18.9.2009 von admin.

… this time every year, the traditional Oktoberfest starts in Munich. Not only in Munich you can enjoy the large beers, traditional music, half a chicken(!) and the traditional costumes. The Oktoberfest is celebrated all over the world, even though the fest in Munich  is counted to the most known events in Germany and the worlds biggest fair, to hold approx 6 million visitors every year.

In 1810 the commemoration of Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese of Saxe-Hilburghausen marriage was held and disputed as the first Oktoberfest held. With some exceptions, the Oktoberfest is held yearly starting mid September until the first weekend of October. It starts of with the traditional twelve gun salute and the tapping of the first keg of beer. All the tents hold their own tradition (see listing below*).

Also the traditional clothes is a highlight, men in their lederhosen and women in the colorful dresses.  A tip is to buy the dresses off season, as they are quiet expensive and a shop I have grown to like, is the Heimatwerk Kärnten, where I got my latest dress in pink and green pastels. You do have more fun in traditional clothes at the Oktoberfest and it looks fantastic when men and women dress up in their “Tracht”.

In this area - almost all larger cities and villages have their own Oktoberfest during September/beginning of October, so if you want to stay out of the large crowd of 6 million people, you get more tradition in the villages then nowadays at the Oktoberfest, however it is worth being there at least once!

So let’s salute to the Oktoberfest 2009!

So long - Prost!

/S

 *Tent informtion:

• Hippodrom — One of the smaller tents, it’s the first tent that many visitors see at the fest. As well as serving normal Wiesn beer, it has a Sekt (sparkling wine) bar and Maß of Weißbier. Considered one of the trendiest tents, and attracts the occasional celebrity. Traditionally in the evening the Oktoberfest band the Münchner Zwietracht plays all the Oktoberfestclassics.
• Armbrustschützenzelt — Translates as the “Crossbow Shooters Tent”, a competition that has been a part of the Oktoberfest since 1895.
• Hofbräu Festzelt— The counterpart to the famous Hofbräuhaus, this tent is especially popular with Americans, Australians and New Zealanders.
• Hacker-Festzelt — One of the largest tents on the Wiesn, they have a rock band that plays from 5:30 each evening (as opposed to the traditional brass band). This tent is also known as “Himmel der Bayern” (Heaven of Bavaria)
• Schottenhamel — Reckoned to be the most important tent at the Oktoberfest, mainly because it is where it starts. On the first Saturday of the event, no beer is allowed to be served until the mayor of Munich (currently Christian Ude) taps the first keg, at 12pm. Only then can the other tents begin to serve beer. Very popular amongst younger people.
• Winzerer Fähndl — This tent is noted for its huge tower, with a Maß of Paulaner beer sitting atop it.
• Schützen-Festhalle — This is a mid-sized tent. Situated under the Bavaria statue, the current tent was newly built in 2004.
• Käfers Wiesen Schänke — The smallest tent at the Oktoberfest, it is frequented by celebrities, and is known for its especially good food. In contrast to the other tents (which must close by 11pm), it is open until 0:30am, but it can be very difficult to get in.
• Weinzelt — This tent offers a selection of more than 15 wines, as well as Weißbier.
• Löwenbräu-Festhalle — Above the entrance is a 4.50 meter (15 foot) lion who occasionally drinks from his beer. This is overshadowed by another tower where another drinking lion sits.
• Bräurosl (Hacker-Pschorr) — Named after the daughter of the original brewery owner (Pschorr), this tent has the usual brass band and a yodeler.
• Augustiner-Festhalle — Considered by many locals to be the best tent, due to the fact it sells the favourite local brew, Augustiner, from individually tapped wooden kegs rather than stainless steel vats used by the other tents.
• Ochsenbraterei — True to its name, this tent offers a great variety of ox dishes.
• Fischer Vroni — Another of the smaller tents. Fisch is the German word for fish and this tent carries a huge selection in its menu.

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17.9.2009 von admin.

