Well, neither Ken, nor I slept well and that did not bode well for our day. We did breakfast at the Balzar Cafe (again recommended by Rick Steves) which is supposed to be similar to a Vienna coffee house. It was on the river, and did have good coffee, and according to Paige…really good eggs, cheese, tomatoes and ham. I had typical european breakfast of bread, cheese and ham, while Ken enjoyed muesli and yogurt.  

Once we enjoyed our coffee and food, it was time to get the car out of the garage. Sounds easy right? Yeah, well, an hour later…we made it to the hotel, all of two blocks away. While Paige relaxed in the hotel, Ken and I attempted to get the car from the garage to the hotel. Between two college educated people and 2 navigation systems, 1 hour later we found the hotel. Not very complimentary of any of the four.   

The traffic out of Salzburg was terrible, but we finally made it to the freeway and were treated to some beautiful mountain views. The navigation system succeeded in getting us to Bad Hofgastein and after several attempts (and one stopping and asking at a chinese restaurant) we made it to our hotel. I will refrain from typing the name, (it is in the details above) as it is a really long and one that none of us can pronounce.  

We checked in, found our rooms and Ken/Paige went exploring. We were hoping to cross-country ski tomorrow, so they were getting info on that activity. We did learn that the torchlight walk was at 5pm (and termed the "old persons walk"….huh????), so we planned on that too. So, we went to the appointed place to find a bunch of people ready for the torch walk.  We were handed torches (with real fire) and off we went into the dark. There were trumpet players following us, and we circled the lake. Since it was not very difficult, I guess it was for old people…nevertheless, it was a nice way to spend an hour.  

Then, it was time for dinner at our hotel (which we still can't pronounce). It was included in our room and we expected something not so interesting. However, it was a four course dinner, all of which was very good. After, it was time to hit the thermo spa…also included in the room. We wandered down what seemed like a maze, and ended up in a very nice pool area. The pool was nice and warm and yet had a swim through area to the outside (which was a balmy 30 degrees). After swimming and sitting in the hot tub, it was time for bed.  

Next up…skiing and the mountains!