St Martin et Lofer, Austria - the village surrounded by mountains

30 April 2006 – We had arrived from Munich the day before in very rainy conditions. The meeting was set up at the Munich Airport, Debbie, Ronnie, Heong, Pat and Lionel. The Lees stayed at Schloss Grubhof in Lofer, a mansion built on the 14 Feb 1887. Ronnie and Heong stayed at a B&B, a farmhouse of Maria and Josef Hagn in Windertal just 5 minutes drive away. This was the view from the patio that greeted us the next morning. The fields were covered with snow! It snowed the nightbefore and there was a dusting of snow everywhere.
Schloss Grubhof is between the villages of Lofer and St Martin et Lofer. Lofer is located at the foothills of the Austrian Alps in an area called Saalachtaler, known for its naturalistic surroundings. It is a place for skiing in winter and walks in spring. The whole week after that first day was springtime! We enjoyed the nature walks most of all. The two villages were very picturesque. The scene is usually that of a small village situated among green fields and almost always a stream is nearby to add the sound of running water. There is a small church in every village. This is a panoramic view of St Martin et Lofer

Ronnie and Heong stayed at a valley in the mountains, shown on at the background of this picture. Josef Hagn, a farmer was absolutely thrilled with the idea that Pat who is from so far away in Singapore could locate his house which he had posted on the Internet. Josef turned out to be very chatty. After the Gohs had completed their day’s sightseeing he would engage them in conversation, practicing his English until very late into the night.