Jun 26, 2011 - Driving and Kitzbuhel, Austria

After Switzerland, we drove to Austria. We enjoyed the grand scenery driving over mountain passes and through deep valleys. We also drove through the country of Lichtenstein, which is only about 60 kilometers long and is mostly a financial center, not a tourist destination. But we figured we should be able to say we had been there. On our way to Salzburg, we stopped in the little town of Kitzbuhel, a scenic tourist town that was worth a stroll and a few pictures.

Apr 5, 2010 - Das letzte Wochenende in helLA und Ostern zu Hause im Schnee

Ostern zu Hause war die beste Idee ever! Vor allem bin ich nun stolzer, neuer Zahn Besitzer im Mund - und schon sieht die Welt ein bisschen oer sogar wesentlich freundlicher aus. Hatte gegen Ende wegen dieser riesen Kübeldrinks mit Kiloweise Eis ziemlich geziept und verlangte Reperatur! Es war an der Zeit nach Hause zu kehren, schon auch deswegen weil ich keine Lust auf einen wildfremden, überteuerten Beverly Hills Dentist der in meinem kleinen Goscherl herum fuhrwerkt und weil es auch irgendwie jetzt genug war. Die ganze sache mit...

Sep 19, 2009 - Krimmler Waterfalls and Gala Dinner

Not such an early start today, the bus for the waterfalls did not leave until 10am. Just as well, as there is no air conditioning in the room at this hotel, and it was too hot to sleep, I think I finally nodded off at about 3am. On the plus side, that did give me a chance to pack up my bags, as there will be no chance to do it tonight after the Gala dinner, and I am heading up to Bavaria, Germany, tomorrow morning. The Krimmler Waterfalls were about another hour's drive away from Kitzbuhel, on the other side of Mittersill. They are...

Sep 18, 2009 - Kristallwelten

Today was all about crystal. As we have a group of about 100 now, we split into two smaller groups and took turns at visiting Crystal Worlds and doing a crystal workshop at Haus Marie Swarovski. I was in the group that went through Crystal Worlds first. Group photo in front of the giant, which will no doubt be in the next collector magazine, and then we went in. The place is very interesting, with one room that is like being inside a giant crystal, and quite a bit of modern art as well as Swarovski pieces. Of course, the exit is into the...

Sep 17, 2009 - To Kitzbuhel, Over the Hochalpenstrasse

A very early start this morning, with a 6am wakeup call, and everyone on the bus by 8. Today we went over the Hochalpenstrasse (high mountain road) to Kitzbuhel, which is a famous ski resort in the Tyrol, put on the map by Edward and Mrs Simpson back in the 1930s. The Hochalpenstrasse is an engineering marvel. It took six summers to build, from 1930-35, of course there is too much snow for much of the year to do any construction work, even now the road is usually closed from November to about March, and was closed by snow just two days...