Rob Rees is on a tour through Austria. Discover with him Austria’s hidden gems.

“We are five days into the Grand Tour of Austria’s lesser known ski resorts, having just left St. Johann / Alpendorf en route for the Dachstein area.

We started the Tour in the village of Au in the Bregenzerwald in Vorarlberg. The area is magical, totally unspoilt and so accessible from the Southern German motorways and the main Vorarlberg town of Dornbirn. Friedrichshafen and Memmingen airports are both within an hour making it a perfect short break destination. We were lucky to stay at the Hotel Roessle in Au. It’s a 300 year old building, tastefully renovated and run with such passion and care by the Simma family. Good food, attentive service and a simple spa and sauna area.

Snow kept coming but we managed to get up to Damuels for 2 hours deep snow to reacquaint ourselves with our skis and trusted equipment on the first day. ‘Warm-up Day’; well that’s what we convinced ourselves as the afternoon refreshments slipped down easily. How good that Austrian beer always tastes!

Bregenzerwald is a real find. Totally authentic; mostly dairy farms and wooden buildings. 22 villages scattered along the main road so you never feel like you are in a developed or commercialised ski resort. Skiing co-exists with real life. The ambience is excellent; the Mountain cheese is abundant and it is the home of 17 cheese producers and a Cheesemakers academy. There’s also plenty of good intermediate skiing split over three big mountain ranges; Warth-Schrocken, Damuels-Mellau and Au’s Diedamskopf. 200km in total giving plenty of runs, even for the most dedicated piste basher. They are all covered by the Three Valleys or 3 Taeler lift pass www.3taeler.com .

Day two provided us with the ‘day of all days’. After a morning skiing the delightful Diedamskopf by Au, the snow just kept coming. A 4 hour car journey from the Roessle to our next stop -Alpendorf near St Johann in Pongau- took seven hours. In hindsight, a very wise decision to abandon our skiiing on the Diedamskopf and head for the roads early. It is easy for Brits to misjudge the conditions and easier to fail to see that huge quantities of snow can even fox the super-efficient Austrians. We’re so used to just travelling around Austria effortlessly most ski seasons on pristine roads.

A memorable car journey began; through the Alberg tunnel and along the Inn valley with famous name ski resorts flashing by us every twenty minutes on the clear motorway – Monatafon, St Anton, Ischgl, Galtur, Alpbach, Seefeld, Zillertal. We headed off onto side roads at Woergl tracking through the ‘Ski Welt Wilder Kaiser’ resorts of Soll & Ellmau. No worries about the lack of snow here! We crawled behind snowploughs, tail to tail, via Fieberbrunn and Leogang until we hit Saalfelden. Unsurprisingly the pass near the Hoechkoenig at Hinterthal was closed so we diverted via Zell am See, to take the long way round. Massive tree slides at Taxenbach reduced traffic to single file but the Austrian Army were on hand to chop it up and clean it all away.

Suffice to say a good night’s sleep was had at the Pension Palfengut high above Alpendorf, when we finally reached our destination.

To discover the Salzburger Sportwelt, it would probably have been better to be based in Flachau or Wagrain. You will be more central and these villages provide easier access to a broader range of slopes. It’s also simpler to build Kleinarl, Flachauwinkl and Zauchensee into a day’s tour. With Alpendorf as our base, we had to rush to get back home at night via the rather convoluted, ageing Gernkogel chair lifts. However, there are still some superb red runs from the top of the Grafenberg which flatter even the most ‘out of practice’ skiers. The Grafenberg is serviced by a fast new gondola from Wagrain….but it is better to use the continual bus link from this Wagrain base station to the ‘Flying Mozart’ gondola to get to the Flachau ski area www.flachau.at

Flachau’s Griessenkareck has some long wooded red runs that fan out in various directions from the summit and you’ll have a smile on your face all day. The ‘must do’s’ are the Hermann Maier World Cup run down to the centre of Flachau, the long red to the bottom of the ‘Rote 8′ gondola and the red to the bottom of the ‘Flying Mozart’ lift. The conditions could not have been better. Perfectly groomed pistes, 1 degree temperature, some beautiful huts and long uncrowded descents.”

