A Quiet Visit to Mattsee and the view from the top

I love all the lakeside towns just out of the city of Salzburg and we randomly picked on the map a town only 30 minutes away by bus called Mattsee. Not knowing what to expect we arrived and immediately upon hopping off the bus there was a grand church right in the centre of town with a cemetery off to the side. Being a Sunday there were holding a service so we didn’t want to walk in and disrupt the harmony so didn’t go in.

We walked through the centre of the town and it opened up to the lake. To our surprise there were a few people swimming - the water was 3.5 degrees! And they were getting dressed when we walked by. It amazed me to see the snow right up to the waters edge and walking on the snow the texture under foot felt very similar to walking on sand.

We wandered around the lake and pondered how such a big lake could freeze enough for the locals to go ice skating on but apparently it does and by February the ice is thick enough and strong enough to skate. We may come back with our skates then and give it a try.

There was a walking track leading up to a look out on the hill that we followed and could then see over the whole town in all directions with the rooftops all white and covered in snow and the cobalt blue of the water contrasting against it.