Expect the unexpected...

It’s Day 4 of our Austrian Activity holiday and it’s still raining! However, the damp weather has not caused us to have any less fun or laughter.

Yesterday we divided into two groups – the fit and the super fit – because Tuesday was the day to visit Norbert in his farmhouse half way up a mountain at the tiny place called Burstegg. It is a two hour, all uphill hike but it’s well worth the effort. Burstegg comprises just one farmhouse, which is attached to the cow shed, and a tiny church. The views are spectacular and Norbert and his wife, Francesca, run their farm and also welcome mountain walkers who pass by with home-made cider, venison sausage (like salami), cheese and bread – all locally made. If it’s sunny, you sit outside and soak up the stunning views. If it is raining, you sit inside in their living room. The food is simply served in the form of cubes of cheese, meat and bread on a breadboard and tastes exceedingly special – partly because we are not used to having food served so simply, but also it is just so, well, Austrian.

Norbert is a big man with a handshake that takes a week to recover from. He speaks no English but seems to communicate with a huge, beaming smile that emanates from his vast bulk and rugged, cheery face. Francesca is inspiring. There is nothing she doesn’t know about the flowers and plants that grow on the mountains and if she has a calf that is sick, she will scan the landscape to find the right combination of herbs, roots and petals to make up a natural remedy. She is a remarkable woman.

Any visit to Norbert’s ends with a glass of schnapps for everyone. Declining isn’t an option and by the time everyone leaves, having paid just a few Euros for a very memorable lunch, everyone is in excellent spirits as they walk down the endless path to the road again.

The less-fit group, on the other hand, went on a much flatter walk and still enjoyed a wonderfully typical Austrian lunch – but it lacked the unique qualities of Burstegg!

After we all returned from our walks, it was time for Mary’s workout in the Gym which everyone always loves, and then it was time for an early dinner before we took a bus to St Anton for the Tyrolean evening.

If we thought we had burned a few calories during the day, it was nothing to the thigh-slapping, leg leaping activities of the Tyrolean dancers. The super-strong male thighs emerging beneath the well-worn lederhosen was enough to give my all female group just the tonic they needed after a long day in the fresh air! They clapped, they laughed, they had wood chippings tossed over them and water sprayed in their direction and they loved every minute of it. It was a memorable occasion and the Tyrolean boys’ and girls’ performance was superb.

This morning’s weigh in was rewarding with one guest having already lost 6 lbs since Sunday!