Happy 2010!!
Just got back yesterday from our week in Austria!
We had a wonderful Christmas! On Christmas Eve, the kids went to Martin's mam's for a few hours while we did a mini pub-crawl with his sister Anna, her partner Ian, and Martin's brother Markus and his wife Ann. We have done this for a few years now, it's a rare opportunity for us to spend together without the noise of the kids! We came back here for 4 pm when we were joined by his mam and all the children. Martin put together a fantastic buffet and we enjoyed everyone's company. On Christmas Day we stayed home, opened our gifts and while the kids played with their new gifts (especially their prized Super Mario Bros for the Wii), Martin and I packed for our trip to Austria. In the evening we had raclette which was just gorgeous, followed by chocolate fondue!
We left very early on Boxing Day - we were meant to fly at 6:00 am, though it was delayed by an hour and I sure could have used that extra hour in bed! We flew to Salzberg then a coach took us to a small resort called Werfenweng. We stayed at the 'Gut Wenghof' Family Resort Werfenweng and it more than lives up to its name! The vast majority of guests were families with small children and at ages 12 and 9, Christian and Katia were amongst the oldest children there. After looking at the hotel's own price list (we booked through the UK tour company Thomson) that 7-14 year olds prices are reduced by 60% and under 7's are free! Unfortunately Thomson did not pass on the same savings to their customers! Regardless, we had a great time! The resort is all-inclusive which meant the drinks were on tap (self serve) all day long and food was available from 7:30 am - 9:30 pm with only small gaps during the day where there wasn't anything set out. We became accustomed to coming back to the hotel from skiing and wondering what the day's treats would be - as everyday there was something different in the 'wintergarden'. I have to admit that we all (with the unsurprising exception of Christian) indulged heartily in the food and drink - and needless to say - the diet starts today!
Our original plan for the week was to take advantage of all that the resort had to offer, swimming, skiing (downhill AND cross-country), snowshoeing, sledding and skating but unfortunately, the weather was not on our side. When we arrived, there was only a light dusting of snow everywhere and it had rained on Christmas Day which meant that there simply wasn't enough snow or was cold enough to do alot of the activites, so we settled for 5 days of skiing instead, which was not a hardship! Katia and Martin also swam in the late afternoons on most days while Christian and I preferred to read our books cosied up in either the wintergarden or the lounge. The ski resort at Werfenweng is small, but was perfect for what we wanted. The kids hadn't really skiied since two years ago in Canada (with the exception of a few hours at the indoor slope in Manchester) and we wanted a smaller place where they could regain their confidence. They both came along excellently, Katia chose to start using poles on the 2nd day and that really boosted her confidence. Christian was unsure about the poles as he was quite happy to carry on without them, but we convinced him to give them a try - only to have him fall awkwardly on them which resulted in a painful, swollen thumb! Within a few days it didn't seem to bother him though and maybe he'll give poles another go next year.
We had a couple of special evenings during the past week: the first was a night called Hölle Nacht - which translates to Hell Night. There was a bit of a 'do' outside the hotel - which also happened to be the town square. Many of the townspeople were dressed as ghouls and witches (Hexe). The costumes and masks were very elaborate and from what we could gather - the sole purpose was to scare the children and adults alike - the children were frightened simply by the look of them and the adults were frightened to be whipped by them!! Martin found this out quite by accident when a ghoul reached out to whip a man who was taunting him but missed and got Martin across the legs instead! Ouch! The second special night was Silvester (New Year's Eve). The hotel put on a gorgeous buffet and all the beautiful Christmas decorations had been swapped for glitzy New Year's ones. There was a live band inside and outside was more music, bonfires and a spectacular fireworks show that lasted all evening. We all had a great time but I would say it was especially good for Katia and Christian as it was their first 'real' New Year's Eve celebration and one that won't be forgotten soon!
We left the resort fairly early yesterday - and awoke to find that it was finally snowing - and alot at that, so next week's visitors should have a good week skiing! Overall, we had an excellent holiday and although we probably won't return there, we will remember it fondly!
