Paula and Strange Tyrolean Men

Travellers’ Tales is a new series on this blog, inviting travellers to share some of their inspiring or memorable experiences.This week, we are joined by Paula McInerney, who narrates a hilarious anecdote about the time they went skiing in Austria.Paula is a travel writer at Contented Traveller, a travel site that she runs with her husband, Gordon.Their site not only shares real life inspirational and amusing stories of their own exploits but also shares resources and tips to help others gain the confidence to travel their own way. From houseboats in Amsterdam to surrealistic art galleries in Strasbourg, cave houses in Turkey and 5 star villas in Bali, this travel couple will keep you on your toes with their left of center approach. Follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

 

Kitzbühel is a small medieval town in the Tyrol region of Austria and is a renowned ski and sports resort. The people are fiercely Tyrolean and proud, and the village is picture postcard perfect.

We love to ski and always ski in Japan in January or February each year. Last year, we decided to go on to Europe and to visit both Austria and Switzerland. We always pick a place based on its culture and it offering us a new perspective. We also like to meet the people and that is how I can get myself into situations.

The weird thing about this trip was that I was recovering from a broken leg and lost my nerve to hit the slopes just 6 months after the break. The best thing about the places that we select is that there is much to see and to do, even if you don’t ski. I became the queen of the mountain cafes.

Man number 1

Kitzbuhel Tourism had given us a private ski instructor for our time there. Sascha was so European chic and cool and a very accomplished skier. It was great just chatting with him. When he and Gordon went skiing, he just parked me from café to café on the lodge. It was Sascha who introduced me to ..

…. Man Number 2

I do attract trouble. I can’t help it. I pick up unusual characters wherever I go and bring them back to Gordon. We were up a mountain in Kitzbuhel in Austria, and a behemoth of a man decided to chat to me or chat me up. It was a fine line. I took him into the lodge café to meet Gordon. He proceeded to tell us he was not Austrian but Tyrolean, and that he had been to Australia. He kept asking me my age.

Apparently, he had had his first experience in Sydney and Gordon is sure that he thought that it was me. He then proceeded to bang the bell for shots of schnapps trying to get Gordy drunk. Gordon is quieter than me and spends much of his time shaking his head at me.

If travel has made a difference to your life, inspired you in any way,or given you cherishable memories,  feel free to get in touch and contribute to this series.You can mail in your posts to admin@europediaries.net