DREAMing, some MAGIC and a little bit of Paris! Trip report link!
- Thread starter dizneeat
- Start date
dizneeat
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You are always welcome here, Jill!
Being in Bad Hofgastein made us realize just how beautiful it is here too. You kind of take those things for granted, when you see them every day.
Oh. My. Gosh! Sooooo jealous of all the upcoming trips you have! Even though there were a few snafu's (deposit, forgetting to check in) everything seemed to work out just fine!
We are very pleased with the lineup. I need to plan far ahead to stay on top of airfare, which is, like the cruises, the cheaper the earlier you book. Not that it was CHEAP for Tom's birthday trip.
Oh yeah, and forgetting to check in online!How could that have happened?
And those pictures of the spa are amazing! I love seeing the town with snow over it. So picturesque!
It is a really small village, but it is very beautiful the way it is nestled between the mountains.
It was beautiful and it felt like vacation to me too! Unfortunately because of being away EVERY weekend, all my weekend chores needed to be done during the week and it just flew by.
But the time at the spa with Tom really made up for the lack of time otherwise.
I am glad you enjoy, Teresa! You really need to come back to Europe one day - many things have changed, but I am sure you would still love it here.
Plans for the future trips sound great!
Thanks, Kathy! We really are very happy with the line-up of our future trips!
Love the Spa pictures and the town/mountain pictures. Simply beautiful.
Bad Hofgastein is really a nice little village. They still keep all the older buildings in very good shape and it is so pretty the way it is situated in the valley.
dizneeat
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I arrived right after Tom had finished his dinner and checked in. We went for a walk in the evening after I had had my dinner, which was a salad bowl from a supermarket and a ham sandwich. And after sampling some of his birthday cake (which we didn't take a photo of) we called it an early night.
The next morning we had breakfast at the hotel he was staying, then went shopping. I needed some shoes and the day before we had seen some, which I really liked. I ended up buying three pairs which came close to 350!
Next stop was a tiny shop that sold home-made jams and spirits. Since it was Tom's birthday, I picked up the bill for some rather yummy "Schnaps" and a few jars of jam.
Then it was time to slowly head back to our room for some rest and to get changed as we were on our way to a restaurant we had found online to have his birthday lunch.
We went to the Bertahof
it had come highly recommended on tripadvisor and it looked "cute" from the outside.
Once inside it looked great and we were led to a nice corner table,
handed the menu and ordered our drinks. I got some Diet Coke (driver!) and Tom had some beer
The menu was hand written
and the place setting was so neat
Once we had placed our order we were asked if we cared for some spreads and meats, needless to say we had to try - we could not let our DISboards friends down.
It did not take long and a board with our spreads and meats was placed on the table together with a basket of bread.
There was venison and lamb salami (house made!), a wonderfully light and tasty trout mousse and "Steirisches Verhackertes", which is actually minced bacon and lard, seasoned with garlic, salt and pepper. Yes, very fattening, but oh so tasty.
I was still nibbling breads and spreads when Tom's soup arrived. He had ordered something that we had not seen on a menu anywhere before, the
Horseradishsoup with "knuckle of pork" popcorn.
It was served in this cute old cooking pot. And here's the "popcorn".
They were greaves (or Grammeln as we call them). And boy, was that a tasty soup. The horseradish gave it great aroma and the "popcorn - greaves" were perfect with it. Needless to say, he enjoyed every spoonful of it.
When he was finished he ordered another beer
and soon after our main courses were served.
Tom had ordered the Deep Fried, Breaded Chicken, served with Potato and Mache.
Again, a generous portion and the taste was devine. The chicken was still moist and tender and the potato salad had just the right acidity.
I had ordered the Veal Burgers with Mashed Potatoes and salad.
And they were just as delicious as they looked. They looked small at first, but they were so filling and the jus they came with was really good.
We were far too full for dessert, even though we would have loved to try one.
Instead we drove back to the hotel to walk along the waterfall trail.
The next morning we had breakfast at the hotel he was staying, then went shopping. I needed some shoes and the day before we had seen some, which I really liked. I ended up buying three pairs which came close to 350!
Next stop was a tiny shop that sold home-made jams and spirits. Since it was Tom's birthday, I picked up the bill for some rather yummy "Schnaps" and a few jars of jam.
