Just a reminder in case it was forgotten the day before: At the convent of the Franciscan Sisters of Vöcklabruck you can get the Jerusalem Way stamp, and in the small shop you can buy a little dove of peace made of olive wood—made in the Holy Land! The doves are perfect as a charm on a backpack, waist bag, bracelet, or as a small souvenir or gift.

On today’s stage, several spiritual highlights await us. After we pass the historic town square of Vöcklabruck, we then come to the Mariannenhöhe, a special, meditative place to pause and reflect; the beech forest is also a popular circular hiking trail. Then we continue and, on the right, see Puchheim Castle with the pilgrimage basilica of Maria Puchheim—well worth seeing!

From now on, and over the next few days, the route is basically flat, with only a few metres of elevation gain. In this flat terrain we pass through many agricultural growing areas, but also again and again through settlements. The sections near the Ager are especially beautiful, which we already mentioned as an aid for orientation. So when we meet the Ager, we can assume that, for the time being, we’re still on the right path to reach Jerusalem. Along the Ager we also come to gravel ponds like those near Redlham, which are also known as “excavation lakes”.

So the topic of “orientation aid” doesn’t really come up—we hike practically the entire stage on paths along the left bank. Only around Schwanenstadt do we briefly leave the Ager and head into town to the parish church. After leaving the town, we meet the Ager again at the edge of the village and follow it along the left bank until, shortly before Lambach, the Ager flows into the Traun. We reach today’s destination, Lambach, and Lambach Abbey, where, with a bit of luck, we can sleep in the old pilgrims’ room.

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