Take a hat

One of the major adjustments you need to make in adapting to life in Austria is at the Supermarket checkout. The checkout operator is a bit different to those in the U.K. For one they are not normally seated and also, between customers, they are moving stock or stacking shelves. They are a force to be reckoned with. In the UK, the checkout operator is sedentary and the customer sort of passes them by. The customer tends to be in control. How often do you get stuck behind someone painstakingly and neatly bagging their purchases. Only once finished, without any regard to the queue forming behind them will they dive into their over capacious handbags for 'the purse'. The purse with a frightening array of different store cards, credit cards and debit cards. Careful sorting and selection of the correct card is followed by laborious entry of the secret Pin Code, Oh, and yes, I do want cash-back aaagh! Now I know Mr Cameron will have a lot on his plate when he takes over, like re-i...

Fly in and take a look at Gastein from a different angle. They have overlayed the ski runs on Google Earth and it gives a whole new perspective. http://en.skigastein.com/service/googleearth.htm

Much prefer skiing with trees around. The above was taken on the longest run in Bad Hofgastein H1 . In fact its one of the longest runs in the Easter Alps at 8km. It was in superb condition on this trip. Bit of a leg-burner! This the Ache that runs through town, in warmer seasons its a pleasant bike ride south towards Bad Gastein . On this day it was lovely walk with a stop on the way back for a bio steak sandwich at the Restaurant Ortenstein - brilliant! Fulseck , the top of the mountain that overlooks Dorgastein , on a bright morning. From here you can either ski down to Dorfgastein or turn left down to Grossarl , a small village in the neighbouring valley. Best not to miss the last lift though its helluva distance by road.

They have put a new swinging bridge in at Bad Gastein . Its at the top of the Stubnerkogel mountain and links one lift station with another - sort of. I think its purpose is more touristical than practical although one end does link directly onto the restaurant terrace! I imagine they will ply summer tourist with schnapps prior to their gravity defying crossing. Anyway, once I'd been across TW didn't have much choice but to follow. Striding purposefully across without a care in the world - not! Look out for the trolls Jacqui! At the top of the mountain they also have a play area with computer game consoles wii etc, some free internet pc's . So its a good place to check on the latest football news as well as to keep the the wife quiet. The ski runs from here opened on the 19 th December. It was bitterly cold on the day, about minus 18 Celsius so not a day for fooling around on the bridge. That was more a hot soup kinda day.

Sportgastein is the highest ski area. Its about 40 minutes on the ski bus from home. It can be quite a harsh environment when the wind's up and the snow's falling. A gondola lifts you to about 2700m and there are some good runs, particularly late season when the prettier parts of the Gastein valley have lost snow cover. On this, day the gondola was swinging in the wind and a fierce icey blast was coming off the Tauern Mountains so did not stay too long. There's good cross-country skiing up here and its a popular area for walking biking in the summer with the obligatory huts for refreshment. Think I'll come back when its sunny.

 Christmas is coming Went to the Kursaal, the local hall, for an Advent concert on Saturday. It combined some oompah, some choral singing and a little harpsichord and zither music. We quite enjoyed it, mainly locals were there. We were among the last to leave and there was a chap waiting at the door who I ushered to go ahead. Nein, he said, we have a saying in Bad Hofgastein, the gaste sind Kaiser, ' the guests are king'! We chatted to him and he revealed that actually there was a second part, die gaste sind Kaiser, aber die Einheimischen sind Emperors. 'The guests are kings but the locals are emperors'. Not sure what that makes us, we are not really guests, and we'll never be locals, just lucky I suppose. It set me thinking that even though its a tourist spot, it still has a very active community and the infrastructure the locals can take advantage of is fantastic for a small village. Apart form the mountain based activities there is a superb ...

Dorfgastein 2009 TW - all wrapped up  Put skis to snow today, the 10th December 2009, for the first time this winter. Dorfgastein was the scene of the shaky first run. I always worry that, over the summer, I have regressed to beginner status. Its easy to fall back, literally, into the old habit of watching the ski's rather than just letting them run. Not all the runs are open today but the hordes have not arrived yet so quality makes up for quantity. No snow-boarders to dodge and definitely no queues to take a break in. Have never really considered pre-christmas skiing before. If you are short of holidays the snow conditions are a bit of a risk. The lift pass for a week's holiday is so expensive its important to get on the slopes every day. If you have a ski pass for the season and ample time it does make a lot of sense to come out early. Advantages:- Pistes are empty Plenty of elbow room in the huts at lunchtime. No queues for the lifts Everything seems very f...

Salzburg is really smart and knows how to dress up for Christmas. The old part of the city is well worth a wander at this time or indeed any time of year.. There are loads of pubs, coffee houses and restaurants, as you'd expect in Austria, along with museums and concert halls and, of course, Mozart. He gets star billing in Salzburg as their most famous son. Anyway, a restaurant we like is St Peters Stiftskeller. Its underneath a former monastery and has been serving wine since the 800's! It can be expensive but if you go right to the end of the menu you can find standards like goulash and pork steaks. We spent £40 for two. The upstairs now plays host to various stylish function rooms. See the pics. Follow your nose to the Christmas Market. The smell of Gluwein pervades the whole area. Can't say I particularly like it but, hey its Christmas, and I don't like mince pies either. Fortified against the cold by the evil brew it qualified us for a quic...

