Some Beer, Some Skiing and the Town on a Mountain

Wednesday, December 10 to Friday, December 12, 2008
Travel from Salzburg to Gerlos and around Gerlos, Austria

Well, Wednesday I got up and was attempting to run on a perfect schedule. Isabell had given me perfect directions as to how to get to Gerlos including all the train and bus connections, so I just needed to make sure I was at the right place at the right time. My first train left at 1031 from Salzburg to a place called Jenbach. 1031 is actually a pretty decent time to leave so I was not even concerned about getting up. I even had time for breakfast in the morning…..which was included in my room cost so I made sure I took that up both mornings.

Anyway, made it to the train station in plenty of time to make my train and then I just had to make sure I got off the train at the right place. Zurich was the train's final destination but I needed to be off a while before that. I found myself a nice giant empty table in first class and pulled out my computer. I decided that I would avoid sleeping because there was a chance I would then miss my stop. Of course the train was originally going to be 15 minutes late (which made me a little worried) but it was actually only 7 minutes late so it was ok.

So I got off a Jenbach and had about 12 minutes to catch my next train connection. Isi told me to take the 1222 Zillertalbahn to Zell am Ziller. I know, that meant nothing to me either so I was hoping someone could help me. A nice lady directed me to the correct track and then I confirmed once again when I got there that this was in fact the correct train to get me to Zell am Ziller. Now let me tell you the Zillertalbahn is not the first class, fast trains I have been taking throughout Europe. This was more of an creaky, slow, rickety old thing…..but it got us there and that is all that counts and I got to see more of Austria fly by (well ok........ move by very slowly).

A little bit more of Austria. No sunshine today...but that's ok.

From Zell am Ziller I then had to take a bus up the mountain to Gerlos. Now I told the bus driver where I was going (the bus stop at Milchbar) but he misunderstood, (it happens) and I was trying to watch for it but somehow missed it (it is literally on the main road so not sure how that happened) so I went flying by it until we got to the last stop and the bus driver told me I had to get off. So at this point I was a little worried but I found a nice guy who spoke English who told me how to get back to Milchbar. It was a quick 5 minute walk so even with my pack and the snow it was no problem. Isi, in the meantime was busy at the restaurant but did see the bus go by and me not get off so she kind of thought I missed the bus but no I had just gotten slightly lost….but only a little lost which is actually really good for me. And the fact the Gerlos I only really one road certainly helps.

Looking down Gerlos' main street.....well really Gerlos' only street. Really does make it easy to get around.

Anyway, Isi and I found each other and we made our way to her place. She quickly went back to work and I took a nap. I was told I was getting to town just in time for Mathias’ (Isi’s boyfriend) birthday celebration and since Isi owns a bar (as well as a restaurant and a pension with her sister and mother) we would be celebrating there. First though I had to be introduced to some more Austrian beer (there may have been a little too much of it) some Austrian game (and I mean like deer or reindeer or a deer of some sort…it was good), Austrian Schnapps (it was also good but I did not have as much as Debi apparently did last time she was in Gerlos….oh yes I heard stories) and some of Mathias’ Austrian friends (yeah, for Austrian friends). The boys taught me how to order beer in German and attempted to teach me the longest German word I had ever seen (it basically meant something along the line of a pork chop but not what most of us would know as a pork chop....or something like that). Trust me after a few beers I thought I could say it but I odds are I could not. I am still practicing and I am sure by the time I get home I will have it.

Anyway, after dinner it was off to Cheers (yes, that is the name of Isi’s bar) for more beer and some more schnapps and eventually some jaggermeister (I blame Phil for that) and some water…yes there was some water. Eventually there was some dancing (I think) Mathias made a pretend phone call to Debi (he does not remember that), Mathias fell asleep in the bar (he remembers that) and eventually we all went home.

This is Mathias. I must have taken this picture early because he is still awake.

The next day (Thursday the 11th if you are keeping track) the plan was to head out skiing…however by the time I rolled out of bed I figured I would wait a day. Ok I was not feeling that great and I had not skied in 10 or 11 years so I decided some walking would be much better.

Some of the sights I found around Gerlos. So pretty.

So I headed out to explore Gerlos and around. Isi told me where I could find some nice trails so I headed that way. I ended up walking for a while until I decided I needed to sit in a snow bank to take a picture….and that made me cold.

Yes, I am playing in the snow. This is the most snow I have seen in a couple winters so even though it was cold I had a little fun too.

So I headed back towards Milchbar, but not before I laid down in a snow trench to take a picture…..and that made me cold, so I walked a bit more and then headed to Milchbar. Isi then fed me, and gave me hot chocolate (well actually Mathias got that for me) and then I was warm.

Hiking around Gerlos.

It was so nice.

I think I spent the rest of the day napping and then I eventually went to Cheers for a beer and then Isi took me home and fed me more food (she was trying to fatten me up I think). But it was all so good. And then I went to sleep. I love vacations. What a perfect day.