Then it was time to slowly head back to our room for some rest and to get changed as we were on our way to a restaurant we had found online to have his birthday lunch.
We went to the Bertahof
it had come highly recommended on tripadvisor and it looked "cute" from the outside.
Once inside it looked great and we were led to a nice corner table,
handed the menu and ordered our drinks. I got some Diet Coke (driver!) and Tom had some beer
The menu was hand written
and the place setting was so neat
Once we had placed our order we were asked if we cared for some spreads and meats, needless to say we had to try - we could not let our DISboards friends down.
It did not take long and a board with our spreads and meats was placed on the table together with a basket of bread.
There was venison and lamb salami (house made!), a wonderfully light and tasty trout mousse and "Steirisches Verhackertes", which is actually minced bacon and lard, seasoned with garlic, salt and pepper. Yes, very fattening, but oh so tasty.
I was still nibbling breads and spreads when Tom's soup arrived. He had ordered something that we had not seen on a menu anywhere before, the
Horseradishsoup with "knuckle of pork" popcorn.
It was served in this cute old cooking pot. And here's the "popcorn".
They were greaves (or Grammeln as we call them). And boy, was that a tasty soup. The horseradish gave it great aroma and the "popcorn - greaves" were perfect with it. Needless to say, he enjoyed every spoonful of it.
When he was finished he ordered another beer
and soon after our main courses were served.
Tom had ordered the Deep Fried, Breaded Chicken, served with Potato and Mache.
Again, a generous portion and the taste was devine. The chicken was still moist and tender and the potato salad had just the right acidity.
I had ordered the Veal Burgers with Mashed Potatoes and salad.
And they were just as delicious as they looked. They looked small at first, but they were so filling and the jus they came with was really good.
We were far too full for dessert, even though we would have loved to try one.
Instead we drove back to the hotel to walk along the waterfall trail.
dizneeat
DIS Legend
- Joined
- Apr 9, 2006
- Messages
- 20,845
Unfortunately I had chosen some of the new shoes and about 20 minutes into the trail my heels started to hurt.
I really hoped to be able to push through, but after another 20 minutes I had to give in and we turned around.
So after a short stop at the hotel to put on some band aids and change shoes again, we were now in search of some good socks. I had seen a large clothing store on the way to Bad Hofgastein, so we got into the car and drove there. We were out of luck as they were closed, but we had already driven so far, so we decided to go on and pay Dorfgastein a visit.
We walked around for about 45 minutes and then went back. There was one thing I still really wanted to do. I had seen an offer for 25% off catfood. And I had a voucher for the same store for an additional 10% off. So back we went to the store, but they did not have much variety, so we went to a larger store a little further down the road. We drove there, did some extensive shopping, had some ice cream and a drink in the car and while we sat there it started to get dark. We still needed dinner, so we decided to drive to a pizza place right down the road.
We quickly found a table, were served our drinks
and soon after our pizzas were delivered. I cannot remember what exactly we had ordered, but the size was impressive.
Needless to say that we were not able to finish them and ended up taking away a "whole" pizza.
It came in handy lateron after we had spent the rest of the evening in the spa until 10. After we had gotten back and showered we sat on the bed and finished off the rest of the pizza before going to bed.
I really hoped to be able to push through, but after another 20 minutes I had to give in and we turned around.
So after a short stop at the hotel to put on some band aids and change shoes again, we were now in search of some good socks. I had seen a large clothing store on the way to Bad Hofgastein, so we got into the car and drove there. We were out of luck as they were closed, but we had already driven so far, so we decided to go on and pay Dorfgastein a visit.
We walked around for about 45 minutes and then went back. There was one thing I still really wanted to do. I had seen an offer for 25% off catfood. And I had a voucher for the same store for an additional 10% off. So back we went to the store, but they did not have much variety, so we went to a larger store a little further down the road. We drove there, did some extensive shopping, had some ice cream and a drink in the car and while we sat there it started to get dark. We still needed dinner, so we decided to drive to a pizza place right down the road.
We quickly found a table, were served our drinks
and soon after our pizzas were delivered. I cannot remember what exactly we had ordered, but the size was impressive.
Needless to say that we were not able to finish them and ended up taking away a "whole" pizza.