Summer in Bad Hofgastein Winter in Bad Hofgastein Walking The Gastein Valley is a wonderful area for walking. Over 200km of clearly marked paths take you all over the surrounding mountains. Nordic Walking is really popular. Visit mountain huts and sample local produce. Use the summer lifts to get further and higher. Skiing Beautiful skiing area, slopes for all standards. Comprehensive snow making which allows skiing into the valley until Easter. Many mountain restaurants. Altitude: 840 m - 2,686 m.) Marked Piste: 200 kms. with 45 Ski Lifts Cross-country Skiing Network of tracks in the valley, in the Angertal valley at 1180m and at Sportgastein 1600m.

Now, I’m not a heavy drinker but I am not averse to picking up a discount bottle of Merlot and a pack of Carlsberg when I visit our local Supermarket. Making my way to the checkout isn’t a problem but that’s where the problem starts. The Supermarket uses part time staff from the local schools on the checkout and of course they are mainly under-age. So as soon as they spot the offending bottles or cans they ring a dirty great bell. Alcohol, Alcohol this man has Alcohol! Cue yours truly to try and make myself small as the whole shop turns to see what’s going on. It’s not mine, I’m buying it for a friend! Then one of the other staff, presumably trained in the noble art of ageism walks over to verify that I am of age and to push a button on the till. As its over 40 years since I celebrated my eighteenth birthday this is not a difficult decision and, let’s face it, how many sixteen and seventeen year olds walk around in a fluorescent cycling jacket with their trousers tucked in their soc...

Ryanair gets a lot of bad press but has a lot of positives, particularly low prices and good punctuality. Unfortunately, low flight prices can mean awkward timings, a small baggage allowance and operators of car parks don’t share Mr O’Leary’s business strategy. On this trip, which cost £12 return, we had an early flight time of 06:30 so getting to Stansted by public transport was not an option. Parking in long term for a month was too expensive at around £200. Taxi to Stansted and back is around £170 so not good either. What about a Hotel? TW found a hotel with overnight stay for £115 and only 10 mins. from the terminal. Transfer was included, secure parking, wouldn’t have to give up the car keys. Get in there! - Whitehall Hotel here we come. Now, the trusty VW has SAT NAV so we did not bother with getting directions – big mistake! Unfortunately the German designers of the Satellite Navigation system forsook the normal Teutonic principles of over-detail and over-engineering and decided...

Twice every 5 years Austrian workers can take the Kur (Cure). Taking the Kur means spending 3 highly subsidised weeks in a spa resort where punters get various treatments, massage, swimming, radon baths etc. as well as time to go walking in the mountains. Sounds tough doesn't it, there must be a catch somewhere? Bad Hofgastein is one of the Kur resorts so, at this time of year, when there are not too many tourists we keep bumping into the 'Kurists'. There does not seem to be a great deal wrong with the ones we have met. There are special Kur Hotels that meet the Kurists needs which of course includes copius quantities of the amber nectar but doors are closed and lights out at 22:30.

Even though its very much the off-season there are still plenty of walking paths available on the sunny side of the valley. The Gastein Hohenweg is a level path from Bad Hofgastein to Bad Gastein. Its a walking path built in the 30's to generate work at the time of the Great Depression. It takes a couple of hours, that's of course if you manage to pass by all of the cafe/restaurants en route. There are about six to choose from, Annen Cafe, Jausenstation Grubhof, Sonnberg, Gamskar, Cafe Hubertus, Gamskar. This walkers lunch consisted of a fresh trout with potatoes and a salad. The more adventurous can take routes further up the mountain to the summits, Poserhohe and Gamskarkogel. That's a job for next summer. The Gamskarkogel is claimed to be the highest grass topped mountain in Europe at 2467m and, of course, it has a hut on top for overnight stays or a beer, (closes in September). If you are getting the impression that there are huts, alms and restaurants everywhere ready ...

On the sunny SW side of the valley and about 35 minutes walking uphill from home is the Annen Cafe. Its a lovely family run spot with fantastic views. It looks just how you'd expect an Austrian mountain cafe to look. Lots of distressed wood and carvings. Surprisingly, this part of the building wasn't even here 6 months ago, they have brought it in from the Tyrol. The family is justly proud of what they have put together, its idyllic and well w orth the walk. I earned my beer today as I have been painting windows ready for the winter. Going to buy paint locally is always a fun experience. Once the colour is chosen from a pallet they will always try an up sell, oh you will need to clean the wood so you need this solvent, and this cleaning material is essential etc. I did pretty well with my German initially, I knew what I wanted and what it was called but the intricacies of painting windows in Austria beat me. Oh and you need to stir the paint for two minutes so here is a free...

