Snow overnight

Museum of Tyrolean Farmsteads - Kramsach

When we opened the window blinds this morning we could see snow on the upper half of the mountains around us. 

Complete with flowers

It had been forecast but guess with all the rain the last 2 days we didn't really believe them.

A bake oven similar to ours at home as I bemember

With old farmsteads disappearing from the Tyrolean countryside, the locals here felt a real need to preserve the different styles of farm buildings that are characteristic of the region of Tyrol. 

An old Tyrolean house barn Combo

Alpine Mountain summer homes

Starting in 1974 they began to collect and rebuild 14 of these farmsteads complete with outbuildings and fittings.  It is a natural Tyrolean geographical setting with hill and valley dwellings as they would have existed and still do exist today.

Wooden cow stalls so much like ours at home

Some are composite farmsteads with house and barn connected.  Others are typical of the mountain huts used in the higher alps during summer pasture time. 

Kitchen with chimney upper left

Took lots of pictures as is my downfall but it just brought back so many memories of my growing up in our big log house and on the farm with all the related activities. So many of the old machinery, tools and equipment of house and farm life - have been there done that and I'm hardly sixty.

Flour mill powered by water

Seems like a lifetime ago in some ways. 

So typical of the area even today

It was a huge undertaking to disassemble and reassemble all those buildings - some of the numbered parts were still visible.  And such a natural setting complete with a working log run and saw mill powered by water from up higher.

Curved stairway like the old log house at home

A very enjoyable morning and highly recommended.
With the weather cooperating so well we decided to do the cog wheel train run from Jenbach, Auistria up to Seespitz a little town on the south end of the Achensee. 

No bridge at home but a nice pic

Waiting for my ride - never came

It is one coal fired steam engine with one old wooden car that held about 20 people.  We caught the last run of the day at 3pm so had a little time to put in at the bahnhof station in Jenbach. Just time to enjoy a coffee and sit on the station platform and watch the trains whiz by, some stopping for passengers but most breezing right on thru - would guess there was one train a minute on the 4 tracks out front.  Something not seen in Canada or USA - whole transport trucks on flatbeds as well as many containers and separate electric passenger trains - the latter were the speeders mostly.  Another thing not seen here is graffiti on the train cars - mostly clean and well painted.

The little steam engine that could with 180 HP

The ride up to Achensee was very enjoyable as we climbed steeply from the station platform and up through villages and into the Wald with old mature pine trees and the occasional glimpses of white mountain peaks above the treeline.

Our front seat ride

Soon we leveled out as we approached the station at Seespitz.  There was a wait of 15 minutes and we were back on the train for the trip back down to Jenbach.  By now it was after 4pm and the sun had gone behind the mountain so it was rather cold until we got down into sunny territory. 

Soon out of town and up into the Wald

Cold as well since we chose to ride outside on the rear  seats of the train car much like a caboose used to have - climbed up the steps sat down on the bench and the railing held you in.

The engine coming to get us

Thank you Lord for the rains but really thank you for the sunshine today - you painted the mountains with snow very well last night.