Going To Little Canada ...

May 28, 2016

Today we were going to Rudi and Christa's home ...

They have a beautiful house ...

Rudi showed us his Mustang and took us for a ride along the country roads ...

We had a blast ... !!!

Then back at the house for a tour and to meet Helmut ... (their son) and his family ...

We had a great time visiting with them ...

Helmut ... Sonya ... Laura Sophi and Daniel ...

Daniel thought it would be a good idea to visit us in Canada ...

as he loves the outdoors and to ride his dirt bike ...

Unfortunately we were not able to see Martina and her family or

Christian and his family ...

Mike and I travelled with Klaus and Resi ...

Oma and Tante Pauli went with Rudi and Christa ...

It took us almost an hour to reach our destination up in the mountains ...

There in the woods ... a little cabin stood ...

We loved the interior of the cabin ... it reminded us of our home ... only more rustic ...

The cold water draining into the hollowed out log ...

was there way of refrigeration of beverages that needed to be cooled ...

Oma relaxing on the front porch of the cabin ...

it's a tough life ... !!!

It was time to hike to the restaurant for dinner ...

It was an amazing building ...

"Almtalerhaus"

The area is known for its recreational paradise situated in the Almtal Valley ...

People come from all over the world ...

to go hiking or take part in the mountain tours ...

One of the specialties they serve is ...

"Bradl in the Pan"

A pork roast ... prepared and served in the pan ...

with bread dumplings and a cabbage salad on the side ...

People also come from all over ...

just to enjoy this meal ...

There was no room for dessert ... we needed to take advantage of the area ...

and go for a hike ... !!!

 

Archery Adventure ...

May 27, 2016

A wonderful day was planned ...

Rudi and Christa came to the house to pick us up ...

to go to the Archery Club (3D BogenSchiessen) in Salzkammergut ...

to spend a few hours ... learning and shooting long bows ...

Andrea really wanted to go along and spend the afternoon with us ...

she thought it would be awesome to try it out ...

After we arrived ... and a few lessons ...

we were on our way on the trek ...

We started on this adventure ... enjoying every moment of the wilderness ...

and the challenge of hitting our targets ...

You can go to the website

Here

Translation ...

"In varied terrain, at the foot of the Grünberg at the Traunseeeastern shore, we have applied our 3D course.

A major feature is the picturesque view of the Traunsee Lake and the impressive mountain scenery.

28 stations spread out over 7 hectares on demanding and landscaped paths.

The line runs through a quaint, almost untouched forest.

Over small streams, the partly hilly terrain offers original and really firing positions.

There is a small but nice loading Court available for warming up and practicing.

Gasthof Hoisn, which connects directly to the course serves culinary delicacies from the region, and offers the possibility to stay at the same time."

After our wonderful experience ...

we went to the restaurant ... Gasthaus Hois'n wirt ...

enjoying a light lunch ...

cold plate of luncheon meat, vegetables with an oil and vinegar dressing ...

served with a variety of fresh bread and pretzels ...

Andrea decided an ice cream Sunday was a better choice for lunch ...

We had a great time playing this afternoon ...

We were driven back to Klaus and Resi's ...

to get ready for our next outing with Rudi and Christa ...

 

Handmade Gift ...

May 27, 2016

Andrea and Maria wanted to come and see us again ...

at their grandparents house ...

I was surprised to have received a small little package from Andrea ...

inside was a handmade iPhone cover ...

Andrea had spent her time knitting it for me ... she did a great job ...

I was so touched ... Thank you Andrea and Maria ...

It was another beautiful day ...

I decided to take the girls for a walk into town ...

We did go to the cemetery ...

for the girls to water the flowers on their Great-grandparents grave ...

We then walked back to town and stopped for some ice-cream ...

before going back home ...

Mike and I were going to have a special afternoon ...

with our cousins Rudi and Christa ...

 

 

Finally Reached Oberaudorf ...

