INNSBRUCK & VIENNA
February, 2007

In mid February 45 Jacksonville Ski Club Members enjoyed an unforgettable trip to Innsbruck and Vienna, Austria.

We flew overnight from Jacksonville and arrived in Munich early the next morning. We boarded our private motor coach for the 3-hour trip to Innsbruck and stopped for lunch along the way at the famous Frauendorfer Restaurant in Garmisch, Germany. On arrival in Innsbruck we checked in and proceeded to the ski shop for our rentals. That night we had a welcome party, an early dinner and then off to sleep. The next morning we skied Stubai Glacier, the only spot in the area with really good snow. This was the warmest European winter in 50 years and it made for beautiful, sunny days, but not so great skiing at most of the resorts. Fortunately the snow at Stubai remained good for the week and we returned there several times. It is interesting that out of 45 people signed up for the trip, 18 were non-skiers who came to Austria for the wonderful sightseeing, food and events. We stayed with several of the other Ski Council Clubs at the newly renovated Hotel Grauer Bar and enjoyed wonderful dinners each night, sharing stories and making plans for the next day’s adventures.

The Florida Ski Council Activities were excellent, we had a “Parade of Clubs” on Sunday evening; a spectacular Gala Folklore Show & Dance Party on Monday evening; and a scrumptious Mountain Lunch at the Axamer Lizum on Wednesday.  

There were also side trips to Venice, the Bavarian Castles, Swarovski Crystal World and to Bolzano, Italy to see Otzi, the 5,000 year old Glacier Guy. On Tuesday, we joined in the fun with the locals for the annual Fasching Festival, the Austrian version of “Fat Tuesday”.

Then, on Friday we bid farewell to the returning passengers, off for an early return to the Munich airport. Later the rest of us boarded a motor coach for the five-hour ride to Vienna. The trip was broken up by a nice coffee stop in Kitzbuhel, a delicious lunch just outside of Salzburg, and an afternoon wine and cheese party on the bus.

On arrival in Vienna we had a short bus tour and on the following morning an extensive tour of the city. Vienna is amazing and monumental, with the public spaces on a scale with Paris. While there we visited the Opera, the Schonbrunn Palace, the Vienna Flea Market, the Rathaus and the Ringstrasse. Many of us went to performances of the Vienna Boys Choir and later to see the Lippizan Stallions at the Spanish Riding School. Each evening we had a planned group dinner at a local restaurant or Schnitzel House.

With so much to see and do, we all have different stories to tell… Some great ski days and some great adventures, it was a wonderful trip and we all made many new friends.

Jacksonville Ski Club
P.O. Box 551352 Jacksonville, Florida 32255-1352
email JaxSkiClub