And Friday rolled around and I decided I was hitting the slopes. Now as I mentioned before I had not skied in about 10 years, although I figured it would be ok. First though I had to try to fit my not so little body into Isi’s very little snow gear. I did it though and it kept me nice and warm. Isi then fed me lunch. Friday was the first real day for the season in Gerlos so there were a lot more people in town and the restaurant was officially open to the public. Once I ate lunch it was down to rent some ski equipment. I have to say it felt a lot better than I thought it would. Then up the hill. You have to take the gondola up to the actual hill and maybe I have just been gone from ski hills for so long but you need to swipe an electronic card to gain access to any of the lifts. I guess this keeps people from hiking up the hill and skiing for free. You could totally do it. It is not that far up.

Some more prettiness around Gerlos.

Anyways, once on the hill I was getting a little nervous. There were a lot of people around and I did not know the hill so was not sure which way to head. I had to learn which were the safe runs for me to be on. Over here blue means easy, red means medium and black means hard. I was certainly going to be avoiding the black runs….especially early on. A couple of easy blue runs and then it was off to visit some red runs and some new lifts and eventually a black run and the discovery of a few more lifts. So in all I skied for almost 4 hours. I was about to do one final run just before the lifts closed for the day, but my legs were just starting to burn so thought better of it. So instead I skied down to return my skis and then headed to Milchbar to see Isi…..and of course she fed me food and beer.

And then it was back to Isi’s place for a nap and a shower and to say good-bye to Mathias (he had to head back to Vienna) and then back to Milchbar for dessert and more beer and stuff like that (are you seeing the pattern yet?) and then a conversation with a really drunk old guy (he tried to set himself up with me and then tried to set me up with his slightly younger friend and the guy sitting with them who was closet to my age who just looked completely embarrassed the whole time). I then as introduced to a couple German guys and some how I ended up at Cin-Cin with them (which is a Dutch bar) and a very interesting place I must say. There I met this Scottish guy who was raised in Holland who could not believe that I would leave Amsterdam off my list of places to visit. He just did not understand the time restraint I am working with here and by then I really wanted to ditch the German guys….and the Scottish-Dutch guy and just go to bed. So back to Milchbar to say goodnight to Isi, we quickly checked the train and bus schedules so my travel day would be planned and then I went to bed. I love vacations!!!!

And that was my visit to Gerlos. It was a great couple of days, I had a great time skiing, I met some great Austrians and I cannot thank Isi enough for putting me up for a couple days. Hopefully I will have another chance to visit or better yet, Isi can make her way to Canada (or the US) and I can return the hospitality.

Julie

I like the view from here

Monday, December 8 and Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Travel from Vienna to Salzburg, Austria and around Salzburg

Some of beautiful Austria......love it!!!

Well it was time to put my eurail pass back into service…or more correctly into service for the first time. I had to pull out my Austria/Switzerland/France rail pass for this next part of my journey, get it validated and then hop on board a train. But I made a mistake…not a bad mistake….a good mistake. I sat in not just first class but Business first class. Technically I should have paid an extra 15 euros but they weren’t charging anyone so I just enjoyed the extra leg room and the laptop tables and the plug-ins to charge said laptop all the way to Salzburg. It was a very pleasant 4 hour trip (even with the 35 minute delay). I finally saw some snow. I know, only I would be excited about that but I really want to go skiing in a couple days so I want there to be some snow.

I saw this and all the sterotypes you think of when you think of Austria just came flooding back.

Anyway, I arrived in Salzburg with no plans (once again) so the delay did not bug me. I found a bus from the train station to what they call Old Town, which of course is where pretty much everything is so that is where I stayed. The hotel I stayed at was pretty fun. I picked it after reading the description. It is actually the oldest hotel (building) in the area. It is about 450 years old. But is has been renovated and upgraded on the inside so is now a very modern art hotel….however you can see the age of the building everywhere.

The backstairs at my hotel. They are original.

The ceilings are low, and the rooms are small. The shower floor is slanted and I cannot figure out if it is because the ceiling is so low (and gets lower) or to help with drainage. Either way, it is right in Old Town but has all the modern conveniences so it is perfect for me. The second day I was there I also happened to find a very interesting thing on the second floor which was these little white signs with black writing on them. Why is that interesting, well because written on each sign was a different mental disorder, like Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and Schizophrenia and agoraphobia and that kind of thing. It seemed out of place and I totally forgot to ask what that was about but the more I thought about it being an art hotel….the more sense it made. I am sure it was someone's art project.

Not just a clever warning. Anyone taller than 5'5" would have hit their head. Lucky for me, I am not that tall.