May 26, 2016

We finally arrived in Oberaudorf ...

at Eva and Gunther house ...

Enjoying our refreshments out on the patio ...

Oma (Great Tante Ida) was entertaining the boys (Maximillian and Marius) with her iPad ...

They loved playing the games ...

We had a lovely dinner of homemade (knoedel) bread dumplings ...

one batch made with chopped up ham ... a batch with spinach ...

and another with cheese ...

We had our choice of having the dumplings with a soup broth and chives ...

or served with a salad ...

Both ways they were all delicious ...

We then went outside to have dessert ... which was fresh strawberry shortcake ...

Ok girls ... can we at least get one picture where we are all looking at the camera ... !!!!

It was time to say goodbye ...

we needed to get a family picture ...

Thank goodness their neighbour was so kind to take this photo ...

again it took a few shots ... 10 to be exact ...

There should have been at least one good one ... !!!

Even though the time was short ...

we were grateful to spend every moment we could together ...

Hoping we will see each other again in the future ...

 

A World of Crystals ...

May 26, 2016

We arrived at a magical place ...

Swarovski Crystal World ...

Entering into the treasure chambers of the Giant of Wattens ...

Inside there was contemporary art ... ancient history ...

It is a venue where you can experience beauty, inspiration and energy from the crystals ...

So many things to see ... and touch ...

We toured thru the shop of all the Crystal jewelry... artwork ... figurines ... and so much more ...

Klaus and Mike had enough of the browsing and ended up at the Crystal Bar ...

enjoying a cold beer while waiting for us ...

The garden of the Giant lets you be enchanted by its radiant beauty ...

The Crystal Clouds hold over 600,000 crystals ...

and in 3 different sizes so that they sparkle even more .... each one set in place by hand ...

The Mirror pool reflects the light of the crystals like stars at night ... even during the day ...

There was a play tower with a climbing wall ...

It was an amazing place ...!!!!

As we were heading back to our vehicle ... we heard music being played ...

A young group of musicians were getting ready to perform inside ...

putting on a small concert playing their Clarinets ...

Loved seeing them in their Traditional outfits ...

Along our way to Eva's for dinner ...

we saw many castles ... old structures ... churches ...

traveling thru Germany crossing the Danube River back into Austria ...

 

 

On The Road Again ...

May 26, 2016

It was a beautiful day to go on our next journey ...

to go see Eva (Klaus and Resi's daughter) and her family ...

travelling towards Innsbruck ... to our first destination ...

then to Oberdorf in Tirol for dinner ...

We noticed a change in the houses and buildings from one area to another ...

We had stopped along the way ... at the Forellenraucher ... (Smoked Fish) ...

take-out place ...

to pick up our lunch of fresh warm smoked fish and fresh bread ...

We toured the building next to the Smoke Shop ...

to visit the restrooms ...

We were amazed at the original flooring and architecture of the building ...

We travelled along the highway ...

looking for the perfect picnic spot to eat our lunch ...

admiring the change in scenery of the rugged terrain ...

Finally reaching our picnic spot ...

on the side of the highway ... to enjoy our feast of fish ... fresh bread ...

Klaus showing us how to prepare the fish ...

and serve it with a little Red Currant Spread ...

It was a delicious lunch with very little clean-up ...

only having napkins ...

After our lunch we continued on our way to our next secret destination ...

 

Mike's Day of Travel ...

May 25, 2016

This day Mike was going to work with Klaus ...

travelling thru the little towns and cities ... to make a delivery in Neusserling ...

The advertising on the Seyr truck is to promote Klaus's son ... Gerald ...

who is a part of the Mundharmonika Quartett in Austria ...

Check out their video here ...

My cousin Gerald is the one I wearing a hat in the video ...

Starting in Laakirchen and heading out on the road ...

Arriving at their destination ... to deliver a refrigeration unit to the restaurant ...

Continuing on the their way ...

stopping at a few Gasthauses ... and then making their way home ...

Mike also got to see the train ...

