A blush at the best time of day

The first rays hit the peaks further up the valley

Most modern cameras have a special setting for capturing the colours of a sunset. However, none seem to have a similar setting for a sunrise.

At this time of year it isn’t too much of a struggle to get up in time to see the first rays of the sun hit the peaks which surround Embach. Sunrise is soon after 6am and by that time at the end of March the blackbird is burbling his heart out in the tree outside the window and the cockerel has been making his presence heard for an hour or more. So when the church bells thunder out their 6am extra-loud and long wake up call, spring out of bed and take a walk outside.

 

First blush on the Baukogel

One or two mountains further down the valley greet the first rays and then the Baukogel – our mini Matterhorn – begins to blush pink. It is a minute or two later that the Hochkönig to the north, though it is nearly 3000m high, begins to warm to the sunrise. Meanwhile the Klingspitz is already glowing.

This really is the best time of day. The sunlight rapidly pushes the shadows down the mountain, to gather in the valleys. The mountains glow and, as the day warms up, the last patches of snow on the sunny side of the village begin their retreat. The promise of spring is in the air.

 

The Hochkönig begins to warm to the morning rays

By the time you get inside, the breakfast coffee will smell even more wonderful and you will be bubbling with enthusiasm for the wonders you have just seen.

These pictures were not taken with colour enhancing “sunset settings” it is just as it looked on the day they were taken. All pictures were taken within a few steps and within a few minutes of each other.

The Klingspitz is soon a rosy pink

The Baukogel basking in the early morning sun

The pleasure of winter in springtime

Evening shadows over the cross-country circuit

No sooner than most visitors have packed their skis into the roofboxes and driven off home, out come the snow shovels again to clear away the few centimeters of snow that appear each night.

We thought the spring had come but in Embach it is winter once again. The cross-country circuit and ski hill look in good shape. Ski touring is still popular and from Embach the Anthaupten at nearly 1924m is a regular goal beginning directly from the village.

However, the March sun is warm and the snow quickly retreats. Those visitors remaining are often to be found on south-facing benches, faces upturned to the sunshine keen to be able to show off a tan when they return home.

 

Ski trails on the way home from the Anthaupten

It’s been an up-and-down season, with cold snowy days followed by unseasonally warm ones. But as always there are some of those brilliant days where the sky is incredibly clear and blue, the snow sparkles and glistens and locals as well as visitors can’t help exclaiming how lovely it is.

The lighter snow cover has made the marked winter “wandering” trails more enjoyable and accessible for a stroll than usual. The cold tingles on the cheeks, and anyone coming from a city, as many visitors do, must wonder at the sheer unsullied purity of each gulp of air as they pant up the hill. The sound of snow crunching under foot and the long views down the valley complete the sensual experience that even a modest walk comprises

It’s been 13 years since I came to live here but still there are times when the phrase I used so often at first, comes to mind again: “I can’t believe I live here!”

The long view west along the Pinzgau valley