Part zwei; Austria
Flight #2 CDG > MUC
i had already checked in online but needed to check a bag first. there was absolutely no line and in 20 minutes we were at the gate. can you believe it?! security had no line either and we didn't have to take our shoes off. they even didn't notice a bottle of water OUTSIDE my backpack. i wish JFK was as fast as CDG.
the gate had a charging station and we had about another 20 minutes to spare so that was really great. i didn't buy any adapters because whatever hotel we went to had adapters for us.
takeoff was scheduled for 8:25. boarding started at 8:25. we were in the air at 8:37. ya gotta love the Germans. Lufthansa FTW.
I ate my pasta from Pitzmann’s on the plane. Sorry no pic but that pan was licked clean before I even had time to take a pic. Seriously incredible dinner.
now, i haven't flown all that much. less in total probably than Rafi flew before he was born. still, this 1 hour flight was the most pleasant experience of our lives. flight attendants were nice, seats were really comfy, and before we knew it we were starting our descent.
i already posted this in the thread for pics taken from planes
seeing the sunset from above. spectacular.
We landed in MUC in record time and headed straight to the rental car counter.
When i was planning my trip and couldn't find flights on points when trying to book within Europe, i got mad. my way of taking revenge was pissing 33k Avios on a rental. boy did i show them. we did get a pretty car though.
they told us we were the first drivers which was really cool. because of that, we were the ones to put in the info for the GPS
I had read on the Salzburg thread that an international license wasn't necessary and that i needed to buy a toll sticker at a gas station. it was really late by then and i'm pretty sure there was only one (maybe 2) gas stations when you head from MUC to Salzburg. if you're waiting for some border patrol or a big sign telling you where to get your sticker and warning you that you need a sticker, forget it. we didn't see any such sign. the guy at the gas station knew exactly what we were looking for. it's a sticker sort of like the inspection sticker on your car. you peel it off and put it on the windshield.
at some point we got to our hotel. i was so surprised at the whole 'no border' thing!
a little background before i continue.
my original plan was to go to Zurich and stay there. I was planning on taking a train to see the alps one day and stay the rest in Zurich. @vacaionlover was kind enough to point out to me that it's as if i'm planning on going to NY and staying in Brooklyn for the kosher food/minyan and traveling to the Catskills to take in the scenery. He was also really nice by showing me this Kosher hotel i ended up staying in. It's no Switzerland, but it was incredible. the mountains are breathtaking! they are everywhere and huge and make for very scenic drives. at times, we would just stop the car to take some more pictures because we couldn't get enough.
As you can see from the Salzburg thread, there isn't a whole lot of activities around Kaprun (the town where the hotel is). we only stayed for 3 days and weren't bored for a minute.
@vacationlover, i can't thank you enough. we had an incredible time. our only regret was not staying longer. We've never been to a kosher hotel so this was extra special for us. at $250 a night (standard room) including all food- this was no question for us.
check in was easy. the security guy helped us with our bags. here are some pics of the inside/outside of the hotel. all pics were taken at different times so mind the lighting
these curtains cover fabulous doors that lead to a balcony. every room has one
balcony
the room also had a nice big window. this was the view (pic taken at 5:30am)
Hashgacha
panoramic of part of the shul
front entrance
front of the building
front deck
lobby
more lobby (piano!)
lobby plus front desk
coffee room open 24 hours with coffee, tea, water, and some cake
pool with the clearest water imaginable
pool after hours
showers at the pool
this is only part of the dining room
I know this TR has been mostly about food so back to our regularly scheduled programming, here's breakfast:
omelette station
breakfast was mostly the same every day.
Day 1:
we woke up a little late but were still able to catch breakfast. we didn't notice the place cards on the table reserving our seats so we ate on the outside deck. it was a glorious day and a great preview for our stay in Austria.
they only had instant coffee by the buffet but the waitress understood me when i asked for freshly ground coffee. she promptly brought out a carafe of hot coffee, a saucer of milk, sugar and cups- right to our table.
my view during breakfast. no words...
we went down to breakfast 15 minutes before they finished serving. we stayed well past 10:30 and no one said a word. staff was superb the whole time.
I have always loved the Swarovski brand and when i saw on TripAdvisor that the factory was close by to Kaprun, i knew i must visit. it's about a 2 hour drive and like i said above, we kept stopping to take pictures along the way so it was more like 2.5 hours.
Scenery along the way (back and forth)
there are cows everywhere and these cows were very high up on a seriously steep hill. i got vertigo just trying to take the pic
Admission isn't cheap at €19 a person but we thought it was worth it.
the pictures are all garbage. i'll still show you, but keep in mind that the whole factory is totally dark with lights placed in strategic places to display the artwork.
entrance to the museum. they call this "the giant"
largest hand cut crystal in the world.
entire wall made of crystals
a closer look
the chandelier room
close up of the display above
halway made of crystals. the floor is literally bumpy and you can feel the tiny crystals
replica of the Taj Mahal
reminds me of the Louvre
i don't even know what this room meant but the only word to describe it is trippy
close up of the image above
even closer
i don't know... maybe a sail boat? Pirate ship??
Elton John's Crown
Ruby red slippers from the Wizard of Oz
super fancy chain mail??
Cinderella
after the tour there is a massive shop (not souvenirs)
i was going to buy this dress (it's for sale) but i knew it would just end up sitting in my closet forever
€3920
€1770
€11900
€14900
The Swarovski Swan. for only €4295
The place is officially called Swarovski Kristallwelten. quiet literally- Crystal Forest. when we exited the place we saw why:
these "trees" sparkle like diamonds. i don't know if it's naturally from the sunlight or if they have little lights but they were mesmerizing.
We didn't explore more of the grounds because it was too hot but there is a playground there as well. the place is huge. they have chairs everywhere and lots of people were picnicking there (they also have a restaurant). a little closer to the parking lot is the souvenir shop. selection is abysmal but i got my tiny little magnet (doesn't even say Swarovski or anything).
Dinner is served at 7pm
That's it for Austria day 1!
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