Austria and Switzerland

It’s pretty amazing that we manage to fit all our luggage in the old BX including 4 people (us, Lars, Joly), but on Friday night we head in the direction of Austria. We stay overnight in Wurzburg, Germany, and arrive in Batzinger Dorfhotel in Muhlbach around 5.30pm. We are welcomed with a big smile by Anneke. We know Anneke from 6, 7 years ago when she was part of the very dynamic Edelweiss Hotel staff. After a welcome drink Anneke shows us around the hotel. It is very nice and comfortable with a very traditional Austrian feel and big bedrooms. Batzinger is, just like Edelweiss Haus owned by our good friend Jasper ~ yep, you remember from the previous story: he came to greet us at the airport. Our history with Jasper goes a long way back, when we all used to work a few weeks a year for Dynamic Holland as travel hosts and ski instructors. Hans and Jasper first started doing that in 1988 (?) and I joined them in 1991, and we kept doing that until we left for Australia in 2002. Hans’ history with Dynamic Holland goes even further back through his friendship and ski trips with the De Groot family, who initiated Dynamic Holland. Jasper took over reign of Dynamic Holland many years ago and we now are his ~very happy~ guests in this wonderful new hotel in Muhlbach. Form Muhlbach you go skiing in the huge Kitzbuhler ski arena. Great about Batzinger hotel is the ‘Stube’ downstairs where all the locals come to drink and eat in a real authentic Austrian atmosphere, including a thick smoke screen of cigarette smoke.

With Lars and Joly we have a great time skiing during the day. Joly is showing off her skiing skills which have improved enormously in the past 5 years. In the evening we are treated to some fabulous food in the hotel, and we play some games or hang out in the Stube with Anneke, Marielle, Suzi and the locals. Unfortunately I catch a stomach bug and feel rather feeble and weak during a few days, not to mention the need to stay close, very close to a bath room… Very uncomfortable on the ski slopes and I have to refrain from skiing for a little while. Unfortunately Lars gets the same bug and follows the same pattern. Hans and Joly keep going strong however! Halfway through the week we move from Batzinger to Edelweiss Haus in good old Konigsleiten. Konigsleiten is the ski area / village where we spend most of our Dynamic Holland time in all those years. Before the start of this ski season Jasper has extended and upgraded Edelweiss Haus. We are very impressed, especially the new bar area is very nice. And the extension is very well done, without modifying the outside to much. It still looks like a typical Austrian guest house. Great. Also here we are welcomed by the staff with a smile! Konigsleiten has changed over the years from a small mountain village to a real ski resort, and the hotels become bigger and bigger. Good thing is that also the ski area becomes bigger and bigger. But even though it is peak season the waiting times at the ski lifts is still very reasonable. The skiing this week is fabulous. 3 Times fresh snow falls, what more can you ask for. We even take Joly of a black piste, with ‘tief schnee’ and she does really well, although she says she’s not happy. A few hours later however, we go down a black icy piste and Joly passes us whistling…

On Saturday we leave Joly behind, who’ll take the bus back home later that day, while we travel to Switzerland to meet Denise and Alberto in Oberried. In the summer of 2006 we were here as well in the lovely apartment of Denise’s parents with its excellent views to the lake!
The first day in Switzerland we spend on the children’s ski slope with the 2 kids. Sterre is a bit too young for skiing, but seems to enjoy the snow anyway, but Mirte takes to skiing right away. She asks Hans to put on her skis as soon as she gets out of the car. Alberto goes for a training session langlaufen to prepare for a marathon he’ll be participating in in March. On Monday we make our first flight of the ‘First’, a mountain in Grindelwald. We flew here in 2006, had some great thermal flights then. Now –in winter- it is much calmer and the flight is short but sweet. Good to get rid of the nerves after a long time of not flying at all.

On Tuesday afternoon we have to say goodbye to the Bianchi’s. They have to go back to Milano to go back to work. We had a wonderful time with Denise and Alberto, Mirte and Sterre. Alberto and Denise also have taken very good care of our stomachs over the last few days. Every night they prepared fabulous Italian meals, the first meal even prepared by mama Bianchi, Alberto’s mum. And wonderful cakes prepared by his sisters. Denise and Alberto also supplied beautiful cheeses and salami and cake from Parma. Lekker hoor!

Unfortunately I get sick again, this time a cold and fever. I stay in the apartment for a day to relax and recover, while Hans and Lars go explore the rest of the ski area. Now they head for the Schilthorn. Norbert, a local paragliding pilot, explained another great paragliding spot on the Schiltgrat and Hans goes exploring. It is a great flight with even some thermic activity, quite extraordinary in winter. During the flight you pass some very impressive huge rock cliffs before you head for landing in the valley. Hans does 2 flights, second time with skis. Next day I join them again and we go back to the Schilthorn. Skiing here is great with impressive views to the Jungfrau and Eiger gletscher on one side and the vast plains to Bern on the other. Today I join Hans for a flight off the Schiltgrat and indeed it is an exciting flight. We manage to stay up at least 45 minutes, and it is great! Hans can’t get enough and goes a second time, again with skis.

Last day we sleep in a bit and go skiing in Wengen this time. To get here you have to take one of these typical Swiss mountain trains. In the evening after dinner we drop by Norbert and Liesbeth’s place. Norbert and Liesbeth are friends of the Houx family; Norbert is Swiss, Liesbeth Dutch. We met them last time we were in Oberried and now again. We can’t help being a bit jealous, living and working in such a paradise of a playground! Fabulous!

Saturday we drive back to Delft. Joly awaits us with a meal of ‘colakip’ and cauliflower! Lekker!