Anyway, the day of my arrival, once I settled into my new digs, I had to go out and wander around….what else, the Christmas Market. Seems like every town in Austria has one and they are neat and festive so I have to at least wander through. I should be trying some of the hot wine but I am not so sure about that. I am finding it slightly cold in Austria thus far but am adjusting….and trying not to complain as I am sure it is much colder back home.

Some of the Christmas decorations around town. This is Getreidegasse, which is one of the main streets in Old Town Salzburg.

For dinner both nights I found a very odd choice for Austria (or at least I think so). It was called Saran Essbar. The menu had all your Austrian favourites but also included some excellent curry (yeah I found curry in Salzburg). And beer…..of course I found some great Austrian beer.

No joke....this place is for real. I totally wanted to check it out but it was very busy. Apparently the Afro Cafe is a popular place in Salzburg.

Anyway, Tuesday I got up and went to see a couple of things. I decided I would hit up the Festung Hohensalzburg (Hohensalzburg Fortress) since it was up on a hill (and you know how I love to climb up hills and stairs and all that fun stuff).

Looking up at Festung Hohensalzburg. It was a very nice and short 15 minute walk to get up there.

Anyway, the Fortress is said to be the best preserved medieval castle in Europe and is made up of about 50 buildings. Construction probably began around 1077. The function of the Fortress changed many times from a defensive building, to a archbishops' residence and barracks. It held prisoners of war during World War I, it was used as a youth hostel from 1921 to 1933 and illegal members of the Nazi Party were imprisoned here in 1934. It really has had a colourful past and now is visited by millions of tourists each year.

Looking down from my trip up to the fortress. This game seemed very intense as I walked by it.

Some of the walkways in the fortress.

A tour of the Fortress includes a visit to a couple museums including one with all the old instruments of torture which were used until around the 1800’s. No accused person could be sentenced without a confession so things like thumbscrews and neck stretches and the rack were used to induce pain and/or fear of death….and hopefully a confession.

This display was set-up to show soldiers protecting the fortress.

It was in here where I also found the Round Arch Arcade. It was built during the rule of Archbishop Konrad I (1106-1147). It was part of the exterior façade of the building but had been covered during later additions. It was only found in 1998.

I also took a quick tour of the State rooms. Not as grand as some of the State Rooms I have seen but still very neat. The Golden Hall was installed in 1498 by Archbishop Leonhard von Keutschach. It would have been used for festivities and gatherings. The area also had a few of the living quarters that would have been used by Archbishop princes and important guests.

It may not look like it but this bathroom was the most modern you would have found in the fortress. That's why it was reserved for the most important people who stayed in the state rooms.

I then joined up with a tour of the Belfry. It was a self audio tour but they control the movement of people through it so I had to travel with a group……..which was actually ok. It was a small area of the Fortress but allowed you up to the highest point in the tower to take pictures. It was also the location where many of the instruments of torture were stored. On the way out of the Belfry you will pass the Salzburg Bull which was is a giant horn which makes noise or sounds or music (depending on who talked to). It was used to send messages to the village below. The noise comes from the sound it makes.

The great view.......love it!!!

Yes it was a little cold.....but a really great time.

This cable car has been at the fortress for hundreds of years.

It was and still is used to get supplies from the bottom of the hill, to the top. Much easier than having to carry it and it is not a very easy place to get to by car.

Once I left the Fortress I walked down the hill the Nonnberg Abbey and the Church at the Abbey. Why is this Abbey important? Come on people.....a convent…in Salzburg. No….nothing? This of course is the place where we first meet Maria….in the Sound of Music. Can’t you just hear Julie Andrews singing now? Well I can.

Just around this corner you will find the Abbey.

Inside Nonnberg Church.

Salzburg is also a very important musical spot because it is of course the birthplace of Mozart. I did visit the house where he was born on January 27, 1756. He was born Johannes Chrysostmus Wolfgang Theophilus Mozart on the 3rd floor of the 12th century house that now stands at Getreidegasse 9 (which is the street where you will find all the high end stores….and my hotel). The family lived here for 26 years.

I could not take any pictures inside but there are many items from his travels and his years of composing as well original photos of his family and that kind of thing. The museum has been designed by an artist so there is a concept to each room that connects to a different aspect of his life. It is a neat little place. A highlight...the piano that Mozart composed The Magic Flute on is here.

After that it was back to the hotel to…..warm up a bit and then out for dinner. I have a big day of travel tomorrow as I head up the mountains to Gerlos to find Isabell. Isabell is a friend that Debi met on her first trip to Africa. Her and her sister run a bar and restaurant and apartments in the resort town so I am heading up to relax and do some skiing. Isi has given me very good travel directions including all my train to train to bus connection points and times so hopefully I will have no problems….but it is me so I am bound to get lost at one point.

I found this rink while wandering. Not sure what the game was called but it appeared to be some variation of curling. No sweepers but the goal was to throw a slider piece down the ice and get it as close to the centre as possible. It looked like a lot of fun. I was far too cold to play a round though.

Julie