Saturday, March 18, 2006

Austria

Where to begin--with European discount air carriers, skiing in the Alps, a naked bartender, or with dancing on chairs at a British pub? It’s hard to decide, I had so many “unique” experiences on my recent trip to Austria.

I guess I should start with the most exciting topic from the list above… discount air carriers:-) They are really changing the way Europeans get around the continent. I flew from Cologne to Munich in about an hour and it cost 30 euros—very slick! From Munich, I took a series of regional trains to Kitzbuehel. As the train went further and further into the mountains, I was awe struck! Snow-covered mountains stretched as far as the eye could see. The roofs of the houses are still covered in feet of snow and I didn’t realize how deep the snow on the ground was until I realized that the brown dots in the fields were the tops of fence posts.

mountains at sunset

downtown Kitzbuehel

When I got to Kitzbuehel, I checked into my gasthof and headed out to explore. The town reminds me of the Black Forest, with an occasional pop of Munich glitz—traditional Austrian clothing stores sandwiched between Louis Vuitton and ski shops. As I walked through the streets, the bells played “Lullaby and Goodnight” and skiers streamed into town after a full day on the slopes. All I needed was for Maria and the VanTrapp children to skip by singing Do Re Mi!

ADORABLE children's clothes

the bell tower that played "Lullaby and Goodnight"

taken from my window. I liked the angles of the roofs and flag

As with all quality European bed and breakfasts, the duvet and pillow in my room were super comfy;-) So after a dinner of cheese spaetzle (YUM!!) I headed to my cozy room to rest up for a full day of skiing.

Part II tomorrow…

PS This is my 100th posting!

2 Comments:

At 3:58 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Glad you're back! Looks like you made it in one piece. Funny to think you were in the snow while Granny, Grandpa, Barb & Larry were all sunning on the beach this weekend in Florida!

 
At 10:18 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Erin,

This is your ol' American Studies teacher from CR saying hello. Your mom gave me your blog address. What fun you must be having.
It was wonderful catching up on what you are doing.I would love to hear from you via e-mail.

Warm Wishes,

Mr Rhodes CRHS

 

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