Breakfast is another lovely buffet enjoyed by all. We are away by 08:30 today and I have decided to go back via Antwerp and hope the traffic is not too heavy.
Another sunny day and we have a trouble free ride to and past Antwerp, with just a short hold up at the Kennedy Tunnel, and stop at the first service area from Antwerp.
The traffic is a bit heavy around Ghent but we are still very much on time when arriving at Calais for our shuttle.
We have some time in the terminal which is empty before catching our train home.
I thought the drive home in England would be busy but we once again have a good ride home.
I have really enjoyed this tour and have been particularly impressed with Saalbach and the hotel, especially the staff.
I wish we could operate more Austrian holidays throughout the year as it is such a gorgeous country and the many hotels we use are all lovely and all offer something different from each other.
Showing posts with label Saalbach. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Saalbach. Show all posts
Wednesday, 12 October 2011
Austria Saalbach Friday 19 August 2011
We do have a porter available but I have asked if the passengers can bring their cases down to the coach by seven. Those that can’t manage I will ask the porter. By doing it this way I should have the luggage when I want it rather than relying on one porter making many trips in the lift and finally having the luggage just before we leave. Then the poor hungry driver misses his breakfast! And we can’t have that now can we!
All the cases are down at seven.
By the time I have my breakfast I am a little hot and sweaty but reassured by a full locker of luggage.
Just before we depart we all pose for a group photo outside the hotel and are then away by eight.
It is another glorious morning and I have decided to go back to the motorway via Kutzbuhel, which is no longer in distance but is 25 minutes longer in time. It such a lovely day that I think the views will be worth it.
Once we join the motorway at Kufstein we stop at the first service area in Germany for a welcome break! I have to park a couple of hundred yards from the main building though it doesn’t take long to walk over. They come back a lot quicker though!!
I am one of the first out to walk back to the coach and seem to have timed it right as it starts to rain as I reach the coach. It then absolutely chucks it down and most of the passengers are in the toilets two hundred yards away!
They run across the car park at varying speeds, with various forms of headgear, at a rate some of them haven’t reached years!
From here we rejoin the motorway, drive around Munich, and head towards Stuttgart. So far so good, the traffic has been light.
At lunchtime I am about five minutes away from the service area I want to stop at when a police van pulls out from a lay-by and follows me. Why is it when followed by the police you always worry when there is nothing to worry about!
Sure enough as we approach the service area he pulls in front of me and a flashing sign in the back of his van tells me to follow him.
I follow.
Once I have let all of the passengers off the policeman wants to see my German tax form and waybill. To travel through Germany in a coach we have to pay a tax calculated on the miles driven, passengers carried and cost of travel. This is done quarterly and on top of that I have to pay a solicitor to correspond and calculate with the Hannover tax office.
The waybill is a green form that I fill in before travel that indicates the coach and driver details as well as the company operating coach and trip, the journey by dates and also passenger numbers.
They were interested in passenger numbers (or rather that I had filled in the numbers) and the tax form showing my tax number and that I was paying my taxes.
All was in order and I enjoyed a relaxing lunch.
After leaving here we had a tortuous journey with heavy traffic all the way.
A short stop at Hockenheim services broke the journey up but we still didn’t arrive in Bruhl for our overnight stop until 20:00. About an hour and a half later than I wanted.
I have to park at the rear of the hotel and then we all walk around the building to the front and the entrance. By the time I am there so are most of the passengers.
At the reception desk I am given the room keys and then have to negotiate our dinner time. The food here is all buffet so I don’t think it vitally important that we all appear at the very same minute.
The young lady at reception wants us to go into the restaurant immediately and I want the passengers to have the opportunity to have a chance to freshen up after such a long day.
The receptionist is not too impressed when I say we can’t go in straight away and explain we have all had a long and tiring day and would appreciate some time to relax before dinner.
When I tell her straight away is a non starter she says they have five groups in the restaurant tonight and are very busy.
I ask what time the restaurant shuts (10pm) and say we can do 20:30. She throws her arms in the air and says whatever you want!
Once I have handed the keys out I go back to the bus to do a little cleaning before returning to the hotel.
I went back to the receptionist and apologised for being late and that there really wasn’t anything I could do about the traffic. She in turn couldn’t apologise enough to me and sent me on my way with a smile and a wink!
I didn’t have time to shower so just dumped my bag and made sure all were okay in the restaurant before enjoying a nice cold beer.
As I said earlier dinner is all buffet and a decent spread has been put out.
A quick drink after dinner and I am ready for bed. Let’s hope tomorrow is a lot easier.
Sunday, 21 August 2011
Austria Saalbach Thursday 18 August 2011
Am up at 06:30 and on my way to the coach before 07:30. There is a small cafe open and I nip in for a coffee as I don’t expect to be back in time for any breakfast.
I’m at the garage, which is 15 minutes away, by 08:00 and the man there sees me right away. I explain that the air conditioning has been working these last two days so there is nothing for him to look at there. I then show him the coffee machine and the lack of hot water and he calls over an electrician. I leave them to it and they soon disappear. About ten minutes later the young electrician reappears and asks if the water is okay. By my blank expression he tries the hot water himself and it is hot! Great, what was wrong?
A fuse needed replacing where I didn’t know there was a fuse!
They don’t want to charge me but I give them €20 for a drink. Am happy now.
On the way back I buy some water for the fridge and top up with fuel then a quick sweep and mop followed by a washing of the windscreen and I am all done. It is only 09:15 and I will be back before breakfast ends.
