New Year in Austria. 1/1/11

Happy New Year everyone!

New Years Eve at the hotel was a success according to the guests. The ice carvers made an Ice Bar and a few other sculptures. There were fireworks everywhere.

Back at the farm I was invited for dinner with the landlord and his family plus the other guests staying in the B&B part. They were very nice one of whom spoke good English and was kind enough to translate a lot of what was going on. I was also treated to the landlord playing his accordion, which wasn't quite as bad as it sounds.

At midnight the TV played the Blue Danube and a few of the assembled party danced to it. Then everyone hands out little lucky charms. These consisted mainly of pigs. Such as gingerbread pigs and little toy pigs.

Then all outside for fireworks. One of the daughters works for a company that amongst other things sells fireworks, so these were huge and noisy. Everyone else around seemed to be doing the same. But it was a very cold night and a bit of a fog rolling in.

New Years Day was back to work, well for the morning and up to the hotel. They had pretty much cleared most of it up. But it was very quiet up there, not many people about. Which was good.

So a bit of greeting my guests then out on the slopes. The weather was superb, bright sunshine, clear blue skies and very crisp and cold. The really good part was that there was hardly anyone out on the slopes. Obviously sleeping off hangovers. So the skiing was good. Not so much ice apparent although caught a tip and went over gracefully on the same hip I fell on the other day. Ouch!!!

But it was good.

 Then an early end to the working day. Back to the flat and lunch. Watched the end of the New Years Strauss concert, while preparing questions for tomorrow's quiz which I don't think anyone will be attending. This lot don't seem as friendly as last week's. Oh well could be an early night.