Like a coin the valley has two sides. One side of the valley faces North East and has all the skiing. The mountain restaurants on that side are now closed and the lifts are taking a rest until December. The other South West facing side is more for the walkers and has some excellent cafes dotted around, all with sun terraces. You are never too far from an apple strudel! The sun drops behind the mountain soon after 3pm if you are down in the valley. When it hides it's just like the fridge door has been opened. The light's on but theres a cool blast of air. Up the South West hill there's an extra hour of solar warmth. School time is definitely rush hour. They start at eight in the morning and the streets are swarming with older kids on bikes and the younger kids carrying multi-coloured back-packs. Don't see any parental school runs and less Chelsea tractors than you see at home which is bizarre when you consider the relative terrains. The kids seem quite happy jumping of...

Across the road from us is the Palace Hotel which is pretty convenient because we can use their indoor tennis courts and their swimming and sauna area. The Hotel might be considered to be a bit dated, I think if you were building a hotel today in the style of the 70's and 80's this hostelry would give some creative inspiration. Bring back those Formica Years! It seems popular all year, the car park is always full with Austrian and German plates. Probably the buffet dinner, with beer and wine included, is a success factor. Need to be quick off the mark before all the puds disappear though! They seem to have a formula that works and know their customers. For example, the sign telling people not to reserve sun loungers is only in German. The sign telling people not to wear swimming costumes in the sauna is only in English and Italian. Modesty must be language specific. One feature of the Austrian Sauna to be wary of is the Aufguss. This is where one of the victims, or the at...

Dorfgastein is the smallest and arguably the prettiest of the three towns in the valley. Its certainly the most rural. There's a distinct farmya rd smell about the place. Many of the visitors here are Dutch for some reason, there's a joke there somewhere. It has excellent ski runs and links to Grossarl in the neighbouring valley. The ski area doesn't link to Bad Hofgastein but there's a free bus down the Valley in Winter that takes about 15 minutes.. In summer its great for walking, the Gondola normally runs every half-hour. For bikers and there is a smooth and ea sy cycle ride, mainly off-road, from Bad Hofgastein to Dorfgastein and back. The pins are definitely stiffening up after all the walking we have been doing! Nothing like walking downhill to make the legs ache.

As we are now officially tight wads we are always on the look out for some free entertainment. This is one of the local bands putting on an Autumn concert in the Kursaal. There's a whole mix of ages in the band and they sound pretty good. The programme is mainly folksy with one or two Strauss standards. The difficult part to sit through is the long verbal preamble before each song given by one of the members. Also, before the concert started, we had a lengthy introduction of all the local worthies in the audience, people like the Burgemeister. So it's a big relief when the band finally strikes up. Its probably a clever ploy, nobody cares about a few duff notes after all the waffle.

Traditional lunch-time fare here is Tyroler Grostl. It consists of chopped up ham, meat and potatoes with herbs all topped off with a fried egg – lovely. Back in time, in the 15 th and 16 th century this was a big gold mining area. One of the local attractions is the Heilstollen which is a disused mine. I was told that it was dug in the early 40's when the 3rd Reich wanted some silver. The miners digging it felt as fit as fleas, they found good health but no precious metal. The high humidity and radon gas in the tunnels are alleged to be great for giving relief from respiratory complaints, arthritis and rheumatism. Apparently you go into the tunnels on a old mining railway. Its a really big operation and includes a medical centre. You have to have a medical before they will let you down there though. Some of the older people swear by Radon treatments, including our next but one neighbour who is in her eighties and still plays golf. I suppose when you get to her age its too lat...

A few of our ski lifts run in summer to get walkers and families to the top of the mountain without too much effort. Once at the top, over 2000m, walks radiate in all directions and have varying degrees of difficulty, marked blue, red and black. Some of todays punters were quite happy sauntering around or having snowball fights or sitting on the sunny terrace with a beer and a strudel. Anyway, we set off on a walk down to the middle station. Its a bit late in the season so some of the mountain huts (Alms) are closed so we could not plan a route with nice lunch spot. Many of the farms in the va lley take their cows up the hill to the summer pastures and a nice sideline is to open the Alm to serve beer and simple food like bread and cheese or ham. The weather has been bitterly cold the last few days so if the cows have any sense they have all scuttled down the mountain with their herders to a nice cosy barn! The Hofgasteiner Haus was open but we decided to save that for another day. The...

Marlow on Thames Making use of the latest Zizzi voucher for a farewell meal. Bad Hofgstein Oct 2009 Wherever I hang my hat - 0n the balcony. I think winters come early to the Alps, warming up midweek though.

Our little place is in Bad Hofgastein, but just to the south, a one euro bus ride away, is the older town of Bad Gastein. St Nicholas Church It is right at the head of the valley and, like the waterfall that runs through it, Bad Gastein cascades down the mountain. Today, as well as being an historic spa resort its also very popular with us skiers. In former times the old Hapsburg Emperors like Franz Josef used to take the waters here along with Kaiser Wilhelm and Bismark. Some of the town looks very faded and jaded but there are plans to re-develop the central area. The main Stubnerkogel ski lift which I use quite often has been renewed this year and the town is quite lively and very popular with young Scandinavians. I didn't like Bad Gastein much at first but its growing on me. There's quite a bit of history, this church of St Nicholas is 14th century, the murals on the wall have faded quite a bit since they were painted in 1517! Some of the streets were designed for ...