Austrian Alps (a haibun)
Destination: Lienz, Austria. The drive from Bled, Slovenia to Lienz, Austria is a beautiful one, even when traveling the major highways.  One surprise (to us) in this part of the world is the quantity and length of tunnels. We entered the Karawanks Tunnel from the E61 in northern Slovenia, exiting 4.9 miles (7.9 kilometers) later, on the Austrian Karawanken Autobahn (A11).
tunnel through the Alps
an engineering marvel
Austria awaits
One expects to see snow on the Alps, even in the summer, and they did not disappoint. It felt as if we were driving through a postcard. Vibrant green meadows, dotted with hillside villages, surrounded by thick forests. And in the background, the mountains themselves. And oh what a backdrop they are.
cold mountains above
backdrop for quaint villages
lush valley below
We started off that morning, not knowing where we would spend the night (a true definition of adventure). Until early afternoon, we had never heard of Lienz. It looked like a good destination, and with the aid of our cell phone maps, we found a charming inn not far from town. That evening we drove on up the mountain to a small mountainside tavern and stared in awe at the surrounding mountains. The next morning, we were treated to a luscious breakfast, and the best cup of coffee I ever had in my life.
nothing else needed
may I have another cup
Bad Jungbrunn supreme
——
Featured Image: The Austrian Alps, near Lienz, Austria. Photo taken May 22, 2017.
Linked to dVerse – Haibun Monday – 2/28/22: Cold Mountain, where Frank is hosting and asked us to write a haibun about a cold mountain or one the follows the influence of The Cold Mountain (Hanshan).
Additional images
Very elegantly done. Almost reminds me of the old travelogues in the form of haiku left behind in shrines. Beautiful to read and reread.
Thank you Masa. Yes, travelogue seems to be my default style for constructing haibuns.
Absolutely superb, a thorough explication and sharing, far from war, from plague, from bombs and the death of innocents. I loved it. You really rocked the prompt.
Thank you Glenn. Yes, in times of war, we sometimes need to take a break and remember what is beautiful in this world.
Your travelogue stands in good company: Basho himself created the form to account for his own journeys across Japan. Love how vividly you portray your trip, and the beauty of the Alps!
Thanks Frank. I beleive it was you who introduced me to the form and its travelogue history, This approach to haibuns allows me to describe my travels, share my photos, and scribble a few haiku all at the same time.
Jaw dropping beauty and your haibun like a waterfall capturing it all.
Thank you K
Such beauty. Thanks for sharing.
Yes, the Alps are magnificent.
Magnificent images and lovely haibun series. Makes me want to go and see it for myself.
Pack your bags and go!!!
One day.
Thank you for sharing another adventure, Ron! You do this so well 🙂
-David
Thanks David, and to avoid disappointing you, I did include three haiku this time.
😀 I noticed
” It felt as if we were driving through a postcard”
Your haibun is a breath of clean crisp air and reads like driving through a post card.
Have a good week
Much love…
Thanks Gillena
Spectacular photos! The contrast of lush green and snow capped peaks is amazing. Thank you for sharing.
It’s a beautiful country
These pictures make me wish for a vacation..! 🙂
This reminds me of my summer travelling on interrail between different parts of Austria and Switzerland I never knew where I was going next, I just went down to the train station and took the next train that sounded good. My biggest surprise was a small mountain village called Arosa…
The smaller towns seem to unveil the biggest surprises
Austria is a beautiful country – thank you for inviting us aboard. 😊