Last week it was once again time for the Austrian National Tourist Office to bring the corporate jackets out from the back of the wardrobe, pile the latest brochures and promotional material into the back of a truck, and assemble the finest Austrian partners and sponsors for the annual World Travel Market at ExCel London. The leading global event for the travel industry, this 4-day event is a must for all international tourist boards to present their destination. Having missed out on the previous year (no, I didn’t do a runner following several comments on what a long week it would be, I had generally already booked the holiday!), I was not sure what to expect from this much talked about event.

First and foremost it was the dimensions that surprised me, from the crowds of people pushing their way down the platform at the DLR stop, to the sheer size of the Austria stand which encompassed a main desk and platforms for 28 partners, encircling a Viennese-style café. And then there was the buzz, the galore of decorated stands from all over the world, and the chance to hold an Abu Dhabi falcon followed by a bite-size Thai delicacy. All of this put into perspective the breadth of the industry that we work in and the enthusiasm those involved can evoke.

All the more wonderful to have a bustling Austria stand and that pick-me-up kind of visitor who never failed to grace the desk just as the legs were starting to get tired, telling you how fabulous their tour of the “Hoff Burk” had been. “I’m sorry, Hoff Burk?” Awkward silence. “Yes, you know that historical building in Vienna.” Hurrah, the Hofburg! “Oh yes, the Hoff Burk. Magnificent little piece of Austrian workmanship.”

So back in the office this week we trawl through the tons of brochures collected, work our way down contact lists and eat leftover Mozartkugeln to our heart’s content. And I think to myself – if somewhat cheesily after all of this global cheer – that we really do promote an incredible country and I am in fact happy to don that corporate jacket every once in a while.

Abigail King (Insidethetravellab) visited Lech-Zürs am Arlberg and Bregenzerwald in Vorarlberg for us. She tells us what she thinks about this region. 

 

Austria without the hype. Expect beauty, innovation and plenty of tradition, whatever the locals say.

I arrived in Schwarzenberg just as the funeral procession entered the graveyard. Grey clouds conspired overhead, matching the mourners’ sorrow with their soft and gentle rain.

Schwarzenberg stands, indeed stands out, among the fresh mountains of the Bregenzerwald region in western Austria. The stone tower of the church faces a dancing pavilion, while two traditional guest houses look on. Their facades, like most around here, consist of stained wood layered like fish scales – or schindel as Irmtraud tells me.

“Bregenzerwald is my home,” she says. “And I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. People here – our young people – they leave to study or for work but they always come back. They always come home.”

By now, the mourners have gone and wedding guests begin to gather in front of the pavilion. The women wear juppe, embroidered aprons and bodices over long black skirts, accompanied by bright white blouses. It is, as Irmtraud tells me, the oldest traditional dress in Europe that’s still actually worn. I get a closer look at the juppe  in the  museum next to Angelika Kauffman’s paintings, where gold stitching and blue ribbon march across velvet, cotton and centuries of needlecraft.

Not that Schwarzenberg, or even the Bregenzerwald region as a whole, is all about tradition, no matter how many heart-shaped carvings and lace-trimmed pillows snuggle between wood shavings and low ceilings.

“We are not Tirol,” says Irmtraud.

In the village of Au, Andrea agrees. “Bregenzerwald prides itself on its innovation. You can see it everywhere, from the architecture to the gastronomy.”

She’s talking about the KäseStrasse, the cheese route that circles through artisanal shops, along the smooth but winding mountain roads and into the cooperative cellar near Lingenau. Rows of amber discs glow behind a pane of glass, while a woman slices cheese with a viciously large knife.

“Would you like a taste?”

The knife tells me I can’t refuse.  Bregenzerwald Alpine cheese has a tough, sweet – yet salty – taste. Farmers here, like many elsewhere, have struggled to make a living the old-fashioned way. So, in typical Bregenzerwald fashion, they improvised, expanding into different types of cheese, gourmet tastings, tours, and in the case of one farmer, using cheese to create beauty products.

In the small town of Au, the Krone Hotel combines evening dinner with organ recitals at the church next door or live zither performances inside. The picturesque town of Bezau, with narrow streets and a church almost overbearingly perfect, has made a name for itself with its award-winning wellness hotels.

Modern art embraces the mountains in the form of 100 statues of Antony Gormley. Each one stands proud 2039 metres above sea level. Each one attracts attention from snow, hikers and inquisitive cows.

