Misery? It's a sight for sore eyes

The bench by the chapel at Maria Elend has a marvelous view along the Pinzgau valley

The weather seems to be driven by someone taking their first driving lesson. One day he engages first gear and we leap forward into summer with temperatures around 30C, then next day, reverse is accidentally engaged and we jump back towards winter and need to light a fire.

Despite the sputtering start, spring is well under way and the meadows are bright with flowers, the trees bursting with fresh green and the tinkling of cow bells can be heard once again.

Visitors are beginning to arrive in Embach and one of the most popular walks from the village centre leads to the tiny chapel of Maria Elend and its adjacent spring. Legend has it that a blind and backward child went missing and the mother promised to fund a chapel if she was found. The girl, Ursula Peyninger was found by a spring which had restored her sight and her senses and a chapel has been on the site since the 1500s.

The spring continues to run and it is said to be beneficial for the sight. Adjacent to the chapel and spring is a gasthof where the cakes have been said to be otherwise beneficial.

Elend, translated means misery – quite why the chapel was given this name is a mystery to me – but it remains an important point of pilgrimage.

The 30-40 minute walk from the village is certainly no misery, commanding lovely views towards the Hochkönig mountain and along the Pinzgau valley towards Zell am See. Of course there are plenty of benches from which to enjoy the stunning scenery. 

Here are some  of the best benches:

Shady picnic spot in sight of the Gasthof at Maria Elend

Setting a benchmark for longevity

Embach's benches offer great views in all directions - are they the secret of resident's longevity?

Today 23 elderly ladies in Embach received a gift. In this village of 500 people, 23 of them are mothers over 80 years old. Mothers' Day this year falls on May 12 the day when the Eisheiligen (Ice Saints) traditionally breath their last gasp of winter air over us. They didn't disappoint and there hasn't been a lot of celebrating out of doors.

Last night primary school children entertained their mothers with music and song – it is impressive to see how many can play an instruments well enough to perform in public. The programme included accordion, clarinet, french and tenor horn. It is little wonder that the majority of players in the village band, which comprises 10 per cent of the population, are under 30.

So, what do we attribute this longevity and musical talent? Could it be the popularity with people of all ages of walking the circuit round the village? It's a 40-minute walk and along the way are a series of benches which command lovely views of the village and mountains behind.

Each bench is different; nothing formal, sometimes little more than a few boards, sometimes propped against a heustadl (more of these later). Here is a sample with their views. There's no-one sitting on them today, but maybe on a warmer day you will be able to take the weight of your feet and chat with one of the 23 elderly mothers and listen to the band playing.

Propped against a hay barn, this is a popular, sunny bench with a view of the village and Urbar (below)

This bench commands a view into the Pongau and of the Buchberg  (below)

On the village circuit, this bench has a great view of the Klingspitz and houses on the "sunnyside" 

Sheltered from the wind by the hay barn, this bench is popular in summer and winter and is not far from the village

Following in the Pope's wheeltracks

Altöting - a focal point for pilgrims - and cyclists

When Sepp Ratzinger was a lad, he probably wasn't much into cycling as a hobby. The pilgrimage town of Altötting wasn't far from his birthplace along the river Inn, and it is possible he rode there. So, it is curious now, when Sepp is in his 80s, that a 250km bike route has been created in his name. This is the Benedikt Radweg (bike route), a circuit around the places in Bavaria where the present Pope Benedikt spent his formative years.

Bavaria has a veritable web of these long distance bike trails which follow the many small lanes and also farm and woodland tracks. There is the Salt Trader's route, the Salt and Lakes route, the “From Tree to Tree” circuit, the Inn Radweg and so on. The directions are marked with symbols at every junction and the trails interconnect, cross each other, run parallel, split up and re-join.

The Benedikt Radweg's symbol is a bishop's mitre and though the bike route is a circuit, it is best to follow it clockwise. If you do this, Pope Benedikt's symbols will show you the way, if you take the wrong path, his pointers will mostly show the way you have come – and maybe the error of your ways.

Pope Benedikt XVI is not the first well-known person from the region to have his own bike route. The Mozart Radweg takes in both the Salzkammergut (Salzburg's lake district) as well as much of the area of the Benedikt route. It is pretty certain that the great composer didn't ride a bike, but he did travel a lot and may well have followed on horseback or in a carriage, certain of the trails now followed by cyclists from all over Europe.

The Benedikt Radweg is doesn't cover new ground, it merely links places of relevance with existing bike paths and much of it follows in Mozart's hoofprints. The composer's ride was established long before Sepp Ratzinger took the top job in the Vatican, is over 400km long, meandering across meadows, through farmyards and bringing riders into corners of the countryside they would never have found otherwise.

When it comes to bike paths, Mozart was way ahead of Benedikt. However, whomsoever you choose to follow, you will enjoy rolling hills, rural peace, huddling hamlets, and, of course, this being Bavaria, some excellent local beers. And all this is just a local train ride away from Embach.