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Before I arrived at Villa Excelsior in Bad Gastein I had already read about one of its most famous guests: Sigmund Freud. He spent several summer holidays here. The audio guide talking about sights in Bad Gastein also told me it was here where Mr. Freud was putting down his thoughts about Eros and Thanatos.
Big surprise. The hotel which was used as a home for prelates in earlier times offers a chapel on one of its floors. I was very impressed by the light inside the chapel which was determined by the design of the windows.
Villa Excelsior has already hosted famous guests. For example Sigmund Freud spent several summer holidays here. My tour guide told me it was here where the Austrian neurologist was thinking about the concept of Eros and Thanatos.
The hotel is situated next to a biking route at the northern beginning of the Gastein Valley. The place is fine as starting point for biking, hiking, skiing and collecting mushrooms. Actually I had a delicious mushroom dish while staying at the hotel.
At my hotel in Dorfgastein I had a fun bedside lamp. One can turn on and off the light just by touching anywhere at the metal. Any ideas how this works?
On a hiking tour near Klammstein, I come across an interesting place. Below Klammstein Castle (Burg Klammstein) there is a tunnel for bikers and walkers only. The structure is part of a cycle route along the Gastein Valley (Gasteinertal).
One reason to visit the restaurant of Hotel Klammstein was the ‘Pfandlwoche’. In this period the restaurant offered especially dishes served in pans (‘Pfandl’). I had a pan with mushrooms and dumplings. The owner of the restaurant told me the mushrooms were collected in the woods around the hotel.
At the restaurant of Hotel Klammstein I tried nettle soup as starter. It was a great alternative to all these noodle soups you generally get in rural areas. The owner of the hotel told me that she collects the stinning nettle herself at certain places around the hotel. More…
The hotel is situated at a street between Zell am See and Kaprun. The train station of the Pinzgau Railway is near the hotel so one can have a ride to the Krimml Wasserfälle on the spot. The hotel offers a spa area in the basement of a second building opposite the street.
On a walk through the city of Zell am See, I came across this sundial. I love the representation of morning and evening by rooster and owl.
The hotel is situated in Kaprun not far away from the car museum Vötter. The origins of the building are dating back to the 15th century so it is known as the oldest inn of Kaprun. The rooms are in rural style.
At the museum of local history, I was told about the big influences which have shaped Kaprun and its surroundings.