Where has the month gone! I can't believe that there is only one day left in July. Well aren't I the boring one, since coming back from holiday life has been very quiet and boring. I am looking forward to the weekend though I will of course be going to the Topaz Crafts open day on Saturday, I love the demonstrations. Then in just over a week I have three days off so hopefully time to craft which is something I haven't really done for a while.

I have also joined the Graphicus Guild, I love Glenda Waterworth's stamps and CD's, so am looking forward to my starter pack coming and a monthly newsletter. I will let you know if it is any good, but I am sure it will be.

It's funny isn't it that after you have been home for just a few days your holiday seems ages ago. At least now I have my blog to look back on and a lot of camcorder footage to remind us of our wonderful holiday. Really though 2 weeks isn't enough!

I was a bit worried that the new cases we had to buy on holiday wouldn't fit everything in but we managed and they arrived back in one piece. Mind you, as usual we took far more than we actually wore! It was great having a washing machine and a proper iron and ironing board because it meant that we didn't really need to take two weeks worth of clothing, so we should have taken a lot less than we did. The neighbour who looks after the house for the owner kindly disposed of our old cases for us and on arriving back at the house after being out all day on the last day there was a plate of home made pastries waiting for us which I thought was lovely of her. I think we will end up going back to the same place again next year, it did have so much going for it.

Today is the last day of my holiday and I will be back at work tomorrow, at least it is only 3 days, I hope it goes quickly. I will be looking to see when my next day off is when I get in!

I have spent ages over the last couple of days uploading all my photographs and am having a Photobook made which takes about 5 days, I am really looking forward to receiving it. Once I have it I will then decide which photos I want to have printed and make up some layouts. I need to get some crafting done otherwise my Blog is going to be very boring after the last two weeks.

LAST DAY

Well, after the storm last night it has been a very cloudy day today and a lot cooler. After a slow start, a leisurely breakfast and a bit of packing we were going to go into Bad Ischl to spend the last day and to have one last visit to Zauners Konditori, then if the weather lifted go into Fuschl. When we got to Bad Ischl though it was the busiest we have ever seen it and couldn't find a parking space so ended up in Strobl. We had a stroll round then took the boat across the Wolfgangsee to St. Wolfgang. We had lunch at a cafe we always go to when we visit St. Wolfgang, they didn't have much choice as far as cake was concerned, but dear readers, I couldn't let you down on the last day so had to have something.

Photograph taken from the boat looking towards St. Wolfgang and showing the White Horse Inn. I am assuming this is a hotel, caught sight of it from the boat and thought it was beautiful.

Some more horses for Tracey. After taking this one, I took another couple of the pair at the front, then moving down the line I was going to take a photo of the brown pair and said to John they they don't photograph as well as the lighter coloured horses and as I said it it turned and look at me as if to say "how dare you" so thought I had better take one.

We had gone into the Tourist Info in Strobl and was asking them if they had any information on holiday homes and we found another one so went to have a look at it, we did find it eventually but I didn't like the look of it but we did come across this lot. Looks like they are both chewing on a straw.

These are actually soaps, I look at them every time I visit St. Wolfgang, but I doubt I would be able to get one home in one piece.

Last photograph of the house, I am sure we will stay here again though.

This photo was taken from the door in the dining room, wish this was my view at home.

I think I caught quite a poignant moment here, it just says last day holiday blues and wishing we weren't going home.

I hope you have enjoyed the last two weeks, obviously not as much as John and I! and I hope that it has inspired you to visit Austria in the future and if you do I hope you fall in love with it as much as we have.

Aufweidershen!

PRIZE

There will be a little prize for Tracey and Jac for commenting on so many of my posts. I don't know what it will be yet, you will just have to wait for the postman once I get home and get something sorted out. Thanks for being such avid readers and posters.

Val xxxxx

TAUPLITZ

Todays trip was up to the Tauplitzalm which is a high altitude alpine meadow at a height of 5,200ft.

You drive up a very steep road full of hairpin bends to the car park and then you are on foot. There were still pockets of snow which is incredible when you think how hot it was (94F) and they weren't even in the shade! We started off going up quite a steady incline, the next bit though was downhill and very steep and mainly shale and only about a foot wide with a drop on one side! John had to keep holding my hand whilst I negotiated the worse bits, boy was I relieved when we got to the bottom, only to find we then had to cross a little bridge which didn't have a handrail and was just one plank wide. We started going up hill again and eventually came to a little hut where we stopped for a drink. It was about a 6 mile walk and I didn't realise John had taken that photo of me looking knackered after negotiating another steep incline; but I managed it and felt better for it. It was a beautiful place to walk though and everywhere was full of wild flowers, there were actually 4 lakes of varying sizes but we only walked as far as 3 of them, the 4th is the one shown in picture 5. I had made a packed lunch to take with us and as it was about 2pm when we ate it we didn't feel like a cake - sorry. The house was boiling hot when we got home and promptly unravelled the awning. I had started with a really bad headache so after having a couple of tables went for a lie down, John came as well after the walk, the heat and the packed lunch he was shattered. Anway we were woken by thunder and lightening and as it sounded like the wind was getting up John got up to wind the awning in, the storm had caused a power cut so none of the lights were working then there was an almighty gust of wind and by the time John got downstairs the awning was hanging down at a very funny angle, we managed to get it wound up but one of the arms is obviously damaged.

Alpine Gentians, aren't they the most gorgeous blue.


