About an hour's drive south of Vienna is the Eastern edge of the Austrian Alps. Hohe Wand (High Wall) is a large 1000m heigh limestone plateau with vertical walls on it's Eastern side, hence it's name.
The plateau overlooks a picturesque valley called Neue Welt (New World). But it is anything but new, although it might feel like that with it's rural landscape and forests.
The region has been settled since the Stone Age as the region is peppered with caves and an abundance of resources. Our two furry friends at the start of this post, Ibex, would have been hunted and on the menu.
However the only shooting being done was with a camera and the only menu was that on the digital camera.
The region is extremely popular as an outdoors recreation destination. Your options are the skies the limit. The cliffs afford an excellent launch point of paragliders. On clear still days the airspace in front of the cliffs are crowded.
But if keeping your feet firmly planted on the ground is more your thing, there is not shortage of hiking trails to explore. You can enjoy sedate country walks, to more vigorous hikes up routes over the cliffs.
You won't be disappointed if you'd like to climb the walls either.
If you're lucky you might meet some of the four-legged climbers on your way up. The ibex are not particularly bothered by the two-legged visitors as they can easily escape to rock faces that only a few adventurous humans would attempt.
If you're quiet and calm, you can come with a few meters of the Ibex, who look disinterested while casually chewing their cud.
They do however keep an eye on you and will casually move off further along the rocks if they consider you troublesome.
There were a couple of juveniles in this group, but the buck was no where to be seen.
You can see in the above photo, that parts of the route to the top are secured with steel cables and ladders, as we humans are not so nimble on the rocks as these locals.
Once you make it to the top, you can enjoy the views.
During the warmer months of the year, you can even sit down for a well deserved meal and drink at Hubertushaus.
Once you've done with sating your appetite or thirst, there are many more walks atop the plateau where you can stroll and enjoy the views while you digest your meal.
What goes up, must come down. A view from the slopes looking back up to Hubertushaus.