I finally made it to Zell am See and Kaprun.
Zell am See is unbelievably beautiful. There’s something about it that feels both peaceful and luxurious at the same time. No wonder the Third Reich officers chose to spend their holidays here.
The Grand Hotel Zell am See, where our boys stayed, is still one of the landmarks on the lakefront. Sadly, I didn’t have time to stay there this trip. Honestly, it’s very much worth spending a night or two in town, as guests get free transportation and activity cards, which makes exploring much easier. I looked up the rooms on Booking.com afterwards, and some of them are loft-style with gorgeous lake views. I know our boys had a lot of fun here.
Walking into town, there are shops, restaurants, and churches. I was wondering if Dick ever sit in one of these churches?
Then I took the cable car up the mountain. From the top you can see the lake, the town, the mountains, and snowy peaks in the distance. This is where Dick tried skiing and very nearly killed himself. And then there was that camping trip with Tab. What exactly happened up there? Dick Winters, what did you say to that poor boy?
Afterwards I went over to Kaprun. The town itself doesn’t have that much to see, but there are those photos, featuring Winnix, that are clearly identified as having been taken there, and I wanted to see the place for myself.
I was on the bus back, looked up through the window, and immediately recognized the shape of a ridgeline I’d seen in those photos!
I know I’ll come back to Zell am See someday. The scenery alone is worth the trip. This visit was far too rushed. I missed the cable car up to the 3,000-meter summit and the mountain reservoirs built by the Nazis. There may not be many obvious traces of the American “invaders” left here, but to me they were everywhere.