.. a very old and dear friend (sorry - not implicating your age) and I went for a trip down to Klagenfurt and visited the autumn exhibition and the fairground today. There you can find most things, local or international, whirlpools, bigger whirlpools and enormous whirlpools, vacuum-cleaners, clothes, jewelry, wine and furniture. I settled for some red wine - Cabernet from Chile, although Austrian wine is very good and I drink it dearly. Today we went international though… but mum still was surprised I hadn’t pocketed a whirlpool while I was at it. Unfortunately, the only place to put i, would be the backyard, which would mean that every time we needed to get something from the shed, a swim would be necessary to reach it. Can actually picture that…

It is anyway worth a visit and is ongoing until the 20th September…so a couple of days left.

So long - whirl away

/S

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16.9.2009 von admin.

“Oh, divine chocolate! They grind thee kneeling, Beat thee with hands praying, And drink thee with eyes to heaven”. -Marco Antonio Orellana, circ 18th century

It’s funny you know, as soon as you shouldn’t eat things that the bathroom scale screams NOOOOOO(!) to, the TV channels purposely make sure the most of the programmes contain food, sweets and other delicious things at least in a 5 minute interval throughout the evening. Starting from Emmerdale Farm (German version), continuing through the news channel, weather report and finishing of with the travel guide. So the safest bet, if you have an issue with the scale (or it with you), make sure you either have a book containing non-food related topics handy, or just sleep through the painful scenes.

I can’t stop wondering,  chocolate has existed over 1500 years, and was worshipped by the Mayan civilisation in Central America and still is no good for you (!)…

Anyway - Fahrnberger in Klagenfurt has  great, delicious sweets and everything to go with it. Great to stop by a rainy day like this…

So long - stay sweet

/S

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15.9.2009 von admin.

… on the 25th - 27th of September there is another weekend full of fitness, of course for those of you watching from a safe distance the weekend can be spent on other, more relaxing things.

The ultrarun with it’s 55 km takes you around Wörthersee on the beautiful hiking trail and can be done either alone or relay. Also hiking and Nordic Walking has a spot in the programme on Saturday.

The Wine and Gourmet weekend “Haube & Traube“, between the 23rd and 26th October can be enjoyed for the second time at Schloss Velden. National and international star chefs will certainly spoil you with good food and wine to go with it. You will enjoy it for sure! (Tip of the day: Make sure you hide the scale well before you leave and engage a personal trainer for when you return back)

Also the autumns brings perfect opportunities to enjoy the fantastic golf-courses in the area, but also trekking and hiking is certainly one of the highlights.

For those of you going on motorbikes, as long as you stay away from the higher mountains, you will be safe from snow. The  Grossglockner High Alpine Road got their fair share of snow yesterday. This fantastic road takes you through the  Hohe Tauern National Park to the highest mountain in Austria, Grossglockner with its 3.798 metres. The high Alpine Road is 48 km, 36 bends and an altitude to more then 2.500 metres.

Quote; - In 1951, Oskar Kühlken, author of the “Glockner Book“ described the myth behind the mountain as follows:

“The Grossglockner is more than just the highest mountain in Austria. It is enveloped in the aura of an extraordinary personality, cast on all who fall under its spell.“
With the building of the Grossglockner High Alpine Road, the majestic peak acquired a new dimension. As a popular excursion destination it is the epitome of an impressive natural experience for many people: size and power can be felt here, one is subject to the fascination of the eternal ice and the elemental force of nature.

So long - awaiting the new dimension

/S

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14.9.2009 von admin.

… after our sweet guests from Vienna left, a tour to Villach had to be done, even though I’d rather cuddle up in the sofa, read a good book and enjoy the rain hammering on the window. Days like these are necessary as well, enjoying time to yourself and not have a bad conscious not being out.Our two guys from Vienna were heading up to Bad Kleinkirchkeim - for a “body and soul” treatment in the Thermal bath.

When the sun shines, the urge and the angel hangs on to your shoulder telling you                                                                            - “You should be out in this nice weather and get some sun (of course not knowing that from the sun you can get seriously ill!). Enjoy while you can!”

Times like this; when the little angel’s getting on my nerves, I let the little devil purposely win, pull down the curtains, haul the duvet up under my nose and settle with the book. Times like that, don’t happen very often though, as the sun is my friend, not my freckles friend or the pale skin friend, but my mood friend. Anyway, enough of the sun, as there was no sun today, it is of no vital importance to discuss, what could have been done if the sun was shining.

