Monday 23 December 2013

Austria and Lederhosen

We left the rail system of the SBB for the OBB, equally as good in my mind.  Such an efficient way to travel, if only we could have it in Australia.

Our first stop was Salzburg and the main reason for our visit was for The Sound of Music of course. We managed to negotiate our way out of the train station in Salzburg through all the construction.  Well there were no elevators or escalator due to the construction, so we had to schlep the 4 heavy bags up the stairs, well Tony did, I just stood at the bottom while the kids did duty at the top.  Tony's bag is a little worse for wear and we are thinking that the wheels are not going to make it to the end of the journey in Europe.  Just a little bit further, that's all we ask.  The sidewalks are scattered with small rocks to keep people from slipping on the snow and ice....hmmmm this didn't bode well for wheels on luggage.  A 15 minute walk and a few words between Tony and myself  (love is bliss) we arrived at our lovely little boutique hotel, what a pleasant surprise we were in for.  When booking all these places you really are never sure what to expect. So between the organic and  locally sourced full breakfast spread, cozy bar with mulled wine, giant interior design and travel books to flip through and not to mention the wellness centre with herbal steam, sauna and relaxation area, we were made to feel quite comfortable.

We got ourselves sorted and the next day Emma and I were off on the big red bus while the boys opted to be laundry rats and wash 4 bags of gear that had been piling up. We boarded the bus along with the 40 others and we can't forget to mention Peter our tour guide who tried to be everso funny..and he wasn't! but somehow you you were laughing at the the bad jokes, so off we set singing "The hills are alive with the sound of music"... our first stop was at the grand house of the Van Trapp family as seen in the movie, not their actual home.  Now we only get to see it from a distance and it is where all the outdoor scenes are shot, the children and Maria on the row boat when they all fall in...did you know Gretal almost drowned filming that scene?  Also 'Sixteen going on seventeen' was filmed here.  Hollywood, that is what the Austrians refer to the production company as, wanted desperately to be able to use this home for all the filming inside and out, but after much discussion and bureaucracy they were frog marched out of the home when they finally thought they had approval.  Well, do what Hollywood does, copy it and make it better! So they got permission to sketch the rooms and than duplicated this into a set in California and voila the Sound of Music was on its way. We continued on to various points of interest singing songs, had a bit of a film clip narrated by Liesel in her adult years and told us some behind the scenic stories. what a great day we had, a fabulous tour for all Sound of Music lovers.
We enjoyed the Christmas markets, meandering through the pedestrian only district and just enjoyed the area during this festive time.  We braved the cold in the playgrounds, but even so the weather did limit our time outside...brrr.

After 3 nights in Salzburg we boarded another train on our way to one of the most fantastic cities I have visited....Vienna!  Stunning, beautiful and just a pleasure to walk about. Schronnbrunn Palace was a real gem and the kids really seemed to enjoy this tour, we received a wealth of information with the audio tour which puts all the history jigsaw pieces together for you. I ask how many reception rooms does a household need...gosh!  We visited the oldest zoo in the world and really did give you that old world feeling, many of the animals were in other quarters keeping warm, but the seals put on a good show for us.  Again, it was cold! In between the Vienna Boys Choir, the Prater, St. Stephens and the magnificent Christmas markets at City Hall we enjoyed some amazing food here.  Thanks Vienna, we will most definitely be back!

We come to the end of our European tour with a feeling of sadness, though we know we will be back for more.  We catch a flight from Vienna to Rome, last minute shopping in Italy for all those amazing leather goods, the major sites for the kids and 4 days later we are off to Asian shores....Vietnam!

Wednesday 4 December 2013

The Swiss Alps, The SBB, Pistes...well all things Swiss.

THE SWISS ALPS (please note, photos are not my own and taken from the Internet)

We left for Montreux after a fabulous weekend in Interlaken. a beautiful scenic snowy journey took us to Lake Geneva aboard the SBB train.  Montreux is a pretty city, like most Swiss cities nestled on the banks of their fabulous lakes.  It was a time to enjoy long walks around Lake Geneva with the winter flora in bloom.  With the purchase of a kilo bag of bird seed, the kids were entertained feeding the feathered creatures and onlookers amused.  Seems every city we go to, the birds become a priority to ensure they are fed.  We visited Chillon Castle with it's extordinary views over Lake Geneva.  The next day we had a visit to the games museum which had us entertained for hours with chess (of course), pinball machines and a new game of Tigers and Goats, a primitive game which evolved in India played in the sand with some beans or pebbles as markers, one I know the kids will continue to play.  We had a lovely evening with our good friend Fran, who took the train from Lausanne to meet up with us to enjoy some yummy food and the boys drank many a bottles of red wine.

