Innsbruck - cold and beautiful!

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Ahhh..the beauty of winter in the alps! Our day started at 0C as we prepared for our first day. we are staying at the Gasthof Steixner in Wseer. It's a quaint family-run property where I was based for 7 seasons whilst wotking with NAT Eurotours - and where I worked the "back bar" for a couple of easons after leaving NAT and before heading to USA. Hans & Monika Hirschhuber looked after tens of thousand of Aussies and travellers of other nationalities during the decades when world-travellong Aussies fled the wet and cold dreariness of London for the beauty and snow-covered Alps of Austria, and the chance to learn to ski over a 7 or 14 night period. This village and in particular the Gasthof Steixner because famous during he years from 1970 - 1990. The owners - Hans & Monika were the most gracious hosts you could ever meet - and the meals Monika prepared in the kitchen were both filling and great tasing. In the late 90's, the youngest daughter Eva and her younger brother took over the running and management of the house - but Hans and Monika still kept their hands in the business. Sadly - Hans passed away in May 2009 - and the villaage saw the bigegst funeral it has ever seen -with tirbute coming in from all over the world - from people who had been guests at the Steixner during the 70's, 80's 90's and 00's. The property has undergone a coule renovations since the mid 80's - the last one being completed in Nov. 2010. Whilst the exterior of the house has not changed much - it's the interior rooms - the "front bar", all the bed rooms, and the new dining room that have changed the interior of the hotel.

Spent the day in Innsbruck visiting suppliers we use. Temperature got to -6C, quite a change from the hot and humid Kingscliff we had left just 48 hours prior.

When visiting Innsbruck - do not park in a handicap zone - otherwise your vehicle will get "airlifted" to the local pound. It will cost this driver (or his firm) about $500 to pay off the parking infringement and to get the car back from the pound!

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Photos

Up up and away
What happens when you illegally park in Innsbruck