The forecast today is for more sunny weather and the temperature is supposed to be hotter than yesterday, which it certainly feels like already.
When I get back to my room I walk out onto a sunny balcony and promptly am rained on! What with all this blue sky and sun! The flower baskets on the balcony above me have been watered and the water is running onto my balcony.
I spend the rest of the morning in my room doing the work I had brought with me before venturing out for a stroll and some lunch just after midday.
I saw Anne and Nicola and they had just been up in the cable car and said how fantastic it was and that it was one of the best they had ever been up.
Off I go for a ride up and down the mountain and it is indeed a magnificent experience. The views from the cable car are fantastic and definitely one of the better rides. All cable car rides in Austria on a clear sunny day are lovely but this one is one of the lovliest! It really is very pretty and Saalbach looks much bigger from afar. Fantastic.
Once at the top I have a quick look around and then go back to the town for a spot of lunch. As you do!
I have seen a nice looking restaurant in the centre that looks like a chalet (unusual?!!!) and decide to enjoy my lunch there.
I have a Tyroler Grostel which is a dish served in a frying pan on a bread board! It is made up of potatoes, bacon and onions all fried together and topped with a fried egg, delicious. And all washed down with a couple of beers, nothing finer. A few of the passengers wander past and for my last drink am joined by Nicola who has been out walking.
After lunch I spend a lazy afternoon in my room. The idea is to work but in reality I end up sleeping and reading! Well it is my day off!
At dinner tonight I arrange for a basket to be passed around for a collection for the hotel staff and hope everyone gives generously as the satff all over the hotel have been great, even the moody looking waitress was happy earlier!
I have really enjoyed our stay here and very much look forward to returning in the future.
After dinner it is an early night ready for tomorrow's journey.
I’m at the garage, which is 15 minutes away, by 08:00 and the man there sees me right away. I explain that the air conditioning has been working these last two days so there is nothing for him to look at there. I then show him the coffee machine and the lack of hot water and he calls over an electrician. I leave them to it and they soon disappear. About ten minutes later the young electrician reappears and asks if the water is okay. By my blank expression he tries the hot water himself and it is hot! Great, what was wrong?
A fuse needed replacing where I didn’t know there was a fuse!
They don’t want to charge me but I give them €20 for a drink. Am happy now.
On the way back I buy some water for the fridge and top up with fuel then a quick sweep and mop followed by a washing of the windscreen and I am all done. It is only 09:15 and I will be back before breakfast ends.
The forecast today is for more sunny weather and the temperature is supposed to be hotter than yesterday, which it certainly feels like already.
When I get back to my room I walk out onto a sunny balcony and promptly am rained on! What with all this blue sky and sun! The flower baskets on the balcony above me have been watered and the water is running onto my balcony.
I spend the rest of the morning in my room doing the work I had brought with me before venturing out for a stroll and some lunch just after midday.
I saw Anne and Nicola and they had just been up in the cable car and said how fantastic it was and that it was one of the best they had ever been up.
Off I go for a ride up and down the mountain and it is indeed a magnificent experience. The views from the cable car are fantastic and definitely one of the better rides. All cable car rides in Austria on a clear sunny day are lovely but this one is one of the lovliest! It really is very pretty and Saalbach looks much bigger from afar. Fantastic.
Once at the top I have a quick look around and then go back to the town for a spot of lunch. As you do!
I have seen a nice looking restaurant in the centre that looks like a chalet (unusual?!!!) and decide to enjoy my lunch there.
I have a Tyroler Grostel which is a dish served in a frying pan on a bread board! It is made up of potatoes, bacon and onions all fried together and topped with a fried egg, delicious. And all washed down with a couple of beers, nothing finer. A few of the passengers wander past and for my last drink am joined by Nicola who has been out walking.
After lunch I spend a lazy afternoon in my room. The idea is to work but in reality I end up sleeping and reading! Well it is my day off!
At dinner tonight I arrange for a basket to be passed around for a collection for the hotel staff and hope everyone gives generously as the satff all over the hotel have been great, even the moody looking waitress was happy earlier!
I have really enjoyed our stay here and very much look forward to returning in the future.
After dinner it is an early night ready for tomorrow's journey.
Austria Saalbach Wednesday 17 August 2011
We are leaving at 09:15 this morning instead of 09:00 as some of the group feel an hour is not long enough for breakfast!
They are also walking down to the coach as I’m not bringing it to the hotel today. The scratch still hurts!
The slide show was a bit disappointing and the Tyrolean Evening drew mixed reactions, some really enjoyed it while others weren’t too sure, some even leaving early.
It is a lovely hot sunny morning as we leave to go on our drive over one of Europe’s great mountain roads, the Grossglockner High Alpine Road.
Being in Saalbach is great for today as we are so close to the start of the Grossglockner and begin our ascent after only half an hour.
It is a toll road and it costs about £250 to drive on it today. No hoping they enjoy it, they will enjoy it!
We are given leaflets in English which point out various sights along the road and some even buy the guide book for €4.
Once we leave the toll booth the serious stuff begins with the first of our 36 hairpin bends to negotiate. The many cyclists on the road prove more hazardous than the sharp bends. At least at this time of the morning there is very little coming down so overtaking bikes is a lot easier than it will be later.
I have driven this road many times and can never tire of the magnificent scenery, especially on a day like today with crystal clear blue skies framing majestic mountains. It is stunning.
We stop for a coffee close to the top at Eidelweisspitz where you can see over two sides of the mountains.
From one side you can see the bends we have just driven looking like a giant boys car set with a constant stream of coaches, cars, motorbikes and cyclists.
