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Austria with Derek and Wendy

Everyone arrived at Heathrow in good time. We had first time flyers in Dennis, Patsy & Nigel. They were fantastic. Well done to them.

We arrived at our beautiful hotel after a lovely journey through the marvellous scenery. After unpacking our cases, we settled in to our hotel with some refreshments before going out for the evening and having enormous pizzas. It had been a long day and we were happy to get to bed at a reasonable hour.

The next day, after a relaxing breakfast, we took a stroll around our lovely Austrian village. David & Nigel played chess on a giant chess board in the village square. We looked into the church and were surprised at how beautiful it was inside. It was nearing lunch time, so we bought some provisions and headed back to our hotel and sat out on one of our balconies and had lunch in the glorious sunshine. Off to Zell am See for a trip on a boat around the lake and time for a drink and an ice cream. There were mountains all around the lake. It was beautiful. We went back to the hotel to freshen up for the evening. It was off to another nice restaurant for dinner. This was where we met a couple of very nice ladies (mother & daughter) from Germany and we all enjoyed each other’s company during the evening!

Wednesday was our chance to go to Salzburg. We got there early and had a walk through the superb Mirabell Gardens and into the old town. We had lunch and then took our places for the “Sound of Music” tour. It was wonderful. The trip was well worth it and we had a great tour guide, who kept us all amused. Naturally, there was singing on the coach, which added to the atmosphere. We saw all the important places and had several stops along the way to take photographs and to have some refreshments. It was a good day! Afterwards it was back for a quick change and off for another evening for some more authentic Austrian food.

The next day was a little slower. We went for a walk around our village and went to the bakers for some nice savouries for lunch. We took it back to our hotel and sat in the shade and ordered up a shandy each! Off for a nice drive through the fantastic countryside, taking in waterfalls and lovely villages along the way before stopping for a drink at a nice hotel close to a river setting. There was mountain water on tap....the guys made much of this to quench their thirst. It was another hot day! In the evening it was out in the village, to yet another lovely restaurant (I think this was our favourite)!

Friday, we set off for a drive to Krimml waterfalls. Along the way we stopped off for a light goulash soup before continuing to Krimml. This is the biggest waterfall in Europe. We had a nice walk to the lower part of the waterfall and soothed ourselves in the spray and marvelled at the beauty all around us. We had ice creams and bought some souvenirs before heading for a scenic drive home. In the evening, before dinner, we went to the village community hall and watched some traditional singing and dancing. It was wonderful to see old traditions like yodelling and to see them in traditional costume. That night we sat watching a storm whilst having dinner. It was fun.

The next day it was decided to go to Hallein to the famous salt mines. We had some fun dressing up in our white overalls before getting onto a small open train ride down the line into the mine. We had to walk and then slide down further into the mine whilst getting a guided tour. It was fascinating and fun. Wed also had a boat ride on a salt lake. Everyone did so well to get out alive. hahaha. More souvenirs were bought before we went to a nice cafe for a late lunch. We went the even more scenic route home (if that is possible)? Everywhere you look is magnificent. It was our last evening, so we went to our favourite restaurant for another great meal and to enjoy the company before settling down for the night.

The last day was here. No one wished to go home. It was sad after such a lovely holiday in such gorgeous surroundings. We had had great weather and the hotel and staff were lovely. We couldn’t have wished for more! The journey home went without a hitch and our first time flyers are now seasoned flyers.

Thanks to Patsy, David, Richard, Dennis & Nigel for having helped make it a holiday to remember!!



























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