I was back in Austria in October and stayed again at the Haus Magdalena in Abtenau for the better part of the week.
After a pre-trip stay at the Travelodge London Stockley Park, I had a long and, at times, frustrating day, reaching Abtenau. Everything was fine at Heathrow and I used Lufthansa to Munich which also went well but the fun and games started on arrival with a long immigration queue and then being unable to call my mother from the airport. I do not understand mobile telephones and do not like them much but my mother and I like to know that the other is okay so it was a blow that the 'phone didn't work. Why, I have no idea: it had always worked in Europe on the pay-as-you-go scheme but I guess that something has changed and I was behind the times with it.

There are no public telephones in Munich Airport - indeed, they have been phased out in Germany, I read - and watching endless people manacled to theirs whilst my simple gadget refused to cooperate bothered me. I was saved by the kindness of a chap in the information bureau who very kindly allowed me to make a short call home and refused to accept any money. My telephone would not work in Austria either.
I learnt a lesson on the trains too: pay for a seat reservation. I had booked a later, non-changeable departure from Munich Airport to allow for any delays and paid just 12.50 euros to reach Golling from where I would take a bus to Abtenau. All trains I took were very busy so I sat on the floor to Salzburg and was lucky to find a seat onwards to Golling. Our church is currently in an interregnum and, as a churchwarden, I had a lot of e-mails to deal with on that floor between Munich and Salzburg which went reasonably well until the wi-fi went.
Anyway, it was nice to be back at the Haus Magdalena in Abtenau where Frau Wimholzl is always welcoming and I had again a very nice room. The breakfast is always excellent and, although advertised from 8 to 10 a.m., Frau Wimholzl was not in the least bothered if I turned up either ten or thirty minutes early. I was touched on the last day when she was up to serve my breakfast at 6:30 a.m.

A new initiative this year is the inclusion for all guests staying in, it seems, most forms of accommodation in the Salzburgerland region of a guest car called the Guest Mobility Card. Last year, I was given a card called the Tennengau Plus card which allowed free bus travel in the Tennengau area as well as the S-Bahn train to Salzburg from Golling. The Guest Mobility Card allows free travel on other trains to Salzburg thus giving a much wider choice but, more importantly, also in the Salzburgerland area. Buses in the same area are also included. A tax is added on to one's bill but at 0.50 euros, it is pretty good value. It meant that I could visit Werfen, St. Wolfgang (via Salzburg only as the better connection via Gosau was just outside the region so would have meant buying an extra ticket), Lofer and Ebenau during my stay. Without any guest card, these trips amounted to some 145 euros.
Yes, I was back at the Schloss Adler on the first day. Austria was slightly better with public telephones so I could make the obligatory call home from a box (which, unlike others, contained a telephone and no books) at Pfarrwerfen. The first stop was the huts at the beginning of the film and which involved a 45-50-minute walk from Pfarrwerfen Station up into the meadows. I have been there three times before and mostly there have been no entrance signs. This time, though, there were plenty of verboten signs in adjoining fields but, in the field in which I was interested, a mere sign saying that, if you are walking in there with a dog and the cows become aggressive, scarper. There were no cows so no need to worry and I had an excellent walk around the area. I left a tiny bit later than planned but just made the hourly train from Pfarrwerfen to Werfen with seconds to spare and, more importantly, just beat the level-crossing barrier. Mind you, it wasn't absolutely necessary to make the train as it is only a delightful fifteen-minute walk between the two stations.

It was lovely seeing my friend, Florian Willim, again at the Schloss. He is a tour guide there and had been called in to work that day so I met him in the courtyard and later joined one of his tours. He is very impressive too: a very good and commanding voice, has the ability to change between German and English and put in a very good word for Where Eagles Dare! He has researched the Burg Hohenwerfen where he works and it is surprising how many films have been made which feature the castle. I did not mind in the least being introduced as a Where Eagles Dare tragic (like him). Maybe one day, Werfen will have a Where Eagles Dare memorial in the same way as they have one for The Sound of Music.
Florian found time to let me see some of the other parts of the castle where the film was made and, once again, I was very grateful to him for his hospitality. I had ample time to once again visit below the bridge at Werfen Bahnhof where Smith and Schaffer hid after blowing up the hut - not the ones which I had visited earlier in the day - moments beforehand.
The following day, I travelled to St. Wolfgang, a delightful spot where we had one of our best family holidays in 1982. Even though the weather was drab, it was still lovely to return and see the renamed Gasthof where we stayed as well as seeing the many other highlights.

As I had to travel back via Salzburg to use the Guest Mobility Card, I had the afternoon at the very good Paracelsus Bad and used the sauna for a couple of hours. Coming out in the late afternoon allowed me to take a train to Pfarrwerfen and eat in the Reitsamerhof which some of the Where Eagles Dare cast used - presumably during the filming of their arrival and overnight stay in the huts - in 1968. I could again see the page of their guestbook which was signed by the cast and others attached to the film and which includes a signed photo of Richard Burton. It is on display in the restaurant.
My penultimate day was spent in Lofer. I had once stayed many years ago in the Villa Egger or, in the film, zum Wilden Hirsch and wondered if their Clint Eastwood room might be available to have a look at. The short answer was no because the hotel was closed but I did find the lady who owns the hotel, had a nice chat and may return there next year. Additionally, I found another filming location there before returning to Salzburg and having another interesting walk around the Altstadt and seeing Mozart's birthplace for the second time in two years. I never seemed to have much luck many years ago when I visited Salzburg and thought that it was a bit of a bogey place for me but that was a long time ago and I thoroughly enjoy it now.

Friday, my last day, was a more gentle day spent at Ebenau. Nothing against it - it has a lovely lake - but it's not the type of place people would make a day trip to unless you want to visit another Where Eagles Dare filming location. The bus stops at Ebenau abzw Strubbklammwerk and, to reach the filming location, it is along the L107 road towards Hallein and is therefore not the most relaxing walk due to the traffic. There are, though, barriers and enough room to walk without going on the road. I saw what I wanted to see quite safely and imagine that I could have walked on to Wiestal Staumauer where, earlier in the film, the car was pushed over the ravine. The part which I visited was used in the chase towards the airfield at the end of the film.
After another relaxing time in the Paracelsus Bad, I was back in Abtenau for an early start the following morning for my journey home. I am a great believer in allowing extra time and, whilst I was never threatened with missing the flight, the train on which I was travelling broke down en route to Munich which might have inconvenienced others more.

The Lufthansa flight arrived early which was a nice bonus and I was home slightly earlier than I had thought likely after another enjoyable trip.