They have a set of flags from all the European countries flying high, all except for the Union Flag, which is a bit off.
From here we drive over even more beautiful terrain to the charming village of Heilgenblut. Here there is one of the most photographed churches in Europe. The church is framed by mighty mountains with the glacier in the background. Go to anywhere that sells jigsaws and the chances are you will find one with this picture on it.
It is a lovely village as well and they all enjoy the stop here. It is very hot now and the air con seems to be working again.
We now drive back up towards the top of the pass before branching off to go to the glacier at Frank Joseph Hohe. This is my favourite part of the ride.
It is very busy with parking marshals stopping cars until there is a space free. We are waved through to drive up and park in the very busy coach park, full of not only coaches but cars and caravans too.
From here you can walk up to the glacier or catch the free shuttle bus with an easy walk back.
Looking over the edge from the coach park are the beaver like Marmots
Posing for pictures and waiting to be fed!
Leaving here at 15:30 we return over the pass and back to Saalbach, arriving back by 17:15. I once again don’t chance the hotel and drop the people off at the parking place.
I am going out for dinner tonight and decide to go back to the restaurant Wendy and I used when we came here earlier this year.
A delicious fillet steak and chips later I am back in my room ready for an early start to the garage tomorrow.
They are also walking down to the coach as I’m not bringing it to the hotel today. The scratch still hurts!
The slide show was a bit disappointing and the Tyrolean Evening drew mixed reactions, some really enjoyed it while others weren’t too sure, some even leaving early.
It is a lovely hot sunny morning as we leave to go on our drive over one of Europe’s great mountain roads, the Grossglockner High Alpine Road.
Being in Saalbach is great for today as we are so close to the start of the Grossglockner and begin our ascent after only half an hour.
It is a toll road and it costs about £250 to drive on it today. No hoping they enjoy it, they will enjoy it!
We are given leaflets in English which point out various sights along the road and some even buy the guide book for €4.
Once we leave the toll booth the serious stuff begins with the first of our 36 hairpin bends to negotiate. The many cyclists on the road prove more hazardous than the sharp bends. At least at this time of the morning there is very little coming down so overtaking bikes is a lot easier than it will be later.
I have driven this road many times and can never tire of the magnificent scenery, especially on a day like today with crystal clear blue skies framing majestic mountains. It is stunning.
We stop for a coffee close to the top at Eidelweisspitz where you can see over two sides of the mountains.
From one side you can see the bends we have just driven looking like a giant boys car set with a constant stream of coaches, cars, motorbikes and cyclists.
They have a set of flags from all the European countries flying high, all except for the Union Flag, which is a bit off.
From here we drive over even more beautiful terrain to the charming village of Heilgenblut. Here there is one of the most photographed churches in Europe. The church is framed by mighty mountains with the glacier in the background. Go to anywhere that sells jigsaws and the chances are you will find one with this picture on it.
It is a lovely village as well and they all enjoy the stop here. It is very hot now and the air con seems to be working again.
We now drive back up towards the top of the pass before branching off to go to the glacier at Frank Joseph Hohe. This is my favourite part of the ride.
It is very busy with parking marshals stopping cars until there is a space free. We are waved through to drive up and park in the very busy coach park, full of not only coaches but cars and caravans too.
From here you can walk up to the glacier or catch the free shuttle bus with an easy walk back.
Looking over the edge from the coach park are the beaver like Marmots
Posing for pictures and waiting to be fed!
Leaving here at 15:30 we return over the pass and back to Saalbach, arriving back by 17:15. I once again don’t chance the hotel and drop the people off at the parking place.
I am going out for dinner tonight and decide to go back to the restaurant Wendy and I used when we came here earlier this year.
A delicious fillet steak and chips later I am back in my room ready for an early start to the garage tomorrow.
Austria Saalbach Tuesday 16 August 2011
Breakfast starts at 08:00 but I venture in at 07:45 thinking it would be okay especially as it is a buffet.
I am not alone and the young waitress is not impressed, telling anyone who would listen that breakfast starts at 08:00. She has the right hump!
I wait until 08:00 to ask for a coffee and am abruptly told that coffee is on the table. It isn’t and I tell her so. She must have forgotten while worrying about a few people coming in early. She soon has coffee on the tables though but is still not smiling.
We are away at 09:00 and after a couple of buildings down from the hotel I have to turn left. It is tight and there is a German car parked opposite with a lady loading the boot up. It will be hard to turn left with her there so I politely ask if she could just move forward for a second so I can turn and then she can move back again. We are talking about 20 feet. She is not impressed and becomes the second women I have pissed off this morning!
I then drive up a narrow road for a couple of hundred yards before joining the main road but at the junction is an ADAS (Austrian AA) lorry loading a broken down car on to his back and he is stationed in the middle of the road. I have to wait.
We are going to the Eagle’s Nest in Berchtesgaden today, a summer retreat high up in the Bavarian Alps bought for Hitler by Martin Boorman for his 50th birthday.
To access the Eagle’s Nest you have to change from the coach to a local bus that takes you to a parking place from where you walk through a tunnel to a lift that takes 40 seconds to take you the top.
It is a very pretty drive to Berchtesgaden and we arrive in the town at 10:30. My first stop is to drop Colin, Pat and Wendy off at the Salt mine and then drive up to the parking lot for our Eagle’s Nest bus. I had sent an e-mail yesterday but had no reply so called this morning to provisionally book a bus for 11:00. They run every 25 minutes.
We don’t arrive until 10:55 and by the time I have queued for our tickets we have missed our slot at 11:00. This is no problem as the 11:25 will be better as it allows time for the loo and any souvenir shopping.
