Clubhotel Sonnalp Saalbach

Stayed at a beautiful spot in Austria (Saalbach) with Hilly, Stu's old friend and new Father..actually felt sorry for him, the poor sod was knee deep in relatives, in laws, newly purchased crib and nappies, etc.....we stayed for afew days and it was neatly timed with the arrival home of new born Frankie. Hilly's place is 3 feet from a field of horses so Lauren was easily kept busy with feeding duties.

Stu tried ...

... the mountains and on his 50th birthday the Nazi gave him the Eagle's Nest as a present. It was a retreat for him and was built on the peak of one of the highest mountains. To get there we had to take a special bus up a one lane road straight up the side of the mountain. When we got to the top we walked through a tunnel that went straight into the side of the mountain for 124 meters (406 feet) then we came to a huge brass elevator ...

... Center and also the new, more accessible entrance to the bunkers (no steep flights of a hundred steps). There was a lot of reading and information that we did not have time to take in. We got to see portions of the bunkers and the long staircase from which the bunkers used to be entered. It was all fenced off; in fact the hotel above is now levelled. I was not as impressed with this portion as I had been 25 ...

... of courtyards and buildings, and eventually a steep tunnel leading down to the courtyard below.

At 12:00 the Heldenorgel or Heroes' Organ pipes up and swells the courtyard below with its tunes.

I didn't see much to recommend more than a day's visit but we were glad to have stopped off here.

We wandered along the river back to the van to head off to Munich.

... of challenge and reward, leading ultimately right back to the farmhouse and that long-desired beer. There was a smell of burning coming from my rear brakes!

We packed ready for departure. Keith and Manu joined us for dinner, serving up a lovely home-made quiche followed by goulash made from one of the farm's own cows, and a home-baked apple-strudel. All great stuff.

Now for the heavy stuff! After our customary farm-fresh, home-made breakfast, a 45-minute drive took us to Leogang. €25 bought a day's lift pass and I donned my arm and leg pads.

The beginner-freeride level trail is called Hangman II and runs from the midway lift station. It's a fairly wide trail with fine-gravel surfaces and big corners, with berms that weren't as high as I was ...

... views. We made it down to dinner just in time for the last servings, and celebrated by buying some local red wine recommended by the tour guides en route. Staff seemed very friendly too!

It was a bit dark to go out exploring so we took in the atmosphere from the balcony, drank our wine which they let us take upstairs and considered our plans for the next few days, the peace of the mountains slightly spoiled by the disco music from the triathlon!

... of Oradea towards Cluj-Napoca. Presently, we were between the cities of Cluj-Napoca and Dej when we hit the pothole and stopped at a restaurant. The van was fine, but the driver, who had also checked the motor all day, inspected at length. (The fact that he checked and rechecked the motor all day was more worrying to me than any sound I heard the motor make.) After he made his inspections, he decided it was time to eat. He shouted at me, "Essen ...

August 26-Monday
We left Kitzbuhel at 8:30. There was a brief stop in Berchtesgarden, in Germany, at 10:00. Up on the side of the mountain, we could see Hitler's Eagle’s Nest. It was rather chilling to see that part of history. The bunker is now a restaurant. Our rest stop overlooked a valley filled with wonderful homes. What a view! Back on the bus and on to Salzburg. Time 10:35.

... played a lot of old Austrian folk songs, some Strauss waltzes, some light classical music and, to top it off, the Stars and Stripes Forever. I had chills running down my spine. Another perfect end to another perfect day.

August 28-Wednesday KitzbuhelWe woke up to rain again this morning and took a walk around town to do a little shopping (we discovered that rain in the morning is fairly common and doesn’t stop the locals from going about ...