Kufstein, Austria September 2, 2011
Have just walked around Thiersee lake in the rain this afternoon. A short drive from Kufstein, high in the Tirol, surrounded by mountains, in a valley of very green grass. The guest houses festooned with window boxes, overflowing with late summer flowers, the cows plump and contented.
Very picturesque and, like all of Austria, clean, tidy, prosperous and well kept.

Walter and Lisbeth's home is only about 500 metres from the town centre. Walter works at the Volksbank and walks home every day at 12 for lunch, which is the main meal of the day and always delicious. Lisbeth stays home every morning, getting it ready. Each day at twelve we can hear the organ concert coming from the castle above the town centre. Just in case you didn't know ti was time for lunch.

Today we had Schnitzel Milanaise and pasta, with a yummy homemade tomato sauce, and fresh steamed vegetables. Followed by chocolat mousse with a dash of Amaretto. And as always, a cup of freshly brewed coffee from their miraculous koffee machine.
Daughter Claudia and her three year old daughter Lena have come to stay for the weekend.
Lena is at the “ why” stage of life. Why do they speak English in New Zealand?

I went to the Night Shopping last night with them and we listened to Walter and his group play jazz in an open platz. He plays keyboard and they play my kind of jazz, laid back and familiar.
The town was ablaze with lights, live music and shopping. All the people were out and about, enjoying one of the last outdoor events of the summer.

We came home at 9.30. Walter and his group moved onto another outdoor cafe later, but were asked not to play, as there were a lot of young people around, who wanted to listen to the music of their DJ's!
Jazz is not very popular in Austria much to Walter's disappointment. But they were happy to go home early, as they had already been paid for the gigs.

In the afternoon as I was wandering around, I came across a family band of gypsies from Slovakia, busking. They were very lively and very good. Even the youngest girls were all singing with great enthusiasm.

The night before, the last night of summer, we had dinner out of doors and listened to the final outdoor summer concert by the local brass band. These bands are a very important part of Austrian culture, with each town or village having their own band and fiercely proud of them.
Four young women, dressed in local costume, circulated in the cafes, serving schnaaps, poured into a little silver goblet. They used the same goblet for everyone, just wiping it with a towel between patrons. Presumably the schnaaps is so strong it kills any germs! It certainly tasted like it would. You have to knock it back quickly, then feel the after effects. Lisbeth was a schnaaps girl with her local band when she was young.

Have just been told we are going up the road, to another outdoor cafe for dinner. This is a very quiet part of town, Kienberg Strasse, with a lovely avenue of tall trees and the forest and mountain rising behind the house. So it seems there is a very nice outdoor terrace cafe about 100 metres up the hill.