We are all on bus number 4. It takes 41 but there are 44 of us! We all squeeze on and bang on 11:25 are transported up to the top parking area in 15 minutes. The journey is fantastic with some of the views breathtaking.
Once at the top I have to go to the ticket office to book my return time which I book for 13:55.
We now have to walk through a long dark, damp tunnel to a lift that has been carved into the rock. In 40 seconds we are whisked up to the top. The lift is a piece of art in itself with gorgeous mirrors and old fashioned workings.
Before walking through the tunnel a young lady, Vanessa, is advertising English speaking tours for €5 per person. The tour lasts 35 minutes and seems like a good idea. A few of the group join me on what is an informative and funny (how dare you listen in without paying!) tour and I learn a lot. 35 Minutes was a bit optimistic though as we must have been with her for closer to an hour.
Once the tour finished I had a look around, ate my packed lunch and then went back to the parking lot to wait for 13:55. It is a little cloudy now which is obscuring the view but every now and then it clears for a glimpse of the stunning countryside.
Most of the group are down and ready by 13:30 but we have to wait until 13:55. I ask at the ticket office which number bus we are on and am told we can catch anyone.
The busses open their doors ten minutes before departure and I am soon being called to one bus and then another to show the ticket. Both bus drivers say we should all be on the same bus and I explain that I was told to get on any bus. This does not impress the drivers who in turn do not impress me! Tough, nobody is moving now.
Once we are all back on the coach I drive back to Berchtesgaden to pick the three miners up. I go back the quick way and meet a bus on a bend which takes a bit of manoeuvring but we pass each other with plenty to spare. He is another unimpressed bus driver! I seem to be making a habit of annoying Germans today!
We are back at the hotel by 16:00 and I check to see if I can go to the garage but it is busy today so I book it for Thursday morning. Not ideal as I wanted a day off but at least something is being done. The odd thing is the air-con seemed okay today.
Once I have dropped the passengers off at the hotel I try to make my turn left but am hampered by some decking with tables and chairs on it opposite the road I want. There is some kind of festival on tonight.
I try to get round but only manage to scratch the side of the coach on the damned decking! In the end I have to reverse all the way back up the road and blindly out on to the main road. Now I’m an unimpressed bus driver!
It is not a bad scratch but is a scratch nonethesame.
Once parked I decide to wash the outside windows as we are going to drive the Grossglockner Road tomorrow and as the forecast is good people will want to see the scenery!
I end up washing the whole coach.
After dinner Malcolm walks some of the group to a slide show at the Tourist Information Centre while I walk 22 to the Tyrolean Evening, held at the nearby Sport Hotel.
The seats are in an upstairs gallery in what is a small room for a show and I hope it all goes well.
I was going to stay but decide to leave and spend an hour on this blog back at the hotel.
It is very lively in the town with live music and lots of people adding to the atmosphere.
I am not alone and the young waitress is not impressed, telling anyone who would listen that breakfast starts at 08:00. She has the right hump!
I wait until 08:00 to ask for a coffee and am abruptly told that coffee is on the table. It isn’t and I tell her so. She must have forgotten while worrying about a few people coming in early. She soon has coffee on the tables though but is still not smiling.
We are away at 09:00 and after a couple of buildings down from the hotel I have to turn left. It is tight and there is a German car parked opposite with a lady loading the boot up. It will be hard to turn left with her there so I politely ask if she could just move forward for a second so I can turn and then she can move back again. We are talking about 20 feet. She is not impressed and becomes the second women I have pissed off this morning!
I then drive up a narrow road for a couple of hundred yards before joining the main road but at the junction is an ADAS (Austrian AA) lorry loading a broken down car on to his back and he is stationed in the middle of the road. I have to wait.
We are going to the Eagle’s Nest in Berchtesgaden today, a summer retreat high up in the Bavarian Alps bought for Hitler by Martin Boorman for his 50th birthday.
To access the Eagle’s Nest you have to change from the coach to a local bus that takes you to a parking place from where you walk through a tunnel to a lift that takes 40 seconds to take you the top.
It is a very pretty drive to Berchtesgaden and we arrive in the town at 10:30. My first stop is to drop Colin, Pat and Wendy off at the Salt mine and then drive up to the parking lot for our Eagle’s Nest bus. I had sent an e-mail yesterday but had no reply so called this morning to provisionally book a bus for 11:00. They run every 25 minutes.
We don’t arrive until 10:55 and by the time I have queued for our tickets we have missed our slot at 11:00. This is no problem as the 11:25 will be better as it allows time for the loo and any souvenir shopping.
We are all on bus number 4. It takes 41 but there are 44 of us! We all squeeze on and bang on 11:25 are transported up to the top parking area in 15 minutes. The journey is fantastic with some of the views breathtaking.
Once at the top I have to go to the ticket office to book my return time which I book for 13:55.
We now have to walk through a long dark, damp tunnel to a lift that has been carved into the rock. In 40 seconds we are whisked up to the top. The lift is a piece of art in itself with gorgeous mirrors and old fashioned workings.
Before walking through the tunnel a young lady, Vanessa, is advertising English speaking tours for €5 per person. The tour lasts 35 minutes and seems like a good idea. A few of the group join me on what is an informative and funny (how dare you listen in without paying!) tour and I learn a lot. 35 Minutes was a bit optimistic though as we must have been with her for closer to an hour.
Once the tour finished I had a look around, ate my packed lunch and then went back to the parking lot to wait for 13:55. It is a little cloudy now which is obscuring the view but every now and then it clears for a glimpse of the stunning countryside.
