On the Road is a weekday feature spotlighting reader photo submissions.
From the exotic to the familiar, whether you’re traveling or in your own backyard, we would love to see the world through your eyes.
way2blue
A couple years ago, I mentioned to an Austrian friend how much I’d enjoyed the Prosecco region in the Italian pre-Alps, and she replied that Austria had something similar. A rural area, not that traveled. Oh… I’ve just now left Südsteiermark in southeastern Austria, near its border with Slovenia. An area of vineyards and white wines. With lots of Buschenshank (wine taverns) along the narrow winding roads of the Weinstraße. We stayed in a little flat on a farm with its own small vineyard, and could wander the nearby roads & trails without needing a car.
Autumn view of vineyards in the warm October light. All the vineyards run the vines in rows down the slopes rather than along them. Making wonderful linear patterns.
We walked a path down into a narrow valley, across a stream, and up again to a nearby restaurant for lunch on the terrace. A bowl of seasonal soup with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc. The overcast sky softened the autumn colors a bit.
And walked back a longer route along the roads. I was fascinated by the stripe of darker vines, presumably a different wine grape…
Another dark stripe of vines on the way back…
We, of course, headed back to the same restaurant for another lunch on their terrace. This time, Kerbiscremezuppe and a glass of their ‘new’ white wine.
Our host suggested a new destination for our afternoon hike. So we drove to the Remschnigg trailhead—for an easy 2-mile hike to Remschnigghütte along the ridge separating Slovenia and Austria. This view to the south into Slovenia. The next day (October 31st) was the last day the hütte would be open, so of course we headed back on Sunday…
I finally realized that the RS on one side of the markers was for Republic of Slovenia and the Oe on the other side for Österreich. It was only 4 PM, but already the sun is low in the sky and the shadows are long. (In part because time had just changed from DST to ‘standard’ time.)
Our flat… Our host & his wife invited us for a tasting of their organic wine one evening. Lovely. He’d already left a bottle of their Frizzante Rosé in our little refrigerator (with a picture of a Rotkehlchen on the label, just for Albatrossity)… Plus the farm just above was also a bakery. So. Fresh bread too and heavenly smells as you walked by…
Baud
Lovely.
YY_Sima Qian
Very nice scenery!
Elizabelle
Wow. Thank you. Wonderful photos, and I wish we could share the wine and pumpkin soup too.
otmar
Welcome to my extended backyard.
My sister married in Gamlitz on the Weinstraße.
Yes, there is good food and wine to be had in that area.
OzarkHillbilly
Some day, maybe.
Betty
Enchanting.
debbie
Just beautiful! How could you leave? ?
Benw
Sounds nice
HinTN
Mrs H says I need to go to Europe and tour the rural areas. This confirms, yet again, that she is always right. ?
Albatrossity
Sounds divine! Our excursion in southern France convinced us that yes, the less populated parts of many countries are worth seeking out and spending time in. Good food, great wine, and wonderful vistas!
I suspect that I can’t find too many bottles of the Rotkehlchen label here, but it is good to know that such things exist.
Thanks for this lovely OTR submission!
EmbraceYourInnerCrone
The photos are gorgeous and the trip sounds like absolute heaven.
MelissaM
Lovely! When I studied abroad in Baden bei Wien back in the 80s, we worked for a day on a local vineyard. By the end of the day, we were exhausted, hands aching from the constant squeezing of the snippers. We were rewarded with cake and coffee in the owner’s kitchen.
Thanks for the gorgeous photos!
Mathguy
Beautiful photos. Wish we could get out there some day.
MazeDancer
Wonderful photos. Would have been very tempted to never leave.
The Castle
What beautiful afternoon light in these photographs, highlighting the greens and yellows. The by-hand work that must go into tending those vines on the steep slopes! I agree with the posters above — I usually have better luck in the European countryside than in the big cities. I love discovering those out of way places that have their own story to tell.
StringOnAStick
I love the views, and the millstone set in the landscaping at the corner of your temporary home is just so perfect!
Steve from Mendocino
More beautiful photos. Thank you.
susanna
Good pictures – noticed a relaxed feeling as I viewed your photos. Hitchhiking in the 60s gave the best memories of life outside the usual tourist spots, as well as a willing, friendly tour guide.
stinger
What absolutely gorgeous photos! Farm kid here, and I noticed the wrong-way rows in the top photo even before reading the caption. Have they no erosion there?? But so photogenic!
JustRuss
Looks amazing, thanks.
J R in WV
Great photos!
And I agree that rural Europe is wonderful, our first trip was to rural NW Spain and SE France on an archeological tour, and the second one was to Tuscany, also a great wine region!
We really want to return to the Old Country, but the Plague has put a stop to our travel of all kinds.
Thanks again for these great photos of a beautiful countryside!
Comrade Colette
Oh, lovely! Monsieur Colette and I visited the Slovenian side of that region on our honeymoon in October 1996. The fall colors, the path through the woods, the wine … all wonderful. Great pix – thanks for the shot of nostalgia!
way2blue
@otmar: And of course, being Austria—our host’s mother was a world champion downhill skier in the 1950s.
way2blue
@The Castle: Exactly. The smaller scale offers a chance to spend time with the locals. Just wish my German was better…
way2blue
@stinger: Erosion didn’t seem to be an issue for some reason (grass between the rows?). No drip system either for the vines (unlike California).
way2blue
@J R in WV: We were able to slip in & out of Europe just before case rates roared up again. One big difference between Italy/Austria/Germany & California—is that everyone wears N95 masks. No DIY masks. But a lot of resistance to vaccination by those susceptible to fear mongering. The first of Austria’s mandates went into effect the week were leaving & trying to get PCR tests. (People now had to be vaccinated or get 3 PCR tests each week.) So we stood in line with unvaccinated folks…
Jack the Cold Warrior
@HinTN:
I found a way to do that for nearly 4 years in West Germany in the 70’s AND GET PAID TO DO IT!!. I joined the US Army as an infantry officer in a mech infantry battalion based in a rural village 40 kilometers from Nuremberg called Illeshiem. We had a local training area, but the big “touring” opportunities were the large exercises like REFORGER (Return Of Forces to Germany) held each year that lasted 2 weeks. Locations included the Black Forest, lots of Barvaria, North Germany south of Hanover. Usually in the fall, but one was in January/February 79. Accommodations provided! (Sleeping bag and cold weather gear, one hot meal and C-rations). Yes, it was cold and rough, but I loved it all and consider it a high point of my life.
@HinTN:
Martin
I loved our trip to Austria a few years ago. Sitting in a neighborhood Biergarten, where tourists never go, having dinner and a beer with my son, watching the World Cup with the neighborhood was sublime. It’s a shame the US doesn’t permit neighborhoods like that. I think we’d be a kinder society if residential neighborhoods had bodegas and family friendly pubs and the like.
BigJimSlade
We love to hike in the Dolomites just over the border in Italy – but now I see we need to venture across into Austria, too!