With the motto „getting to know your own country“ I set off on a mission to explore our beautiful Austria even more. In the beginning of December, I jumped into my Sportster en route to a region I have known for a long time – Salzburg and Tyrol. But there are still loads of new things to discover.
We stayed in a small village called Fieberbrunn and did day trips from there:
For the foodies – “Hut essen”
Have you heard about this strange tradition? I first heard about it in the spring of this year and absolutely fell in love with it. Picture a witch hat made of tin: the brim is filled with fresh soup, there’s a hot flame heating the hat from below and the meat hangs on hooks. It’s kind of like a Tyrolese/Salzburg version of raclette. I reserved a table at the restaurant Priesteregg in Leogang, Salzburg. In addition to the meat, they also serve potatoes, homemade sauces, fresh garlic bread and a stunning salad. Nooooom!
For all adrenaline junkies – Paragliding the Streif
The Streif, the Hahnenkamm – the most dangerous downhill stretch in the world. Back in January, after watching the ski race live together with my boyfriend and cheering for our male skiers (and I still think the race should have been called off much earlier, not after the umpteenth time they had to call in a helicopter), I decided I wanted to see the Streif from above. I have skied down the slope a couple of times already, although much much slower than the pros (for obvious reasons!).
I met Sebastian from element3 at the summit station. After giving me brief instructions, he put my harness on and started to prepare the chute. I heard the harness click into place and then I was told to ruuuuuun – past the starting point towards Mausefalle. This passage always looks flat on tv but believe you me it is NOT. Stopping was no longer an option, so we kept running – until we couldn’t reach the ground anymore. Sebastian manoeuvred the chute towards the ground and we started spinning around in circles. Skiers stopped on the slopes to watch us. A few happy screams escaped me – the feeling of complete freedom paired with adrenaline and joy, I tell you it was amazing.
For all who like the small town feel – Kufstein
The sleepy town of Kufstein is only a short drive from Kitzbühel. It is small but cosy and a popular visiting spot just before Christmas. There are plenty of Christmas markets and Kufstein castle is also worth a visit – unfortunately, the queue at the ticket counter and the lift was sheer endless, so I didn’t get to go this time.
For ultimate relaxation – Tauern Spa Kaprun
The day before last of my road trip was spent at a very popular spa – the Tauern Spa Kaprun in Salzburg. I kept seeing pictures of their rooftop infinity pool and just had to go see it with my own eyes. It took a while but I finally found the time for a visit.
I got there really early, jumped out of my bright red Sportster and was glad to be able to leave my laptop behind for a day. Only my phone, GoPro and a book (Makarionissi by Vea Kaiser) made it into my swim bag – still too many gadgets, but what can I say, I have to keep you updated, right?
The infinity pool is only open for hotel guests or if you book the “Tagesurlaub de Luxe”. I really like this concept because the pool isn’t overcrowded and I even had it all to myself a couple of times. The pool also offers amazing views of the majestic mountain “Kitzsteinhorn”.
You want a perfect mountain view but don’t want to splurge on the hotel stay or the deluxe day vacation? Not a problem at all, the panorama recreation room and sauna both boast a full view of the Kitzsteinhorn.
A day of relaxation was definitely needed and I cannot wait to return to the Tauern Spa Kaprun!
For all summiteers – Kitzsteinhorn
Before going back home to Linz, I had to stop in Kaprun one more time. I am a huge mountain lover and just had to pay a visit to Kitzsteinhorn after admiring it all day at the spa. It does take quite a while and 4 different lifts to go from the station on the bottom to the platform at the top. The platform is 3029m above sea level and the view is absolutely fantastic!
It was also my first time visiting a glacier in Austria. Not a bad start, right? I didn’t have enough time to visit the “Gipfelwelt 3000” but I’d love to go back and check it out soon. I definitely recommend it! The restaurant “Panoramablick” offers delicious food and is THE perfect place to defrost a little – it was 7 degrees below zero when I went. Well, I would have loved to enjoy a steaming mug of tea, but my wallet didn’t make it up to the top with me (I left in my second backpack which was waiting in the car – oh well).
About my red companion
Everyone who knows me knows how much I love public transportation in Austria but I also love road tripping. I was able to drive around Salzburg and Tyrol in my Mazda CX-3 for an entire week! Driving in the winter is a breeze thanks to the all-wheel drive (although we are still waiting for proper snow!).
Conclusion: this Sportster is simply the best! Handy feature: there are small built in detectors in the side view mirrors to help with the dead angle (especially useful when you are trying to overtake another car). If the car detects another car, the detector starts blinking.
So how was it?
Where to find the activities
Anyways, I need to go pack for my study abroad semester in Colombia (last minute like always!) – let me know if you can think of anything that’s missing. Be sure to leave me a comment, I cannot wait to read it!
Note: Thanks to Mazda Austria for this wonderful experience and stressless cooperation – I had a lot of fun 🙂
