Planning a few days in Austria I was most excited about hiking the famed alps. Well, that and checking out milongas (tango dancing). Arriving in mid February 2019 I was glad I’d packed the proper footwear for both activities.
With Vienna as my base I found that if I planned it properly, a day trip to the mountains was feasible. The key here was public transportation’s timetable, as well as which destination to pick. Salzburg is about a three hour train ride and Innsbruck even further out, a little over four hours. Considering those distances, I made Puchberg am Schneeberg my choice. Located in the south eastern region of what’s called Lower Austria, I set out with my small backpack and essentials: water, snacks some fruit and my hiking poles.
From the main station (Wien Hauptbahnhof), the ride to Puchberg am Schneeberg is a comfortable 90 minutes. This includes a mandatory transfer to another train at Wiener Neustadt. The scenic journey on Austria’s national railway system, commonly known as OBB (Bundesbahn Österreich) ends with passengers reaching this small resort town that to me seemed awfully quiet. Later I’d found out why that was the case.
Where is everybody?
Visiting the souvenir shop/information center, I picked up a map and noticed two older women who had arrived on the same train. Other than that, I noticed there were no tourists around. Figuring it was still early in the day and the crowds would surely arrive in a few hours, I wanted to get a head start on the peacefulness of my surroundings. And so, not giving it another thought, I took a look at the map and decided I’d make my way up to the Schneeberg’s highest peak, Klosterwappen at 2,075 meters.
I’ll admit, I’m not the best at reading maps and while still on paved roads, I eventually found a hotel. Despite having worked at Deutsche Bank in NYC for six years, my command of German is almost non-existent and as far as Austrian German, that’s at zero. Two words I made excessive use of: bitte and danke. Soon as the woman at the reception desk realized I was lost, she called a colleague to help. He seemed quite surprised when, opening the map, I pointed to the summit. Oh no, you can’t go there. Signaling my trekking poles, I assured him that’s exactly where I was headed. Shaking his head he adds the reason I can’t go there is because it’s closed and opens in May. That explained the ghost town feel during my visit.
The kindness of strangers
Determined to get at least some hiking in, I thanked them both and left the hotel. I don’t remember which path I took but soon ended up near the tracks. During peak season the old railroad transports visitors to the 1,800 meter plateau and from there they can choose to hike to the summit (or not).
Soaking up the tranquility of this place, I slowly continued to trek along the empty snowy/slushy path until for some reason I started wondering about bears. Checking the ground and peering over by the trees on either side of me, I hiked some more. Though I did come across shoe/bootprints along the trail, something inside me told me this was far enough. Not sure where this apprehension came from, but after about 1/2 hour I decided to turn around and head back towards the direction I’d started.
Reaching one of the town’s roads, I felt calmer and walked along a path until I found a bench to relax on, I sat for a while then noticed an elderly couple with a young woman. They too had been hiking, though I soon learned they lived nearby. After sharing my adventure, they laughed and the older woman, Marie invited me to their home for a glass of wine.
Starting a new life
Unable to have children of their own, Maria and Gerhard opened their hearts to welcome, Ngawang. a Tibetan young woman rebuilding her life in Austria. She shared with me how she missed home very much, but that she stays connected with her family via WhatsApp and she even made fellow Tibetan friends at her college. Listening to Ngawang open up about her life was truly humbling. Then Maria asked if I’d like to stay for dinner, she had prepared homemade traditional Austrian soup. I did and it was delicious, especially considering that at the time I was vegetarian.
The hours flew by so quickly. Keeping an eye on the time, Ngawang reminded me we needed to rush so I wouldn’t miss my train. She accompanied me as we ran back to the station, laughing like school girls. I arrived with just three minutes to spare. We hugged tightly and promised to text as soon as I returned to Vienna.
Returning to Vienna that night I was reminded of the unexpected beautiful moments the universe always presents. Sure, I was a pinch disappointed about not summiting Schneeberg. But I was gifted with a different kind of experience, the human connection kind.