Went to the book store and ordered some English books, written by one of my favourite authors Janet Evanovich.  Easy and fun reading about Stephanie Plum as the worst bounty hunter with attitude ever happened… Perfect books for “goodbookcuddleupweatherdays”.

I will now return to some reading,

So long - one for the money, two for the dough, three….

/S

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13.9.2009 von admin.

…. and buon viaggio to our dear Italian guests who returned back to Italy today.

The house turned quiet after a breakfast full of laughs and great Italian temperament! I guess they have enjoyed their

weekend at the European Bike Week and returned safe and sound back to Italy.

It was great having you here and hope to see you next year again!

 So long for now - ciao!

/S

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12.9.2009 von admin.

… must be the philosophy of our dear Italian guests on their Harley’s. Even though it must have been a long night with lack of sleep, the mood around the breakfast table this morning showed nothing of this. Through breakfast they were chatting away, and their laughing probably made the whole neighbourhood wonder, however it is so refreshing and coming from the heart. Not only was it great to listen to, but contagious to us and the rest of our guests.

The day started off with laughter, sun and guests in a good mood and I am positive the day will end as great as it began.

A laugh prolongs life and produces a general sense of well-being and we should do it as often as we can.

So long - keep on laughing

/S

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11.9.2009 von admin.

… came rolling in from Italy today and filled our parking-lot. I do love Italians for their bubbly mentality, laughs and humor, however I don’t speak one word Italian, as I am not counting - pronto, ciao, prego and pizza to being fluent, but in Italian body-language, I could say I am at an advanced level.

Our guys from Bavaria go all dressed up today in their gear. Mum thought they looked stunning, but they corrected her into -quote:”everything for protection”. However I must admit, these motorbike outfits have something, however too expensive to match my purchasing behaviour.  The number of shopping days per year would be drastically reduced and me finding comfort in shoe-shopping would be below level of satisfaction. Not mentioning that it would look rather stupid walking around with motorbike gear without having a bike to go with it.

Our Bavarian guys on their bikes… Don’t ask me the make or horsepower, wouldn’t know if it was tattooed across my forehead, but they look good and have nice colors..and they are probably fast, concluding from the gear they are wearing. As long as they drive safe..

So long - ciao

/S

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10.9.2009 von admin.

.. the international gay festival, kicked-off today for the second year in Pörtschach. Everything and anything from speed-dating, chill-out lounge with DJ, Almdudler Trachtenparty, Club night- Sissi Ball and Prosecco breakfast. A fully packed programme from today until Sunday afternoon. More details can be found under this link. Enjoy!

This year, it feels like the European Bike Week is larger then last, or my ears have become more sensitive to sound, but also the room requests have increased from last year. Which is great of course!

We are gladly welcoming our Italian Biker guests tomorrow and wishing them a safe journey here. I will do some praying for the good weather!

So long - drive safe - wroom…again…

/S

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9.9.2009 von admin.

…not that you need any marketing or newspapers to realize this. The sound of the motorbikes have let most of us in Carinthia know that this week belongs to them and by the end of the week the majority will not be able to hear anything anymore… Even though I indeed appreciate the sound, however keeping a phone conversation going when located on the veranda is close to impossible. Some years ago, I actually thought of taking the licence myself, but leaping a high risk of my mother disowning me, I left it at a thought.

Villach was crowded with bikes today as the mandatory shopping was due, but this time I tricked my mother to go past the mall, enabling me to feel, look and satisfy the basic shopaholic needs. Sometimes I wonder which planet my mother comes from, as all shopping-desire whatsoever leaves her cold, and I mean ice-cold…

For those of you thinking of doing some autumn hiking - check out Bergfex with info on the “Wörthersee Höhenwanderweg”.  65 kilometres in different sections, with beautiful view up to an altitude of 1900 am. The autumn is beautiful here, the colors of the trees, the lake Wörthersee and the usually good weather. I personally love the autumn, as it is quieter and more peaceful then summer and perfect for hiking in the woods as it is not too hot.

So long - bike week - here we go!

/S

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