So you are astonished? Three alps on one day. But not by hiking. Don’t panic!
To the Kallbrunn Alp (Kallbrunnalm) you can go by Almtaxi or walk from the parking lot Pürzlbach along the road up to the alp. We had with Birgit from the natural preserve a stunning chauffeur.
The Kallbrunn Alp is a commons from altogether 30 farmers from Bavaria and Salzburg. The small houses are called Kaser which is supposed to come from Latin ‚casa‘ – house and has nothing to do with cheese. Those Kasers are plain pictorial and scattered over the hills with their larch shingles and some have even larch shingles on their outer walls.
Here on top time seems to stand still and you can spend hours here. Strolling from Kaser to Kaser, walk into an alpine snack bar or just sit somewhere and enjoy the view or listen to the sound of the cow bells. You can also try a cow selfie…
There is also an alp information centre and you can as well buy the cheese there, which is produced at the alp.
We were lucky that day because it was the last day before the return from the livestock from high alpine summer pastures (Almabtrieb) and therefore everybody was busy with preparations. Here in the mountains tradition is quite vivid and a lot of rituals and unwritten rules are still followed. Ornaments for the cows or nosegays for the herders were tinkered everywhere. Modern times mix with tradition when instead of wire a holt-melt gun is used to fix the branches to the stick. Progress finds it’s way into the alps.
Blessed herb nosegays which will be fed to the cows during the Twelve Nights are hanging at the walls in the huts. Or you find pentagrams. What it all means you can find out yourself. Also why Pinzgau cows have dark hooves and how they move in the alps. Here you quickly get into conversation with the Kaser (also the owner of a Kaser is called Kaser) and you learn many things and hear anecdotes and stories.
At the Kallbrunn alp a roof of a Kaser was newly covered with larch shingles. Not with new ones though. The shingles are used exactly four times. Resources are treated with care here. The shingles are lying loose on the roof. They are held by boards weight with large stones. Such a roof lasts up to 60 years. Fascinating!
After having visited the Kallbrunnalm we went to the Litzl alp (Litzlalm) and passed the old frontier to Germany at Hirschbichl. We went along beautiful landscapes and views. Here you can get mad with taking photos.
Finally we stopped at the Hundsfuß alp (Hundsfußalm). A small hidden alpine hut at a rare larch meadow. Food is awesome here. Helga prepares everything herself. Handmade and with high value of the ingredients. Her ‚Bladln‘ are georgeous but her ‚Bauernkrapfen‘ are probably the best from whole Salzburger Land. As big as a dessert plate and a couple of centimeters high. You can get them sweet with lingonberries or with sauerkraut. Did we discuss yet the eating of the photo models afterwards??? After Bladln and Krapfen a rhubarb Schnaps was obligatory. Half board wasn’ t an option that evening by the way…
And here are as usual Achim's photos from that day. You might need some time. Are you sitting? Geht something to eat and to drink… Ready – Go:
Kallbrunnalm
Litzlalm
Hundsfußalm
