We have a great vacation planned, with minimal business aspects to the trip. Nancy was shocked I was able to take such a trip to the BVI last year and this year we plan to rendezvous with the same couple, Peter and Gigi. Gigi is honorary ‘big sister’ and is now based in Vienna (her hometown) after many years in Paris.
Our plan is to fly to Vienna via Amsterdam, meet them and travel by car to Kitzbühel, Austria. Our flight was uneventful and connections were as expected. We had nice sandwiches and refreshments in the airport prior to departing. The drive from Vienna to Kitzbühel was scenic. The Alps are amazing.
We drove through Salzburg (Mozart’s birthplace) and there we picked up a car that Peter was having restored. It was an amazingly beautiful Horch. We arrived just as the garage was closing and Peter got his license plate on it for his first drive. We followed closely behind and observed his treasured car. After a short while he pulled over to the side, removed the top and allowed me to ride along. It was great fun. I have to admit, though, that occasionally I closed my eyes for a few seconds (minutes?) as I was 18 hours into my trip with limited sleep.
We arrived at Peter’s terrific vacation house in Kitzbühel and took a brief nap before dinner. Dinner was at a very interesting local restaurant called Wirshaus Steuerberg. We enjoyed a relaxing dinner of classic austrian dishes sitting outside (very warm evening) on the patio. Several customers had their dogs with them at the tables making it especially enjoyable.
The next morning I got up early and did a run-walk through parts of Kitzbuhel. I find this is a great way to learn about my locales when traveling, but usually the first time I am a bit nervous about finding my way back the first time. Usually after the first time I can create enough local landmarks to hone in on returning from circular missions rather than just out and returns. This morning I made into the old town and visited some of the churches, cemeteries, and shops.
Late morning we departed for Salzburg, which was about an hour away. GG, Peter, Nancy and I toured the old town section near the festival site. The parking lots cut into the mountainside were pretty impressive. Unfortunately the weather was cool and damp, interfering with our shopping and touring experience. Turns out Peter did his high school days in Salzburg and was showing us various sites, including Mozart’s home.
As the weather got worse we deviated from the plan and decided to have lunch at the famous St Peter Stiftskeller – The Restaurant in Salzburg. Unbelievably it traces its lineage back to 803 AD thus claiming to be the oldest restaurant in Central Europe. (There are older elsewhere? I should track this down some day). We had another Austrian meal and we are lucky that broccoli (white, green, etc.) are in season and the dishes are great.
That evening we just have cold cuts for dinner back at Peter’s chalet. There was also quite a bit of alcohol so sleep was again easy. I am finding the the combination of many meals, lots of flowing alcohol, and jet lag is kicking my butt. I normally live on little sleep with just a short nap now or then. Well this naps are sneaking up on me and I am still sleeping for 7 hours at night. Amazing.
Sunday I jog-walk to the beginning of the ski slopes and then through parts of old town Kitzbühel. Kitzbühel actually views itself as the town of sports. What it means is that it has fantastic skiing during the winter and just as good hiking and mountain biking during the summer months. Trails are well marked and laid out.
Later that morning Peter guides Nancy and me to short walk through the old town. Prior to this, however, I help Gigi create some charts for her presentation the next day at Innsbruck.
We depart mid-day for Innsbruck but take a side trip to the Stanglwirt resort (bio-hotel) for a gourmet Austrian meal. The reason why it’s called a bio-hotel is that it include riding stables but also a pen for cattle (dairy cows) with the restaurant. One can peak through windows in the dining room to watch the cattle feed. I was relieved to learn that they were dairy stock, else it might be a variation of picking out one’s lobster in the tank at seafood restaurants.
We proceeded to Innsbruck and checked into The Penz hotel. Very modern with glass and metal architecture. The rooms are nice and the restaurant/cafe make up the entire top floor. Price was reasonable when booked through the GE4 – IIE Conference. That night we had a nice dinner hosted by the MCI and University of Innsbruck.
The next day we attended a conference hosted by the GE4 and IIE. It included educators from all over the world including Jim Cunningham (with wife Cheryl) and Bob Oxley from Embry-Riddle. It was great catching up with them. That night we were hosted at MCI’s tourism institute for dinner part way up the mountain adjacent to the zoo. The students did great and it was a nice setting overlooking town. Gigi got several awards for her thanks and long time achievement supporting international engineering education.
Innsbruck is an amazing city. It’s mostly a university town and the Alps that surround it are quite incredible. It has a nice collection of old and new architecture.
The next morning we departed via rental car to Bolzano Italy.
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