Page 209 - WINE DINE AND TRAVEL FALL 2021 DISCOVERING SANTA FE

The cold temperatures in the mountains keep
the nearby Eisriesenwelt, the world’s largest ice
cave, alive. Armed with warm clothes and old-
fashioned oil lamps we explored this “world of the
ice giants” as the name translates to. Beautiful ice
formations hang from the ceilings and are still ex-
panding. “The cave has grown by a third since
tours first began in 1920”, our guide Stefan Mayr
told us.
After spending the day in lofty heights, we
stopped overnight in the Grossarltal, also known
as the “Valley of the Alpine Huts”. Here people
have lived off the land for generations, making top
quality produce like butter, milk and cheese before
“artisan” became fashionable.
Unfortunately, our planned day of hiking did not
happen but there was still plenty to do in the val-
ley. We dropped into the Kössler Häusle from

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