Skiing around Salzberg

In a vaguely sporty moment we decided to get a bus from Salzberg to a nearby ski resort. This proved more difficult than first expected, but we ended up trying two resorts, by public transport and a private bus.

Attempt 1: Werfenweng

Train from Salzberg to Werfen. Very good. Bus from Wefen to Werfenweng. Not so good. The timetable online was obviously out of date so we missed the bus and ended up taking a rather expensive taxi instead. The tourist office was helpful and gave us a new timetable for the bus.

Once we arrived at Werfenweng however I fell in love with the place. Cute ski chalets, a quiet ski resort, and lovely big baby-slopes (photo below). I had never skiied before and was surprisingly not like Bambi, but managed to actually ski. In amateur fashion of course, but what matters is I was on my feet not my bottom. I absolutely loved the baby-slopes, but when it was time to move on to a steeper slope, I found this way too steep. Nothing in-between.

Salzburg in the Snow

We were lucky enough to experience Salzburg, a beautiful romantic city at the best of times, covered in snow. For us Brits, unused to snow, this added a certain excitement to the proceedings! Salzburg was all domes and spires, castles on hills, horse drawn carriages and little chocolate balls filled with yummy marzipan! It was also freakin cold.

Partly to warm up, we decided some vigorous exercise was in order, so we climbed the two hills each side of the town. We were rewarded with some lovely views and the feeling that we had stepped into Narnia

Vienna: one hot Austrian summer!

When I think of Vienna, the first thing that comes to mind is that it was so hot at night – the type of heat where you go in the shower, dry off, and then a few minutes later you’re wet with sweat again. Sorry – I think that’s the most disgusting way ever to introduce this beautiful European city 🙂 I wouldn’t advise going in July. If you do, get a hotel with air-conditioning. We did not have AC and even having a desk-fan with the windows open was not sufficient to keep the room cool.

The city was bustling and the streets had a lively, safe feel in the evenings. We visited an art gallery opening and enjoyed champagne and canapes, which made us feel like we were starring in Sex and the City. How cultured we are! I won’t mention that in reality we stumbled upon it and went in for the free food and drink 😉

We spent the next few days exploring the city, looking at the stunning Cathedral and wandering the shopping streets. Typically, when I went into the Cathedral a massive moth landed on me and made me jump and flap (the international large insect-repelling dance – the Jump and Flap). Not the best behaviour inside a place of worship, but I’m pleading Involuntary Reaction!