Kristall Hotel 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 ...

... s Nest a couple of times because he was afraid of heights.
Our last day in Berchtesgaden was beautiful so we went to the nearby lake Konigssee. It is a little too touristy for us but good to see. We hiked up part of the mountain and looked back down on the lake. They have lots of boat rides on the lake but all our electric boats so it was very quite and peaceful.
Overall we really enjoyed being in the mountains and ...

We got an early start because I thought there would be more shopping opportunities in Berchtesgaden than there ended up being. Jill led us on back roads again through nice little towns but between them and trucks, it seemed a little slow. Apparently there is major road work on the Autobahn, however, so at least we were constantly moving. The mountains got closer and the scenery was just beautiful. The river ...

... 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.

... 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 ...

... 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!

... my grandfather's house has been torn down for 2 years. Built on the land is a newer, modern house. Or at least, what will be a newer, modern house. The house there is in the process of being built. The land belongs to Jakob Ilovan and his wife. To my surprise, these two are living in the house while it is being built. Meinhardt introduced us to the wife, who graciously invited us in to have a look, after he told her why we were there. The husband ...

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.

... give a concert in the old part of town, so we decided to take a walk over to listen. What a treat! The band came marching into the square to the applause of the town folk. These people here really enjoy themselves. It is a pleasure just to watch them. We sat by one of the many cafes in town (they are called konditorei) that features nothing but desserts, so we had some (had to…you know, when in Rome…). The people here do know how to live. The ...