Most of the group are down and ready by 13:30 but we have to wait until 13:55. I ask at the ticket office which number bus we are on and am told we can catch anyone.
The busses open their doors ten minutes before departure and I am soon being called to one bus and then another to show the ticket. Both bus drivers say we should all be on the same bus and I explain that I was told to get on any bus. This does not impress the drivers who in turn do not impress me! Tough, nobody is moving now.
Once we are all back on the coach I drive back to Berchtesgaden to pick the three miners up. I go back the quick way and meet a bus on a bend which takes a bit of manoeuvring but we pass each other with plenty to spare. He is another unimpressed bus driver! I seem to be making a habit of annoying Germans today!
We are back at the hotel by 16:00 and I check to see if I can go to the garage but it is busy today so I book it for Thursday morning. Not ideal as I wanted a day off but at least something is being done. The odd thing is the air-con seemed okay today.
Once I have dropped the passengers off at the hotel I try to make my turn left but am hampered by some decking with tables and chairs on it opposite the road I want. There is some kind of festival on tonight.
I try to get round but only manage to scratch the side of the coach on the damned decking! In the end I have to reverse all the way back up the road and blindly out on to the main road. Now I’m an unimpressed bus driver!
It is not a bad scratch but is a scratch nonethesame.
Once parked I decide to wash the outside windows as we are going to drive the Grossglockner Road tomorrow and as the forecast is good people will want to see the scenery!
I end up washing the whole coach.
After dinner Malcolm walks some of the group to a slide show at the Tourist Information Centre while I walk 22 to the Tyrolean Evening, held at the nearby Sport Hotel.
The seats are in an upstairs gallery in what is a small room for a show and I hope it all goes well.
I was going to stay but decide to leave and spend an hour on this blog back at the hotel.
It is very lively in the town with live music and lots of people adding to the atmosphere.
Austria Saalbach Monday 15 August 2011
Breakfast starts a little late at 08:00 but it is very good with those delicious rolls the Austrians make so well. They are tasty, light and more often than not warm from the oven.
As we are all inclusive a packed lunch is included and the way they do this is to leave brown paper bags on the table in the morning and you can make your own lunch up from the buffet. A good idea that will not waste much and everyone can have what they fancy. Seems to go down well.
Normally we choose our dinner in the morning but tonight’s dinner is a Gala Dinner so there is no choice.
The only difference I can see between a Gala Dinner and ordinary dinner is the Gala Dinner has one extra course and no choice!
We have a free morning today before going to Zell am See at midday.
It is raining and all the shops are shut! It is a Bank Holiday! Would you believe it. All seems about par for the course!
With it being a holiday as well as shut shops you also have shut garages! No chance of anyone looking at the coach today.
I walk down to the coach in the rain (coats and umbrella on bus) through the village centre and at least the cafes and restaurants are open. A couple of the souvenir shops are open so all is not lost. Some of the group walked to the church and saw a procession of villagers, mostly the elders of the village dressed in military uniform and carrying guns.
I clean the coach and fuel up before driving to the hotel to pick the folks up. Originally I was told that I could only drop off on arrival and pick up on departure from outside the hotel but it seems I can drive to the hotel each day. It is a bit tight getting out though.
All but one of the group are on at twelve and after waiting ten minutes I decide to go and drive past where I was parked to see if the lost lady is there. She is. The mix up is quite understandable as I have put in the brochure that I cannot pick up at the hotel.
Off we go to Zell am See and as we leave Saalbach the rain has finally stopped and we are all optimistic for a nice afternoon.
It is raining in Zell am See!
As we pull into the coach park there is a little tourist train sitting there empty with the driver willing us on board. I catch his eye and nod and as I come to a halt he is waiting by the door.
Nice tache!!
For €5 we can have an hour’s ride around the lake. I tell the passengers before they alight and all but one take a seat on the little train. I join them. Anything to get out of the rain!
It was a bit wet and the clouds were low but I and the rest of the group thoroughly enjoyed our trip around the lake. The highlight for many was not seeing the lake, or mountains, or the Von Trapp home but driving round a roundabout three times! Simple things!
After our tour we all walked into the old town which was surprisingly busy with a few more shops open and a small beer festival going on close to the church.
Still raining though.
Some of the group took a cruise on the lake while others just mooched around. We are leaving here at 16:00 and some were back at the coach by 14:00, tired of walking about in the rain. I don’t blame them. Pity I can’t make them a coffee!
By 15:30 they had all had enough and we were back in Saalbach by 16:00.
For a moment after we returned I thought the sun was going to come out but no, it started
raining again.
Beef was on the Gala Dinner menu tonight and it was excellent. On the menu as roast beef it was more like tender steak.
There is a Tyrolean Evening in the nearby Sport Hotel tomorrow and after dinner I took names and money from those who want to go. There are 22 takers and the cost was €11 for the show and one drink.
I go down to the hotel and buy the tickets.
As we are all inclusive a packed lunch is included and the way they do this is to leave brown paper bags on the table in the morning and you can make your own lunch up from the buffet. A good idea that will not waste much and everyone can have what they fancy. Seems to go down well.
Normally we choose our dinner in the morning but tonight’s dinner is a Gala Dinner so there is no choice.
The only difference I can see between a Gala Dinner and ordinary dinner is the Gala Dinner has one extra course and no choice!
We have a free morning today before going to Zell am See at midday.
It is raining and all the shops are shut! It is a Bank Holiday! Would you believe it. All seems about par for the course!
