AUSTRIA Sept 2009

Thurs 17th

Having stayed overnight in Stafford with Margaret & Brian we set off for Northwich, arriving at 08.40. When we got out of the car we met up with Mary & Tom and our cases were loaded onto the coach, we were a bit worried to see Clive underneath the coach doing some repairs and when we said we would go to Tesco and get breakfast Clive told us to take our time! Tesco was disappointing as the café had been replaced with a fancy coffee bar; we made do with plasticy bacon toasties. Back at the garage Clive was still under the coach with Robert and a mechanic, we were told to get on board as it would be about half an hour. After an hour or so Clive came and told us it would be a bit longer, it was decided at some point in the morning that Sarah would drive Clive’s coach to pick up other passengers, Maureen (courier) and Hazel (Sarah’s mum) went with her. As the day wore on they were still trying to fix the problem (brake pipes) fetching parts etc. Sarah had picked up her passengers and carried on to Hull, by late afternoon it was decided that she should carry on and board the ferry but she hadn’t got her passport with her as she wasn’t on her own coach, someone came to take it to her and we heard that he had got it to her with five minutes to spare. It was 5.30pm by then and too late to get to Hull for the ferry so we had to find an hotel, some who lived near went home and Clive took us, in the now repaired coach, to a motel, “Happy Guest” we had a warm welcome and an evening meal then bed.

Fri 18th

Did not sleep well and we were up early for breakfast. Clive picked us up at 0930 and we set off for Leeds where we stopped for morning coffee at a large shopping centre, Rich managed to buy some swimming trunks as he had left his at home. We carried on to Hull where we boarded the ferry at about 6pm. We settled in our cabins then met for a drink and dinner; it was a very good buffet meal and as we were eating it we set sail. We went to the Sky lounge for a drink then bed.

Sat 19th

Slept heavily and woke with a start when the breakfast announcement was made at 0700, a great rush as we were meeting at 0745 to disembark. Rich sat with our bags while I went for breakfast and I found out that we were docking an hour later as it was the weekend so we both managed some breakfast.
We set off from Rotterdam at about 0930, Clive said that he was going to do the two days travel in one to catch up with the other coach, we didn’t stop till 1220 and it was at a McDonalds because the place we were supposed to stop was closed because of roadworks,

we were plagued with roadworks all day,
we left McDonalds at 1300 and carried on with a quick toilet stop ,coffee stop and fuel stop reaching Ulm at 2130 – 12 hours travel, we were very tired and glad to arrive, we were met by Sarah glad to have her case and a change of clothes, we had a quick meal and bed.

Sun 20th

Set off at 0930 with Sarah driving, we encountered lots of traffic hold ups including an overturned lorry down an embankment, it was very slow going, we stopped a couple of times, for coffee and toilet, and then stopped in a lay by for lunch, there were picnic tables but so many wasps about we stayed on the coach to eat after a wee behind the hedge!, we had wine with our lunch which Tom & Mary had provided. We set off again and the scenery began to change, the mountains were spectacular and we started to see typical Tyrolean houses, wooden chalet types with masses of colourful hanging baskets.

We arrived at Hotel Schloss Rosenegg at 1815 and finally got our cases, we had time for a shower and change before dinner, the meal was not wonderful and the staff were a bit disorganised so service was not good. Our room was nice, we were next to Marg & Brian & Mary & Tom in the “dungeons”, they had asked to be near the swimming pool, the hotel was on many levels and seemed to encompass quite a few buildings with a road in between, there was a stream running outside our rooms, we had to go up and down various flights of stairs to get anywhere else in the hotel. It had been hot & sunny all day.



Mon 21st

We were up early and got breakfast, it was a good breakfast with lots of choice. We met Thomas, an hotel employee, who took us on an orientation walk around the village. We walked along a pretty, wooded path by the river, there was a wooden house with beautiful hanging baskets and in the garden were some michaelmas daisies which were alive with dozens of butterflies and we then went up to the church; it was sunny and very hot.




We had a look into the church and a drink from the special spring that supposedly cures fevers and everything else, the town was named after this fever fountain, we then carried on through the town and back to the hotel. In the afternoon the coach took us into Kitzbuhel a medieval town, on the way we had lunch on the coach, a nice buffet served by Robert.
We stopped for a drink then had a walk round the town, very pretty, cobbled streets and colourful houses many with painted shutters or murals on the walls, Kitzbuhel is, like Fieberbrunn, a ski resort.