I don't know what these little flowers are but they were in clumps everywhere and were the most gorgeous lilac blue colour, unfortunately the sun has bleached the colour out,

This is the little family of cats from next door. The Mother cat was the first to pay us a visit and started coming every time she was us in the garden, of course, I had to feed her didn't I. Anyway, a couple of days later I saw two kittens chasing each other and one of them is in the photograph with it's mum, the other kitten looks just like his dad, but is very shy. Anyway after that the Dad turned up wanting to be fed as well, they made such a lovely family and I will really miss them when we have to leave. It isn't as if they aren't being fed he is a really heavy boy but like most animals they don't turn their nose up at free food. The kitten is such a live wire and his mum and dad are so lovely and gentle with him, even when he is jumping on them and generally being a nuisance.

ALTAUSEE & BAD GOISERN

Today we went to Altuasee, another little village situated on a lake. There are so many of them in this part of Austria which is why we love it so much, I find them so relaxing. The lake itself is about 4 miles round so we walked round first then had a little boat trip. The village itself was quite small but there were some lovely houses. It was another lovely hot day until we got home when it went really dark and the heavens opened again and we had thunder and lightening and huge hailstones. It has stopped now thank goodness and it supposed to be another nice day tomorrow, I hope so anyway we are supposed to be going up into an area called the Tauplitz which is a mountain pasture full of wild flowers.

I mentioned Bad Goisern before and told you about a lovely park that we went round, but I don't think I put any photos on, anyway here are a couple.

For the Cake of the Day, we went back to the Konditori we went to last time we were in Bad Goisern. John had the Sacher Torte again which was 100% better than the one he had the other day, very moist. I had the Haus Torte which was also delicious. Oh dear, only another two cake eating days to go.

I can't believe we have been here almost two weeks, it has gone so fast. I am so glad I have blogged every day as I now have something to look back on and remind me of a wonderful holiday. I was only saying to John today that it is quite easy to become blase about the scenery, after all we have been 7 times now, I said that I was almost envious of someone coming for the first time. Funnily enough I can remember the first time we came, we actually drove over in our own car and as we neared Austria I felt very nervous in case it didn't live up to my expectations, but it literally took my breath away. I can't recommend it highly enough, although we have been to other parts of Austria the Salzgammergut has to be our favourite and especially where the house is, it is really central to lots of lovely places to visit. Anyway Wiederschon!

DACHSTEIN MASSIF

WARNING - If you suffer from vertigo then go no further!

Today we went up the Dachstein Massif. To get to the top we went up in a Gondola and had to change half way up. The top station was at a height of 6,800ft. If you come to Austria you really do need to get up high to take advantage of the scenery, and unless you want to try and walk up! the only way is a cable car or gondola. Myself I prefer cable cars which generally hold 4 people with seats at either side, although unless it is particularly busy they generally let you go up in 2's. A gondola on the other hand is one large car which can hold anything up to 60 people. The one we were in holds about 5 tons which greatly exceeds the number of people you would fit in.

At the top there was still snow, although it was looking rather mucky by now! We hiked round to a viewing platform called the "Five Fingers" which is the first photo. There are five walkways which stick out over the mountain, you can see John stood on one in the second photo. Well worth going up, you feel like you are on top of the world. Unfortunately the photos do look rather hazy, it was a very hot day and being so high up it was difficult with the new little camera we bought, I really needed my big camera with it's various filters.

We had brought a picnic with us and stopped off at the lake you can see in the picture to eat. I love picnic's and it was really relaxing. We stopped off at the Konditori on the way back and bought cakes to bring home to have after tea. I had the nut concoction and John had the other which was filled with fruit in a soft jelly and topped with a very soft meringue/marshmallow.

I had to have a lie down when I came home as I had a really bad headache but it was very hot.

MONDSEE AND ST. WOLFGANG

MONDSEE


About 1am it absolutely lashed it down and although it had stopped by this morning it was a bit overcast. We had planned to go up to the Dachstein mountains but decided against it. Instead we went to Mondsee. I have been there twice before, the last time being a quick visit last year when we went on the Sound of Music coach trip. It is funny how your memory can play tricks on you, but I had in my head that the lake at Mondsee was very boring and the area quite flat, and I suppose compared to the other lakes it does tend to have rolling hills rather than mountains, that is only by Austian standards though. Anyway, it turned out to be a gorgeous day by the time we got there and after having a quick stroll round the village we went to the lake. It was a revelation to me, far from being boring I found it really beautiful and I just didn't remember it at all! John found a walk on his map which took us just short of half way round the lake then up into the hills and through the woods and back down through the Village.

I am not a religious person but you can't visit Mondsee without going into the church, the church is the one that featured in the Sound of Music. From the outside it doesn't look much but the inside is just amazing. Last year they were renovating a lot of the interior but that was not finished and the whole thing was looking beautiful and pristine. I don't think you have to be religious to be able to appreciate the craftmanship and the beauty of the interior.

We popped into the Konditori and immediately I saw this. Well it turned out to be like the cake I had been dreaming about since last year that I had in Gmunden only that one was a round tart shape. It was gorgeous - a real leg jiggler. John had the Sachertorte but said it was a little on the dry side so was a bit disappointed.

ST. WOLFGANG

It was another gorgeous evening and as there was some sort of event on in St. Wolfgang we decided to eat out. There were stalls set up all down the main street and a couple of bands playing. It was a really great atmosphere and we stayed quite a while just strolling and listening to the music. It is a very picturesque place and I have included just a couple of photos.

The shop above sells all different hand made soaps and smells gorgeous.

I couldn't resist this Gingerbread House below, It is the sort of place I would love to live in.

Here is a picture of one of the bands that were playing, complete with leder hosen, mmmm nice knees.