1 year ago
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Cynthia Dial
Indulge me. Close your eyes and “think” Austria.
Without doubt, you’ll envision Vienna – its stunning Opera House, the romance of the Danube and the majesty of the Habsburgs. A adjacent 2nd is surely Salzburg – identified with Mozart’s birthplace, the Sound of Music and its looming fortress.
Cynthia Dial
But erstwhile you’ve departed each city’s limits, there’s much – overmuch more. In truth, it’s Austria astatine its astir authentic. If interested, support speechmaking and committee a bid for Alpine-style escapade (averages 4.5 hours from Vienna; 2 hours from Salzburg) to the portion of Saalfelden Leogang – comprised of its 2 namesake towns of Saalfelden (pop. 17,000) and its smaller sister Leogang (pop. 3,200). In truth, I hadn’t heard of this Austrian country (in fact, I couldn’t adjacent pronounce its sanction properly); but that soon changes.
Cynthia Dial
Upon arrival, the destination is antithetic – the air, the terrain, the vibe, everything. Situated successful the Alps, it is burrowed wrong a vale betwixt 2 physically divergent mountainous spans, 1 covered successful rocky peaks, the different complemented by steep, grassy slopes. Though good known for its wintertime play and each the sports snowfall entails, my autumn sojourn reveals different offerings.
Cynthia Dial
“Willkomenn!” reads signage astatine the entranceway of Naturhotel Forsthofgut (translation: Forest Farm Estate), followed by my sanction and the names of the day’s further to-be-registered guests. As lodging for the adjacent respective days, my imminent immersion into tranquility accelerated forwards erstwhile served heated towels from a metallic tray.
Cynthia Dial
Architecturally inspired by its surrounding Alps, the 105-room/250-staff-operated edifice is simply a five-star abrogation edifice (one of the area’s 2 specified designated properties). Now successful its 5th procreation of the Schmuck household ownership, household subordinate Christoph and his wife, Christina, person tally the edifice since 2006. The Naturhotel Forsthofgut’s 400-year past initially began arsenic an accommodation for wood workers, and to this time continues to observe its alfresco connections. “As a quality hotel, we consciousness uniquely agreed with the outdoors and worth the powerfulness of nature,” acclaims the resort.
Cynthia Dial
No alien to indulgence, the hotel’s wide array of amenities is impressive. Its 61,000-square-foot, forest-themed waldSPA offers an adults-only information (enhancements see brew and schnapps presented alongside water), arsenic good arsenic a family-zone. Additionally appealing to its younger guests are a mini zoo with babe alpacas and lambs and the newly-debuted equine unchangeable and riding ringing for the teen set. Continuing with lodge comforts are 5 saunas, 3 outdoor swimming pools, a water location and integrated swimming lake, a accepted Onsen blistery excavation inspired by accepted bathhouses of Japan and a Finnish water sauna.
Among its 4 eateries are the good eating edifice “Echt,” which gives a maximum of 8 guests the accidental to person an intimate eating acquisition with Chef Michael Helfrich who is noted for his 3 Gault&Millau toques (think Michelin Guide and its stars); the ala carte Restaurant 1617 featuring Austrian classics; ForsthofgutCUISINE that offers 3 chiseled menus (classic Alpine, tasty vegan and locally sourced specialties) and newest to the hotel’s culinary country is Mizumi Lake Restaurant, dedicated to everything Japanese.
Cynthia Dial
Gault&Millau has awarded the portion with 14 toques dispersed implicit 7 restaurants. The edifice is additionally complemented by its proximity to an awesome enactment of highly acclaimed restaurants wrong walking region – including GenieBerhotel Die Riederalm and its à la carte edifice named “dahoam.” Also an award-winning Gault&Millau edifice (three toques), it has thrived nether the tutelage of owner/head cook Andreas Herbst. Noted arsenic the youngest JRE (the prestigious designation of Jeunes Restaurateur, a 15-country European relation of youthful restaurateurs and chefs), Chef Herbst’s upscale eatery has made its people for its ever-changing, originative menus of section delicacies with an planetary flair. Intimate and sophisticated, each array is fronted by acheronian suede booths and chairs and secluded by a curtain of roseate golden chains swinging from the ceiling to the floor, with the room’s oversized model filled with a presumption of the Alps. The evening of nutrient begins with a representation pinpointing the locales of the night’s fare. As promoted: “It offers determination producers a spectacular stage.”
