February 21, 2017 - Tanya's Winter Wonderland Tour - Day 16 - Kitzbuhel, Austria

Elisa's Daily Scoop
NEXT TRIP DEPARTS IN: 52 DAYS
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Off the Slopes Fun in Kitzbuhel

Happy Tuesday!

This has been an interesting two weeks with Tanya traveling all around on her Winter Wonderland Tour.

I have felt as if I've been right there beside her as I've had the pleasure of telling you all about the details of each of the destinations she has been to thus far.

I am not going to lie LOL, but I am so jealous of my baby cousin because this looks like one of the most amazing trips she's ever taken!

Wengen, Switzerland (c) travelincousins.com

​If you haven't been following her, you don't know what you're missing!

All of the destinations on her trip are not only amazing for winter travel, but, they offer tremendous options for warm weather travel as well. We will be loading up all of the blogs from Tanya's Winter Wonderland Tour when it is over.

So, if you've missed anything, you will be able to go through it chronologically, or by city of interest by the end of this month.

As for me I have, as you know two major trips for 2017.

The past year and a half has been tough for me with the challenges happening in my personal life. As a result, I have not been able to travel as much as I desire. However, that is all going to change beginning with the spring and moving forward for the next several years.

I've got some great major trips planned - a few that are scheduled and booked and the others that now merely need to be scheduled with the necessary bookings over the coming month and year.

But in addition to these, I also have a number of smaller weekend getaway trips that I would like to do but have not as yet been placed on my calendar.

So here's a look see at what I'm thinking and what will shortly be put on my calendar and locked it...

Jubilee Bridge, London (c) travelincousins.com

APRIL 2017
Gianna's 13th Birthday Trip to London with the Cousins

This trip is all booked!!
I do have to make a few dinner reservations and possibly one more afternoon tea, but other than this, we are good to go!!

MAY 2017
Las Vegas

I will be hitting Sin City in three months for a short girls' weekend. We really don't have any specific plans as of yet.  

Our hotel is booked, but I still need to book airfare.  I will be working on that this week.

JUNE 2017
Cousins Chicago Road Trip 
June 2017

This trip is scheduled for the end of June when the girls are out of school.

Since this is a road trip, the main bookings are for hotels for our nightly stays.  We have reservations for all nights except our two nights in Chicago and my one night in Cleveland on my return drive back from Chicago to New York.

Yay!  This trip is almost booked!!

JUNE 2018
Croatia Road Trip

It's time for another trip for Elisa & Tanya - just the two cousins - and this time we're heading to Croatia for our long-awaited road trip down the Dalmatian Coast. 

As of today, we do not have anything planned for this trip.  We only have our vision of driving the coast from city to city to city!!

We will be working on this in the coming months, setting our itinerary, and getting our bookings done.

​Stay tuned!!
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ISRAEL - (Credit: sext.com)

AUGUST 2018
Israel - Jordan Trip

​This is a trip I've wanted to go on for many years.

The Holy Land needs no explaining as to why someone would want to visit.  I am no different - With so much history, this destination was finally added to my calendar.

Additionally, from the first time I watched Indiana & the Temple of Doom, I have wanted to visit Petra in Jordan. So, there is no question that when I visit Israel, I will be taking a day trip to Petra as well.

I've begun to do a great deal of research on creating a trip, but have not locked into any specific details as of yet.

The main challenge I have with this trip is that it looks as if I may be traveling here alone with my girls.  No on (including my dear cousin, Tanya) wants to join me on this trip of a lifetime.

Perhaps things will change during the next year. 
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SUMMER 2019
Sicily: Journey to the Homeland

What is amazing to me is that with our combined trips to Italy, neither Tanya nor I have visited Sicily!

This is the small island off the coast of Italy, from where our family originates.  My paternal grandfather and Tanya's maternal great-grandfather  left his homeland, and the city of his birth - Taormina - at the age of 14 to join the merchant marines and travel the world.

That was back in 1914.  Tanya and decided if we did not get this destination on our calendar - TOGETHER - it might never happen.  We have big plans for this trip!

No definitive plans have been made as of yet, but I can assure you, they will be big!!  We are both trying to get our respective family members to join us.  However, in the least case, it will be a family trip for me, Tanya and all of the kids.

This is another trip that will be up and on our blog soon enough!

Over the course of the next year, I am hopeful about making a few impromptu weekend trips as well.  Here is my short list...

* Weekend in NYC
My annual birthday weekend in NYC did not happen this year, sadly. Eating, walking around and catching a show was sorely missed. This is a must-do for 2017.

* Amish Country Weekend - Lancaster, PA
(Preferably in October during the Lititz Annual Chocolate Walk- weekend of October 8th)
In October, 2015, Gianna and I ventured on a weekend road trip to Lancaster and had a blast.  It was the first time she stayed in a B&B. We both love the hearty food and the beauty of the Amish Country so I'd love to do it again during the Annual Chocolate Walk in the town of Lititz in the Fall of 2017.

* New Palz, NY - Mohonk Mountain House, New Paltz, New York
With so many winter activities at the Mohonk Mountain House resort, I so want to plan something out for a cold weekend in January, 2018 for me and the girls, if possible.
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Now, back to the day at hand, and Tanya now traveling in Austria in the cities of Innsbruck and Kitzbuchel.

I know we have a lot of followers who just adore skiing, but we probably have just as many who have not taken up the sport.

I fall under the category of "non skier" as you know, and because of that I always like to share the non-skiing options for activity and fun off the slopes, when chatting about typical ski vacations.

There's no reason to avoid cold weather destinations because skiing is not your thing. The landscape, the villages, and the general culture can all be enjoyed equally if you know in advance what to do, while your traveling companions are hitting the slopes.

