der Berg ruft / the mountain becons.

I had a few days of time on my hands and decided that it was time for a spontaneous break, at the end of this years winter and beginning of spring time. Even the clocks where going to switch from winter to summer time this Sunday, so everyone was "springy" this week.

Here is my hotel, an old family castle from a rich miner family. Obviously I was staying in the old rooms and in one of the corner towers, not visible from here though. The night picture was taken from there, it had a grand view of the hills and mountains. The place had a strange name "Fieberbrunn", but I was feeling great.

As you know me, I like to do things my own way. I started out at the top, well, nearly at the top. At the Streuböden - Mittelstation, 2140 meters above sea level, at least that is what is says on the sign behind me where the cable-car stopped for the first time. One can switch to another cable-car here and get up higher, I had other plans though.

It was very pretty here, the view was great, mountains all around and it was cozy to sit here, on those stupid flat sheep or maybe goats. I guess they fell down the mountain and the people up here re-use them, as seat warmers. Makes sense, as who is so stupid as to climb around where they do, I am talking of the goats. They just have to fall of the sheer rock they jump around on, some time or other, right?

I figured it would be fun to go on a winter hike; not up, the hard way; but downwards as this was my first winter hike. I agreed to that some people accompany me, but rather as a safety precaution than in need. Now you may wonder why a bear like me is up and jumping around at this time of year? First of all I abandoned this silly stuff with hibernation, it´s what my computer dose but not me! And anyways, the big bears are all up and running all around the woods already, feeling hungry and all, so be careful trapsying around the woods, I can smell it! (And read about it on Google News, so who you going to believe?)

The snow cover was about one meter high, as there where meadow posts stickin´ out of it, which where ripped out in some places by the snow pushing down the mountain side.

I did have to "chill out" on my way down, there really was a lot of snow on this roof.

In the evening I sat on the window sill and looked out over the castles courtyard until it got too cold.

 These people here are ski crazy, they even ski at night with lights along the downhill ski run.

Renovating da livin´ room before spring ...

Boy, I can tell you I was busy recently.

Paintin´ the walls, oh, and stickin´ sticky tape all over the place before painting everything!

Here are some pictures as proof of my work:

And my old time buddy, the "Radio Bunny", was makin´n  music all the time, playin´ my favorite radio station. That helped, cause everythin´went a lot faster with music.

The above picture was, at the time when we was done, totally!

And I even got to clean the old "sun device" which I got with Lara C. from da visit to the arabian tomb, ah, darn now I told too much. Well, it is all shiny again and looks quite proper now, gleamin´ and all, like old times when it was made.

And here I took a well deserved break, on the renovated arabic couch table, looking all shiny and new again. Which is why I am mumblin a bit, still got my mouth´ full of munchies.

And obviously, I did most of the work, carrying the new couch all the way up, OK., only to the third floor, but I can tell ya, it nearly broke my back for sure!

And that is only half of the couch!

And here I am, all done but I am starting to realise that I need new pillows for the couch.

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little bears great day out in the mountains and tunnels of Austria

Today my day

started just great!

And then I went on a trip,

to see the pioneer tunnel of the huge Brenner Tunnel Project.

And the weather was great, even though it was quite dark when I took this picture.