Angry splotches of purple with irregular, banana-esque edge, my three week-old bruises confirm what I hate to admit:  snow skiing ain't my thing. 

But it's how my husband wanted to celebrate his birthday, so off to the Austrian Alps we went.  Just ninety minutes from our Bavarian home, we entered a land of enchantment.

And I forgot my camera.

Thankfully, my cell phone was attached to me, so I drained the battery a few times over.

 This doesn't even look real, does it?  On Sunday, Walter took us on a tour of the surrounding area, and when we rounded a corner near St. Johann (but in the middle of nowhere), this popped into view and stole my breath. 

I literally applauded this spectacular show.  It was either that, or sing, and I was a little concerned I might start an avalanche if I chose the latter.

 

 

 

 

 

I needed a monster camera to capture the Alps' expanse…

I think this was right before we rounded the corner to see the chapel on the hill….

 

Striped poles on the sides of the rode are necessary to help find the roads when snow falls by the buckets.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I didn't realize how technical it had become to machine skis; then again, the last time I put any one was before I gave birth.  Decades ago.

The only time you will see me smiling with skis on is at the bottom of a hill on flat terrain.  On a lift, you will see utter terror; at the top of the mountain, you will see me catatonic.  There are reasons there are no pictures of either.

My horror aside, we had an absolutely beautiful day for skiing!  It was downright hot ~ mid-40s ~ and we shed as many layers as we could.

 

 

Oh, my…looking at the lifts makes me a little green all over again….

 

Obertauern's bunny slope was the steepest beginner slope I've seen; it's more like an intermediate slope back home.

 

I thought about trying the slalom course, but then I thought again.  Actually, by "thinking about trying" I mean considering "is today a good day to break my neck?" 

 

Thankfully, the boys got hungry, so we crossed the street to the Tauernkönig Hotel and had a lovely lunch at their restaurant. 

 Tad and I had a delicious grilled chicken salad and Walter had a traditional skillet dish ~ seared potatoes with pork, topped with a fried egg. 

 

Even the bier is pretty in the Alps.

 There are so many slopes, no matter where you are, it never feels crowded.

There was plenty of entertainment simply driving through the village after the slopes closed…

 

I'm pretty sure this place was just cranking up; everyone seemed happy…

 

And, heck, even I'm a much happier camper once the skis come off, just probably for a different reason.

 

 

I might not like sking, but spending time in the Austrian Alps is one of my favorite things to do.  The beauty, splendor…majesty of the mountain range compels my soul to sing, my heart to worship! I can't wait to see the area in a different season, when the snow is memory and the hills are painted green.

Wandering around by myself inspired me to write a little, too…

Because I wish I could bring you with me to Germany, I'm thankful to share a glimpse into our travels here. 

And to tell you stories…

…like the time we went to the naked sauna…

Stay tuned…!