Schloss Neuschwanstein (Hohenschwangau, Bavaria, Germany)

After paying a surprise visit to the Hungarian capital, the next stop was an enigmatic Bavarian Neuschwanstein castle, which has been tickling my imagination ever since I saw its picture for the first time. The fact that the castle has been built as a homage to the composer Richard Wagner and his music in addition to the mysterious story of the castle owner's (Ludwig II of Bavaria) death automatically make this place mesmerising for anybody who has a detective mind. 

Despite the romantic ideas of the castle I've never understood, why the castle has such a weird name: until recently I've been a firm believer the castle was called NEUN-SCHWEIN-stein instead of Neuschwanstein (i know, i know: this joke has now been told many times, but I still find it hilarious! :-) *

* Footnote for non-German-speakers: Schwann = swan; Schwein = pig; neun = nine; neu = new; stein = stone.
Once parked (no private cars are allowed on the roads leading up to the castle) one can go uphill with a bus or a horse carriage. Although both operate without any schedule, one can be pretty confident that something's going up every 20 minutes. The typical tourist view opens up from Marienbrücke, but for more adventurous travellers there're paths varying in length (from 5 minutes of steep ascent to 3 hours of smooth walking) and opening alternative perspectives on the castle and the nearby Schwansee, i.e. Swan Lake. 
Enjoy!

Snowboarding in Sankt Anton (Tyrol, Austria)

Spring is back to the city of Vienna & it's probably high time to somehow give credit for a beautiful, albeit brief, winter season. My snowboarding experience this year included only two escapades: a one-day trip to Stuhleck (in ski region Semmering) & a week in Tyrolean Sankt Anton am Arlberg.

Well, Stuhleck is a nice place for a short getaway with 1-day ski-passes ranging between 15-18€ (depending on how early you arrive), but St.Anton without doubt is a much more spectacular place & probably deserves a bit more credit in the story.

So let's begin: well, after lengthy e-mail communication with various hotels the base for this year's trip was chosen - a 3* pension with a sunny address "Sonnenwiese 2" Haus Battisti:

A couple of  noteworthy things about a winter holiday in Sankt Anton:

1. book LONG in advance (at least 2 weeks, otherwise: stressful limbo of not knowing, whether or not you have a roof over your head);
2. 'St.Antonian' prices "bite": costs of food & accomodation are generally higher (even if compared with other Tyrolean resorts, for instance Sölden);
3. check the weather forecast before booking :-) The challenges of a winter holiday can be extremely nice (like discovering new pistes or hidden detours), they don't necessarily have to involve fighting hurricane wind with rain in complete absence of a single ray of sun & getting lost because one can't see further than 2 meters from the tip of one's nose :-( 

High-season "grown-up" ski-pass for 5 days costs 185€ & includes access to the whole Ski Arlberg area (Lech, Zürs, Stuben, St. Anton & St. Christoph), which means approx. 280 km of marked pistes & ca. 180 km of  free-ride areas!!! So, although a bit pricey, St.Anton is still a snowboarder's paradise:)

Some stuff I've en passant learned about the equipment this season:) If you're going to the 'serious'Tyrolean  mountains, you will most probably need: 

1. a facemask (à la that) to protect you from the wind while smoothly flitting down the hill / to save you from the cold if despite all your weather-research efforts you still get caught in bad weather up on a mountain.

2. scraper snowboard mat (à la this) in order to stabilze the 'free' leg on the T-bar lift or during short-distance rides when you don't want to lock the bindings.

3. snowboard web leash (à la that) in order not to loose your board on a steep slope. 

Well, all in all the holiday turned out to be awesome & I hope you enjoyed browsing a bit through pictures & tips :-) 

Ahja, maybe the last concluding piece of advice for your visit to Tyrol: Aqua Dome in Längenfeld! Last year we 'accidentally' discovered it & ... one does not easily forget floating outside in a thermal bath while listening to underwater music & watching snowy peaks of the Alps (additional tip: try it out at night☾☆).  

View from the 'Raststation' near Mondsee, Salzkammergut.

Panorama of Mondsee, Salzkammergut.