EDEN ON EARTH

Tyrol Valley Austria - mountains, lakes and beautiful wooden houses
Small church in the midst of green hills

 

CAN YOU KEEP A SECRET?

ssshhhhh...

Come a little closer, so I may whisper in your ear...

Can you keep a secret?

 

Now, how to begin. 

In a land, far far away... No, no, that's not right. Hmmm hum. 

There is a land, known to some by the name of Austria. This land holds within it a secret realm, unknown to the travellers of this world. Beyond the many obstacles, and inside this hidden valley is the region some call 'Eden on Earth.' It is a place of many waterfalls; a landscape bathed in a green so verdant it hurts your eyes to stare too long. It is a place of freely flowing schnapps, pancakes, and little villages - only a few wooden houses wide, each one overflowing with window boxes of geraniums. It is the valley of dreams - where cows roam freely with bells on. Such beauty is indescribable, one simply has to see it.

And I can tell you how to get there.

 

Mountains of Tyrol in Italy, clouded and ominous.

Firstly, do not heed any signs, nor advice. The way is hidden.

You must follow a great river, till you come to the land where the white flowers bloom. In the distance you will see the Blue Mountains. Pass them by. You will come to the ancient kingdom of Italy. Your journey will be rough, and there will be many dangers. Beware the sports car in red.

A turquoise lake in the Tyrol Valley, Austria.

Follow the road back into Austria, and you will come to the Tall Trees. Four leagues or so from these trees, there is a lake, so jewel-hued that the starry dawn seems to linger in the depths.

Stop a while in this place, you are on the door-step of Eden, and you may leave all your worldly cares behind you.

Oliver swimming in a snowmelt lake, with turquoise green waters, in Austria.
The road into the Tyrol Valley in Austria - a one lane road in the green mountains.
Cows in the Tyrol Valley, Austria.

Next, you must find the Narrow Path, leading through the Forest of Moss. This way can be perilous, as it is only wide enough to fit one vehicle. Stay wary.

The Narrow Path will eventually lead you over the mountains and into the Valley of Eden. Once there, you will know you have arrived, as the colours seem so much brighter, and there are many wilder-beasts scattered about the open hillsides.

In the Valley of Eden the wildflowers bloom in abundance, and the earth is shaped into folds and star-topped peaks. Stay a while, and rest your soul.

Wooden chalets in the Tyrol Valley, Austria. A scene with flowers, window boxes, mountains and waterfalls.

Zoe Eccles