Life in the Alps
The beautiful Austrian Alps loom before the small ski town of St. Anton. It sits nestled into the great mountains comprised of a great number of beautiful boutiques featuring this year's most luxurious ski gear, little cafes with outdoor seating accompanied by fireplaces and chairs adorned in cow pelts to keep warm. Many restaurants and bars are peppered along the ski town, preparing for the skiers to glide down after a day of hard work on the slopes.
Our very first night in Austria was Christmas night. We left our luggages at the hotel and trugged along a small winding street upwards to a small restaurant attached to a bed and breakfast. Upon opening the door we found a lovely rustic restaurant filled with wooden carved tables, soft orange lights, and the scent of food. This was the ideal representation of a restaurant in the Austrian mountains and provided such a wonderful atmosphere to spend Christmas night on. We enjoyed wonderful traditional Austrian food. I had a pork with potatoes and vegetables; one of the best meals I have ever had.
We stayed at Pepis Skihotel in St. Anton am Arlberg, in Tirol, Austria. It was a really modern location; very clean, neat, and sophisticated. Downstairs, the ski rental was located and from there, a short walk to the gondola to take you up the mountain. Pepis Skihotel had a grand breakfast buffet, with fresh fruit, eggs of chickens who roam the Alps freely in the summer, fresh yogurt with fruit in little glass containers, herbed cheeses, bread, a delectable choice of meats, and of course, a morning espresso. After a day full of skiing, Pepis Skihotel offers an aprés-midi snack: fruit, nuts, and a different treat of the day is offered with a choice of tea, hot chocolate, or coffee to drink.
Although the snow wasn't great this winter, the Austrian Tirol ski region did not disappoint. We found our own snow, skirted around patches of dry ground laughing as we all struggled, and enjoyed our time in the mountain. During the day we skied to our hearts content, finding the least icy of the slopes and most deserted. We found a great mogul run that we enjoyed about three times. St. Anton is also covered with plenty of slope side bars, restaurants, and chalets. We stopped for brats with mustards and beers for lunch while enjoying the stunning views of the mountain and the cloudless skies.
One afternoon we spent a couple of hours hiking, finding a cross country trail to hike along that followed a winding and mostly frozen creek. We watched as the sun set before we returned to enjoy the life of the little town of St. Anton. We walked the small streets, aglow with street lamps and fairy lights that adorned almost every building. Many of the Austrian restaurants provided traditional food, like weiner schnitzel and their popular soft drink amldudler.
The piercing views of the mountains that seems to surround you from any point on the mountain are breathtaking. I enjoyed the Austrian culture, the town and its people exuding a rustic elegance that matches that of its mountainous surroundings. I hope to return to the Tirol region either winter or summer and try out its mountains again!