They had a long day of driving ... but it was worth it ...

Mike really enjoyed seeing the countryside ...

 

Off To Gmunden ...

May 25, 2016

We decided to travel to Gmunden today ... in search of a few souvenirs for Canada ...

Since Mike was going to work with Klaus ...

it was just going to be the four of us women on a mission ...

Arriving on the other side of the city ... we had to cross the bridge over the Traun ...

to enter the city centre ...

The buildings were beautiful ... so much history here ...

We headed for the "Esplanade" to seek out the best souvenir shops ...

then stopping at the fountain to have pictures taken ...

On our way back to the parking lot ...

we were all hungry for a treat ... an ice cream treat ...

at the Baumgartner ...

Oh my ... it was so tasty ... !!!!

We then toured some of the streets ... the first picture is the street where Oma's school was ...

it was located at the end of this street ...

Making our way back down thru the streets ...

I couldn't resist taking a picture of the ShoeMakers shop ...

He had been working outside on the step ...

It was a very small shop ...

It was time to say "auf Wiedersehen" to the townsite of Gmunden ...

just for this day ...!!!

We had a great time being together ...

 

 

Our Trip to Muhlviertel...

May 24, 2016

Today was going to be an adventurous day ... even though the forecast was for rain all day ...

we were still heading to the Muhlviertel region ...

to visit the homestead of my great grandmother in Gloxwald ...

The Mühlviertel is an Austrian region that belongs to the state of Upper Austria.

First we were going to pick up our cousins Franz and Christl ...

Then traveling thru the countryside and along the Danube ...

stopping to see the tour boat ...

The Danube is second longest river in Europe. It is located in Central and Eastern Europe.The Danube flows through 10 countries. It starts in Germany and flows southeast for 2,860 km (1,780 mi), passing through or touches the borders before emptying into the Black Sea.

The buildings and grounds belonged to the state ...

it was leased to my great grandfather and great grandmother ...

Franz and Maria Tremetsberger ...

to run and manage the forest and area ...

The building is now a home for the city boys ...

to experience country living ...

We were only able to peek thru the windows ...

Oma said the Kachelofen (Tiled Stove) is still the original ...

it brought back a lot of memories for Oma of spending her childhood with her Oma ...

Here we are standing in front of the house ...

Christl, Franz, Oma, Resi, me and Klaus ...

Franz is the son of Oma's Uncle Frans ...

who lost his life in Russia ...

We ventured to the village ...

the first picture was of the Post Office ... the next one is of the schoolhouse ...

Franz had to walk about a 1 ½ miles to and from the school ...

Next picture is of the Firehall ... and the church ...

We were shown a special rock ... placed in the town Centre ...

which was extracted from the quarry ...

The symbols carved into the Rock are of the surrounding area ...

including the rivers ...

The countryside was so green from all the rain ...

Next stop we were going to have lunch ...

We were driven thru Laimbach ...

to have lunch at Schreiner's ... Das Waldviertel Haus ...

The special of the day was "Schnitzel " ... it was just what I wanted ...!!!

We had a lovely time ...!!!

After lunch we went for a walk to the town Centre ...

here ther was another large rock ...

carved into a fish ...

There is a story that there is a small fish still swimming inside the large fish ...

This small church was attended by the people of the surrounding area ... which was in walking distance ...

This is where our family records are recorded ...

On the road again to our next destination ...

The architectural ... craftsmanship and paintings were extraordinary ...

It almost takes your breath away from the beauty ...

We then drove back to Franz & Christl's home ...

we met their family ...

their daughter Ursula ... granddaughter Anna (who would love to visit Canada) ... and Markus ...

unfortunately, we did not meet their grandson David ...

We were served coffee and a delicious piece of cake ...

Just before we headed back to Laakirchen ...

we toured their gardens ...

Franz loves to spend time in his garden ...

It was a really special day to meet and visit with Oma's mothers' side of the family ...

"The Tremetsbergers"