Finally – after a year of really hard work I have landed in the Austrian Alps. To be more specific: Ischgl in the Paznauntal in Tyrol. The Paznaun Valley is surrounded by the mountain ranges of Vervall in the north, Samnaun ins the south-east and the Silvretta mountain range in the south-west. Truly stunning scenery – I feel like I am in Sound of music! This week will be all about hiking, breathing fresh air and enjoying some well-earned time off. I’ve been to Austria before but never on a designated hiking trip, and never to Ischgl so I’m very excited!

Truly stunning scenery – I feel like I am in Sound of music!

I’m staying at the Hotel Post – a really nice hotel with a spa, their own mountain guides och five course dinners eeeeevery night. Apparently the dessert buffet is out of this world so I’m really looking forward to that. And with hiking all day long the buffet is truly guilt-free! I don’t know much about Austrian cousine – I know German food, and beer, and perhaps it’s similar? It’s weird acctually – I’m familiar with the cousine north and south of Austria but not what’ cooking in the middle! I like what’s served to the south, not so much to the north 🙂 We’ll see. And I’m not really picky – I’m just  glad not having to do the dishes afterwards.

The first image is on the way to Niederelbehütte and Kapper Kopf. The alpine hut was built in the 1930s and belongs to the German Alpine Association. After a mandatory lunch break and a Radler at the hütte we hiked all the way up to  Kappler Kopf. The second image is the view from the top – what you see way down there is the villages of Kappl och Ser. And the third image is me having just done a ” berg heil” at the top cross – clinging to it for dear life.