Strobl, St. Wolfgang, and Schafberg
Strobl is the nearest town to the Bundesinstitut für Erwachsenenbildung (BIfEB), which is actually in St. Wolfgang. This is a very nice place to hold a workshop or conference. The center is bordered by the River Ischl (9km from Bad Ischl, the old Austrian emperor's summer home) and the Wolfgangsee (Lake Wolfgang). I have more pictures associated with the Algebraic Multigrid Methods Workshop held in Strobl in 2000.
The center has a number of buildings, nice grounds, and a beachhouse.
The view from Strobl's border across the bridge over the River Ischl to the center. The front building with registration and the restaurant. Raytcho Lazarov waiting on June 21, 2003 at the bottom of the front steps to go on tour after a week of workshops and a conference. The restaurant where we gathered three times a day (8:00, 12:30, and 18:30 typically) for nourishment and conversations. The views from the restaurant (left, middle, right). 
There is a trail through the pass between the two right peaks that leads to the next valley. A nice tour is to walk over the pass to a restaurant and get a ride back with those who do not walk over mountains. The Weisenhaus, where I have stayed on two occasions. Michael Thuné is walking up from there on June 18, 2003. The Seehaus, where I have stayed once. The main lecture building. Smaller lecture halls and the bar are in the building behind the tree. A house from its back with a stately stand of trees. This is from the walk to the Seehaus and the lake. The trees leading up to the front of the above house. The main center is just to the right of the stand of trees. Strobl is a short distance away.
The view from the center's side across the bridge over the River Ischl to Strobl. The main church in the center of town. The churchyard just after it was hand spruced up by the gardener at about 7:30 one morning. The gardens in the center of Strobl by the lake. 
One of the main streets out of the center of Strobl. The center of Strobl. The Seegasthof, which is at the center of the lakefront. The side of the Seegasthof, which is much larger than its front gives a hint of. The restaurant is very nice. Looking back to the center of Strobl from the dock on the way to the ferry. The lake is very shallow and is warm enough to swim in by June, even by people instead of just bears. Ferry service runs conveniently between the towns on the lake. A few minutes from Strobl is the cog train to the top of Schafsberg (1782 meters altitude).
The Strobl lakefront. Looking toward St. Wolfgang. Looking towards Strobl. Lake Wolfgang is splitting into two lakes. There is a gap between the lakes. In the early 1990's, wave analysis showed that there is an almost complete discontinuity across the gap. Time for the dredgers to do their job. The Lazarovs, Svetozar Margenov, and Ulrich Langer on the upper deck of the ferry. Jan Kappel, Jan Vildman, Vadim Korneev and Gundolf Haase on the back of the ferry. St. Wolfgang is an old town a short distance away.
St. Wolfgang is an hour walk around the lake from Strobl. Just walk around the hill on the right and around the hidden bay. The ferry stop in St. Wolfgang. Lots of people milling around waiting to get on the boat or to meet people from it. The center portion of St. Wolfgang with plenty of hotels and restaurants for the tourists. Most of St. Wolfgang, as seen from the ferry from Strobl. Schafberg sits near to St. Wolfgang. Schafberg is 1782 meters tall and is reached either by one of the cog trains (which were steam powered the first time I went up) or by foot. Walking down takes 4-6 hours. I have walked up a significant portion of the mountain from the back side, but did not walk up the Stairway to Heaven (named for where you end up if you fall off).
A cog train at the station at the bottom of Schafberg. Our cog train at the top of Schafberg. The station at the top. A passing cog train coming down. An indication of the angle of acsension. The restaurant at the top of the mountain. They serve Most (hard apple cider in the Austrian style). Lake Wolfgang as seen through the clouds. A very impressive ridge on the mountain. Amazingly, there is a road going most of the way up it and houses just below the picture. The high plain below the back of Schafberg. I have hiked near there in 1996. There is a carved in the rock staircase down the cliff to this plain. I have not walked either up or down this staircase. Mondsee, as seen from from the top of the mountain. I have walked down to the town in the picture (across the lake above the cliff ridge) from the high plain. Looking down the cliff. On a clear day, it is about 700 meters to the high plain. Sadly, only about 10 meters was visible. The cloud line as it formed along the cliff line. We get to the bottom and guess what is waiting for us for only 5 Euros? You guessed it: a picture of each of us as we headed to the train on our way up. It would be nice to see all the way to the top or bottom on a clear day. Maybe next time.
