Thursday, May 5, 2016

05/05/16 Day 33: Tyrol, AT

Up and out of the hotel in Lustenau at 10:30. Made the excruciatingly beautiful drive to the, ahem, 5 star Interalpen Hotel outside of Telfs. The broad valley we started in started to close in around us as we headed east. In the distance were snow capped ridges. Around noon we started to enter a series of tunnels which spit us out into snow country around St. Christopher and back down at St. Anton. Switchback roads up and over passes with 8 foot snow markers on either side of the narrowing road. Tall snowy mountains on either side of us, bright blue sky, warm sun. We passed through small ski towns and whizzed past alpine villages that climbed the walls around us. We spotted skiers on the surrounding hills and hi-speed trams to unseen peaks. I would not want to be hehind the wheel during snow, but this was awesome. Our trusty Opel did a fine job negotiating hairpin turns and accelerating up sharp inclines.

Off the two lane highway in Telfs and ascended the hill, up and over to this amazing property. We drove into the hotel three floors below the ground, past rows of some of the most expensive cars on the planet and were immediately greeted by a bell boy who whisked our luggage away. Walked into my room and this is my view.
 Good god. The room doesn't suck either. Walk in closet, big bathroom, huge balcony, King sized bed...

Met Tommy in the lobby at 3 and we quickly set up the PA and sound checked in the location of the show. Cool little side room with its own bar. Kind of a side lounge vibe but very cool. Staff were putting fresh flowers on the bar as we wrapped up at 4. We weren't wasting any time. We had to check out the pool; heated outdoor pool with swimable entry to the indoor pool. This happened.
Sun tanning by the pool with a beer looking at the alps... I mean... It literally can't get better than this.

The pool was jamming. A ton of young families and little blond Austrian kids running around which makes me wonder 1) what the hell do their parents do to afford this luxury 2) are they hiring? Actually, screw it, I'm here to play music. I don't need their stinking job. I like my job better anyway.

We met Catarina, the woman responsible for having us, in the lobby at 6:45. Show started late (7:15) because people kept coming in, which made her quite happy. Better start late with more people, then on time with fewer I always say. I mean, I'm always saying that.

We played one 50 minute set to about 55 respectful guests. The vibe I describe as "Austrian loose" which means polite and respectful and mildly engaged when prompted. I got a few laughs at my dumb German jokes but the dry humor, dead pan thing is wasted here. No worries. Good thing we have some sweet tunes to back it up. Performance was pretty solid, I'd say. Not our best, not our worst. People were definitely digging it though.
Predinner, sunset cascading selfie.

After the set was a 6 course set menu dinner in the dining room. I mean, I prefer 7 courses, but whatever... I'll be honest, some of it was just above my head, for example the braised filet of char, but it was all tasty, properly proportioned and spread out. I mean, we finished dessert at 11:30... It was a three hour leisurely affair. 

Quite possibly my favorite part of the meal was the cheese buffet which would make a cheese lover weep. French, Italian, Swiss were well represented. I tried some of the goooiest, stinkiest, moldy numbers I've ever had the pleasure of tasting. I doubled up; went back for plate number two of my favorites. There was just too much to try. Oh and the truffle honey was a nice touch. Dig the pics....
Here are your choices...you may pick one from each course.
Braised char was salty and tangy. Not my favorite but I felt like a grown up eating it.
Main course suckling pig. Pretty bomb. Apple was a great compliment.
Cheese plate number 1... I can't even begin to tell you how delicious all these were. There was one called the "big stinker." It lived up to its name.
Dessert had us scratching our heads a little. This is the chocolate cannelloni. Very light, crunchy, fruity. Not much substance. I eyed the cheese buffet again but decided against it.

After dessert was ramazoti and espresso. Nice finishing touch on a great night.

After dinner we convened in Jeff's room for a post-show debrief/round up. We've been comparing our experience in Bad Ragaz to Interalpen Hotel Tyrol. I wouldn't say there is a clear winner; both have their charms. But we all decided it's best not to pass judgment too quickly. We will need a couple more visits to properly diagnose and weigh all aspects of both properties. Tommy was in agreement.

Night from Tyrol!

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