4 Reasons Austria is the Alpine Underdog
“Don’t be eye candy. Be soul food.”
So now, that it’s APRIL, I am finally going to tell you a little about my trip to Europe with my family .. that happened in January. I’ve totally been on the ball, haven’t I?
Life has been such a whirlwind the past few months that I have not made writing for the blog a priority. Starting your own company does that to a person. Good news though, I FINALLY got my website up last week for my coaching practice. Yahoo!
I’m over here building my company and finishing my coaching certification all while reminiscing about this past trip and laying the groundwork for the next one …
Okay, so why does Austria kick more ass than the rest? I’m glad you asked!
I’m known for being a fan of the underdog. I moved to Michigan from Virginia. I studied abroad in Belgium when I had the choice between that and France. I don’t know what it is but when given a choice, I go for the underdog. I have faith in the underrated.
The alpine region of Europe is no different for me. We all know and hear about the French alps, the Swiss alps, Italian alps, possibly the German, but the Austrian alps? My family and I had a great time starting 2017 out in this beautiful region of the world. Albeit, gorgeous and generally all the same terrain, there are a few reasons why the Austrian alps win out in my book.
First off, it’s central location comes into play here.
For the longer term travelers out there, Austria would not be a bad place to take up “residence” as a home base, solely based on its central location in context to the whole of Europe.
From Salzburg, you are:
2 hours to Vienna
4 hours to Prague
2 hours to Munich
5 hours to Budapest
4 hours to Venice
… I could keep going but you get the picture. It’s as though so much of Europe is no more than a train ride away, which I get is true for a lot of Europe.
Second, more cultural immersion.
What was extremely awesome on our trip was that we stayed in a little ski village outside of Salzburg, St. Johann im Pongau. It seems that, for this region, it is out of the ordinary to have American tourists. So much so that barely any of the residents spoke English, which was true even in Salzburg. As Americans traveling in “western Europe,” this honestly doesn’t happen much, which is good news for us monolingual folk. It adds to the experience when you can’t understand what the person in front of you is saying and you’re fumbling to speak what little German you do know!
Third, money, money, money.
Being that Switzerland is one of the banking capitals of the world and Italy and France being who they are, Austria provides the most bang for your buck when you’re talking about the Alpine region. Since it is more Eastern than the others, the economic climate a tad different and the amount of tourists visiting Austria pales in comparison to its counterparts, which is awesome in and of itself. To illustrate, the same dish of gnocchi would likely be only about $10 for a sizable portion whereas in Como, Italy, it would be $15. Yes please! More gnocchi for meeeee.
Speaking of, the food is my last reason why Austria wins out.
But really, are we surprised here? You shouldn’t be. Austria lacks a true culinary identity beyond Weiner schnitzel and beer. Its central location, again, allows for an open smorgasbord of culinary influence. From the south, Italian influence means pure traditional Italian. My favorite - the beautiful weightless pillows of dough aka gnocchi. My heart ... and drooling mouth, I love gnocchi to an excess that it may be a problem.
Anywho, from the west, Swiss influence means fondue fit for a king and German influence means sausage and pretzels for breakfast, everyday. Not gross American hot dogs either, although they may look similar, delicious and full of flavor sausages that I could possibly eat every day forever. Also, butter on pretzels … back up, what? Yes, I will never look at a pretzel the same. And the beer. Well, that needs no explanation. As pure and crisp as beer can get. Did I mention they’re really into distilling in this region? YUSS, please!
Moral of my story: go to the Alps!
Wherever you go within the Alps, whether it be in France or Austria, go! Especially if you are the summer or winter outdoor type. You can ski on 15+ minute runs in the winter and hike the mountains in the summer, alive with the sound of music (hah!).
No matter where you are within the Alps, the scenery is seriously unreal. Being that my family may all have a soft spot for mountains, I can speak for us all when I say, we have never been able to walk out our front door and see such a vista in all directions. Effing BEAUTIFUL! (Check out the photos below!) We spent time driving through the region on our way to Munich. Although driving through it in the winter was hectic at times, it was such a treat. These huge mountains and beautiful landscape all around left me awestruck and pining for more. After this trip and my previous trip to Vienna, Austria may have made the list of my favorite countries that I’ve visited!
Where is your favorite mountain region you’ve been to?
