EYEWITNESS
GO WITH THE FLOW
Deep in Austria’s Hohe Tauern Alps, the spa town of Bad Gastein has long been eulogised for the healing power of its mountain waters. Visit today to enjoy them in all their forms, be it a dip in a glacial lake or a luxurious spa session
Morning light creeps over central Austria’s Hohe Tauern Alps, spotlighting summits one by one. As our yoga group launches into asanas, the valley below is bathed gold. There can be few lovelier spots to practise sun salutations than here, on a platform high in the forest of Bad Gastein, with a ringside seat of the mountains and within earshot of the town’s waterfall. “It’s a magical place,” says Annette Söhnlein, smiling as radiant as the new day.
She’s leading a class at Haus Hirt, the Alpine-chic lodge where I’m staying for the week. Once a refuge for writers like Stefan Zweig and Thomas Mann, the 1920s building was redesigned in 2000, with contemporary art and rooms designed to frame the view. “Here in the embrace of tall trees, every breath is filled with mountain air,” says Annette. “Our senses are awakened by the mountains and vast sky, and the sound of the nearby waterfall.”