Tony & Nikki Ruddock's holiday photographs - Austria
Austria probably isn't the first holiday destination that would spring to mind when you think of your summer holiday. Indeed it does seem to be very popular with, shall we say, the more senior amongst us, however it is a wonderful country. The views are stunning, the scenery simply breathtaking, the people very friendly and welcoming, the food delicious and the beer very moreish! There is plenty to do - walking, whether that be a leisurely stroll or a full on hike, mountain biking (extremely popular in the summer months), paragliding (if it takes your fancy), not to mention sightseeing - of which there is plenty.
Our first holiday to Austria was in September/October 1999, we were scouring the holiday brochures and in true Yorkshire fashion came across a real bargain! However it did involve flying out and getting the coach back but we weren't complaining for less than £200 each so we booked it. A few months later we got a letter saying that our holiday would have to be changed - we had originally booked to stay in Zell am See, but because there weren't enough takers for that particular destination we would have to transfer to Kitzbühel. We were upgraded to a room with a balcony and mountain views plus all inclusive (food, drinks, the whole lot) at no extra cost to us for the inconvenience caused! We had such a good time that holiday that barring 2000 when we moved house, we've been back to Austria every year since!
We tend to spend most of our holidays in Kitzbühel (although we have also stayed in Zell am See and surrounding villages) as we really like the town. There is plenty of walking in the area and it is well served by public transport. Another drawer for us is the hotel where we stay - Hotel Haselsberger - a very friendly family run where they look after us extremely well indeed. The same group of people go back year on year and when we all meet up it's as if we've never been apart. The only thing is the week in September when we tend to go has become so popular with people coming back year after year that it gets booked up - in 2006 by the end of the holiday week the hotel was fully booked for the corresponding week in 2007!
After we came back from holiday in September 2005 a couple of our friends expressed an interest in going to Austria for Christmas. Personally I thought it would have been too expensive, however I did some shopping around on the internet and managed to come up with a full week in Kitzbühel, half-board at the Hotel Tyrol (which by pure coincidence used to be run by the Haselsbergers) for a bargain price. Having never been to Austria in winter we thought we'd give it a go. So we all spent Christmas 2005 in a typically Christmassy setting - fantastic - real snow!! The contrast between summer and winter is amazing - the town has a completely different feel. In fact we enjoyed the winter holiday so much that we went back in January 2007, admittedly the snow conditions weren't the best, nevertheless we had a brilliant time - possibly out best holiday to date!