. According to the old charters, this village had already a separate parish in 1197 and the St Georg church is said to have been rededicated in 1366.
This church looked like symbolizing the village’s unique history. During the latter Iron Age the Celts came in and founded its kingdom Noricum in 400 BC, which became a province of the Roman Empire in 16 BC. After the battle of Aguntum 610 between Bavarians and Slavs, the Slavs penetrated into the valleys of East Tyrol and settled in the Kals Valley. Historically there lived together peacefully Celts, Romans, Slavs and Bavarians for centuries, developing a spirit of community through faith in God in this isolated village. I imagined how they could have forgotten their hatred in everyday life and pray for God side-by-side at this Romanesque church.
Mt. Gorner
There are several pleasant hiking routes along the 19.5 km long Kals Valley, but I preferred to be on a top of mountains, even if it was not the mighty Grossglockner. The lift station in Grossdorf, just 10 minutes walking away from the church, was an entrance to the high alpine hiking trails such as the ascent to Mt. Gorner (2702m) or Europa Panoramaweg which leads to Matrei im Osttirol village. From the summit station I took the route to Mt. Gorner.
<Kals village> <Mt. Grossglockner>
Ascending a steep rocky slope starting from Adler Lounge at the summit station, I enjoyed 360 degree spectacular views before my eyes. Yes, this is the Hohe Tauern National park with more than 60 peaks over 3000 meters viewed from this trail. Near the top of Mt. Gorner, I met a Belgium family with two small kids and asked him to take a photo of me with the Mighty Grossglockner, the highest in Austria in the back.
From the peak, I returned to the Adler Lounge, where I took a late lunch with a little bit of beer watching magnificent mountain ranges.
Here were my orders;
- Weihenstephaner Weizen hall 0.3l for 3.00 euro
- Grösser Bier Ladypfiff 0.2l for 2.4 euro
- Würstl mit Brot und Senf for 4.00 euro
This was absolutely one of my best restaurants ever.
While waiting for a last bus to Lienz at Ködnitz, I met a senior couple from UK, who were travelling across Europe by car. As their sun was working in Osaka, Japan and they had once traveled across my country, they were very friendly and we spent a pleasant time chatting for a while. And they taught me an interesting beverage dubbed as "Radler" with beer and lemonade which was the ideal for mountain hikers who loved beer, but couldn't drink while walking. Next time I'd try that certainly!
(to be continued; next "Renewable energy in Austria vs Japan")
Related blogs are;
"Mt. Schafberg - A senior hiker on Austrian Alps (1)" posted on Aug. 4, 2015
"Zell Am See - A senior hiker on Austrian Alps (2)" posted on Sep. 9, 2015
"Lienz - A senior hiker on Austrian Alps (3)" posted on Oct. 22, 2015
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