Austria
August 7 to 29, 2010
steinplatte
triassic and jurassic time periods
The way down was of course much easier and faster for Christopher. The kids enjoyed climbing on rocks and looking for fossils as well as visiting the remainder of the interpretive stations along the way. Opa got a good taunting at the fossil sudoku station and not wanting to have to tell Oma that he couldn't complete it, he enlisted Sam's help and eventually he had a souvenier photo of the completed puzzle to bring back to Oma.
The trail back down looped around and passed by an area where the cliffs are geologically quite different... instead of the white Karst formations, there were layers of red stone cliffs. We had effectively travelled from the triassic period to the jurassic period within a few steps!
When we got back down to the restaurant and triassic park area we decided to take the time to have lunch before the kids went to play. Opa treated us and we shared our schnitzel and berner wuerstl with the kids while opa had a giant plate of Fleischkas and potato salad. As we saw the nearby birds swiping people's food right off their plates when their heads were turned, we made sure to keep a good watch on our own plates!
A glider flying by as we head back down the mountain.
Sammy and Opa set the pace up front.
This cow looked a little forlorn... perhaps it was sad that the lift wasn't operating.
Looking down towards Triassic Park and the restaurant by the main lift station.
Reading up about the megalodont fossils which look like little hearts, or cow's hoof prints.
There's the cow that's responsible for making all those cow prints that they claim are megalodont fossils. ;-)
No Rubby! Those salt licks aren't for the tourists, they're for the cows!
Rubby wonders how the cows use the "urinals"... ;-)
What once was an underwater coral reef is now covered in shrub-like pines called "latschen".
Samantha helps Opa with the fossil sudoku.
Yay! They did it!
Cool flowers along the way.
More flowers.
Lots of fossils to inspect along the way.
The kids enjoyed climbing up on the rocks to check out the fossils and pose for pictures.
The coral fossils look like dinosaur or elephant skin.
Are those some megalodont fossils among the corals?
Samantha checking out the fossils.
On this rock you can get a better sense of the branches of the corals.
Unlike our visit last year, the weather seems to be holding... it's a beautiful day!
It took us so long to do the hike that we passed the triassic period and went to the jurassic period!
A moth on one of the interpretive displays... a jurassic moth perhaps?! ;-)
Giant layers of red rock.
Pretty harebells growing in the cracks of the rock cliff.
Look, there's an actual dinosaur from the jurassic age! An opasaurus!
It looks like lots more rocks have fallen since last year and now there's a sign to warn people not to get too close.
Christopher wanted a picture of this flower he found.
Christopher decided the flower needed a new home.
Lots of little fossil traces between the layers of rock.
Rubby obviously doesn't believe the signs pertain to him...
Looking up the cliffs.
Looking for fossils.
Back to the modern age where chairlifts now are covered and heated.
Christopher was excited to find this truck.
The cows of triassic park.
The restaurant by the lift station.
The sign at the restaurant.
Lunch time!
On the menu: Berner Wuerstl, Schnitzel with Pomme Frites, and Fleischkas.
Opa's fried Fleischkas with potato salad.
The top lift station at Steinplatte.
austria menu:
still to come:
august 20-29