It came in handy lateron after we had spent the rest of the evening in the spa until 10. After we had gotten back and showered we sat on the bed and finished off the rest of the pizza before going to bed.
dizneeat
DIS Legend
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- Apr 9, 2006
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- 20,845
Everything was perfect that day, apart from the blisters on my heels.
That was a great country restaurant we had found. The food was so good.
Tom went the waterfall trail a few times and photos he took were awesome. I really wanted to see it for myself, but my blisters didn't like more hiking.
That lunch looks so delicious! Love the different meat they serve you with spread and breads. Yum!
Sounds like a great day of shopping, eating and drinking
It was a really good lunch. The spreads and meats were awesome!
And we really enjoyed the rest of the day too - nothing better than a little retail therapy.
dizneeat
DIS Legend
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Okay, I promise there aren't many photos left of Tom's and my spa stay.
So, after a good night's sleep and a hearty breakfast we headed over to the spa again. We spent most of the morning enjoying the the indoor and outdoor pool of the relax area, then checked out the family area with it's slide and dome "in the pool" cinema.
Around 11am we bid the pool goodbye and headed back to Tom's room. We took showers and then got ready to head out for lunch again.
There was this little castle, which Tom had been looking at from the pool most every night and it was time to give it a try for lunch.
Here's the Weitmoser Schlössl ....... (Weitmoser castle)
We were led to an inside table
and were seated here
We ordered some drinks, beer for Tom
and Diet Coke for myself
(yes, it still comes in glass bottles and there are no free refills!) and started studying the menu.
There were lots of really nice choices, but in the end we found what we really wanted.
Tom ordered the Liverdumpling Soup
which was to die for. I tried the creamy potato and leek soup with bacon bits.
OMG, that soup was so good! I could easily have made a meal of it.
Once we had "inhaled" our starters our main courses came out about 10 minutes later.
Tom had ordered the fawn medallions with chestnut puree and pear compot, served with small Austrian dumplings and red cabbage.
I had ordered the Filet steak with green pepper sauce, served with deep fried potato rounds and buttered green beans.
And even though it was more on the rare side than medium, the meat melted in your mouth and it was delicious.
We had to try dessert, so Tom ordered the Illy Coffee dessert, which basically was an Espresso, a scoop of chocolate ice cream and some whipped cream on top.
I had some more calories in mind. I ordered the apricot strudel, served with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream.
So, after a good night's sleep and a hearty breakfast we headed over to the spa again. We spent most of the morning enjoying the the indoor and outdoor pool of the relax area, then checked out the family area with it's slide and dome "in the pool" cinema.
Around 11am we bid the pool goodbye and headed back to Tom's room. We took showers and then got ready to head out for lunch again.
There was this little castle, which Tom had been looking at from the pool most every night and it was time to give it a try for lunch.
Here's the Weitmoser Schlössl ....... (Weitmoser castle)
We were led to an inside table
and were seated here
We ordered some drinks, beer for Tom
and Diet Coke for myself
(yes, it still comes in glass bottles and there are no free refills!
) and started studying the menu.There were lots of really nice choices, but in the end we found what we really wanted.
Tom ordered the Liverdumpling Soup
which was to die for. I tried the creamy potato and leek soup with bacon bits.
OMG, that soup was so good! I could easily have made a meal of it.
Once we had "inhaled" our starters our main courses came out about 10 minutes later.
Tom had ordered the fawn medallions with chestnut puree and pear compot, served with small Austrian dumplings and red cabbage.
I had ordered the Filet steak with green pepper sauce, served with deep fried potato rounds and buttered green beans.
And even though it was more on the rare side than medium, the meat melted in your mouth and it was delicious.
We had to try dessert, so Tom ordered the Illy Coffee dessert, which basically was an Espresso, a scoop of chocolate ice cream and some whipped cream on top.
I had some more calories in mind. I ordered the apricot strudel, served with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream.
dizneeat
DIS Legend
- Joined
- Apr 9, 2006
- Messages
- 20,845
And once we had settled the bill we walked around the building
After lunch we went back to Tom's hotel, packed up most of his stuff and loaded everything into my car as he had to go home by train that next week.
Shortly after 3pm I started the drive home and arrived back home around 6pm.
Here are some more panoramic pics Tom has taken .......
Tom wanted to say thank you to some of the people helping him get better, so I got him some sweets from a very famous gingerbread factory. He decorated them himself and it turned out pretty nice I think.
