Kitzbuhel, Austria

Got a little getaway this weekend - two nights in the Alps ski town Kitzbuhel.  Kitz is known amongst those in the know (not me) as an upscale ski resort area, with a quaint downtown, very daring slopes, and expensive hotels.  Some of you may recall the name from past Olympics, tucked in between the rugged mountains in the area of Tirol.

A friend of mine had a work gathering there this week and the option to stay the weekend, so we wisely took advantage of it.  "See the Alps" is now checked off my list.  I was pretty blown away by the first sight of the mountains outside the Innsbruck airport, and the hour train was a beautiful, peaceful ride..

I didn't ski - I don't have the gear and actually like the bones in my legs to be straight, so I went just for the site-seeing.  Friday night we went out for dinner and cocktails in town, Saturday covered the sites, and then made the return journey Sunday.  Our B&B was darling, run by a very traditional Austrian couple.  Quality DNA.  They served us a nice breakfast each morning made up of cheese, cold cuts, bread, yogurt, and coffee.  The view from our room was stunning, overlooking the mountainside, and on day one two hot air balloons floated by while lying in bed.  

After breakfast we went for a walk into town by way of a winter trail through the forest and around a lake.  The air was so fresh and the sky so blue.  We passed over a small river running over multi-colored stones, looked so crystal clear I wanted to drink it!  Though a bit chilly, it was so still out that in the sun you felt warm.  The weather was perfect.

After shopping in town a bit, we both mustered up the courage to ride up one o f the gondolas to the top of the mountain.  This was no small feat.  The pictures here do not even come close to doing justice to how high up this thing really went.  Scary!  And after the double espresso I had at Meinl Kaffee the heart was pounding!  We did survive and once at the top sat down for a little lunch with the panoramic views in the sun.  I ordered a traditional meat and cheese platter, complete with horseradish (that I mistakenly thought was cheese and put a big scoop in my mouth) and a shot of schnapps.  So that's how they keep warm!  Tasty.

Back at the bottom, we did a bit more wondering around town, took a rest, and then headed out for a traditional Austrian dinner.  Stroganof was the plate, served with spatzl (small dough things) on the side.  Tasty.  Shannon had pancake soup!

In the morning we took our time eating breakfast and then hit the road for the taxi/train/bus/plane/train/tube/bus ride home.  The view on the plane flying out of Innsbruck was amazing.  It is hard to comprehend that a scene like that is actually real.  It was a great trip.