I wanted to share with you one of the most amazing trips I took in my life (and there were many to choose from). It’s a holiday I spent in Austria, and although it was a bit of a time ago, the significance it made on me still stands strong.
It began as me urgently wanting to go on a holiday January time. After a few holidays, the repetitive patterns of sunny locations became a bit too much of a habit and I knew I wanted something different. The couple of things I had in mind? I wanted snow, warm jumpers and excuse to drink mulled wine even though it was way past Christmas. Austria! Perfect! The holiday was booked!
The journey to the airport and flight was exhausting like no other…. I had very poor sleep and forgot my earplugs so couldn’t catch up sleep on the plane. I was very irritated and my eyes felt like they were being glued shut, that’s until I saw the stunning view just after leaving the plane. Mountains covered with clouds half-way through. It felt like I was in a cloud land… It was so surreal! I bought the biggest cinnamon roll I have ever seen in my entire life, to munch on a coach which would take me and the fellow tourists to out chalet.
We drove past snowy landscapes which I couldn’t even start to compare to anything I’ve seen in my life. It truly seemed like I was in dream land. (It probably was also due to the fact I haven’t slept for the last 20 hours).
When I was a kid, I lived by the forest and my childhood was filled with fairytale books of all sort. Seeing Austria in all its snowy glory with wooden houses, misty forests and mountains- re-ignited these memories.
We arrived at the place and took a short walk to the chalet we were staying at. The wooden hut again, looked like something out of a fairytale. I was hopping through snow, fully chirpy and excited like I’ve never seen snow before. I bet the other travellers established already that I’m crazy.
We were welcomed by warm mulled wine, and some light snacks in form of cake. I looked out of the windows to admire the snowy view until the time we got assigned to our rooms. I have to say that the holiday started off on a good note as I got the best view I could possibly imagine! I was in awe!
(Me admiring my balcony view)
I went into town to scout out the place, and admired the wooden fairytale constructions with the grand mountain backdrop! I got some nice snacks…. The famous Austrian chocolate being the main purchase hehe
(Seen in one of the town shops)
(Most of towns restaurants had options to sit outside offering warm blankets)
Upon getting back we were welcomed by our first dinner. And boyyy… it was something….
Basically, the dish consisted of balls moulded from whatever leftovers there were in the kitchen and served in warm water. Not the best first impression. I have to say though, that the chalet was run by 4 teens/ young adults and for 40 guests in the chalet, there was only one chef…. She was 16. The food got progressively better as the holiday went on, so their hard work definitely got noticed. One thing I liked is that there were limited seats at the chalet, which meant all the tourists had to sit together… which meant loads of mulled wine and socializing! The staff at the chalet was also trying to come up with some fun nights, filled with quizzes and that was a whole load of fun!
(Ski lifts and clouds... so dreamyyy)
Being in Mayrhofen, I had to see the surrounding mountains and explore their beauty. So, after getting my ski pass next day, there I went- to my first mountain peak! I was stunned! The snowy landscapes outstretched in a far beyond land while I watched the little town I stayed at getting smaller and smaller, while on a ski lift.
The snow was creaking underneath my feet and the crisp fresh air, kept me fully awake among with the sharp mountain views and fearless skiers, taming those mountain beasts!
I myself don’t ski, but snowboarding has always been on my bucket list! That’s until I got my knee injury, thinking hope was lost, one day, I decided to not listen to overly negative doctors and set my own boundaries in life. So, prior to this trip, I spent 3 months exercising my thigh and calf muscles, making them stronger while lessening the load on the knee.
And then there it was, one of my dreams came true! It was a very significant moment for me! I managed to get a couple of lessons before going off on my own. I have to say that although snowboarding was a lot easier than I thought it was, I still kinda sucked. I was overly careful not to fall and injure myself, so I was taking it pretty slow at the start…. It was quite funny probably to watch, as I had 7 year olds speed past me like complete pros, quite a contrast hehe
After the snow adventure, I set off to the nearby chalet that was placed on top of the mountain to get warmed up. I ate some food outside until it started snowing. Then I moved inside to finish my hot chocolate which was hands down, the best I had in my life!
(Fairytale chalet details)
(These almost gave me a heart attack when I was going to the bathroom)
What I found astounding is the intensity of weather change when being up in the mountain peaks from what was a previously sunny, clear blue-sky day, turned into a snow storm to the point it was hard to make out what was 3 meters in front of you. It was so surreal, like in a dream.
I came back the next day to the same peak for some more snowy adventures!
So yeah, that was the three days I spent in the mountains. Stay tuned for post number two about my Austrian adventures, where I will talk about my photo shoot experiences (these were hilarious).
Hope you enjoyed this post!