Photographic Memories #14

As every traveller knows, when you look back through old travel photos, many of them trigger wonderful memories. With lockdown incomplete and travel still on hold for a while, we currently have no new adventures to blog; we do though have many such memories…

Photo #14: Clouds and Rails

This photograph shows how you don’t always need sunshine for a shot to be atmospheric. For me as an absolute lover of rail travel, in particular rail travel in different countries, just standing on a station platform looking along the empty tracks anticipating the arrival of the train still brings out a boyhood excitement even now. Rainclouds looming low over the tracks just added to the auspicious feeling on this occasion.

This is the station at Obertraun, which nestles between the mountains of the Salzkammergut region of Austria and sits on the shores of the Hallstattsee lake. At this point, we were half way around our trek for the day, and about to climb a nearby peak: by the time we came back down, those threatening clouds were just starting to produce rainfall. Refuge was provided by the ubiquitous Austrian lunch of beer and sausage, and as we ate, so the clouds closed in and the downpour began. So, do we trudge on in the pouring rain, heads bowed, to complete our trek, or do we have another beer and take the warm train and a ferry across the lake? As I said, I love train travel……