With it being a holiday as well as shut shops you also have shut garages! No chance of anyone looking at the coach today.
I walk down to the coach in the rain (coats and umbrella on bus) through the village centre and at least the cafes and restaurants are open. A couple of the souvenir shops are open so all is not lost. Some of the group walked to the church and saw a procession of villagers, mostly the elders of the village dressed in military uniform and carrying guns.
I clean the coach and fuel up before driving to the hotel to pick the folks up. Originally I was told that I could only drop off on arrival and pick up on departure from outside the hotel but it seems I can drive to the hotel each day. It is a bit tight getting out though.
All but one of the group are on at twelve and after waiting ten minutes I decide to go and drive past where I was parked to see if the lost lady is there. She is. The mix up is quite understandable as I have put in the brochure that I cannot pick up at the hotel.
Off we go to Zell am See and as we leave Saalbach the rain has finally stopped and we are all optimistic for a nice afternoon.
It is raining in Zell am See!
As we pull into the coach park there is a little tourist train sitting there empty with the driver willing us on board. I catch his eye and nod and as I come to a halt he is waiting by the door.
Nice tache!!
For €5 we can have an hour’s ride around the lake. I tell the passengers before they alight and all but one take a seat on the little train. I join them. Anything to get out of the rain!
It was a bit wet and the clouds were low but I and the rest of the group thoroughly enjoyed our trip around the lake. The highlight for many was not seeing the lake, or mountains, or the Von Trapp home but driving round a roundabout three times! Simple things!
After our tour we all walked into the old town which was surprisingly busy with a few more shops open and a small beer festival going on close to the church.
Still raining though.
Some of the group took a cruise on the lake while others just mooched around. We are leaving here at 16:00 and some were back at the coach by 14:00, tired of walking about in the rain. I don’t blame them. Pity I can’t make them a coffee!
By 15:30 they had all had enough and we were back in Saalbach by 16:00.
For a moment after we returned I thought the sun was going to come out but no, it started
raining again.
Beef was on the Gala Dinner menu tonight and it was excellent. On the menu as roast beef it was more like tender steak.
There is a Tyrolean Evening in the nearby Sport Hotel tomorrow and after dinner I took names and money from those who want to go. There are 22 takers and the cost was €11 for the show and one drink.
I go down to the hotel and buy the tickets.
Austria Saalbach Sunday 14 August 2011
It is raining persistently! And heavily too.
I have filled one flask up and Nicola the other so we can at least have a cup of tea this morning.
The breakfast was up to the normal high standard with everyone enjoying the choice on offer.
We depart at 08:00 and it is very wet. It stays very wet for the next hour as I drive through very heavy rain and it does slow me down a bit.
We also seem to encounter a lot of roadwork’s this morning and they also slow the journey down.
We stop at a nice service area where I sit and have a coffee with Malcolm and Gill. We chat about how nice the German service areas are and how good the food is.
We manage to refill the flasks with hot water here as well.
I wanted to get past Nuremburg before stopping for lunch but with the delays we have had this is not possible so I pull into the service area just before this famous city.
Well, this must be the smallest service area in Germany! There is one very small serving counter where you can order hot food or filled rolls and if four people were waiting it would be busy and make the room look full. We have 47 people! It is too late to change it now but this is not what Malcolm and I were talking about earlier! There is seating outside (it is sunny now) but you have to share it with swarms of wasps!
It is raining persistently! And heavily too.
I have filled one flask up and Nicola the other so we can at least have a cup of tea this morning.
The breakfast was up to the normal high standard with everyone enjoying the choice on offer.
We depart at 08:00 and it is very wet. It stays very wet for the next hour as I drive through very heavy rain and it does slow me down a bit.
We also seem to encounter a lot of roadwork’s this morning and they also slow the journey down.
We stop at a nice service area where I sit and have a coffee with Malcolm and Gill. We chat about how nice the German service areas are and how good the food is.
We manage to refill the flasks with hot water here as well.
I wanted to get past Nuremburg before stopping for lunch but with the delays we have had this is not possible so I pull into the service area just before this famous city.
Well, this must be the smallest service area in Germany! There is one very small serving counter where you can order hot food or filled rolls and if four people were waiting it would be busy and make the room look full. We have 47 people! It is too late to change it now but this is not what Malcolm and I were talking about earlier! There is seating outside (it is sunny now) but you have to share it with swarms of wasps!
I park the coach at the coach park close to the cable car which is a short walk from the hotel.
No time for a shower as I quickly clean my teeth and head off for dinner.
Dinner was very good with excellent service. We are staying on an all inclusive package which means local beer, wine, soft drinks and tea/coffee are all free between ten in the morning to ten at night. The good thing is the staff are not shy about handing out drinks and the beers are half litres (about a pint!) and all the soft drinks are also in large glasses. I can enjoy this!
The town is also very busy and has a lovely atmosphere – much different to when I came to see the hotel and it was like a ghost town.
Although we have had a long, tiring and uncomfortable journey everyone is in good spirits and all seem happy.
I have filled one flask up and Nicola the other so we can at least have a cup of tea this morning.
The breakfast was up to the normal high standard with everyone enjoying the choice on offer.
We depart at 08:00 and it is very wet. It stays very wet for the next hour as I drive through very heavy rain and it does slow me down a bit.
We also seem to encounter a lot of roadwork’s this morning and they also slow the journey down.
We stop at a nice service area where I sit and have a coffee with Malcolm and Gill. We chat about how nice the German service areas are and how good the food is.
We manage to refill the flasks with hot water here as well.
