Against all odds due to this time of year being the busiest for the tourism industry Maciek managed to get both Christmas Day and Boxing Day off work! We were very grateful for this. Our friends Peach, Monika and their little boy arrived Christmas Eve in the afternoon, and after collecting Maciek from work in the evening we enjoyed a meal together and a few drinks. The evening of the 24th is when Austrians celebrate Christmas (we were used to this as this is also tradition in Poland, and our friends also celebrate this way too), and Christkind comes to decorate the tree (oops – we did ours a month too early!) and leave presents for the children. We know he’s been as he tinkles a bell as he leaves to let you know you can bring the children in from their “evening stroll” or in our case “little play in the playroom with the door closed”! Amelia and Noah are especially lucky as they get Christkind AND Santa! Apparently there is a bit of debate going on here at the moment as things are becoming more commercialized and Santa is making more of an appearance, about who brings the best gifts – Christkind or Santa? – and not many an Austrian is too happy about it! Not really sure who Christkind is actually (apart from translating to Christ Child), my questions have been met with looks of confusion and shrugging of shoulders and ums and ahhs. A star or an angel maybe? But nevertheless I think this is where our Kris Kringle/Kriss Kindle/Kiss Kringle/Secret Santa comes from!!Christmas morning, after a delicious omelette courtesy of the Lady of the Manor (me) we took to the beginner slopes for some sledding and mucking about with the kids, and then Maciek and Peach took off for a long awaited (11 years) snowboarding session together.
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| The Grander Schupf |
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| I need a weeee!!!..Sam |
In the evening we took the advice of a friend and had dinner at a beautiful place on the mountain called the Grander Shupf, a traditional Austrian chalet style restaurant, even more magical with Christmas decorations and lights. Situated 1km up the mountain, it made for a scary drive up especially since the snow had turned icy and the
road was steep and winding. Luckily we didn’t cross with another car coming down, as if we’d have stopped we would have been stuck, and would have had to reverse all the way back to the bottom. Driving up a road like that is one thing, reversing down one is another! We were shown to a quiet table tucked away opposite a lovely open fire, and being Christmas I had the duck (no turkey to be seen) with dumplings and blue cabbage. Maciek and Gordon had it too and we couldn’t believe our eyes when our plates came out filled with what looked like a whole duck, sitting beside 3 little dumplings and a blob of cabbage! Tasty though, got my fill of protein that’s for sure! Another fun thing about the place was the fact that you can slide to the loo! Yes, there’s a slide down to the loo’s, and small kids playroom! My friend Sam was very close to laddering her stockings as she had about 5 goes (her excuse is that she had to show her daughter that it wasn’t scary!) Then it was back to our place for desert and Bailey’s coffees, and musical statues played by the grown men with Amelia controlling the music which came from her new ballerina jewelry box that played Swan Lake when it was opened! Very amusing. And they weren’t even drunk!P.S Pics are not so great due to Maciek breaking our camera a week before Christmas (he won’t admit to it) and us having to buy a cheapy one to replace it and not having time to work it out yet!
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| In town |
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| Peach, Monika & Yannik |
Against all odds due to this time of year being the busiest for the tourism industry Maciek managed to get both Christmas Day and Boxing Day off work! We were very grateful for this. Our friends Peach, Monika and their little boy arrived Christmas Eve in the afternoon, and after collecting Maciek from work in the evening we enjoyed a meal together and a few drinks. The evening of the 24th is when Austrians celebrate Christmas (we were used to this as this is also tradition in Poland, and our friends also celebrate this way too), and Christkind comes to decorate the tree (oops – we did ours a month too early!) and leave presents for the children. We know he’s been as he tinkles a bell as he leaves to let you know you can bring the children in from their “evening stroll” or in our case “little play in the playroom with the door closed”! Amelia and Noah are especially lucky as they get Christkind AND Santa! Apparently there is a bit of debate going on here at the moment as things are becoming more commercialized and Santa is making more of an appearance, about who brings the best gifts – Christkind or Santa? – and not many an Austrian is too happy about it! Not really sure who Christkind is actually (apart from translating to Christ Child), my questions have been met with looks of confusion and shrugging of shoulders and ums and ahhs. A star or an angel maybe? But nevertheless I think this is where our Kris Kringle/Kriss Kindle/Kiss Kringle/Secret Santa comes from!!
In the evening we took the advice of a friend and had dinner at a beautiful place on the mountain called the Grander Shupf, a traditional Austrian chalet style restaurant, even more magical with Christmas decorations and lights. Situated 1km up the mountain, it made for a scary drive up especially since the snow had turned icy and the
road was steep and winding. Luckily we didn’t cross with another car coming down, as if we’d have stopped we would have been stuck, and would have had to reverse all the way back to the bottom. Driving up a road like that is one thing, reversing down one is another! We were shown to a quiet table tucked away opposite a lovely open fire, and being Christmas I had the duck (no turkey to be seen) with dumplings and blue cabbage. Maciek and Gordon had it too and we couldn’t believe our eyes when our plates came out filled with what looked like a whole duck, sitting beside 3 little dumplings and a blob of cabbage! Tasty though, got my fill of protein that’s for sure! Another fun thing about the place was the fact that you can slide to the loo! Yes, there’s a slide down to the loo’s, and small kids playroom! My friend Sam was very close to laddering her stockings as she had about 5 goes (her excuse is that she had to show her daughter that it wasn’t scary!) Then it was back to our place for desert and Bailey’s coffees, and musical statues played by the grown men with Amelia controlling the music which came from her new ballerina jewelry box that played Swan Lake when it was opened! Very amusing. And they weren’t even drunk!
i didnt break the camera, it was already broken and whist trying to fix it i was unable to put it back together, ok. it should be noted i have been able to fix many things on this trip, with just my swiss army knife, including a full house of furniture but unfortunately i was unable to save the lumix.
ReplyDeleteHi Mel + Maciej, nice xmas story, glad you had a nice time with your friends.
ReplyDeleteI am writing to you here, because all the mails I have sent you since we have been back keep coming back, and we cant use our mobil phones as I have left the charinging cabels in Soest (silly girl). My friend is sending them on, probably take ages to get here (Italian post). Anyway got back safe and sound, reached the port at 7 in the evening. We will try and stay longer next time, it was lovely to see you all and hope Noah is now better. Will try and skype you, and maybe I can send emails again soon, so take care xxx Sue. Flying out on the 15th to see mom. xxxxxx