First and foremost, these are the mountains of the Salzkammergut in Austria, which I visit every summer. Not just the mountains, but also the lakes: Wolfgangsee, Altauseer See, Attersee and a few smaller ones in the area.

Here the mountains are not as rugged and high as further west, the landscape is softer and tourism is stuck in the good old days.

The Salzkammergut is much less "touristy" than other parts of Austria. The towns and villages have remained more original, everything is more cosy and relaxed. The kind of summer retreat that Emperor Franz Josef appreciated.

Wolfgangsee

The Wolfgangsee is mostly located in the province of Salzburg, with a small part belonging to Upper Austria. With an area of 13 square metres, it is one of the largest Salzkammergut lakes. At its deepest point, it is 114 metres deep.

I can highly recommend a visit to Lake Wolfgangsee, the water temperature reaches 24 to 26 degrees in summer and there are plenty of opportunities for water sports and boating in addition to swimming.

Very comfortable travels It takes just 3.5 hours by train from Vienna, for example, and around 3 hours by car.

I took the following photos in Strobl on a walk to the Bürgelstein and on a lake tour.

Lake Altaussee

The Lake Altaussee is located in the Styrian part of the Salzkammergut and has been a nature reserve together with the surrounding areas since 1959. The forests surrounding the lake are largely left in their natural state, old wood is left in the forest to serve as a breeding ground for insects and plants. I particularly like the marsh plants at the back of the lake shore. The walk around the lake has been part of our fixed summer programme for years.

Sheep Mountain

With an altitude of 1762 metres, the Sheep Mountain to the higher mountains in the area, the panoramic view from the summit is unique. The mountain lies between Wolfgang- Mond- and Attersee. The cog railway Schafberg railway brings people like me, who are not so keen on mountain hiking, comfortably to the summit. At the top there is the Berghotel Schafbergspitze and several places to stop for refreshments.

Lake Hallstatt

Long, narrow and deep is the picturesque Lake HallstattHallstatt is famous for its namesake village, which stretches from the shore up the steep mountainside.

Hallstatt is a tourist magnet and is particularly popular with travellers from the Far East (in China, a Copy of the village). The village belongs to the UNESCO World Heritage Hallstatt.

The first people may have settled in the Hallstatt area as early as the Neolithic Age, attracted by the rich salt deposits. There is evidence of regular salt mining from 1500 BC. When Hallstatt period is the period from 800 to 400 BC. The Hallstatt cemetery is one of the world's most outstanding archaeological sites of the Early Iron Age. The people of Hallstatt of all ages were buried in these graves, in which valuable and valuable artefacts were found. This epoch came to an abrupt end around 400 BC due to a natural disaster.

At night

One summer in August, we wanted to take photos of the shooting stars of the Perseids make. The timing was bad, the moon outshone the sky. We'll try it again!