Hotel Pinzgauerhof Zell am See

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 ...

... had little attachment with Hitler (he only visited it maybe 10 times).
We went on a sunny day but at the top it was cloudy. It was like we were in a cloud, everything was white all around us. We could only see a few meters ahead of us at some points. Too bad because there are usually unbelievable views at the peak of this mountain. The Eagle's Nest is now a restaurant but there is an interesting trail you can hike. Its a ...

... Eagle’s Nest. It is a precision timing of buses in that the road is only one lane, except for 2 pullover stops. After that, we boarded the brass elevator to go up to the building. Our guide gave another little speech and then we had 40 free minutes before we had to meet back down at the bus. The view was simply incredible. Puffed up the hill a ways for some good photo opportunities. (Only float pens at ...

... 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.

... but it's steep and challenging in parts and has added challenges from the wandering cows. Further down it lapses into fire road then tarmac, and winds along the valley's Radwanderweg back to the lift station.

I did this three times then broke for lunch at a restaurant near the lift station where I had a rather salty burger. It was a poor choice as it was a bit too heavy for a ...

Another lovely farm-fresh breakfast. We had bought 2-day lift passes for Skiwelt so spent a second consecutive day there. Katie used the lifts and went walking along the top from above Scheffau toward Ellmau then down the funicular railway there.

Keith and I took the lift up from Scheffau. A lovely, blue, sunny day. The nature of the riding took a significant step up today. We practiced ...

... for days after all! Our tour guide freaked us out slightly by telling us he had something special to tell us, then not telling us what it was. Had we won a prize? Had our holiday been cancelled? Would we have no accommodation? We had to wait till halfway to Kitzbuehel to find out. It was that there was a triathlon going on right around our hotel so we might not be able to get to the Welcome meeting the next morning as the road was going to be closed ...

... of my ancestors still exists, albeit with a different name. Formerly Mettersdorf, the village is now Dumitra and populated only with Romanians. Herr Breckner, a family friend who lived next to my Uncle Johann in Mettersdorf, has been helping me prepare for my journey. I am to go to Yardt to meet an old man named Meinhardt. I am to ask Meinhardt for lodging for the night. Meinhardt is a Romanian gypsy who can speak German and will be able to ...

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.

... can share some of its beauty with you. The weather was starting to break, and we decided to head up to Kitzbuheler Horn. To get to the top of the mountain, we had to take two separate cable cars. The first car was a gondola-type car that took us to what they call the 'middle station’. There we had to change cars to reach the top. We had about 45 minutes to wait for the next car, so we had some time to view the valley from this point…and oh ...