S is for Seefeld

Continuing along today with the April A-Z Blog Challenge. Our family moved to England when I was just shy of 13 and spent the next 6 years across the pond. This month, I am reflecting on the time I spent overseas during my teens.

S is for Seefeld

Or slopes, or skiing or all of the above! In today's teenage overseas adventure we are headed to Austria. I have never been a big skier but I thoroughly enjoy charming ski villages and snowy mountain vistas so I will always be up for a ski trip. 

We stayed in the most charming little hotel that was walking distance from the slopes and shops. One of the things I always think of when this trip comes to mind is how delicious the food was. The hotel gave you an assigned table for your stay and we enjoyed most of our breakfasts and dinners at the hotel. They served the most delectable traditional German dishes. It was often followed by relaxation in the cozy bar area by the fire. 

My mom, who is also not a big skier, was kind enough to take a ski lesson with me the first day. It helped me build my confidence and reminded I do in fact know how to ski. Mom always like to recall how she avoided one of the little moguls and our instructor made chicken clucking noises at her! All in good fun :) 

This was also the trip where my dad, sister and I all got to attempt snowboarding for the first time. We booked  a1/2 day lesson to give it a go. I was pretty excited because the snowboards are a lot lighter to carry than skis. And I thought perhaps I would enjoy it more...however as it turns out I find this MUCH harder than skiing. Keeping your balance, keeping the board super flat while riding the t-bar so you don't fall off, steering- too many things to think about. While I feel like we did finally do a small amount of snowboarding, all 3 of us spent a good chunk of that lesson on our behinds. 

The best part of the ski trips we went on overseas were that, even if you don't want to ski you still get to enjoy being up on top of the slopes! There are trams you can take to the top of the slopes and there you are met with a cafe to grab hot cocoa (or wine...but lets remember I was like 14), blankets and adirondack chairs. So when we weren't skiing mom and I spent our time enjoying the views, reading and chatting. While sister and dad went on run after run on the slopes. 

Mom and I are in the middle!

Seefeld is not too far from Innsbrook so we scooted over for a day of sightseeing at the former Olympic village. 

The coolest part was seeing the huge ski jump. I can't even imagine standing up there, skis tipping over the edge and then flying down the mountain.

In between sightseeing in Innsbrook, skiing and enjoying the views...we managed to squeeze in some ice skaing, shopping (you've gotta have furry boots right?), plenty of good food, went through about a hundred hand warmers and loved every bit (probably) of the family togetherness.