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Austria posts
President Obama thinks 'Austrian' is a language?
Take the kids to Austria
Apr 5th, 2009 at 2:00PM: I did not know that crystal is measured in carats. I didn't need this bit of insight for the notion of a 300,000 crystal to be impressive. Apparently, this is one of the many unique items on display at Swarovski Crystal Worlds in Wattens, Austria. According to MSNBC, this is the second most visited tourist attraction in the country – after Vienna's Schonbrunn Palace. Swarovski also has the ...Ten Great Unknown Treks
Mar 20th, 2009 at 9:00AM: Every adventure traveler knows about the Inca Trail or the Annapurna Circuit. They're amongst the best known hikes in the world, and the amount of traffic on those trails reflects that. While they both offer amazing scenery and a great travel experience, that experience can be tempered by the crowds. Thankfully, Backpacker is here to offer us ten great unknown treks, a list of outstanding long ...20 Great Mountain Huts
Feb 17th, 2009 at 8:00AM: Looking for a great mountain lodge to book for you next ski vacation? Something that affords stunning views with limited crowds and great access to the backcountry? Then look no further than this list created by Eric Kendall for The Guardian. The list is broken down into subcategories, such as "Gourmet/Luxury", "Easy Access", and "Glorious Isolation". There are even suggestions for non-skiers who ...Beer babe's favorite European bars
Feb 15th, 2009 at 9:00AM: Katarina Van Derham, the 2009 St. Pauli Girl spokesmodel, doesn't like to spend all her time in one place. The Slovakia native now lives in Los Angeles and still loves to get out on the road as much as possible. When she's home, her favorite place to grab a pint is Barney's Beanery in Santa Monica. She can have a relaxing drink on the patio, which is a prime people-watching spot. Of course, she ...Travel sans visa coming for European, Caribbean, Mauritius, and Seychelles nationals
Feb 13th, 2009 at 2:00PM: A mutual agreement allowing Europeans, nationals from four Caribbean countries, and citizens of two island nations in the Indian Ocean is expected to be passed and approved by the end of March, which will allow for hassle-free and smoother travel. If you hold a passport from any of the following countries, it means you're that much more free to travel between those listed sans visa: Austria, ...Mozart's birthday and images of Salzburg
Austrian Ski resort kicks off the new year with Europe's largest snowman
Jan 13th, 2009 at 2:00PM: To celebrate the start of the new season, and to promote their newest ski resort, the Galtür region in Austria built Europe's largest snowman. The 53 foot tall snow sculpture is called Emil, and stands at the bottom of their new kiddie slopes. The Ski resort used to be a collection of various challenging slopes, but for 2009, designers divided things into 6 different zones and renamed the ...After incest scandal, Austria prepared to defend its image
May 1st, 2008 at 1:00PM: What comes to mind when you say Austria these days? Whether you like it or not, it is hard to forget that the country has had two high-profile abuse cases in a very short time and they have shared some bizarre details. When the first one hit the newsstands and the world found out about Natascha Kampusch, an Austrian girl who got abducted and and remained in basement custody of her kidnapper for ...Where on Earth? Week 51 - Wolfgangsee, Austria
Mar 28th, 2008 at 4:00PM:
Good job, Kaca_Leach! It is St. Wolfgang, Austria. Something tells me it was not just a wild guess from you.
St. Wolfgang is a cute little town about an hour from Salzburg. It is a good base for ski trips in the northern Austrian Alps. Dachstein is close. Plus, the stands in the center of town sell possibly the best gluhwein (hot wine) I have ever had. Because of the lake, the Wolfgangsee, it ...Another 100 car pileup?
Mar 25th, 2008 at 11:00AM: What is going on the roads of Central Europe this week, exactly? On Friday, I blogged about the Czech 100+ car pileup on the country's major highway.
Today, AP reports that 50 to 100 vehicles slammed into each other earlier today in snowfall on an autobahn in western Austria. The accident happened on the westbound A1 autobahn between the towns of Seewalchen and St. Georgen.
Some victims are ...Things named after Las Vegas casinos
Jan 23rd, 2008 at 1:20PM:
When I was in Vienna, Austria this past October, I made the trek out to the riesenrad, or giant ferriss wheel, with the idea that it might be fun to see the city from way up high. Unfortunately they were charging something like EUR10 for a ride, and I was on a budget. So instead, I elected to browse around the shoddy amusement park next door, and was tickled to run across this architectural ...World's Largest Ice Caves
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Aug 10th, 2007 at 8:29AM:
Ice caves are very different from normal caves. They have a strange feeling about them, as though they are not from this planet, and one has just temporarily stepped into their world when spelunking their depths.
There are many ice caves throughout the world, but the Eisriesenwelt Ice Caves in Austria are some of the largest known to man. They are located within the Tennengebirge Mountains near ...Valentine's Idea: Visit Valentine
Feb 7th, 2007 at 3:01PM: Believe it or not, there are actually a number of cities named Valentine. For example:
Valentine, Nebraska ("America's Heart City") is home to the Valentine National Wildlife Refuge. According to the website, the Heart City plans to host a Valentine's Day event, although -- like shy suitors -- they haven't expressed their feelings about it yet. In 2005, the town hosted a chili cook-off. ...Missing Tourist Found After 8 Days On Indonesian Mountain
Feb 5th, 2007 at 3:44PM: Franz Resch, a 46-year-old tourist from Austria, left his hotel on January 23 to climb the Sibayak Mountain. 8 days, and one rescue operation later, he was found alive in a village in Indonesia's North Sumatra province.
After Resch's hotel declared him missing, rescue workers found his boots, soft drink cans, books and mattress, but couldn't locate the lost tourist. When villagers finally ...The End of Alps Skiing?
Dec 16th, 2006 at 8:35AM: I just got done sobbing uncontrollably. More strange climate news. The NY Times has an article today, noting a recent study that said that the Alps are the warmest they've been in 1,250 years (that's 800 AD, folks), which signals very, very bad things for the skiing industry there.
While I haven't yet planned any of this year's skiing, I can tell you that Europe has been really warm so far. ...Skiing Three Countries in One Day
Nov 25th, 2006 at 9:20AM: Should you ever feel the need to impress your friends with the number of places you have skied in your life (and not go bankrupt as a result of it) head over to Slovenia. If you settle in the town of Bovec, home of Kanin, the highest ski center in the Slovenian Alps, you can venture out to nearby ski resorts in the neighboring countries: Sella Nevea and Tarvisio in Italy, and at the Arnoldstein in ...Is It Skiing Time Yet?
Oct 4th, 2006 at 4:05PM: Perhaps the only good thing about the summer ending is that one can start planning a ski vacation. My favorite place to ski is still the Alps. Granted, I have only skied in a handful of places in the US and Canada, but I still prefer Europe.
It's not that the quality of snow is an order of magnitude better, but it has got two "C's" going for it: cost and character. Especially in Austria, you can ...