When we were back on the coach there was a birthday cake for Mary and a celebratory drink. Back at the hotel we had a swim then dinner, the food was again not very good and service bad, the staff were pleasant but there did not seem to be any organisation in the serving method, we waited ages for our main course. There was music and dancing in the bar after dinner.

Tue 22nd

We got breakfast quite early and then went on a modern coach for a trip to the Glossglockner, at 3798 m high the highest mountain in Austria, the route was along the Glossglockner High Alpine Road, a very scary ride with numerous hairpin bends and the road built out on pillars some of the time. We passed waterfalls and there was a lot of snow on the mountain tops.

When we arrived we had to get a lift up one level then get on a mini bus which took us up to a restaurant by the glacier, we had lunch with a glass of wine then walked to an observation tower to take a close look at the glacier, it was an impressive sight but is apparently melting at an alarming rate.

We saw marmots on the hillside, they were bigger than we expected, quite badger like,

and some very pretty wild flowers, gentian, edelweiss and a pretty pink, many headed crocus like flower, there were ibex about but we did not spot any. We saw eagles and alpine chough.
A bit of a mix up picking people up and some were in the wrong place so driver took us back the way we’d come instead of a different route we were going to take. Back at the hotel I had a quick swim before dinner; service was a bit better tonight. After dinner we had a “torchlight” walk with Thomas, we were all given candles and walked along a river path, about 80 of us, we stopped and had to blow our candles out to look up at the stars, it was quite spectacular and the milky way was clearly visible, Thomas then gave us a few moments of calming meditation before relighting the candles and heading back, it was certainly different but spoiled by the fact that I (and others) got candle wax on our clothes.


Wed 23rd

Today was as free day with no trips planned so we got up a bit later and walked into Fieberbrunn along the river and back, as we walked back to the town we saw at least a dozen types of wild flower in a meadow. We had lunch in a café on the corner by the hotel and while we were there we saw the cows being brought down from their summer pastures, they were driven through the streets amongst the traffic with their bells clanging, one of them was wearing a headdress that looked like a Christmas tree, the brown and white cattle that we mostly saw are Pinzgauer.

We had a rest then a swim, another rest and dinner. It had been another beautiful hot, sunny day.

Thurs 24th

Today we went to Zell Um See, we had tea and biscuits on the coach and Mary produced” Austrian” hats which we had to wear! As we were taking photos outside the coach we became quite an attraction with other tourists, they were taking our picture and having their picture taken with us.


We walked down to the lake which is very picturesque and walked along it for a while stopping to get a drink and some chips.

When we got back to Fieberbrunn we were taken up on a ski lift for apple strudel and a drink, this was very nice, a huge piece of cake, some of us then decided to go up to the next stage on the ski lift, it was fantastic with wonderful views over the town and surrounding countryside,

it was very peaceful and the sun was glorious. Back at the hotel we were treated to some Tyrolean dances before dinner.

Fri 25th

Today we had a trip to Salzburg, it was quite a distance and took a couple of hours to get there, when we got there there was a bit of a mix up as the park and ride system had stopped operating and so the coaches had to dive us to a drop off place near the town. We waited at a café in the square for a drink but did not get served so went to a market stall and had one from there. Rich & Brian were very interested in a stall of wooden objects and managed to have a conversation with the stallholder about his work.
We took a ride around the town in a landau

and then just wandered round the markets, they were very interesting with all sorts of crafts being carried out, woodworking, ironworking, stone masons, distilling, jewellery, costume making, pottery etc. it was all very interesting and we also saw quite a lot of people, men and women, in national dress, it was very pleasant wandering round in the sunshine. When we set off back to the coach we found that the city was bigger than we thought and kept finding more squares, markets and another funfair we kept the castle on our right and finally ended up in St Peter’s church yard full of mausoleums, very well maintained. We finally spotted Mary & Tom so knew we were on the right track and got back to the coach. We left at 3pm and had only travelled 10km in an almost an hour as the motorway was solid with traffic and very slow as we were by a service area a “police” van pulled both coaches over and Clive was told that he had not got the correct pass for travelling in Austria and they were fined almost £1000, they had bought passes when first entering Austria but had not been told that there were different passes for different situation, going from Fieberbrunn to Salzburg took us in and out of Germany and so different passes were needed. Tom took a collection to help with the fines. We were also told that the road would be closed for 3 hours as there was an overturned lorry. We finally set of at 7pm after hanging round the service station all this time. We arrived back at the hotel at 8.20pm; the meal this evening was at 6pm and was a special buffet, “Schlossherren” or Lord of the Manor with Austrian dancing. The meal had been saved for us so we just had it and went to bed, no time to wash and brush up, it was a nice buffet, one of the better meals, pity it was so rushed.

