East Tyrol

Following an invitation by the tourism marketing office of the federal state of Tyrol, the sisterMAG packed their bags to go and explore a little known part of Austria this June: East Tyrol! Ricarda from 23qmStil.de, Clara from tastesheriff.de, Jeanny from zuckerzimtundliebe.de, Nic from luziapimpinella.de and Nicole from lifelovedeeply.de joined in our adventure and helped us conquer the Alps in the Lienz district, discover its cottage industries and feast on regional specialties to our – and the residents – hearts’ content.

Thursday morning.

In just a few hours we’ll be off to East Tyrol – just the place for anyone who loves the mountains and is looking for that perfect mix of relaxation and action on their summer holidays. A quick look at the first day’s itinerary suggests, not only a full day, but also elevating hiking boots to the top of the list of things to pack. Many of our intended destinations are best reached on foot.

Thursday afternoon.

At Salzburg airport we are picked up by a shuttle bus delivering us straight to the Hotel Holunderhof (German for »elder farm« - www.hotelholunderhof.at. We make full use of some downtime before our first activity and get settled into our rooms, and explore our temporary home.

Travel group

The hotel room

5.30 PM

The rooms at Holunderhof are all beautifully decorated and strike an exquisite balance between modernity and rural charm. A French balcony in every room is both a great place to relax and a wonderful way to enjoy the fresh mountain air straight from your bed in the morning. A closer look at the hotel quickly shows another of its strengths: it’s a great family destination. Holiday apartments, with a family kitchen and up to two bedrooms plus sofa beds, guarantee a relaxing stay for everyone. Ideally situated for the Zetterfeld winter sport region and the Lienz‘ mountain cableway, this is an ideal base camp for all summer hikers and mountain bikers, too.

Hiking in the mountains

Friday 7.00 AM

Customary breakfast

The breakfast menu at Holunderhof does not sport your typical continental selection. When in East Tyrol breakfast as the East Tyroleans do… so we indulge in exclusively locally sourced ingredients and products. Curiosity (and a lot of coffee which is also available) rallies the troops, i.e. our little travel group, to the table and we give the Hollersulze (elderberry jelly) a try.

8.00 AM

In search of Punxsutawney Phil

The Lienz cableway takes us into the Zettersfeld area where we meet with a national park ranger, under whose guidance we explore the so-called groundhog way leading to the Faschingalm, a mountain lodge.

12.00 PM

Trout from the pond in the back yard

Tummies rumbling we reach the family-run Faschingsalm lodge in perfect time for lunch. The establishment prides itself on its regional cooking; there is no room for ready meals. If you like fish you can even get fresh trout farmed right on the premises. And how about a side of Oskar? No, we didn‘t name the fish before we ate it; Oskar is the potato brand of East Tyrol. Even if you aren’t a big fan of fish make sure to try the signature marinated trout!

3.45 PM

Home-made herbal salt

We visit the Gerlhof in Nussdorf Debant www.gerlhof.at a family-run farm where we learn to make herbal salt in the traditional fashion, and also get to bake our own tiny bread rolls. The Gerlhof farm is a particularly lovely little corner of the world and proprietors Margit and Leo make us feel right at home. So much so that we would love to stick around for longer, making full use of the patio and further exploring the farm and all its animals.

6.30 PM

No witches‘ brew!

By the evening we are all exhausted, but the prospect of a proper night cap soon perks us up again and off we go to the »Kuenz« distillery, a family business steeped in more than 40 years of tradition. We are greeted with a round of our all-time favorite drink - Gin & Tonic – after which Martina gives us a guided tour of the distillery including a sample of many, if not most, of their delicious creations. The signature drink is apple schnapps from a wooden barrel. Most of our travelling companions also buy a particularly tasty type of Austrian gin…because it’s never too early to think of souvenirs.

8.30 PM

Never on an empty stomach!

Lightweights and those looking to sample the full menu should make sure not to go to Kuenz distillery without a proper foundation in their stomachs. Back at the hotel we quickly make up for the omission of this step on our itinerary today and head straight for the restaurant. Well fed – make that »positively pampered« - by the wonderful people at the Holunderhof we retreat to our comfy beds in the wee small hours.

Saturday 8.45 AM

Tile making in Matrei

Well rested and strengthened by another Tyrolean breakfast we’re off on our next adventure; We’re going to pay a visit to the charming little market town of Matrei. The first stop on our way through town is Tonlodn www.ofenbau-niederegger.at , an artisan clay manufacturer, where we (unable to come up with more creative individual ideas) try our hands at tile making. We’re hooked, and immediately start making plans for a tile shop on Dawanda. After this hands-on activity our next item on the itinerary is sightseeing.

11.00 AM

Total relaxation

Anyone whose idea of a holiday is more about relaxing than being overly active will feel right at home at hotel Hinteregger. Its exceptional spa area with its natural pool and perfect view of Matrei castle, is just one of the many selling points that make it a favorite with its guests. The rooms all have names derived from the local vernacular (with definition and etymology also provided) an endearing detail and one of many that make our much-too-soon goodbye so very hard.

12.00 PM

Home grown

No trip, especially to East Tyrol, is complete without some souvenirs. And there is no better place to find a suitable gift than the bustling Matrei market. This valley market is renowned for its selection of exclusively regionally, i.e. from East Tyrol, sourced products. We pick up some delicious Deferegger elderberry mustard and a therapeutical pillow filled with arolla pine shavings, whose beautiful scent alone is sure to heal any affliction.

12.30 PM

Weeds for lunch?!

Pit stop at the »herbal tavern« Strumerhof www.strumerhof.at where there is, a steaming pot of weed grass soup and refreshing Bach flowers, to quench our thirst, waiting for us. Weed soup is not the only oddity on the menu of this farm-come-restaurant at 1.586 yards above sea level: Flower parfait, nettle dumplings and mutton in mountain hay are also available. After lunch we retreat to our hotel rooms for a (digestive) break before jumping into our afternoon adventure.

4.00 PM

Visiting with the busy bees

We’re off to see the beekeeper. As a little boy, Konrad Trojer, helped his dad take care of the bees and now it’s him who supplies this area with original East Tyrol honey, typical of the breakfast we have come to love. But Konrad doesn’t just keep bees, he also trains the next generation of apiculturists and teaches classes on the ins and outs of beekeeping. His farm is especially popular with school classes who come to learn all about the animals, their prod-ucts and how the environment benefits from healthy bees.

8.00 PM

Event dinner

We have come to Park Hotel Tristachersee to celebrate the last evening of our trip. Famous for both its first class kitchen and exquisitely stocked wine cellar, this establishment lives up to any expectations its two toques, awarded by Gault Millau, might inspire. With its charmingly retro interior and décor reminiscent of Kellerman’s hotel from Dirty Dancing, it is hands-down one of the best places to eat in all of Austria. We enjoy a marvellous 5-course meal with a positively fiery finish: flambéed right at our table by the chef himself, we are treated to a sumptuous dessert of apricots with vanilla ice cream. What better way to end a truly fabulous weekend?

At this point we would like to thank Tirol Tourismus and all our travelling companions for making this wonderful journey/trip possible. There will be more pictures of this wonderful weekend get-away in our next issue of our »Dearsouvenir« magazine.

FOTOS: Ashley Ludäscher

TEXT: Yasmeen Dabu & Sandra Rothfeld

TRAVEL ORGANISED BY: Tirol Tourismus (tirol.at)