Christine in Lech, Austria

It's that time of year again.  When we all go skiing and hang outdoors and enjoy the fresh air.  And fly down mountains.  My second trip of this ski season had me visiting Lech, Austria.  I went with the Patch ski club.  The group skews a bit older.  Which means less partying and better accommodations.  Life is all about the trade-offs.  It snowed each morning we were there.  This meant not so great visibility in the mornings.  But the afternoons had lovely, sunny weather.  I'll take fresh snow and sun when I can.

This is an expensive town.  I know that because I heard royals vacation there.  I didn't hear which royals vacation there.  But to be fair, I could walk by the Queen of England and probably not recognize her.  Or her grandsons.  So there is that.  Maybe if they had signs.

The mountains:

I skied Der Weisse Ring (The White Ring).  It is a route that connects Lech, Zurs, Zug, and Oberlech.  It is 22km (13.6 miles) of skiing.   It took a couple of hours to do.  But led me to one of my favorite restaurants (and it was not the food that made it my favorite--hard, very hard, to believe).

We stopped and ate goulash on the mountain.  It was tasty, but not the best thing at the restaurant.  Most trees have trains under them.  On the mountain, you get a ski lift, complete with cut out people under the tree.  Best. Decoration. Ever.

The pretty little church:

Christine

Christine in Tubingen, Germany

Once again I visited the Schokolade (Chocolate) fest in Tubingen, Germany.  Best. Fest. Ever.  Really, of all of the fests to include Volksfest or Fruhlingfest (see previous posts), I love this one best.  I think they, being the Germans, should have this every week.  But no one asked for my expert opinion.

Please see last year's post about this spectacular event.  This time I took pictures of the town.  Yes, it was freezing cold this visit.  Even the chocolate liquor, from the chocolate shot glasses did not help keep me warm.  That cold.

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Christine at the Stuttgart Weihnachtsmarkt

Christmas is kinda a big deal around here.  And by around here, I mean Europe.  Most towns have a Christmas market.  They can be over a weekend or for the month leading up to Christmas.  The booths are set up and open after the American Thanksgiving.  I don't think either has anything to do with the other.  The German markets run through December 23rd.  (The French towns have theirs past Christmas.  They are smart people.  Gives us Americans something to do over the holidays when we are all off and gets us to spend more money.)

The booths are elaborately decorated and designed.  But they sell strange items.  In addition to Christmasy stuff, they sell cooking utensils, cleaning detergents, wooden toys, socks, sweaters, dirdles, doll house accessories and toys, candles, and food.  Random stuff.  They all sell the same strange stuff.  And huge crowds are always there.  At least the times I visit.  So many people.  That move at the pace of a snail.  It's actually hard to believe I go.  Since I hate slow walkers and such Christmas commercialism.  But you are just drawn to it like chocolate.  You try to resist but can't.

They also have a winter garden with a skating ring.  Very popular.  Very crowed.  I am not good enough to skate with the kids.  I would fall on them and crush them.  The little ones get these big wooden bears and penguins to hold on to and learn to skate.

Probably the coolest part of the market is the trains.  I would have loved this as a child.  I'm jealous as an adult.

The Germans do have a sense of humor:

I did grab something to eat.  The Germans and their potatoes.  It never ends well.  The apple sauce was good, eaten separately.  I liked the potatoes in the yogurt sauce.

Finally, the department store window again has Star Wars in Legos.  So cool.  Maybe I like it cause it has nothing to do with Christmas.  I kinda want to buy Legos and build stuff with them.  I may just yet.  That's probably the real reason.  

Frohe Weihnachten!  (Merry Christmas!)
Christine

Christine at Hintertux, Austria Take II.

Once again I spent Thanksgiving on the glaciers of Austria.  It's wonderful to ski before your turkey dinner.  The Austrian's like fireworks.

The skiing was as good as could be expected.  For the end of November.  One of the Germans asked me why I was skiing in Austria.  I said because there's snow.  And laughed.  He said he couldn't wait for January and his trip to the Rockies.  I agreed.  Some of the best skiing is in the Rockies.  However, the best skiing is where there is snow and you can make the trip.

And the mountains were beautiful as well.  The sun setting over the mountains.

Christine