Hotel Petersbuhel Obertauern

... focusing lens :-( We took it to a shop later and they said it would cost more to fix it than to buy a new one. Oh well that camera has been through a lot and was due for retirement, and what better excuse to buy a new one!!

Anyway.... The finals were brilliant. We got the gondola to the top of the mountain and walked down the track watching the riders come down. First up ...

... room.... but it got the thumbs up as it was clean, tidy and modern. The view from the room was amazing, perfect view of the Planai mountain slope, so good we could have sat there and watched the biking from our room!! Dropped our bags and went for our first meal out since leaving home, chilli fahitas and chicken burgers went down a treat, god bless Papa Joes!!!!

... the top of the mountain are also a bit on the narrow side. A large section was also a bit scary because there was construction work being done that closed one lane so there was only one skinny shared lane remaining, and at times I wondered how a car any bigger than ours could squeeze along. We figured there must be another way to the top that our GPS failed to use because there were some large ...

... going on in the old town and I could hear it pretty well while I had my window open. It was loud enough that it was distracting me while I was reading. So I had to close the window. It was actually fairly cold outside, though, so it didn’t make it too warm inside.

For some reason the power went out in my room about 8 pm. So before I went to bed, I had to use my watch light to find my way to the bathroom at the end of the hall ...

... 8217;re always around people, who are strangers, whether it be in your room, at breakfast, or just hanging out in a common room. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if I was travelling with someone else, but being on my own it gets hard to tolerate.

So I ended up not leaving my room for the rest of the night. I read my book some more, actually took a nap, and then read a lot more (it was a really good book). I thought about going out to dinner, which is ...

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 ...

... two extremes. From afar, it appears to be pure, and has a certain tranquility, as it cascades over the top, and falls in unison to the pool below. But from up close, it's a raging tempest of chaos as it pummels the rocks below, its movement too complex to describe. From either perspective, it's still an incredible sight to witness. Back in town, the heat was oppressive and I had run out of water long ago, so I needed ...

... The outside of our dorm gives off the impression that it has been through World War II and the mass turmoil that plagued Czechoslovakia under its Communist regime from 1948-1989 (good thing I have my class notes handy). The inside is a big improvement and my room is great. There is a truly eclectic mix of people in my program from places like: Colombia, Portugal, Hungary, New Zealand, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Sweden, USA, Spain, Hong Kong, Korea, and Austria. The people are ...