The City of Salzburg
“Surrounded by the Alps and on the border of Bavaria, the city of Salzburg is another cultural highlight that I will definitely have to come back for. ”
The view of Salzburg from Hotel Pitter’s Sky Restaurant with Hohensalzburg Castle in the background, the landmark of the city and its top tourist attraction.
We stayed at Hotel Pitter at the centre of town and enjoyed a sumptuous dinner at the ‘Sky Restaurant’ with wonderful views of the city. It was here Mr Imlauer, our host and owner of the Imlauer Hotel Group, introduced me to ‘Rowanberry Schnapps’. “This is the real ‘Tyrolean’ deal,” he told me. “You’ll either love it or hate it.” That evening, we made a serious dent in the bottle!
WEATHER WARNING
But outside, it was raining…heavily! The weather had taken a turn! It was early September, the perfect time I thought to come to these parts. We’d started in Vienna playing golf in the high 20s (high 70s Fahrenheit) then suddenly the rain came in and temperatures nose-dived!
“Storm Boris had arrived. It was snowing in the Tyrol and flooding throughout Central Europe!”
Altentann Golf Club, not a day at the races.
The next morning we visited Altentann Golf Club but the rain was so persistent that we could only look on and wonder. The clubhouse staff took pity on us and offered a tableful of cakes and coffee as there was no way we were getting to play their golf course.
When they can’t golf… let them eat cake!
AUSTRIA’S NUMBER 1
Adamstal Golf Club is easily one of the most spectacular golf courses in all of Europe.
That same day, desperate to play the No 1 track in all of Austria, we wrapped up and took to the fairways of Adamstal Golf Club. Nestled in the Alpine foothills, it is said to be one of the most spectacular golf courses in Europe. We could barely see the flag poles!
The temperatures dropped from the mid-20s to a chilling 5 degrees. Having come unprepared, I wrapped up the best I could!
Storm Boris was bringing in sheets of wind, rain and much cooler temperatures. But even for the few holes we were able to play, I could tell this was a Class-A arrangement capable of hosting the Challenge Tour’s ‘Euram Bank Open’ - as it regularly does!
I know how ridiculous it looks but it was so cold and wet, my newly invented ‘golf kilt’ saved the day.
The design of Adamstal follows the lay of the land, which is ravine-ous and complicated. We sampled a few holes of each nine before finishing on the ‘settle-the-bet’ par 3 19th, plunging to the foot of a valley. Then it was back to the cosy clubhouse for hot showers and most welcomed refreshments.
Adamstal looks so inviting, I hope to get back and play it properly very, very soon!
