Ferienalm Aparthotel Schladming

... the women then the men to follow. Got to the bottom of the track just in time for the final few riders. Sam Hill won for Australia by 3 seconds with Fairclough of Great Britain in 5th. Great day. The riders partied through the night so we put our ear plugs in and got some sleep ready to move on to Salzburg the next day.

Here's some pics before the camera broke....

Early start had us at Verona station for 8.30am and we were soon on the train heading for Innsbruck, Austria. After Clare scoffing a chocolate custard doughnut in record time we boarded our connecting train in Innsbruck to Scladming, finally arriving at 6pm. Clare was sweating at the thought of a similar room to Verona, so it was an anxious walk up the stairs to ...

... etc. First time ever someone has cleaned our room, besides being in a hotel. Actually, I don't think that's normal in a B&B either.

That day we went to Hallstatt. A famously beautiful town on the water. We went to the Beinhaus - Bone House. It was a little building behind the main church. There is a small graveyard, and because of the size they have been digging up bodies since 1600. They let the body stay in the ground for about 20 years, then get the ...

... steep mountain behind it, which meant they didn’t have much room to bury their dead. So people were only buried for 12 years. Then their bones were dug up, cleaned, and placed in the bone chapel. So it was a room full of decorated skulls and stacks of bones. Supposedly, it’s the only place like it in the world. It was a little creepy.

I also decided to ride the funicular up to a viewpoint above town. This was a very ...

... in the same vein as the Twilight books). I actually had to transfer trains for the first time, and I was a little worried because there was only 12 minutes between connections. The train I took from Vienna went directly west towards Salzburg, but I had to get off in Attnang-Puchhein to catch a train south to Hallstatt.

When I got to Attnang-Puchhein it was a very small station. I went to check the departure board to see what track my connecting train ...

We arrived in Hallstatt in the Austrian Alps on Monday. Its so
beautiful! Reminded me a lot of NZ in one way but also very different
at the same time. Its one of the top UNESCO world sites. We got there
in time for a sunbake and swim but by god the water was FREEZING!!!!!
Took your breath away! You could tell we were in the ...

8/19 Austria, Salzburg. This morning we drove to town and parked in a parking lot next to a Chrysler minivan of all things, who was driven by a guy from Utah and his large family. He is civil service of some sort, and wanted to know all about our most excellent luge experience, as that is high on his family's list as well. We walked the old town, toured the Hohensalzburg Fortress, marveled at the primitive decadence those in medieval power seemed to enjoy ...

... family (his favorite activity when travelling in Europe). He told them he was (originally) from Tata... they said they were also from Tata; he said he was from Szomod (a subdivision of Tata)... they said they were also from Szomod! They asked his family name... they said they not only knew his family, but they bought his grandfather's house!!!! Now what are the odds of that?!

The Ice Cave ...

... deep into the mine through the tunnels, following the tracks of the rail carts. Before the age of elevators, the minors descended the mine via a long wooden slide. It's kind of like sliding down a giant banister. We lined up and each took our turn. As we walked deeper into the mine, the guide explained different mining techniques over the years. Then we came to the big slide -- it was quite amusing watching full-grown adults ...

... meant a bit more to me than all the other times I'd watched it! I wanted to see a classical concert (because that's what you do in Austria) but they were all just so, so expensive! Mozart was born here and boy do the tourist operators exploit that fact! Mozart is mentioned EVERYWHERE ... you can't get away from him!!! There are posters advertising concerts all over the city, there's the Mozart Square, the Mozart monument, Mozart's birthplace, the house where Mozart ...