until the train came to a sudden stop. Seems like a rail had broken ahead, and they had to go fix it. That was more than a little disconcerting. We changed trains, and hopped on the bus. The bus ride took one and a half hours, up windy mountain roads, connected by quaint little villages. I would have enjoyed it more if I wasn't so car-sick.
The hotel was really beautiful and had a perfect location. It was "half-board", a concept that was new to us. The price included a huge breakfast buffet, late lunch snack, and a five course dinner. Now Tom and I consider ourselves fairly wordly, and eat a lot of different foods, but I have a physical aversion to eating any animal that could be a pet. Our dinner consisted of variations of rabbit, veal, deer, lamb, duck, suckling pig, and even roasted calves head. We finally decided that it was best for me not to ask what I was eating. We had roast beef one night and we snarfed that right up. Even the "childrens' buffet" was very European. The girls had a choice of salmon, risotto, or baked potato one night. Not a chicken nugget, hot dog, pizza, or burger in sight. Luckily our girls like salad, otherwise they would have starved.
Tom booked the most interesting two story suite with views of the slopes:
Those funky fences are actually avalanche guards, a huge problem in the Alps. We rented skis on the premises and I upgraded to the premium skis just for the fun of it. Now this is like going first class and being expected to return to coach in the future. The skis cost 1000 euros new ($1300), and they were incredible. The first two days of skiing were great, once we figured out that blue slopes are like green in the states (although steeper), red were like blue, and black is black, no matter where you are. Even the blacks were groomed, so there was very little that we did not drag the girls down. Samantha loves to pretend that she is scared, but if you let her lead she will scare you with her speed. We found ourselves saying "go that way really fast, and when something gets in your way, turn." (name that movie, David!)
The views were incredible, and you could ski downhill up to 8 km at a time if you joined the trails or "pistes" correctly. I know you can't see our faces, but the dude in the red is not a ski instructor, but Tom.
And the little girls in pink are unmistakable...
There were gondolas going everywhere...
and the skiing was great until the wind picked up...
The logical thing to do when the wind picks up is go to the highest point, right?!
The visibility was squat, but at least the trail was only as wide as a road, with only the red sticks to guide you which side to stay on to avoid the avalanche zone and straight drop off on the other side. We decided to warm up and rest at the mountain hut. Hot chocolate is the best thing about skiing according to an expert...
No mountain hut is complete without a guard deer.
Here is our village, from about a third of the way up the slopes. Yes Samantha, we are skiing down. The best thing to do is not look down!
After the second day, Samantha and I decided that we were done for the day, but Nicole and Tom were up for something a little more exciting. The trails in Austria are poorly marked at best, and they found themselves not on a black diamond run, but in waist deep powder, minus one ski and one pole, in an avalanche zone. Tom practiced his "glissading" skills (fancy mountaineering term for sliding on your butt), and then skied the rest of the way with Nicole on his back. Luckily the skis were insured, and the guys at the pro shop were not interested in going back to look for it. They should show up in May 2011! Nicole learned a valuable lesson about not panicking, Tom proved that all those mountaineering courses were actually valuable, and I learned that ski rental insurance is not a rip-off.
The final day of skiing was pretty horrible, with most of the trails closed due to high winds making the lifts too dangerous (think Maine), so we went down 3 trails with a thousand of our closest friends (who knew so many people were there?) into choppy, nasty trails while they were trying to groom the trails mid-day. We bailed and hit the spa early.
The spa facilities were spectacular, and the prices for services were actually reasonable. We decided that this is because every hotel had a spa in the area. We didn't spend any extra money, because the basic facilities were fantastic. There was a childrens' spa in the snow, where our girls hung out most of the time...
They love swimming in heated outdoor pools. We quickly discovered the difference between a "textile spa" (filled with British men with speedos that are at least two sizes too small), and the regular spa, filled with men that I wish were wearing those speedos! There were saunas from 30, 50, and 100 degrees celsius, salt scrub showers, relaxation ergonomic chairs with headphones to drown out those around you, and the occasional spa-visitor that was appropriately unclothed. It was quite an experience.
Now it is back to reality. What do you mean I have to cook again?! At least I know what we are eating back at home.
What a fantastic trip! Huzzahs for Daddy Tom rescuing his girl and proving he is still a mountain man!! Sounds like you had a great time and are fully enjoying your vacation. January, school and work will come too soon.
ReplyDeleteLove and miss you all...
Nana