Sat 25th

Today we set off for home it was very misty when we started but soon cleared up to be another sunny day. We left Fieberbrunn at 0955, we had a couple of stops and lunch on the coach and had time to stop for 20 mins at Dinkelsbuhl a small, very pretty town in Germany, there were a lot of horses about and it appeared to be a hunt, some of the riders were in hunting jackets.
We set off again for Wurzburg, although this was a distance of just over 70 miles we didn’t arrive until 10pm, we were plagued by roadworks again so the going was very slow and when we got near the drivers were unable to find the hotel, we went round in circles for ages and finally had to get a local taxi to come and lead us to it, no wonder we couldn’t find it as it was halfway up a mountain along unlit twisty roads. The hotel was nice and the welcome we got was wonderful, again we did not have to wash and brush up but just had to go straight to the dining room, the service was very good and an excellent meal served quickly and efficiently by friendly staff, plenty of wine with meal. Straight to bed.


Sun 26th

I got up and had a swim before breakfast and as we were early we had a bit of a walk round, there were super views although the morning was misty. The breakfast was not as good as at the other hotel, not much variety. Just after we set off we pulled up to look at a miniature church by the roadside, we also found a walnut tree and collected quite a lot.


By the time we’d got fuel it was 11 30 before we set off, we stopped to have lunch on board the coach and then set off again at 2.30, we arrived at the Novotel Wuppertal at 5.15pm. It had been a lovely, sunny day again. Clive wanted to take us on the mono rail and most of us decided to go, Clive had seen it in 1946 when it was devastated by the war. First of all we had to find where to park, Clive got directions from locals then we had to get 40 tickets out of the machine, this took ages with the usual chaos of everyone thinking they knew best. We finally got aboard on a coach full of what we took to be football hooligans, chanting and shouting. We travelled about 10 stops and got off, it was very interesting but the city, or what we saw of it, was not very inviting, industrialised, dirty and neglected looking.


We then found that we had to get more tickets for the return journey luckily a couple of transport police turned up and helped. It was dark by the time we got back to the hotel at 8.20pm, dinner was at 8! One chap off Clive’s coach was having a go at Maureen because he wasn’t happy about a late dinner, he was very nasty, he was the only person who had moaned all holiday. Meal not bad.

Mon 28th

We left Wuppertal at 09.35 and headed for Arnhem, when we got there we thought we would be stopping for a look round but the other coach did not want to stop so we carried on and had lunch on the coach. Carried on and stopped at a small town with a windmill, walked around for a bit, I got a saddle for my bike. Back on coach and got to Rotterdam about 5.30 and boarded the ferry. Settled in cabin then met for a drink before dinner, again a nice buffet meal.

Tue 29th

Docked at 08.45, late because there had been an emergency evacuation of a crew member the night before. We stopped at an outlet village, Junction 32 at Castleford, where we had a drink and a muffin then a bit of a look round. Set off again and back at Northwich for about 2.30. Bri drove us back to Stafford and we were home by about 4.30pm.




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All in all we had a good holiday, the weather was fantastic, hot and sunny every day, reaching 70 degrees some days, the Austrian countryside was spectacular with vibrant green meadows, a lot of them being cut and turned for hay or silage, there were lots of wildflowers and impressive snow topped, mountains, we saw many birds of prey, including eagles, also a lot of brown & white Pinzgauer cows grazing on the rich grass. We had expected it to be quite cool, especially in the mountains and so had the wrong clothes with us, also we were quite late for meals a few times and did not have time to wash and change which, after long, hot journeys was a bit annoying. The distances travelled, even without the holdups, were long and very tiring, and we felt that there was not enough time to stop and enjoy the various places we went to. Overall though it was a good holiday with good company and lots of fun, the Regency Road Pullman Company is very different and the staff, Sarah, Robert, Clive & Maureen were friendly and fun and went out of their way to be helpful, the lunches we had on board the coach were good and nicely presented.