And on Sunday, we rest
- Jul 3, 2016
- 2 min read
No. We didn't. On Sunday, we went hiking.
.
We met Maggie for breakfast in the hotel dining room. This morning I had a more traditional Austrian breakfast of bread, cheese, and meat. Then I finished my meal with some yogurt (the traveler's friend). We knew that our day was short, since we needed to be back to the hotel by two to get ready to meet Marianna and Eddie Kotz. So we decided to take a ski slope gondola up a nearby mountain and follow some hiking trails for a few hours.
.
I really enjoyed seeing all the hikers and young families out on this beautiful day. They have all the right clothing, footwear, walking poles, backpacks, and hats, even the youngest children, The smallest babies were in carrying contraptions that parents wore on their backs.
.
The trails were easy to follow, but sometimes steep and narrow. Not dangerous at all (though I wouldn't necessarily want a baby on my back). There were many cows up here at the top of the mountain and they were pretty friendly.
.
Our plans with the Kotzes started at their home in Tannheim, which is over a mountain range in a different village. The ride over was beautiful but decidedly different from the ride over last year when Eddie was driving. He is so familiar with these windy, switch-back roads that he speeds and tears up the road. I enjoyed the sights more this time!
.
Their home is spectacular. Marianna is Michael Schwartzkopf's secretary and Eddie is director of all purchasing so they are not home much, especially Eddie who travels a lot (both for business and adventure). The rooms are beautifully decorated, magazine style. There are decks and patios and two solarium spaces in addition to the living areas. Eddie's large office is upstairs, as is the sauna/steam room and Marianna's dressing area (think Sephora).
.
We went to a local restaurant and Steve had some local beef dish, Marianna and I had fish. Excellent meal.
.
As is typical with virtually every friend or stranger we have met with here in Europe, the talk at some point turns to politics. Europeans follow politics in the States with great interest and concern. Like us, they are leery of the news feed they receive. Like us, they are concerned about the divisiveness and simmering violence. Trump has a very bad reputation over here and everyone has expressed concern over the effect he is having, comparing the situation to Brexit. I am always amazed at how knowledgeable and informed Europeans are in terms of our country, but I'm not surprised that this election in particular has everyone on edge.
Comments