Three Chicago friends made their way to Austria in Week 133!

At the start of the week, we had Adam and Jessie stay with us for a couple of days while they were honeymooning in Italy and Austria. Adam was one of Eric’s coworkers at ALDI, a Wrigleyville roommate, a groomsman at our wedding, and he and Jessie were foster parents to our Daisy pup before we adopted her.

With just two days to explore, we headed to two of our favorite areas – Hallstatt and Gosausee.

After already reaching 10,000+ steps for the day, we decided to climb a small mountain near our house in Gmunden–the Sonnstein. A mountain peak we have already done once in week 35 and Eric did again around week 63.

On their final morning, we walked around Gmunden’s town square and checked out the local fruits, flowers, and handmade crafts at the weekly farmers market.

In the latter half of the week, I drove to Vorarlberg to meet up with a former boss turned friend and fellow travel enthusiast–École.

Vorarlberg is the smallest and westernmost state in Austria. It shares a border and a lake with Liechtenstein, Germany, and Switzerland.

After driving for 4.5 hours, I crossed over the German border and back into the part of Austria known for its stunning alpine countryside, waterfalls, dairy farms, and more than 1000 mountain peaks. We based ourselves in Feldkirch–the 2nd largest city in Vorarlberg and spent the rest of the afternoon walking around the city.

Day 2

Our first hike of the trip was on the Bartholomäberg–a village surrounded by breathtaking mountain scenery, with views of the stunning Montafon Valley below.

Bartholomäberg is also home to the St. Bartholomäus Church. An onion-dome church dating back to the 14th century.

We set out for our hike following an uphill paved road and for the next four hours and six miles we would hike through backyards, forests, and lush meadows of endless wildflowers and greenery.

Our second hike of the day was a quick one to a nearby waterfall.

Day 3

As the rainclouds were rolling in, we were rolling up 4,265 feet in the Sonntag Stein cable car. After several minutes, we reached the mountain station and started our third hike of the trip along the Klangraum Stein Thematic trail.

This easy hike features several interactive pieces of “land art” using materials to heighten the acoustic sounds of water. This piece in particular was very relaxing.

Inside the metal tunnel are dangling lounge chairs and the sounds of the water echo through the structure.

After our adventures in nature, we made our way to the third largest city in Vorarlberg–Bregenz. A city located on the shores of Lake Constance.

The narrowest house in Europe is located in this city measuring just 54 cm wide.

One of the best things to do in this city is to visit The Kunsthaus, an internationally-known exhibition house for contemporary art.

Every three months, a new artist gets to display their work, and this month was Monira Al Qadiri. Monira Al Qadiri is a visual artist from Kuwait who is currently based in Berlin. Her work spanned all three floors of the museum and told stories of what oil is doing to the environment.

We took one last cable car ride up to Bregenz’s local mountain, Pfander Mountain, where panoramic views and a wildlife park await.

From hiking the Bregenzerwald trails to enjoying local art on display at the Kunsthaus Bregenz and the unique sound of water installations along the Sonntag Stein, there's something for everybody on this side of Austria. It exceeded all expectations and Eric and I have plans to come back later this year!

Up next is our trip to Norway! Follow along on my Instagram for pictures and updates.