Austria with Contiki

After a week of busy cities and hectic sightseeing, we were all in a need of a little TLC and our night in Austria with Contiki was perfectly placed to provide just that. This was also our first stay in Contiki owned accomodation and Gasthof Schöneck had a great atmosphere! Although the weather was a bit rubbish, we donned our raincoats and walked down to the village.Despite the rain, the scenery was stunning and I’ll never forget Julia’s face as she caught a glimpse of snow topped mountains for the first time. It was a breathtaking backdrop to our visit.After stocking up on snacks at the supermarket, we decided to try out lunch at Gasthof Traube. This was a really cosy pub with excellent (and cheap!) food: I had a broth-style soup with cheesy dumpings for just over 4 euros. Just what I needed to warm me up!After walking back to the hostel, some of the group went off paragliding so I joined some others who were just heading out on their first walk. This time, we crossed through fields and rivers to find a playground, pool and cafe area. Perfect if the weather had been sunny! Instead, we chatted a while with hot chocolates before returning for a few hours chill time.After a real heart to heart with one of my new roommates for the night, it was time for dinner and we were treated to some hearty Austrian cuisine before going upstairs to prepare for our first party night – theme “tight, white and bright”!

As most of our group was staying on the first or second floor, we all propped open our doors to nip in and out of each others rooms while getting ready for the evening! My hair straighteners turned me into the unofficial hairstylist for the night and the party atmosphere started long before we went downstairs to the bar.Ready to party with my roommates!Once downstairs, the UV lights came on and we were taught about ‘Hammerschlagen’, a game where you use the ‘wrong’ end of the hammer to hit a nail into a log. I was challenged to a round which turned out to be super fun (and a little scary after a few drinks!) – this could be my hidden talent! Well, it was for the first round anyway before too many tequila shots kicked in with full force and I quietly retired to the dancefloor in defeat. Okay, so quietly may be the wrong word there…

This was possibly my favourite night of the trip with so much dancing, laughing and a sprinkle of horror on my part when I discovered that my US friends didn’t know S Club 7! My awful dance moves were really cranking up a notch when the lights came up at 2.30am – probably best although I was nowhere ready for the party to be over.The next morning was an exciting one as I’d chosen to go white water rafting before the drive to Venice that afternoon! The rapids were gentle enough that I luckily managed to avoid falling into the freezing water and with beautiful scenery all around, it was definitely one of those ‘pinch me’ moments that I’ll remember for the rest of my life.