Well I guess there may be some people who have no idea where Austria is, so here goes.

Austria is a landlocked European country whose neighbours are:-

• Germany
• Czech Republic
• Slovakia
• Hungary
• Switzerland
• Slovenia
• Italy
• Liechtenstein

In parts Austria is a mountainous country, which has fresh clean air even in the towns and cities, beautiful scenery and a rather charming, old fashioned feel.

Did I like Austria? Yes I loved it.

I did not travel abroad until I was in my late thirties. Although this was not unusual when I was a child, by the time I was this age most people were travelling here, there and everywhere by quite a young age.

Hubby's, and my, first holiday abroad was an eight day coach trip which would take in Austria and Switzerland, with a brief visit to Liechtenstein.

Looking back now this seems a ridiculously short amount of time. I am amazed at how much we saw considering that the coach journey took 36 hours outgoing and about 24 hours for the return.

Still on the whole it was a great holiday and the weather was kind. We travelled in early September and experienced a slight heatwave. This meant that even in the mountains the weather was pleasantly warm and the air was clear. We had been warned that often great views were obscured by fog, cloud and mist. Not so for our vacation though. We viewed these beautiful countries in all of their glory.

The second part of our visit was Austria and that is where I shall begin.

AUSTRIA

Having already experienced the breathtaking scenery of Switzerland it was hard to imagine anything could be more beautiful. However Austria has a more rugged, natural style and the views are just as special.

Our base was to be the village of St Anton which is a popular destination during the winter months with the ski-ing fraternity. As it was late summer all of the pensions (guest houses) had plenty of rooms vacant. This meant that we actually had quite a luxurious small suite of rooms. For the price we paid it was fabulous. Consider visiting off season for a great bargain break.

Although the weather had been kind our entrance into this pretty village was met with torrential rain. It lasted briefly but helped cool the unusually hot Austrian weather. Standing on our balcony, and looking at the view, we saw that we were surrounded by mountains. The heavy rain had given life to summer dry waterfalls which now flushed their way down the green mountain slopes. Simply stunning.

St Anton is made up of small wooden pensions, a few shops, some lovely cake shops and the odd bar. A group of us experienced the highly intoxicating Austrian beer, one evening, at one such establishment. The beer, served in huge glasses, was very potent.

Our holiday included an excursion to Innsbruck which we thoroughly enjoyed. Innsbruck has rather up market shops and plenty of wonderful architecture, such as a palace. Set on the River Inn, Innsbruck too is surrounded by mountains.

There was a lovely park here and it was strange to see almost tropical plants thriving here outside with snow topped mountains nearby. On a warm day this park is perfect for a picnic.

If you visit Austria try and also check out:-

Salzburg

Vienna

GENERAL ADVICE.

• In the cities and towns English is usually spoken, even if only slightly. If you know the odd German words, such as Danke for thank-you, it will be useful. Better still invest in an Austrian phrase book.
• Austria is quite an expensive country. Soft drinks, especially tea, can be very pricey. It will probably be cheaper to drink the local beer or coffee.
• As an exceptionally clean country Austria frowns on litter bugs. Make sure that you do not drop any litter and this includes cigarette stubs.
• Even if you are visiting in Summer remember that it can be cool in the mountains. Pack a selection of clothes just in case. Other tourists when we visited found that they had packed too many sweaters, and the like, for cold weather and nothing for if it was warm. This meant that some bought T Shirts, for example, paying an arm and a leg for them.
• Austrian people are respectful and polite so it goes without saying that you should reciprocate. Remember to cover your head and shoulders if you visit any churches.
• There are some wonderful areas to explore if you like walking.
• Check out when the next Strauss concert will be.
• Italy is close by and our holiday included a day trip to a market over the Italian border, in a small village. The purpose was to buy duty free wine and the like. The journey was worth the visit, as we saw some lovely secenery. However the actual market was a waste of time and ended up more expensive than we all realised.

You can almost hear Julie Andrews warbling "The Hills are alive with the Sound of Music". The hills are definitely a wonder to behold.