Tag Archives: Stadtalm Naturfreund

The Road to Diamond, Day 317: Double Tenth, Two Cities

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Posted by on in Assistance, collaborating, Community, Historical, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

October 10, 2025, Munich- I went down the 327 steps this time, bidding farewell to the paradise called Monchsberg and its shining star, Stadtalm Naturfreund. I would gladly walk up the steps again and stay there for three or four days.

It was time to have at least a brief look at Munich and see how that city is adapting to the changes that surely would have shocked the reactionary forces who caused such mayhem there, nearly one hundred years ago.

First, though, here is a bit more of Salzburg’s centrum.

Ancient German god of nature
Information about Gherkins sculpture (seen below)
Gherkins Sculpture, with Friedrich Schiller in the background. Schiller was one of Germany’s greatest Classical playwrights.

My breakfast companions had urged me to make mention of Sanktfranciskirche. It is the one church in Salzburg where anyone can find a safe haven, even if being pursued by police. It has not been put to the test recently, but there are many past examples of this.

Sankfranzikirche, Salzburg

Notice the open door below.

Salzburg Cathedral, my last stop before the Hauptbanhof and on to Munich.

The journey to the heart of Bavaria was uneventful. I had a bit of confusion, again because of WiFi loss, but finding The 4You Hostel was not hard, once I got bearings after stopping in a store for a couple of necessities. I even found a nice nearby hotel restaurant and enjoyed a good Bavarian dinner.

From what I have seen so far, Munich is every bit a multicultural and tolerant city-pretty much the opposite of what its leaders in the 1930s hoped to achieve. I will enjoy more of it tomorrow morning.

The Road to Diamond, Day 316: To Vienna and Back

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Posted by on in Historical, impediments, Inspiration, Matters of Faith, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

October 9. 2025, Salzburg- The world does not stop spinning for any one person’s agenda. That, and other people’s agendas, or lack thereof, can lead to quick changes in plans. I have had at least three hoped-for meetings with my fellow Baha’is come to naught, because of late trains and lack of WiFi.

Both situations are improving, but taking no chances, I headed back to Vienna for a few hours, this afternoon. There, after a false set of instructions from Google Maps, I was guided by a neighbourhood grandmother to the Baha’i Center of Austria. That she gave me instructions in German, and I got the gist of them, is progress.

At the Center, I was met by one of the staff, Sasha, and given a brief tour of the building. He also had positive news of our Faith in this country-which goes along with every other account I’ve heard on this trip, at least on phone conversations, if not in person.

The building itself was originally a haven for the Austrian Army, in the days before World War I. Theodore Roosevelt visited it, in 1910, after his Presidency had ended. He was given a royal welcome, almost as if his was a State Visit. With that level of honour in its energy field, the edifice is well-suited for a national Headquarters of the Baha’i Faith.

Baha’i National Center, Vienna
Great Room of the Baha’i National Center, Vienna
Garden and play area for children, Baha’i National Center, Vienna
Sasha, a staff member at Baha’i National Center, Vienna. The poster celebrates 200 years since Baha’ullah’s birth.That anniversary took place in 2017.

Thus went my whirlwind visit to Vienna. I caught a train back to Salzburg, with little trouble. Before and after my visit, it was delightful to capture some of the essence of my host city. While descending 327 steps, I found these scenes:

A narrow passage on Monsbach, Salzburg
Glimpse of Hohen Salzburg (Hapsburg fortress)
Entrance gate, to Hohen Salzburg

Salzburg Cathedral
Once this was a moat, near Salzburg Cathedral

The above photos were taken on my way to the Salzburg Hauptbanhof. By the time I got back, it was dark, so I focused on climbing the 327 steps and found these night views of Salzburg, from Stadtalm Naturfreund’s patio.

View of Salzburg by night, from Stadtalm Naturfreund (above and below)

So, even with my self-imposed dash back and forth, Salzburg presented its essence in a fine way. I will have a bit more time to check out the public squares tomorrow, on my way to the Hauptbanhof, for a train to Munich.

The Road to Diamond, Day 315: 323 Steps to Heaven

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Posted by on in Assistance, collaborating, Hiking and Nature, Historical, impediments, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

October 8, 2025, Salzburg- “No taxi driver will go there”, the young driver said, referring to Monsbach, the area around Stadtalm Naturfreund, “it’s too dangerous”. Hmm, having not heard anything about crime in Salzburg, I decided to talk to the older gentleman in the next taxi, who had been listening. “It is a dark area, and the road is narrow. THAT is the only danger.” He then asked me how far I had come today. After hearing that my day had started in Zagreb, “Ibrahim” decided to drive me to the flat portion of the route to the hostel. He eliminated 323 steps-for the night. He was paid handsomely for his effort.

The day indeed started in Zagreb. I checked out of Mickey Mouse Apartment at the designated hour, and left the key in the black mailbox, as requested. When I got to the Train Station, my inquiry about getting to Salzburg was met with: “Go through Ljubljana. Maribor and Graz are out of the way. Ljubljana is more direct, then go through Villach!” This I did. The train was late leaving the Slovenian capital and even later going from the Austrian border to Vollach- a distance of 5 kilometers. Enough of a lag had been created that even the cleaning man at Villach Hauptbanhof (Central Train Station) shook his head at “the bureaucrats, always making an unnecessary mess for people.” Slovenia’s capital is a rather lovely place (it’s Lee-oob-lee-ahna), and I had a small lunch there, near the train station. I would grab another supper item in Salzburg, but it was a while later-eight hours later.

Near Catez, Slovenia
Sava River, outside Catez, Slovenia
Dinaric Alps, through a dirty windshield, north of Bled, Slovenia
Dinaric Alps, near Jesenice, Slovenia

As luck would have it, the picture postcard views of Ljubljana were not to be found around the Train Station and I did not dare venture far afield, in the uncertain time frame presented us. So, the dirty windshield of the train was my only vantage point for Slovenia’s beauty.

Once we could view Worthersee, hopes went up for a quick arrival in Villach. There was an unexplained stop, though, just inside Austria-and it was not due to the Border Police. Something else led to about seven of us sitting in Villach Hauptbanhof for an extra ninety minutes. The silver lining, though, was that the young conductor showed me, at long last, how to access the heretofore elusive QR Code on the Rail Planner application. Now, I will not be the sore thumb senior, the only one who doesn’t get it.

At the end of the day, I was at Stadtalm Naturfreund, had climbed only six steps-to my dorm room and savoured the chance to get another decent night’s sleep. Salzburg’s wonders and some business in Vienna awaited.