Paragliding over Kaprun valley and visiting the high mountain reservoir and dam: Eurotrip Day 04

I just felt so free up there floating around; there’s really no other experience like it . It was totally silent save for a quiet breeze rustling through the parachute.

It’s hard to imagine that people actually live in places like this. It’s calm and peaceful, and the natural beauty is of the caliber that draws tourists from around the world. But where do you go to buy a computer? Where’s the nearest car dealership? No ICA Maxi or Costco? How do these people survive.

This next video shows us coming in for a landing.

This was undoubtedly the best 100€ I have ever spent, bar none. If for some reason I had to go home the next day and forgo the next 30 days of travel, it wouldn’t have mattered. This made the trip worth everything, and I urge anyone who has the opportunity to paraglide to do so ASAP.

Back in town, I walked through the main square on the way to the bus stop. Some festival or something was happening and there were singing groups all over the place.

 

This video shows some performers I stopped to watch, and also a random waitress handing out glasses of free beer to passersby. I wish the US had culture like this.

I rode the city bus to Kaprun where I’d planned to ride the cable car up Kitzsteinhorn, the tallest mountain in the area. Unfortunately, I accidentally missed my stop and rode to the end of the line. When the day was over however, I was glad that I did.

 

Some elevated contraption heading into the mountains.

We used the full width of the road for turns like this.

The last stop is the visitor’s center for Kaprun Hochgebirgsstauseen, a series of high mountain reservoirs which constitute Kaprun’s hydroelectric power station.

The next few photos were taken from the bus windows as we drove to the top.

 

I stole a diagram of the area from Wikipedia.

This is the lower reservoir, Wasserfallboden.

Quite a small tunnel for our coach if you ask me. Taken from the rear window.

 

The road to the top is very windy and goes through a few tunnels.

 

We finally reach the upper dam.