Christmas Day

Christmas Day Scott and I boarded a coach bus and left Salzburg behind for a trip into the Alps. Our destination was an area which included the towns of Schladming and Ramsau, Austria. We were excited to get a chance to go up into the mountains and excited to finally get to some snow. Our tour included lunch and some "shopping time", but the real highlight was the sleigh ride. We really had a great time and saw some beautiful scenery. About 2/3 of the way through our sleigh stopped at a little pub where we enjoyed some warm Gluhwein and an apple strudel. We met some really nice folks from the States who had done some extensive travelling in Europe and the UK. They gave us some great pointers about Ireland, a place we have not gone yet, but intend to begin exploring as soon as the weather here in the UK improves! Once we re-boarded the sleigh our driver passed around a little bottle of some sort of "home brew". Scott was brave enough to take a wee drink, but between the idea of it being "home brew" and the fact that at least 5 other people had already had a swig was enough for me to say, "Thanks, but no thanks!". All in all, this was a very enjoyable way to spend Christmas Day.

These horses are really working hard!

This area of Austria is a well-known winter playground. This Feb. the Alpine
World Ski Championships will be held here. 

The little town of Ramsau.

Some of the sights along our sleigh ride.

One of the sleighs in our group. Our sleigh ride was generally on the runners, 

but there had not been any new snow for a few days so we had to go 

"wheels down" to cross roadways which were clear of snow.

Trying to make friends with one of our horses. It's a well known fact that horses
and I don't typically understand one another. (See blog post: "Salzburg" for
further info!) This is as close as I got to this one! I did thank her for the ride. :)