I love winter. The cold crisp air, snow and picturesque beauty. I love that feeling of wrapping up in a toasty coat and gloves while burying my chin in a fluffy scarf, the only thing makes it any better is mulled wine. Mmmmmmmm. Another thing, of course, is skiing - equally as fun and has the potential to make you as giddy as mulled wine.
This year we headed to the beautiful town of Zell am See in Austria. Nestled in the Zell Valley corridor within the Kitzbuhel Alps - the town and surrounding slopes is one of the most picturesque places to ski.
Meanwhile, Pauline and I headed off to ski school. We had booked three days of intermediate ski lessons. The lessons started at the meeting point at the top of the TrassXpress mountain station. So we walked to catch the number 71 bus from Postplatz Zell am See to the Schmittenhohe Valley station departing every 15 minutes. The ride by ski bus is included in the lift pass. It's not far to the bus stop but far enough to be a pain with ski boots on and kit in hand. However, we booked a two person heated locker with Brundl Sport at the bottom of the lift to save us carrying our equipment to and from the hotel every day and having to cumbersomely squeeze on to a ski bus. Our equipment (skis ,poles, boots, helmets and gloves) was locked up overnight - our lift pass acting as our key - so practical. The depot locker was located right next to the lift. The lockers were heated and the depot had comfy seats for us to sit on whilst putting our warm boots on. Wonderful. We made our leisurely way to the ski slopes in our outdoor shoes, collected our equipment and on to the lift. The perfect start and end to the day.
Our lessons were with skischule Zell am See. We were quickly sorted into groups of 8 after a ski down a nearby slope. Our instructor Jesse was super patient and did a great job of improving everyone's confidence and skills on the slopes. In my case skiing faster. Great to have someone who knows their way around the area, not only giving great tuition, but also thinking of the little things that can make the difference during the week - which lifts are warm when it's cold, how each slope will be affected by weather conditions and tips on how to deal with that - leaving you free to try to concentrate on the skiing.
Let's get two things out of the way first: Mozart and Maria von Trapp. People often describe Salzburg in such terms, but there's so much more to this beautifully faded baroque city. It's a fanfare of medieval pomp, with blasts of steeples rising to turrets and the snow-tipped Alps.
Sing Do-Re-Mi at Mirabell Palace on the steps near the fountain. Pauline promised to do this. The palace's pleasure garden will never fall from fashion thanks to Julie Andrews and her von Trapp tykes that joyously sang and danced around it nearly 60 years ago. Anyone who loves the Sound of Music should do the tour. Sadly we didn't have time. The duration is 4 hours daily at 9.15 a.m. and 2 p.m. The tour was by the steps when we arrived so sadly Pauline refused to sing Do-Re-Mi in front of an audience.
Most people mention the gardens, which in the middle of winter are not that exciting but would be lovely in other seasons. However, few people mention the free angel staircase and marble hall, which are the main parts of the palace that are original and not destroyed by fire. This is probably because there is no signage and I only found them because I had read about them and just tried opening every door. I found the angel staircase first and it is lovely. To save yourself opening every door, exit through the palace from the gardens and it is the last door on your left.
I climbed the marble staircase to The Marble Hall, widely regarded to be one of the most lavish concert halls in the world. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart together with his father Leopold and sister gave musical performances here. It is very impressive with its opulent marble and gilded stucco decorations.
As I walked back down the stairs, I ran my hand along the bannister admiring the balustrade made of white marble, which is populated by an array of cheerful, chubby-cheeked cherubs. It is rumoured that, if you give them a little slap on their bottoms, it will bring luck to your marriage. I thought I'd give it a try!
We stopped for lunch at Cafe Tomaselli, Austria's oldest coffeehouse, over looking the clip-clopping hackney coaches of Residenzplatz Square. The "kaffeedames" in white pinafores once served Mozart's favourite drink, hot almond milk.
Getreidegass Street is Salzburg's famous walking street, free of cars and filled with shops and bakeries, restaurants, and other famous sites like Mozart's house. The street is filled with pastel-coloured buildings. There are little bakeries serving up slabs of strudel, and very expensive shops where you can buy traditional lederhosen. It caters towards tourists, but it's a place you can't miss.
Salzburg Cathedral is a beautiful building nestled downtown among all the attractions in town. Mozart was baptized here.
In 2007 in the centre of medieval Salzburg, a peculiar art object was installed - a huge golden ball with a full-length figure of a man standing on it. A work of modern art created by German sculptor Stephan Balkenhol. The sphere is an enlarged candy wrapped in gold foil, the man standing on its top - none other than the famous pastry chef himself. Mozartkugel (in English: Mozart ball) is the most popular Austrian confectionery brand. The candy is made of pistachio marzipan and nougat, covered with dark chocolate. We received one when we paid our bill at The Berner Hotel.
Time to return to Zell am See. So glad we made the time to visit Salzburg.
A wonderful holiday. Thank you so much for your excellent company, Stuart, Tina, Pauline, Tony and Phil.
