Austria

Home of the classical composer Mozart, Movie star and politician Arnold Schwarzenegger, and apple strudel, Austria hassomething for everyone. I have been to Austria many times during the last 18 years and have got to know the country very well indeed. During the summer months I normally escort holiday makers to the Kitzbuhel Alps area, Kitzbuhelis the main town with the villages of Oberndorf and St Johann close by.Salzburg is the birthplace of Mozart, and you can visit his house, as it’s now a museum. The Getreidegasse is Salzburgs busiest alley and has become a point where everybody heads for. Salzburg was catapulted ever further into the limelight after the filming of the hit musical “The Sound of Music”, and it continues to this day the interest, that the film has created.

Austria is very different in the winter months, when skiers flock to the pistes; Kitzbuhel takes on the name, “Kitz”, and is “The Place” to be seen, on and off the slopes.

As you can see from my pictures, winter or summer, Austria has something at any time of the year.

SALZBURG PICTURES

AUSTRIAN WINTER PHOTO'S

KITZBUHEL

When I stay with tour groups in the Kitzbuheler Alps, a visit to Kitzbuhel is a must. This holiday resort has managed tomaintain a village feel, with its cobbled streets and pedestrianised centre. 
There are 2 churches that stand next to each other, they are the Pfarrkirche (Abbey Church), built in the 15c, and theLiebfruenkirche (Blessed Virgin Mary Church), which has a massive Square Tower, Horse drawn carriages take people on rides around the centre and in the summer the balconies are in bloom with lots of flowers. 
Whether you visit in the summer or winter, there are 2 cable cars to choose from, one close to the centre of town and next to the railway station, that takes you up the Hahnemkamm, famous for its men’s downhill skiing race, and the other Cable Car, is at the beginning of the town, this journeys up the Kitzbuheler Horn, the highest of the range and takes around 35 minutes and has 2 sections. Wherever you are in the area, the Kitzbuhler Horn stands out, as it has the TV mast on its summit.

 

SALZKAMMERGUT

This is Austria’s “Lake District”, and I’ve spent many happy times here with tour groups over the years. The villages that surround, Lake Wolfgang are small and I’ve got to know many of the people that live locally and in St Wolfgang and St Gilgen, I’m one of the locals!

 

ST GILGEN

A beautiful village, Mozart’s Mother lived here and her house is now a museum that can be visited. In the centre of the village is the town hall and in front of it is a statue of a little boy playing a violin, it looks like Mozart, but has never been named as him. The Café Dallmann, also in the centre, is a lovely place to get a coffee and cake, or maybe an Apfelstrudel, with acup of tea so large, you just have to take your time to enjoy it, Wonderful!

 

ST WOLFGANG

St Wolfgang is famous for the White Horse Inn Hotel and also for the Operetta that was written here. On one day each week,music from the operetta is performed at the hotel. I have been lucky to be able to stay with tour groups at the White Horse Inn, where the welcome from the staff and the standard of service is second to none. The swimming pool at the hotel, although indoor, also protrudes into the lake where you feel like your swimming in the lake, but are in fact, in theheated pool of the hotel. I’ve been fortunate to be able to return to St Wolfgang on many occasions, both during the summer and winter; I was even here to see a total eclipse of the sun. The church is famous for its Altarpiece, made entirely from wood it was carved by Michael Pacher in 1481.

GROSSGLOCKNER

One of the tours that everyone looks forward to is the drive up the Grossglockner. We set off from the hotel and travel viaZell am See to the base of the Mountain, it’s a toll road and once the toll has been paid we enter the Hohe Tauern National Park and start our journey. 
The Grossglockner- Hochalpenstrasse or High Alpine Road has different sections, each with its own fantastic views. During our journey we stop at different points so that I can show the guests the best points, they get to see the Piffcar Ravine, and at each hairpin turn from this point onwards the views get better and better. We skirt the “Witches’ Kitchen”before climbing to the “Edelweisspitze”, from here it goes onto the mountain pass. The highest point of the road we drive on is 8.141ft (2.505m) called the “Hochtor”, we then go downhill and take the “Glacier Road”.
At “Francis Josephs-Hohe”, the Glacier road ends. The Grossglocker Mountain is seen from the viewpoints of the“Freiwandeck Platform” the Grossglockner is Austria’s highest point 12.340ft (3.797m), from the Freiwandeck Platform its possible to travel down to the Glacier by funicular railway, the “Gletscherbahn”. Some members of the group do go down to the Glacier, but not many, most have a look at the gift shops and drink a coffee and also enjoy the“Marmots” scurrying about.


LAKE TOUR

On one day I take the group on a tour of the Salzkammergut, we visit, Mondsee, famous for the wedding scene in the Hollywood film, “The Sound of Music”, it’s also famous for its cheese and we continue our tour, taking in St Gilgen, Strobland St Wolfgang, we then visit Bad Ischl, the main town in the area, which is also a Spa town, here we have some free time to explore the shops in the town centre, or to view the Kaiservilla. 
We then drive onto Traunsee and the village of Traunkirchen. The parish church, which was rebuilt in 1632 and contains afantastic pulpit, which is well worth seeing, our final stop is in Gmunden, famous for its ceramics, it’s most famous design is a green spiral on white, there are many people who have taken a cup, jug or tea set back home with them.


HALLSTATT

Hallstatt in the Dachstein Mountain Range is in a fantastic setting and literally clings to the rocks at the waters edge ofLake Hallstatt. 
Whilst here the groups get the chance to visit the nearby salt mines or walk up to the Chapel of St Michaels to admire its16c Altarpiece, from the churchyard there are fantastic views of the village and the lake from its vantage point. 
It’s a quaint village with the boat houses surrounding the lake, for the more adventurous; well they can go diving with thelocal diving school into its crystal clear waters, for the winter months you can enjoy a coffee and apfelstrudel from thewarmth of a café. Cheers!


Innsbruck

Innsbruck is the Capitol of the Tyrol, translated into English it means, “The bridge over the Inn”. The famous Golden Roof (Goldenes Dachl) is where every visitor heads to and of course photographs. Its in the old part of the town, with cobbled streets and small shops and restaurants, plus of course the enevitable McDonalds, completed in 1500, it leans again the former Ducal Palace. You can visit the museum inside and take the stairs to the balcony that overlooks the Old Town Square.
Other places you can visit are the Belfry, if you take the steps to the platform on top, you are greeted with wonderful viewsof the city, the Hofburg Palace, built in 1770 and the Hofkirche, this 16c church houses the tomb of Emperor Maximilian 1.
Just outside the city is the Bergisel, and it’s Famous Ski Jump, since my first visit in 1991, the Olympic Ski jump has been completely replaced, but this was where the jumps were made by the Olympic Teams in both 1964 and 1976.Remember our top ski jumper, Eddie “The Eagle” Edwards!
High above the city is the Alpen Zoo, to get to it, you take the venicular railway that is set right next to the River Inn.
Whether you visit in the Winter or Summer, but more so during the hot summers I’ve spent many a few minutes, cooling off under the weeping willow trees in the Hofgarten.




It really is “A PEOPLE THING”