This page last updated 6.1.12

Our weekly-ish newsletter from our man in the Salzkammergut.

Well Xmas finally over!.

...The Advent season comes to an end today, the 'Day of the 3 kings' This is when the 3 kings(people dressed as kings!!) arrive in the villages on horseback with gifts for the children. This emulates the 3 kings who brought gifts to the baby Jesus...a very important part of the Christian Advent season. So, now everyone is looking forward to the Fasching time...this is carnival time in Austria and tends to be around Valentines day, This is another excuse to eat and drink lots...and instead of sressing as Santa, everyone dresses as some sort of character from pirates to fairies etc!!

And of course, it is also the ski season proper, so everyone is now enjoying the latest fall of snow.'

23/11/11

What.....a drive?.

...The latest trip to the UK..seemed to take longer than usual...whether I am getting jaded or bored by the journey I am not sure...this time, it was very tiring. This is the problem with driving alone, I guess..you have no one to talk to or share the journey.

Anyhow, enough of my moaning about driving.., the Christmas markets have opened in most villages all over Austria...it only seems a few months ago, since last Christmas!! But it is all very tastful..streets lined with Fir trees and small huts with the market traders selling all sorts of nice food and hot gluwein. I often wondered about the Markets being over priced..but thinking about and seeing all the people, standing around the open brazier fires, guzzling gluwiein, chatting and laughing..I realised that the markets serve a purpose just like an English pub..with friends meeting up for a drink and snack after work! And then the prices are on a par with the pub, cafe  or bar. Plus there is not the oppressive atmosphere of the Pub or club.

I read last week, that Vienna city centre Christmas market was voted the most overpriced and to over the top, losing it's orignal intention of a place for people to shop at sensible prices and enjoy the Christmas atmosphere... .so now all Vienesse are heading out to the Schoenbrunn palace where they have retained the true feeling of Chistmas...let's hope that the Vienna city councillors take note of this and put it right for next year.

11/11/11

What.....import tax on my car?.

...The latest interesting information from the tax office, Austria, and new to me. Having you car in Austria for more than 30 days can make you liable for import tax!! Gasps, I hear from you. It seems that a clever way of raising money for the government is to claim import tax on cars longer than 30 days . How they decide you have been in the country for more than 30 days is baffling, particularly since you can now cross country borders with no check or stamp in your passport. but it seems that the onus is on you to prove you have not been! I guess for UK car owners the best way is to keep ferry tickets, so at least you can show when you arrived in Europe.

Like the rest of Europe, the Austrian tax office is looking at ways to raise more money. It will be interesting to see whether this need for more taxes gets around to owners who rent their properties for holiday? 

The Christmas market preparations are almost complete and the opening weekend is from 18th November. Then each weekend until Christmas eve. So, plenty of weekends to enjoy the feeing of Christmas.

The flight companies are staring their own winter schedules from the UK airports, and the earlier you come the cheaper the flight cost. No need to upset the family by jetting of for Xmas, as you can enjoy christmas at any time over the 6 week Advent season. Of course it would be cheaper to drive if enough people shared a vehicle...anyone out there own a 52 seater coach?? .  

23/9/11

Where have I been?..

...That is a good question...one day it was end of school term and now it is start of new school term!!  But 5 weeks of busy non stop guests and clients have made this year the busiest on record. Not that we are complaining...it is just that the news is continually full of doom and despondency. No one has any money, no one is travelling...well we beg to differ. And it is the same for our colleagues here in Austria, it has been a bumper year...so, BBC and ITV, keep pumping out the doom, it seems to make people come on holiday!!

I had to feel sorry for some guests from Greece...they had arrived at Munich and went to collect their hire car...but were told they could not have it as they had paid in full!!  Problem seemed t be that although paid for they still needed a credit card to secure the car for the period...I guess in case they took off with the car?  Anyhow they had to get the train to Salzburg and then a bus.  I picked hem up in the pouring rain and they did not look happy...particularly as they had left 34 degrees and sunshine in Greece!!

They asked if there was any company they could rent from buy leaving cash and their passport...after much thought I remembered that a small company in Salzburg offer Smart cars by the day for 25 euros...so I checked with them...and guess what , no requirement for credit card or deposit!!  Now that was interesting to find out, as there are probably guests in future, who will want a cheap option for a car hire, even if it is small.  I hope our Greek guests can get their money back from their booked rental!!

Many guests have turned out to be on reccy trips to check out property, again , which I again find interestng, considering the so called state of the European economy!! But who can blame the, Austria does offer such good value in property.

24/07/11

Russian guests and possible babies..

...This past week has been a challenge to say the least. Our latest guests were a very nice family from Moscow. But when they arrived and we saw that the wife was heavily pregnant we were concerned. Not least, as to how she could get a flight being so far into her pregnancy, but in case she gave birth here! WE found out she was 29 weeks. All seemed to go well and our own young daughter made friends and played happily with their daughter, even though neither could understand the other...children are great they have no problem with each other. It would be nice if in our adult world we felt the same.

They walked into the village each day and we still thought the pregnant wife was overdoing it.  A few nights ago at around 2am in the early hours our doorbell went. I dragged myself out of bed, thinking a guest ad forgotten their key, only to find our Russia guest stood on the doorstep and pointing to her tummy, saying 'Pain, much Pain' and requesting to see my wife. I went back to get her, and she did not believe me..thought I was joking, but in the end she dragged herself out of bed and went downstairs. She came back later and said we need to get the Doctor. Oh Oh, I thought, the first Russian baby to christen our house!  We finally managed to arouse the local doctor, who to give him credit, dragged himself out of bed and was at our house within 10 minutes.  After checking the lady, he called the Ambulance to be on the safe side.  Once again, very quick the ambulance was here within 10 minutes.  

They took her and her husband off to hospital...what about your daughter my wife asked?  She sleeping the husband says...yes but she is only 5 years old and if she wakes up ij a strange house with no mother and father around......we ended up with my wife getting our baby alarm and putting it in the child's bedroom.  But it was difficult for my wife to sleep..I guess the mother i her was concerned for the child. The father returned about 3 hrs later, they had kept his wife in hospital overnight.

We were very very tired the next day, but later on the wife returned and all was well. As she was not European they had charged her 172 euros...not bad for all rthe medical care, scans and blood test...plus a comfortable bed for the night.  She and her husband were very happy, as they informed us, that in Moscow, is not as nice as Austria!

So, there you go, if you want to travel heavily pregnant, visit Austria!.