Chateau de Chillion on Lake Geneva, I had beautiful walk around here.

It was time to leave for the highlight of our Swiss trip and hop on a train to Zermatt for snow skiing and snow activities.  In true form, the Swiss Alps put on a show for us with a snowfall starting just after our arrival.  This was magic as it could have been green grass and bare roads, as it was never a given that there would be snow in the middle of November.  Thanks to those I sent a little message to!  We immediately donned our snow apparel which was thankfully waiting for us at our hotel.  A walk in the snow, a snowball fight, rolling around in the snow and snow angels completed the afternoon before we immersed ourselves in the heated pool and outdoor jacuzzi with the fall of snow capping our heads with a dusty coolness.

We skied next to this beauty

The first morning we were ready to hit the slopes with our ski instructor Nicolas.  A few runs on the magic carpet and the gang was ready for the blue run. We set off without our poles at a height of 3,000 metres above sea level.  The Matterhorn is such a spectacular site to behold and we couldn't get any closer to it unless we climbed it.  It is not the highest mountain in the Alps, but as it stands alone it gives that appearance.  In my last post, I mentioned that Jungfrau was the highest mountain in Switzerland, well I stand corrected as our ski instructor informed us there are many misunderstandings about this.  In fact, Monte Rosa (the 'Pink mountain') is the highest mountain in Switzerland with the main summit, known as the Dufourspitze (4,634 m (15,203 ft)).  Now after thinking this through, perhaps Jungfrau is labeled the highest mountain you can ascend with a funicular or cable car.  Monte Rosa is a mountain you must climb with your own will with one side of it facing Italy and the other in Switzerland.  Ok, back to the slopes, the weather wasn't the best in terms of visibility though we had great snow conditions and very little wind.  Just not being able to see can make things a bit tricky and to top it off at an altitude of 3,000 metre it also plays havoc with your balance.  We plowed through and eventually Tony, Emma and Hamish conquered the red run with Nicolas in tow or was it the other way around.  I stayed back so they could tell me how the visibility was. Hamish has his own method with straight down, who needs turns! When he needed to stop all was required was a face plant.  Well, I am glad I didn't attempt it, as this one eyed mummy might not have gotten down unless they carried me.  It is all very exhausting and we felt trimmer for the extra work we were putting out.  Our ski instructor, Nicolas was a champion and really made the skiing so enjoyable.  It would have been rather hard for me to try and keep Hamish on the straight and narrow, provide tuition to Emma and Tony all the while learning the new craving technique, which I am sure has been around for decades.  I have just been on the beach during that time, so my skills and confidence needed attention.

We regretfully left Zermatt and our new found friends Sam, Christian and Mia who graciously welcomed us into their home for home cooked meals.  It was truly wonderful after so many restaurant meals. We enjoyed sledging, walking through the snow and snowman making to name a few. We will definitely return to this winter wonderland paradise.

Next stop St. Moritz, home of the 1928 and 1948 Olympics.  Well I don't really have much to say about St Moritz as it was pretty much a ghost town during our stay. The season wasn't to begin until the weekend after our departure.  So we played in the snow, walked around the deserted Olympic village and ate.  I am a bit over the eating 3 meals a day and the restaurant routine.  After 3 days, we boarded our next train to Zurich. We were pleasantly surprised with this number and booked ourselves in for a city tour which provided us with a brief overview and an insight to the history and development of the city.  Something I highly recommend to everyone when going to a new city.  The Christmas markets were in full swing and we enjoyed meandering around and observing all the wares on offer.  I like the fact that everyone comes together for a good old fashioned chat sipping on gluhwein (mulled red wine laced with clove and spice)  in sub-zero temperatures...very civilised.  We hung out in English book shops and visited one of the best toy stores ever, Franz Carl Weber one of the best selections I enjoyed browsing over.  Yes, even a Christmas present or 2 was secretly purchased with unsuspecting eyes.

It was time for the end of our journey in Switzerland after 30 days and return to the euro in Austria.

…our feet are the same