I wanted to get past Nuremburg before stopping for lunch but with the delays we have had this is not possible so I pull into the service area just before this famous city.
Well, this must be the smallest service area in Germany! There is one very small serving counter where you can order hot food or filled rolls and if four people were waiting it would be busy and make the room look full. We have 47 people! It is too late to change it now but this is not what Malcolm and I were talking about earlier! There is seating outside (it is sunny now) but you have to share it with swarms of wasps!
It is raining persistently! And heavily too.
I have filled one flask up and Nicola the other so we can at least have a cup of tea this morning.
The breakfast was up to the normal high standard with everyone enjoying the choice on offer.
We depart at 08:00 and it is very wet. It stays very wet for the next hour as I drive through very heavy rain and it does slow me down a bit.
We also seem to encounter a lot of roadwork’s this morning and they also slow the journey down.
We stop at a nice service area where I sit and have a coffee with Malcolm and Gill. We chat about how nice the German service areas are and how good the food is.
We manage to refill the flasks with hot water here as well.
I wanted to get past Nuremburg before stopping for lunch but with the delays we have had this is not possible so I pull into the service area just before this famous city.
Well, this must be the smallest service area in Germany! There is one very small serving counter where you can order hot food or filled rolls and if four people were waiting it would be busy and make the room look full. We have 47 people! It is too late to change it now but this is not what Malcolm and I were talking about earlier! There is seating outside (it is sunny now) but you have to share it with swarms of wasps!
I park the coach at the coach park close to the cable car which is a short walk from the hotel.
No time for a shower as I quickly clean my teeth and head off for dinner.
Dinner was very good with excellent service. We are staying on an all inclusive package which means local beer, wine, soft drinks and tea/coffee are all free between ten in the morning to ten at night. The good thing is the staff are not shy about handing out drinks and the beers are half litres (about a pint!) and all the soft drinks are also in large glasses. I can enjoy this!
The town is also very busy and has a lovely atmosphere – much different to when I came to see the hotel and it was like a ghost town.
Although we have had a long, tiring and uncomfortable journey everyone is in good spirits and all seem happy.
Austria Saalbach Saturday 13 August 2011
Off to Austria today, a country I will never tire of going to, and am looking forward to it. I have pretty much a full load with 47 passengers and only one empty seat. I wish they were all as full as this.
We also have a tour going to the Scottish Highlands which Robert is going to do in his own coach.
Before I left home this morning I filled up the two thermos flasks, that are on the coach, with hot water as a back-up to the hot water system. With a full coach it is difficult to serve everyone without the hot water staying hot for 47 drinks. The flasks will help.
I only have two pick-up points – Petersfield and Liphook – so am soon on my way. Another chance to drive through the Hindhead Tunnel! As if I won’t be seeing any other tunnels this week!
We are not leaving Petersfield until 07;00 which has given me a bit of a lie in this morning as we normally leave at 05:30. Being a Saturday the traffic shouldn’t be too bad and I am hoping to catch an earlier shuttle than our booked one at 11:42.
I have tried to change the time to an hour earlier but to no avail. So I will chance arriving early and changing the time at Folkestone, which is never normally too much of a problem.
Nicola has kindly offered to serve drinks and she sensibly waits until after we have stopped at Clackett Lane to come round. It would be tight serving everyone before.
We have a slight problem though, the drinks machine is not heating up the water so the only drinks we can do are those served from the flasks. The problem with this is that the flasks would be okay serving 20 people but they do not stretch to 47! Bum!
I arrive at Folkestone by 09:30 and it is busy. I don’t think I will have much chance of a change.
I don’t! There are no spaces anywhere until 15:00 and the current trains are running 30 minutes late! Bum!
I drive to the terminal and am confronted by a completely full coach park! I have never seen this before. The only trouble is that there is only one other coach there, the rest of the space is taken up by caravans, bloody hundreds of them! And not one lady walking about selling lucky heather!
This could be a long wait.
I give the group an hour in the terminal which you need as the queues are longer than usual. I joined a long queue for a sandwich and a coffee and was pleasantly surprised at how quick it went down.
You are given a letter that represents your train time, T is for 10:26, U for 10:56 etc.
We are C and our train is due to depart at 11:42.
A is departing at 11:38 and they run every 20/30 minutes!
At least the loading system is better now making you wait in the terminal area rather than the loading area where there is nothing to do other than sit on the bus or go to the loo!
By the time our train departs we are about 25 minutes down, which considering the amount of traffic is not too bad.
I now know why we leave at 05:30 on most continental holidays. I am not doing this again.
Our overnight hotel is in Koln tonight and I drive there via Brussels, Liege and Aachen.
I would normally stop immediately before the Brussels ring road but as I approach the service area I can see the traffic running smoothly onto the ring road. Good enough for me! I don’t stop but continue around the ring road taking advantage of the light traffic and stop half an hour the
other side. A bit late for lunch but a chance for the passengers to have a decent stop and to stretch their legs.
It is less than two hours to Koln from here and we arrive at the very comfortable Novotel Koln Centre at 18:45.
As I have said before in previous blogs this hotel makes an excellent overnight stop with good rooms, decent dinner, superb breakfast spread and parking right outside for the coach. The old town and Cathedral are all within walking distance although we maybe a little late tonight for too much walking.
Dinner is at 20:00.
I have showered and dressed by 19:30 and am about to go out the door when my room telephone rings.
“Hello are you the group leader?”
“Yes”
“We have a problem”
“Oh!”
“This is the restaurant here and nobody has told us you are having dinner tonight and all of the chefs have gone home!”
