Marilyn and David's Wedding Anniversaries.

Ninth, in September 2011, on the Jaguar Enthusiasts' Club trip to Austria in the 1976 Daimler Double Six Avon-Stevens Convertible.

Day Six, Monday 5th September.

Our first "rest day", or to be more precise, rest morning as plans had been made for our party to be transported by horse drawn carriages to the "Prossau". The Prossau was a restaurant at the head of the valley behind the Hotel and just over an hour ride up the valley (all owned by the Blumscheins). Many of the group set off to explore the town during the morning: we had a very lazy day around the Hotel, including leisurely coffee in the "Apotheke". This is the bar which is fitted out just like an old chemist's dispensary, complete with masses of pull-out drawers (actually false).

The weather wasn't at all pleasant, with mist and light rain. We set off in our carriages with the hoods raised. This was a great shame because the views were impressive, but visibility out of the carriage was very restricted. We climbed to a height of 1278 metres . Some stretches of the track were very steep and the horses had quite a struggle. It certainly made a change from driving the cars up mountains, as progress was very much more stately and sedate.

On arrival at the Prossau, we were ushered in to the restaurant area and treated to a magnificent spread of cold meats and other delicacies. Also included was a small glass of the local "fire water" (Sambuca): very potent. It was a delightful and unexpectedly large meal,  with the view looking down the rather misty valley. During lunch, the clouds started to lift a little and we were able to descend back to the Hotel with the carriages open, thus enjoying the view rather more.

Dinner was a specially themed event in the main restaurant, with lots of Austrian folk music, including some yodelling and an excellent Austrian farmer style buffet. There was a superb range of different dishes to try. Many of the group certainly entered into the spirit of the evening!