Letter from Clarence Williams to Gretchen Williams, July 14, 1945

I hope you won't think me too terrible but this is the first I have written you in two days. I didn't get a chance to write you yesterday or the day before because of a long excursion trip I was fortunate in getting in on. We left our tent city as the boys call it, about noon Thursday and got back completely tired out about eleven last night. First of all we went to Salzburg to pick up our guide who is a member of the New York Explorers Club. He is an Austrian but speaks very good English. From there we went to a small town by the name of Hallein about 20 miles from Salzburg where we parked the trucks. We then started the climb up the mountain to see the world's largest ice cave. It was about 3:30 when we started and we didn't get to the top until about 9:00 P.M. I shouldn't say the top as we were only about 2/3 of the way up (5300 feet) but that is where the hotel was located. It was really a rough climb going up as the rock wall is nearly straight up and down but the path zig-zags back and forth so that you climb only a little at a time. After we arrived at the hotel we ate a "K" ration (I ate a can of sardines) and then went to bed immediately. We were so completely worn out that we slept like rocks and of course the mountain air was so cool and refreshing. We got up at 6:45 the following morning, ate another K ration for breakfast and then proceeded to go up about 300 feet higher to the ice caves. The caves were really beautiful inside and we climbed   around on wooden stairways built of over top of solid ice. We went back into the mountains about 1 1/4 miles and the guide explained that the stairways equaled the elevation of a 60 story building. After leaving the cave we walked back to the hotel, picked up the rest of our belongings and started back down the hill. Luckily it took us only 1 1/2 hrs to walk down so we got to the bottom about 11:00 A.M. We left there and drove to a city name Bad Gastin which is the greatest health resort in Europe. They have some very nice hotels there and it is a beautiful city built on the side of the mountain with a great water falls in the heart of the city. We stopped at one of the Inns to eat dinner, rather another K ration and they served us some delicious wine. I am including a card with a picture of the place. After leaving there we took a trip on the highest mountain road in Austria and belive me it was really up in the air, (9000 ft.). We were far above the timber line and up in the snow. Some of the roads leading from this main one were still completely blocked with deep drifts. At the highest point of the road or where it crossed over the mountain was a small stone chapel built as a memorial to Dalfuss who was at the time head of the Austria Government and who later was killed by the Nazi's. The few buildings near the top of the mountain are all secured to the ground by cables. They have some beautiful mountain flowers over here especially some named Alpine roses. They grow on small low bushes in clusters and are usually found above 5000 ft.   They are quite often made into wreaths for funerals & grave decorations. I am inclosing one that will probably fall to pieces before arrival but may give you an idea of what they are like. After leaving the mountain road we went down to the Zell Am See which is a large mountain lake and a city by the same name. We stopped there at the 101st Airborne Div. Red Cross Club and had some doughnuts and then proceeded back to our good little tent. It was a swell trip but a little too long to cover in 1 1/2 days. We drove about 200 miles and that's a long way to ride in a truck. Not only that, I wore a blister on my big toe coming down the mountain. Also I took one roll of film and hope the pictures turn out good so you can get an idea of the scenic beauty. Insull and I both remarked how we would love to have our wives along on the same trip. I know you would have enjoyed it and I can't begin to describe the scenery. I think without a doubt Austria is probably the most beautiful country in Europe. Tomorrow some of us are going to a Vienese concert in Salzburg and Monday we are going to take a three hour tour of the city of Salzburg. I think it will be very interesting because it is where Mozart was born and is very historical in many other ways.

Well darling, I think I will close this letter before it gets too big and begin another right now as I have some more I want to write.