Here are a few options that I found that I know for sure I would love to enjoy when my travels bring me to Kitzbuhel, Austria:

(credit: Kitzbüheler Alpen)

Alpine Flower Garden Kitzbuheler Horn
I LOVE LOVE LOVE Flowers!!! Actually, both me and Tanya do.  You could probably tell from the many visits we've made to botanical gardens around the globe and how we always manage to snap away at florals!

Located atop Kitzbüheler Horn, The Alpine Flower Garden features Arnica, edelweiss and purple bellflowers, among the 400 alpine blooms flourishing here.

Hahnenkamm-Rennen
Perhaps the most enthralling of all FIS Alpine World Cup stages, this is the best of the best of all downhill ski races.

What better way to enjoy skiing than to be a spectator in one of the greatest ski races. 

(credit: commons.wiki.org)

Museum Kitzbühel
Dating back to its Bronze Age mining days beginning to  Kitzbühel’s present day heritage,  this museum features it all.

Major emphasis is on winter sports, and the permanent collection pays tribute to homegrown legends including ski racing champ Toni Sailer and winter landscape painter Alfons Walde.


That's about it for today.  
Second day of winter break vacation for my kiddies and they are on a major Grey's Anatomy binge watching fest.  

Hate to admit it, but they got me a bit hooked as well.

Till tomorrow,
-E
xoxo

Tanya's Daily Scoop
CURRENTLY TRAVELING IN:
KITZBUHEL, AUSTRIA

Hello Austrian Tyrols
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​Greetings from Kitzbuhel, Austria!

First and foremost today is my baby sister's birthday (well I guess she's not a baby anymore).
We are having a wonderful time on our Winter Wonderland Trip - but this is the first time I've missed her birthday - ever!

I wish that Scotty (from Star. Trek) could beam me up so that I could spend her special day with her - but I don't even know a Scotty.

The first few attempts at the itinerary for this trip had us already being home by Feb. 21st.
BUT - that was before I had realized about the Venetian Winter Carnival and how perfect the timing would be to go and experience this ancient event - started in the year 1162!

I don't know maybe the Carnival is a lame excuse - but we are here now and sending her GRAND Birthday Wishes from across the pond.   I even made her a birthday dinner a couple of nights before we left on this holiday!      
Happy Birthday sis!
Miss you xoxoxoxoxoxo

Another thing I'd Ike to address is how sucky the schedule for the Daily Scoop has been these past few days. I haven't been able to really access all that many functions and it kinda screwed up our posting.
We apologize and hope to get back on a good schedule starting NOW!

BACK TO TRAVEL!!!
Okay okay, enough about things not travel related - here I am in Kitzbuhel and I'm babbling to you instead of telling you all about our day. And of course the day that you are going to hear (read) about is yesterday...

We left *Sankt Moritz early in the day, said our Good Byes and our "We'll be backs" to Switzerland and made our way on a lovely road trip across the border and into Austria.  


It was a beautiful drive...as most any drive is in Switzerland!

Arriving into Innsbruck in the afternoon and in time for lunch, we stopped at a little veggie bistro that was located inside of a Natural Foods market only a few blocks from the Altstadt von Innsbruck (Old Town).  

​We noshed and then did a bit of shopping before strolling onto Maria-Theresien-Strasse - the Main Street in the Altstadt that was founded over 700 years ago and that leads to the Golden Roof.

(Insert pics of Altstadt here)

We strolled from end to end - *Triumphpforte (Triumphal Arch) to the *Goldenes Dachl (Golden Roof) and with Annasaule (St. Anna's Tower) in the center.

We were definitely taking in all of the sights and the amazing panorama that surrounded us.  Also on my itinerary was climbing to the top of the *Stadtturm (Town Tower) which we of course did!

Triumphpforte - Construsted by Archduke Friedrich IV in the early fifteenth century as the residence of the Tyrolean sovereigns.

(insert pics of arch)

​Goldenes Dachl - Roman-style triumphal arch, built by Empress Maria Theresa in 1765 to celebrate her son’s wedding.
(Insert Golden Roof pics)

​Stadtturm - Innsbruck’s Stadtturm was built in 1450; reaches 167 feet and was built on to the former city hall to enable the tower guards to keep watch over the city, look out for enemies, and keep peace at night.

We spent hours just gazing and picture taking at all of the Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque architectural marvels and historic buildings.

(Insert pics)

While doing so we also had to stop at LUSH for Cosette who is in love with and seriously addicted to Bath Bombs! - just like her cousin Gianna, who also LOVES this store!

She has a couple of them at home that she had wanted to bring and had asked me about the bath situation vs showers and I had told her. That is where we left off.

Then back in Montreal (which was a couple of weeks ago), Cosette had not brought any of her bath bombs and had looked up where the nearest LUSH locations were - but we really didn't have the time to go on that little adventure.

Jump to Geneva - Cosette again had searched out the local LUSH locations and we were planning on taking her - however with Dominic's missing jacket ordeal, all bets were off and the afternoon became the pits where I was obsessed with the fact that he left his brand new winter jacket on the plane (still not to be found).

Okay now just to yesterday and Innsbruck, we had the time and the LUSH location happened to be on Maria-Theresien Strasse - so we went and she was in bath bomb heaven!

(Insert LUSH pics)

​After Innsbruck we made our way here to Kitzbuhel.
Which brings us to today...

Plan was to head on up to the slopes...but I'm having a bit of deja-vu because it's raining instead of snowing. UGH - I can't or shouldn't complain - we've had brilliant weather up until today and now this...BLAH

Oh well, I'm not gonna let it ruin our day. Come back tomorrow to find out just what we do instead of skiing here in Kitzbuhel, Austria.

Tootles until them,
-T

PS:  please check back later to see all pictures - still having tech issues.