Hearts, Jumping for Joy

I don't know about the picture limit for one singular posting but I can tell, your scroll-bar will become very small by the end of this day, I mean, by the end of this posting.

During our vacation we leave the house no earlier than 11am and return home by 6pm, but still each day provides so many pleasant sights and seeings. Last year Mr Paula visited the Weissensee with his family, they were impressed by its beauty and frost. It is ab0ut 900m above sea level. Since it was new to me, we decided Weissensee it is! It was an 1 hour drive, and totally worth the drive!

Before the picture show starts, I like to share what I read on the news online:
A few years ago, Russians started coming to Austria for alpine skiing. They visit Tyrol and Salzburg but they don't come down here. Because the time the former Eastern-European-tourism developed in Austria, the hotels in Carinthia were well booked, no need for new visitors. Today the hotels would not mind a few more guests, lets say from Russia and the Ukraine. But the infrastructure lacks important attractions: the bling-bling, D&G, LV, Gucci etc. The villages here are really laid back and a bit behind regarding recent developments in tourism: luxury.

The world's most successful D&G Boutique isn't in Milano nor Paris but St Moritz! That's why the Russians continue heading west, towards Tyrol and Switzerland while some beds stay empty in Carinthia, mostly the 3-star-category. The visitors here origin from Italy, Austria, the Netherlands and Germany. And a handful from the Ukraine.

So, talking about St Moritz, I don't know how much you have seen and heard about St Moritz. To me, the Weissensee is like the St. Moritz of Carinthia. Traditional winter-sports, coaches, sun ... a place to dream of.



I was really glad, the snow plow/ice-machine formed a snow-path on the ice, since it was very very slippery! Even my Ludwig Reiter booties, model "Tourist" (Warning, link opens a PDF file!) could not helpon the ice.

Note: ALL activities to be seen take place on the ice, including the coach and the giant skating shoe.

Snow-track to the left, ice-track to the right, idyllic village far right

A dog owner and his pet, another pleasant sight. The snow-path is on the ice.

There are little opportunities on a frozen lake, I am sooo glad they installed this booth! ... not on the ice.

Coach on ice
Every Carinthian lake seems to offer one big, ugly building. Can you see it?
This lake is said to be the largest natural ice-surface providin with a primed surface.

Blue skies, and the village in the background ... the cliché of a perfect winter day.

Yay, another traditional sport: ice stock sport, also known as Bavarian curling.

Taking this picture drew me really close to the group, because the camera has no zoom, only a wide-angle. Call me the paparazza of the lake.

The tops of the ice stocks are custom made with ornaments!
More blue skies and hearts, jumping for joy.

Here you can see me, trying on the model of a large scale ancient skating shoe.

At 1400, farmers skated over the ice ...

... and they still do iso 600 years later.

This was Mr Paula's favourite sight. *still laughing*

I just love this confident little fellow!

Afternoon, 4pm

A Sauna! Too bad you can't jump into the lake afterwards.

On our way back home we drove through a valley which suprised us with its stunning beauty:

What we also like about this region: it is vast and you still find industry and long passages without villages. In other parts of Austria one village follows the other when driving through a valley.

I call this chapter of the day "The Ice Storm meets Hokkaido":

Driving home ... l'heuer bleue, -8°C, looking at mountain tops we've visited during the past two weeks!

At the end of a good day time for a decent movie. Hello Lizzy!

I am off to the kitchen, time for an evening snack. Probably Kaiserschmarrn, there are still so many eggs to be eaten before our way home. Monday we go back to work. bohooo. I will miss the fresh air in my lungs and the wooden beams of the house. boo hooooo.

PS: the weather in Vienna today was mist and drizzle. I need to save the blue skies, it will take some time until spring and pleasant sights arrive in the city!