Bad Gastein - impressively morbid

Bad Gastein, that was Austria's ultimate luxury resort. And impressive it is indeed. Like a fortress built into the steep gorge, the magnificent buildings from the bygone days of spa tourism tower over the narrow valley, while a mighty waterfall thunders down in the middle of the village. However, the facade is crumbling everywhere, most of these wonderful Belle Époque hotel palaces are empty, for sale, and the plaster is crumbling more and more. But there are also new startups that take advantage of this unique backdrop and create trendy establishments. However, in the summer - if you can even call it that this year - not much is happening and many businesses are not open.

We took advantage of the Alpe-Adria break day for a trip to the Stubnerkogel, the local mountain of Bad Gastein, from where you have a great view of the surrounding mountain ranges. Indeed, between drizzling rain and mist, we enjoyed some spectacular views and then rewarded ourselves with a walk back to the valley that was challenging for our already sore legs, just to be greeted by the returning rain.

Only something sweet in the famous Café Sisi helped. Our accommodation at the Hotel Salzburgerhof, one of these wonderful still active hotels from that time, also left nothing to be desired. And when we walked through the almost deserted corridors of the huge building in the evening, it at least evoked a bit of the wonderfully eerie 'Shining feeling', to which late autumn would provide the perfect setting. Would? It can hardly get more autumnal than these two days, and Bad Gastein would indeed be an unbeatable backdrop for a creepy thriller.