We had a wonderful Christmas! On Christmas Eve, the kids went to Martin's mam's for a few hours while we did a mini pub-crawl with his sister Anna, her partner Ian, and Martin's brother Markus and his wife Ann. We have done this for a few years now, it's a rare opportunity for us to spend together without the noise of the kids! We came back here for 4 pm when we were joined by his mam and all the children. Martin put together a fantastic buffet and we enjoyed everyone's company. On Christmas Day we stayed home, opened our gifts and while the kids played with their new gifts (especially their prized Super Mario Bros for the Wii), Martin and I packed for our trip to Austria. In the evening we had raclette which was just gorgeous, followed by chocolate fondue!
We left very early on Boxing Day - we were meant to fly at 6:00 am, though it was delayed by an hour and I sure could have used that extra hour in bed! We flew to Salzberg then a coach took us to a small resort called Werfenweng. We stayed at the 'Gut Wenghof' Family Resort Werfenweng and it more than lives up to its name! The vast majority of guests were families with small children and at ages 12 and 9, Christian and Katia were amongst the oldest children there. After looking at the hotel's own price list (we booked through the UK tour company Thomson) that 7-14 year olds prices are reduced by 60% and under 7's are free! Unfortunately Thomson did not pass on the same savings to their customers! Regardless, we had a great time! The resort is all-inclusive which meant the drinks were on tap (self serve) all day long and food was available from 7:30 am - 9:30 pm with only small gaps during the day where there wasn't anything set out. We became accustomed to coming back to the hotel from skiing and wondering what the day's treats would be - as everyday there was something different in the 'wintergarden'. I have to admit that we all (with the unsurprising exception of Christian) indulged heartily in the food and drink - and needless to say - the diet starts today!
Our original plan for the week was to take advantage of all that the resort had to offer, swimming, skiing (downhill AND cross-country), snowshoeing, sledding and skating but unfortunately, the weather was not on our side. When we arrived, there was only a light dusting of snow everywhere and it had rained on Christmas Day which meant that there simply wasn't enough snow or was cold enough to do alot of the activites, so we settled for 5 days of skiing instead, which was not a hardship! Katia and Martin also swam in the late afternoons on most days while Christian and I preferred to read our books cosied up in either the wintergarden or the lounge. The ski resort at Werfenweng is small, but was perfect for what we wanted. The kids hadn't really skiied since two years ago in Canada (with the exception of a few hours at the indoor slope in Manchester) and we wanted a smaller place where they could regain their confidence. They both came along excellently, Katia chose to start using poles on the 2nd day and that really boosted her confidence. Christian was unsure about the poles as he was quite happy to carry on without them, but we convinced him to give them a try - only to have him fall awkwardly on them which resulted in a painful, swollen thumb! Within a few days it didn't seem to bother him though and maybe he'll give poles another go next year.
We had a couple of special evenings during the past week: the first was a night called Hölle Nacht - which translates to Hell Night. There was a bit of a 'do' outside the hotel - which also happened to be the town square. Many of the townspeople were dressed as ghouls and witches (Hexe). The costumes and masks were very elaborate and from what we could gather - the sole purpose was to scare the children and adults alike - the children were frightened simply by the look of them and the adults were frightened to be whipped by them!! Martin found this out quite by accident when a ghoul reached out to whip a man who was taunting him but missed and got Martin across the legs instead! Ouch! The second special night was Silvester (New Year's Eve). The hotel put on a gorgeous buffet and all the beautiful Christmas decorations had been swapped for glitzy New Year's ones. There was a live band inside and outside was more music, bonfires and a spectacular fireworks show that lasted all evening. We all had a great time but I would say it was especially good for Katia and Christian as it was their first 'real' New Year's Eve celebration and one that won't be forgotten soon!
We left the resort fairly early yesterday - and awoke to find that it was finally snowing - and alot at that, so next week's visitors should have a good week skiing! Overall, we had an excellent holiday and although we probably won't return there, we will remember it fondly!
Oh my goodness, how I wish I could have been there with you. Your holiday sounds like something that I would love right now.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad that you all enjoyed yourselves.
xoxox