“This cannot be right we only booked the hotel a year ago! I will be down immediately.”
And I was!
I showed the waiter the menu we should be having and explained that the menu choice was sent to the hotel last week and wondered how on earth they could not know we were eating dinner.
I am not impressed.
I am promised dinner will now be cooked and I insist on it being of the same standard as we usually enjoy here and I want something at 20:00 (25 minutes away).
“We will do our best but it may be 5 minutes (he means 15) later than eight o’clock.
I am not happy but it is pointless having a go at the waiter as it won’t cook our dinner any quicker.
We are all seated at eight and eagerly awaiting dinner.
A drinks order is being taken at each table with one drink each free which is not a bad delaying tactic!
In the end we enjoy a very similar meal to the one ordered and seeing as I am the only one who knows what was ordered nobody is any wiser.
Anne Evans got a shock on entering her room to find a couple already in there! Not the hotel’s best night but I have enjoyed many pleasant stays here so I think we can forgive them this once.
Some of the group did manage to walk into town and reported that it was extremely busy with a lovely atmosphere. I am pretty sure there was some kind of celebration going on and that there were a few cooks enjoying themselves!!
We also have a tour going to the Scottish Highlands which Robert is going to do in his own coach.
Before I left home this morning I filled up the two thermos flasks, that are on the coach, with hot water as a back-up to the hot water system. With a full coach it is difficult to serve everyone without the hot water staying hot for 47 drinks. The flasks will help.
I only have two pick-up points – Petersfield and Liphook – so am soon on my way. Another chance to drive through the Hindhead Tunnel! As if I won’t be seeing any other tunnels this week!
We are not leaving Petersfield until 07;00 which has given me a bit of a lie in this morning as we normally leave at 05:30. Being a Saturday the traffic shouldn’t be too bad and I am hoping to catch an earlier shuttle than our booked one at 11:42.
I have tried to change the time to an hour earlier but to no avail. So I will chance arriving early and changing the time at Folkestone, which is never normally too much of a problem.
Nicola has kindly offered to serve drinks and she sensibly waits until after we have stopped at Clackett Lane to come round. It would be tight serving everyone before.
We have a slight problem though, the drinks machine is not heating up the water so the only drinks we can do are those served from the flasks. The problem with this is that the flasks would be okay serving 20 people but they do not stretch to 47! Bum!
I arrive at Folkestone by 09:30 and it is busy. I don’t think I will have much chance of a change.
I don’t! There are no spaces anywhere until 15:00 and the current trains are running 30 minutes late! Bum!
I drive to the terminal and am confronted by a completely full coach park! I have never seen this before. The only trouble is that there is only one other coach there, the rest of the space is taken up by caravans, bloody hundreds of them! And not one lady walking about selling lucky heather!
This could be a long wait.
I give the group an hour in the terminal which you need as the queues are longer than usual. I joined a long queue for a sandwich and a coffee and was pleasantly surprised at how quick it went down.
You are given a letter that represents your train time, T is for 10:26, U for 10:56 etc.
We are C and our train is due to depart at 11:42.
A is departing at 11:38 and they run every 20/30 minutes!
At least the loading system is better now making you wait in the terminal area rather than the loading area where there is nothing to do other than sit on the bus or go to the loo!
By the time our train departs we are about 25 minutes down, which considering the amount of traffic is not too bad.
I now know why we leave at 05:30 on most continental holidays. I am not doing this again.
Our overnight hotel is in Koln tonight and I drive there via Brussels, Liege and Aachen.
I would normally stop immediately before the Brussels ring road but as I approach the service area I can see the traffic running smoothly onto the ring road. Good enough for me! I don’t stop but continue around the ring road taking advantage of the light traffic and stop half an hour the
other side. A bit late for lunch but a chance for the passengers to have a decent stop and to stretch their legs.
It is less than two hours to Koln from here and we arrive at the very comfortable Novotel Koln Centre at 18:45.
As I have said before in previous blogs this hotel makes an excellent overnight stop with good rooms, decent dinner, superb breakfast spread and parking right outside for the coach. The old town and Cathedral are all within walking distance although we maybe a little late tonight for too much walking.
Dinner is at 20:00.
I have showered and dressed by 19:30 and am about to go out the door when my room telephone rings.
“Hello are you the group leader?”
“Yes”
“We have a problem”
“Oh!”
“This is the restaurant here and nobody has told us you are having dinner tonight and all of the chefs have gone home!”
“This cannot be right we only booked the hotel a year ago! I will be down immediately.”
And I was!
I showed the waiter the menu we should be having and explained that the menu choice was sent to the hotel last week and wondered how on earth they could not know we were eating dinner.
I am not impressed.
I am promised dinner will now be cooked and I insist on it being of the same standard as we usually enjoy here and I want something at 20:00 (25 minutes away).
“We will do our best but it may be 5 minutes (he means 15) later than eight o’clock.
I am not happy but it is pointless having a go at the waiter as it won’t cook our dinner any quicker.
We are all seated at eight and eagerly awaiting dinner.
A drinks order is being taken at each table with one drink each free which is not a bad delaying tactic!
In the end we enjoy a very similar meal to the one ordered and seeing as I am the only one who knows what was ordered nobody is any wiser.
Anne Evans got a shock on entering her room to find a couple already in there! Not the hotel’s best night but I have enjoyed many pleasant stays here so I think we can forgive them this once.
Some of the group did manage to walk into town and reported that it was extremely busy with a lovely atmosphere. I am pretty sure there was some kind of celebration going on and that there were a few cooks enjoying themselves!!
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