Residenzhotel Hochland Seefeld

... it. It was pretty scary to think that they do the jumping in summer when they wet the slope and land on fake grass. In winter, there is at least 30 cm of hardened snow. It actually looked scarier from the bottom than the top. The stadium is also used for concerts in summer and the pope has also held a mass there.

By time we headed home, the rain had started and had set in for the night.

... political advantage. He was really horrible to this wife, with her often being deprived of food. Maximilian spent furtively both through defending his Tyrolean empire and also on artwork advertising his great achievements (he was all for the printing of books to reach the masses, but these usually contained pictures for those who couldn’t read). It was amazing seeing original portraits, writing and medallions from the 1500’s. It was ...

... a large room and then walked into the old town to have dinner at a restaurant that had Austrian food. The prices seem quite reasonable after Switzerland, but that might be because they are in Euros. I had a goulash which was quite nice but salty. Again German is the language used but most people speak English so we haven't had any problems. It was very cold as we walked home and Tara kept saying, I hope it snows tomorrow (it certainly felt cold enough).

... probably look even better in the daylight.

We went back to our very nice hotel. Normally we would not pick a place like this but when my parents took a room the guy at reception offered us a very good deal so we could stay in the same hotel. We told him we would think about it and went down the street to another hotel, and it was 20 euros cheaper but at least 40 euros dodgier. So we went back and I got my mom to ask if he would take another 10 euros of the price (I am ...

A museum mom and I had been anxious to visit while in Austria, Swarovski Crystal Worlds was our next stop on route. Visitors enter the "museum" under a curtain of water spewing forth from a giant's head. Once inside, there are a series of rooms with low lighting and unique displays, all involving crystals of course. The first room has a beautiful (fake) horse dressed in crystal studded tack ...

This was a lovely little place we stopped at on the bus tour to the castles. Unfortunately, being Sunday, most everything was shut (except for the souvenir shops that is). They have a woodcarving school there that I plan to stop at for a weeklong course on the next trip. But of course it was shut that ...

... drooling as the clothes were just so gorgeous. We were told by a couple of people (and lonely planet) not to miss the tour of the castle, so we paid 20 euro to go up the funicular and the view was great... but we got inside the castle and saw that the line to go into the rooms was over an hour... by this stage Wayne is over lining up so we both decide that we have just wasted our money and headed back down to the old town. Gem dropped Wayne off at an internet café and went exploring ...

... squat". They'd been living there for a while. But, this time, when Claude arrived, police cars were parked outside the squat and monitoring everyone who came and went. The police lied in wait and when the squatters were in town to buy groceries, the police seized them (the anarchists, not the groceries). The squat's life would later expire when the police carried Claude and his friends, who resisted expulsion by sitting in their adopted building, outside. Claude said he ...

Another work conference for my parents brought us to Oberammergau for a week. We stayed in the cutest little wooden cottage - like the whole thing ceiling to floor and including flowering window boxes was made out of wood! Totally picturesque like you've read about in Brothers Grimm fairy tales. Aromatic town bakery. Absolutely enchanting.

Sadly, I dont remember much about Austria. Too bad because I have read so much about it lately as the music and art centre of Europe in the 1700s, I'd love to check that out.
I asked my dad recently if we had been there before. He said, 'oh yes, many times, we loved it'. Hmm, what a pity. I suppose it still counts because the images of scenery must be in my mind somewhere... curse this short memory of mine!