The Mooney Mansion

Niall relaxing in the Mooney Mansion
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Niall's parents have just purchased a flat in Austria outside of Salzberg. The Mooney family routinely went to Austria for Christmas Ski Holidays and school trips when they were growing up. As his parents are now retired (previously physical education school teachers) they have a bit more free time and are looking forward to the thought of roaming and skiing the Austrian Alps. Niall and I have the luxury of being the first visitors since they just renovated it a few weeks ago....

We had such a lovely time. The flat is near the rural village of Strobel. We arrived under cover of darkness on Friday and awoke to a very foggy Saturday morning. We ventured into the town of Strobel on Lake Wolfgang and walked around the lake and through the forest to the village of Saint Wolfgang. Our timing was perfect as it was the first weekend of December the local Christmas markets had just begun and there were stalls throughout the village. We drank the local glog called Gluwein which is a red mulled wine. A yummy warm concoction which is flavoured with spices, perfect for a cold winter walk. The day finally brightened and we were treated to spectacular views of the mountains surrounding the lake. As the day was getting late and we wanted to get back to the flat we decided to take a bus. Unfortunately, the bus did not arrive for a half hour...we huddled in the bus shelter and Niall kept me entertained by dancing to keep warm, the laughter at his dancing did just that. The bus finally came and as it passed by Strobel we got off to have a walk down the main street which was lit up beautifully. The townspeople had made these amazing firepits out of wood logs which once used were made into tables. The next day it was gloriously sunnyand we went for a walk around the neighbourhood which luckily includes a walk through the valley surrounded by mountains. We went to a local place for lunch and enjoyed the locals, the views and the amazing food! All in all an excellent weekend away!