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Introduction Stories... |
August 13, 1986, written on Almtalhof stationery from Grunau, Austria Dear Don and Sally,
I’ve found the reason you should come to Austria for your next visit...it is to stay in this hotel!!! This is absolutely THE most charming place I’ve ever stayed, and remember this comment comes from someone who has traveled on six continents. I have stayed in more elegant and opulent places but none with such charm, warmth, and good food. It intrigued us both so much we are staying four 4 nites and forgetting Munich on this trip. Also this is surprising because we have hit our first rainy weather and don’t even have the added attraction of the outside weather to add to the charisma. So what does it have? Before we came we had 3 written descriptions of this place that made it sound a little too much. Read the brief description you have of Mrs. Leithner’s crosstitch and Mr. Leithner’s pine furniture. I had even more glowing accounts that had Jack “throwing up.” But they have managed to pull it off beautifully! There are 33 rooms in this hotel built in 1900. Every space (walls, ceilings, etc., etc. corridors) are filled with antiques. It’s better than many museums. The rooms are well decorated and spacious (meaning there is a separate seating area) and the food has been excellent. And the price...$72 a day for both of us which includes breakfast and dinner (and really lunch since you take enough from the breakfast buffet for lunch). And one more comment about food...for all my worldwide travels I carry a combination of flax seed and bran to eat along the way for fiber to make the old system work without laxatives. This hotel had a breakfast buffet that not only included birchmuseli (my favorite), BUT flax seed, bran...and in addition all other grains as well as bread, cheese, juice, fruit etc., etc. The one drawback so far AND IT’S A BIG ONE, there is no light bulb over 40 watts in the room! I managed to negotiate a 60-watt bulb for the floor lamp and Jack and I hovered over it last nite to read. Tomorrow we go out and buy a 100-watt bulb and hope it will fit in the socket? Addition on same letter August 14 (the folks anniversary) Weather is much better today and the area is lovely! We’ve bought a walking map of the area and will now make use of it. Tomorrow is a holiday here (the feast of the Ascension I believe...one’s Catholic background is helpful at times) and a 3-day weekend for the locals. The next message relay will be from the Berlin Wall... Cheers, Theresa P.S. Grunau is about 1/4 the size of Chenoa (this would make it about 250 people) |
