Monday was going to be a big day for us.  Bill had made reservations for us to visit the Starkenberger Castle and Brewery for a very expensive but decadent dip in one of their “beer pools”.  But we needed something to do in the morning.  The weather was pretty crappy in Lermoos.  It was raining.  The WiFi at the hotel was very slow, making it difficult for me to start blogging, which is what I really felt like doing.  But I could get the net going enough to search for Highline 179, which is the world’s longest pedestrian suspension bridge.

Nice breakfast.  We had assigned seating, probably so all the senior citizens could sit together.

Loved the quaint dining room.

Highline 179 was just built recently and has only been open since November 2014.  One of Bill’s colleagues had visited it, but didn’t go on the bridge because the people he was with were too tired.  In order to access the bridge, you do have to do some heavy duty walking uphill.  The bridge spans across the B179 near Reutte and connects the Ehrenburg Castle Ruins and Fort Claudia.  I had seen the ruins and Fort Claudia on drives through the area, but had never visited them.  Though it was raining, we knew there was a museum.  I was kind of hoping the rain would let up.

We got to Highline 179, paid three euros for parking, and visited the museum first.  I have to admit, the museum was surprisingly entertaining.  I was expecting it to be about the bridge, but it was actually about the ruins.  There were a lot of interactive exhibits that were done with humor and fun.  I would recommend it for kids, but as an adult, I also found it fascinating and a bit gruesome.  When you visit the museum, you learn about the plagues… and the Christian Crusades and how Christians murdered Muslims in very brutal and bloody ways.  It got me to thinking about our current issues with ISIS and how the problems between the world’s religions is an age old issue.  All of the exhibits were done in German, but English translations and subtitles on the films were available.

Bill tries the sword.

And the helmet…

Rocks hurled from a trebuchet.

Learned about alchemy…

And the plagues…  Notice the coffin decor.

And I learned that burping or farting was considered ill mannered at the dinner table.

In German, too.

There’s even a 3D film at the end…  I liked that the museum ended on a humorous note.  I won’t spoil the surprise, except to offer a tip to would be visitors not to forget the 3D glasses as Bill and I initially did.

After we visited the museum, we bravely set off for Ehrenburg Ruins and climbed the very steep path.  Once again, I tested my mettle and heart health.  I’m proud to say I made it, though I did a lot of heavy breathing.  It costs eight euros a person to go back and forth across the bridge.  We decided to do the bridge first, then visited the ruins.  I must admit it was a bit nervewracking because of the rain and the wind.  But the views up there are spectacular and it’s very safe.  The bridge supposedly can support up to 1000 people at a time.  I sure hope it’s never tested!

The beginning of the bridge.  The people ahead of us were kind of rude… especially the guy.  Bill was upset because he didn’t help his wife.  Sometimes I wonder how in the world I got so lucky in finding such a nice guy to call my husband.

Stunning views, even with shitty weather.

A panoramic shot.

There is also a nature exhibit at the museum, but for some reason, Bill didn’t get a ticket for that.  No matter.  The museum and walk up to the suspension bridge ate up plenty of time.  Then we had lunch at the Salz Stadl restaurant located on the grounds.  I learned in the museum that salt was a very important part of the culture in this part of Austria and was very valuable.  There is a salt mine in Lermoos.

Though it’s not cheap to visit, I recommend the Highline 179 bridge and accompanying attractions.  They are very well done and entertaining.  In fact, Bill and I didn’t even see everything.  We missed Fort Claudia and another site because we were both tired and needed to get going to our next stop, the Starkenberger beer pools!

We enjoyed a nice Kaiser pils…  very refreshing after a long and taxing walk up and down the mountain.

I had smoked trout with horseradish cream.  This was served cold.  I wanted schweinebraten, but they were out of it.

Bill had wurst with a dumpling and sauerkraut.  It was really good.

And a schnapps!

More photos are below, taken with a digital camera.

A chapel near the restaurant.

Big mountain on the way back toward Lermoos.