Yet for all the focus on the future and innovation, those cows, snowy mountains, wild orchids and alpine air dominate life here as much now as they did thousands of years ago. That’s why it’s such an interesting place to visit.

Back in Schwarzenberg, I’m warming up inside.  As it happens, both the funeral and wedding parties have chosen the same cosy guesthouse, giving me plenty of chances to see the juppe in action.

It’s time to agree with Irmtraud. It’s not just for tourists, this is the real thing.  

 More on Abigail’s adventures in Austria you will find on her blog.

 Abigail King is a freelance writer and photographer who swapped a career as a doctor for a life on the road. She has circled the globe twice, camped in the snows of Kilimanjaro and Patagonia and tracked down tigers, turtles and panda bears. She’s then had a hot shower and embraced the city life of New York, Rio, Paris and Tokyo.

She blogs about unusual journeys at Inside the Travel Lab

The Alpbach valley – a refreshing antidote to modern life stress – where life is relaxed, traditional lifestyles still prevail, and the people are incredibly friendly.  At lest this is what Matt experienced. But what does Sarah – LiveShareTravel.com – think of the Alpbach valley?

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZntCKWh9Ww&feature=player_embeded

“We loved the hiker’s haven of Alpbachtal higher up in the Tirol. We found blissful pastures emblazoned with buttercup-filled meadows and the quaintest alpine architecture. It’s the sort of views that make you want to breathe it all in, take a mental picture, and freeze frame them forever. ”

More adventures on Sarah’s and Terry’s Austrian summer adventure you will find here.

Tags: Food & Wine, Hidden Treasures, Summer, Tradition

“A city laced with modern art, culture and quick escapes into nature (plus a charismatic Old Town it seems to overlook.)” Abigail – Inside the Travel Lab - visitied the region of Lake Constance in Vorarlberg. What does she think about it!? Below you will find her view on the region.

“With a dagger deep in his chest, he leans back, eyelids closed, a staircase eating into his cheek. Crowds gather beneath to take photos as his hand clasps a slab of writing and the lights of Switzerland begin to come on in the distance.

 He is this year’s setting for the Bregenz summer festival, a floating stage that rises out of the calm Lake Bodensee (Lake Constance), ready to depict the drama of the opera Andre Chénier. Previous years have seen La Bohème, Aida and of course, Tosca performed here, where Daniel Craig scrambled across a colossal burning iris as James Bond in Quantum of Solace.

This is Bregenz, the capital of the Voralrberg region in western Austria. On the one hand a calm, quiet slice of urban mountain life with lakeside beaches, cycling, quiet cafes and hiking routes. On the other, a haven for daring, provocative, contemporary art.

The opaque cube of the KUB challenges the waterfront, its letters standing for Kunsthaus Bregenz, which roughly translates into art house. The exhibits inside range from press mash-ups about body-image to DVD cases of Will Smith’s Fresh Prince of Bel Air. Last year, the art escaped the confines of the KUB to straddle the mountains in the guise of 100 bronze figures of Antony Gormley .

Fresh, modern and innovative, Bregenz wants to say. We don’t just have stages, we have floating stages. We don’t just have a lake, we have a lake with two names (Lake Constance and Bodensee), a lake that borders Germany and Switzerland, with Liechtenstein not far away.

We have fun, we have fashion – and we still have an atmospheric Old Town that we’re almost too cool to tell you about.

The posters and publicity point to the future but Bregenz shouldn’t be in such a hurry to brush off its past. Old Town Bregenz still oozes with charm with its cobbled streets, painted shutters, stone fountains and traditional murals. Deep peach and soaked turquoise facades provide a thoroughly lived-in, Austrian look.

There’s even a whisper that the restaurants here serve Wiener Schnitzel. But I might not sound cool enough if I told you about that…”

 

Abigail King is a freelance writer and photographer who swapped a career as a doctor for a life on the road. She has circled the globe twice, camped in the snows of Kilimanjaro and Patagonia and tracked down tigers, turtles and panda bears. She’s then had a hot shower and embraced the city life of New York, Rio, Paris and Tokyo.

She blogs about unusual journeys at Inside the Travel Lab

Tags: Cities, Culture, Film, Hidden Treasures, Summer