Okay, that's it now - FINALLY!!!!!!!!!
Next up - the continuation of the Paris trip report.
After lunch we went back to Tom's hotel, packed up most of his stuff and loaded everything into my car as he had to go home by train that next week.
Shortly after 3pm I started the drive home and arrived back home around 6pm.
Here are some more panoramic pics Tom has taken .......
Tom wanted to say thank you to some of the people helping him get better, so I got him some sweets from a very famous gingerbread factory. He decorated them himself and it turned out pretty nice I think.
Okay, that's it now - FINALLY!!!!!!!!!
Next up - the continuation of the Paris trip report.
MEK
DIS Legend
- Joined
- May 8, 2005
- Messages
- 20,088
HOLY mega update. Wow. Can't even remember what I want to say.
That church is gorgeous. Just lovely. And that chapel in the snow is just so cute!
That spa location looks absolutely gorgeous. I loved seeing all your pictures of the beautiful mountains and waterfalls. That gondola ride looks lovely. And that cool bridge! Everything is just breathtaking!
That church is gorgeous. Just lovely. And that chapel in the snow is just so cute!
That spa location looks absolutely gorgeous. I loved seeing all your pictures of the beautiful mountains and waterfalls. That gondola ride looks lovely. And that cool bridge! Everything is just breathtaking!
perfectmatch300
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Nov 29, 2000
- Messages
- 3,710
I am finally caught up! You certainly have been busy, and with lots more to come! All I can say is now that I am caught up, I will do my best to keep up! 
dizneeat
DIS Legend
- Joined
- Apr 9, 2006
- Messages
- 20,845
HOLY mega update. Wow. Can't even remember what I want to say.
I needed to get Tom's spa trip out of the way - we are leaving for Italy in 10 days.
That church is gorgeous. Just lovely. And that chapel in the snow is just so cute!
It was really beautiful. We did not take many pictures inside the churches and Tom hasn't uploaded the rest of his pics yet, but they were really beautiful.
That spa location looks absolutely gorgeous. I loved seeing all your pictures of the beautiful mountains and waterfalls. That gondola ride looks lovely. And that cool bridge! Everything is just breathtaking!
Hm, I wonder if you should come here and check it out for yourself.
You are definitely right, it was very beautiful, but the three weeks were over before we knew it. He is already thinking of when he can sign up for another visit.
I am finally caught up! You certainly have been busy, and with lots more to come! All I can say is now that I am caught up, I will do my best to keep up!
You did a really good job, catching up here. I needed to finish that trip report because we are off to Italy in just a few more days. 
englishrose47
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- Jan 31, 2007
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Happy Easter to You and Tom !!!
dizneeat
DIS Legend
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Day 2, January 4
Christmas is still in the air - Part 5
The parade itself is cute with a few Christmas floats, lots of singing and dancing and as I mentioned before, even more characters.
Parade over we walked our way up Main Street again,
noticing that it had Disney snowed on Main Street remnants of foam snow everywhere. We used the short cut into Adventureland and had a peek at the standby time for Big Thunder Mountain. 90 minutes, thanks, but no thanks. What about fast pass? Fast pass was for mid afternoon and it was no noon. Since we wanted to go shopping to the grocery store that wasnt an option either. So we dumped the idea of riding Big Thunder and headed towards the Indiana Jones ride. Wait, can we hear it rattle?
NO, so we looked and noticed that it was down. What to do now. Well, the skies were pretty clear, so why not the climb the Swiss Family Robinson Tree House.
We were stunned to see that even that had quite a line, but we hopped in anyway.
To be continued .....
dizneeat
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MEK
DIS Legend
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- Messages
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Hope you and Tom had a wonderful Easter!
Trying to get caught up on my subbed TRs this morning and finally posted on my own. I'm getting to be such a slacker.
Love the pictures from the Christmas parade! What an adorable parade and its looks like a perfectly beautiful day.
Is your Italy trip really that close? Awesome!
And, yes, I would love to come visit that spa some day! Stunning!
Trying to get caught up on my subbed TRs this morning and finally posted on my own. I'm getting to be such a slacker.
Love the pictures from the Christmas parade! What an adorable parade and its looks like a perfectly beautiful day.
Is your Italy trip really that close? Awesome!
And, yes, I would love to come visit that spa some day! Stunning!
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