Austria Winter Wonderland Friday 07 February 2014

Friday 07 February 2014

Mystery Tour today!!

Where shall we go?!

Not much snow in St Wolfgang so will have to go looking for the white stuff! I have been watching the weather forecasts for the local resorts and at the beginning of the week all were going to have snow today but now it is all dry and sunny in most places!

What we decide on is to drive south past Bad Ischl towards Halstatt before taking the road towards Pass Leug and Golling before turning off to Altenmarkt and then up to the ski resort of Zauchensee. This is a higher resort that has had recent snow so hopefully that will satisfy everyone! Whatever the weather it will be a beautiful ride out.

We have included morning coffee on our drive today and my first choice was to stop at my friend David’s hotel at Pass Leug where Brian and I take Crookhorn College ski-ing each year and are returning a week today! Unfortunately the hotel is closed until we arrive with the college and all of his family are out today so we will not be able to stop there. Not a problem as we are on a mystery tour!

The drive is beautiful today if a little like a summers drive in places where there is a total lack of snow!! Every now and then we drive through parts where the sun hasn’t reached and there is a lot of snow and also on the higher points of the road there is a lot of snow.

As we drive through the small town of Annaberg we stop outside of the Post Hotel and I jump out and run into the hotel to see if they would be happy to accommodate our group for coffee etc.

They are only too pleased to help so we all pile in and enjoy a mixture of tea, coffee and hot chocolate before rejoining the coach at 11:00.

This wouldn’t happen in England or if it did it would be a chore to serve us. Over here (and most European destinations) they are only too happy to help and the service was very good and well worth the €56.00 it cost to satisfy everyone.

From here we make our way to Zauchensee and as we steadily climb higher the snow becomes thicker and once at Zauchensee it is gorgeous. There are plenty of skiers and with the sun coming out makes a great sight. We know the resort well as we come each year with the skiers and I skied here last year. Fantastic.

We have a spot of lunch close to the slopes before I go for a stroll in the sun around the town.

On my way back I suddenly need the loo so go into the toilets below the ticket office which are quite well hidden and not busy.

As you walk in the toilets the light automatically comes on as I pass the sensor and I take my seat in trap one! It is always a pleasure when the toilet is clean and the seat cold!!

I am in there a while and just as I’m about to finish the light goes out and I’m left wishing it was busier in here and that someone would walk through the door to light the light! No chance!

Luckily I have a camera on my phone and had to tidy myself up using this! Not easy or comfortable!

Two of our passengers, Christine and Ed, were very adventurous and went to the top of the mountain by chairlift.

Everybody enjoyed their visit to Zauchensee and the journey back even though by motorway is very pretty. We drive through the mountains and past the small town of Werfen which is dominated by its magnificent castle and was the Schloss Adler in “Where Eagles Dare!”

Just before leaving the motorway we stop at Golling services to fuel up and give the passengers a chance to buy drinks/food for the journey home tomorrow.

We are back at the hotel by 15:20 allowing plenty of time to pack and relax before dinner at 19:00.

I pack my main case and put it on the coach before dinner.

All of the drinks I have had this week I have put on my room number and pay the balance tonight. I have also been asked by some of the passengers if they could buy a packed lunch for the journey home. I ask the lady (I really should know her name!) at reception and she says they could make up filled rolls but it would be done this evening so would not be very fresh in the morning. As we are having an early breakfast tomorrow there will be nobody to make the lunches then so they have kindly said we can make up our lunch from the breakfast spread at no extra cost. What a lovely gesture.