Attentive to each detail, Herbst adjacent collaborated with a Danish creator successful the plan of pottery to champion showcase his dishes. Most accurately described a “culinary adventure,” the repast is an event. So galore are the offerings, I suffer number astatine 8 courses, one-beer and seven-wine pairings. And truthful originative is Chef – with 1 people hidden wrong a array serving portion and 1 presented atop a woody artifact bid – his imaginativeness is connected show passim the multi-hour meal.
Cynthia Dial
Noted arsenic Austria’s largest cycling portion with 50 miles of lines and trails, visitors would beryllium remiss not to easy research from a bike, particularly an e-bike. “They are truly increasing similar mushrooms,” says Sabine Enzinger, laminitis of Elements Outdoor Sports wherever the bikes are rented, of the region’s ever-escalating web of motorcycle paths. As our usher for the day’s farm-to-table biking tour, we travel Enzinger on motorcycle lanes passim the vale from shaper to shaper of the area’s galore delicacies to bask the products straight from the farm. Beginning with a sensation of hand-picked saffron baked into a loaf of bread, we halt astatine the acreage of George and Carina Wölfler. “It’s a household task and that is astir important for us,” says George of the cognition involving his wife, mother, uncle and much relatives.
After winding done the valley, on colony backways and past fields of colorful produce, the adjacent halt is Zieferhof. Owned by Bernhard and Lisa Perwein, the integrated dairy cognition whose specialties see food and yogurt is managed from the family’s 300-year-old farmhouse.
Cynthia Dial
Though Austrians would picture the luncheon halt simply “a emblematic upland eatery,” it is the day’s delicious highlight. Inclusions are Alpine specialties – Pinzgauer (small food dumplings), Kaiserschmarrn (a sweet, fluffy dessert pancake served with plum stew oregon applesauce) and the refreshing accompaniment of Radler (a brew and lemonade combo).
With hiking a fashionable pastime and the year-round Asitz assistance an approximate 200-yard locomotion from the hotel, further find of Saalfelden Leogang should beryllium connected foot. “Hiking present is dilatory and steady,” announces our usher Barrie aft disembarking the cablegram car astatine its apical station. Greeted by goats, it is simply a reminder of our Austrian Alps location. Making a circular hike on Leos Game Trail to the GroBer Asitz, we revel successful the halt astatine Cinema of Nature (known for its galore panoramic plateaus) and unbend successful the TONspur Islands wherever we laic connected comfy woody loungers, chairs and hammocks, perceive to euphony of past season’s concerts and immerse into the serenity of the setting.
Cynthia Dial
There’s more. Beyond hiking and biking are the region’s accepted festivals and yearly events. The 43rd Jazz Festival Saalfelden (August 17-20) is the area’s taste flagship happening that offers innumerable concerts astatine a assortment of venues successful and astir Saalfelden. Celebrated connected the year’s shortest night, Summer Solstice volition beryllium recognized successful 2023 connected June 24 with a concatenation of tiny bonfires illuminating the upland peaks astatine dark. And January 2024 volition commence successful benignant with 3 Days Jazz – its seventh yearly event.
Cynthia Dial
Five-star lodging, epicurean eats, world-class biking and top-of-the-world hiking – each wrong Austria’s Alps. While descriptions sometimes dilute the experience, it is the saying connected Naturhotel Forsthofgut’s country cardinal that champion summates my sentiments of Saalfelden Leogang: “Find maine astatine my blessed place.”
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