Page 334 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Austria

332  TR A VELLERS ’ NEEDS

Bike Week at Faaker See, for
Harley­Davidson riders, attracts
its fair share of tattooed bodies.

Spectator Sports
As national interests go,
skiing and snowboarding take
bronze, silver and gold in the
hearts of Austrians. Don’t let
the possibility that you’re not
actually taking part stop you
from getting in on the excite­
ment. The ski season kicks
off with the FIS World Cup
Opening race at Sölden in late
Beer garden and restaurant by Wolfgangsee October, which attracts
thousands of enthusiasts.
Beer Gardens and Cafés Festivals The most famous ski race in
Café culture is its own form From spring to autumn, the world is held in Kitzbühel
of entertainment and the hundreds of festivals celebrate each January. The Hahnenkamm
Austrians are rightfully proud food, wine and the harvest up features the dangerous downhill
of theirs. People­watching, and down the country. Austrians race, the Streif, and a weekend
reading newspapers mounted are proud of their traditional of uninhibited partying. More
on wooden sticks and chatting farming methods, and its result­ than 10,000 people come to the
with friends are the norm – all ing quality organic products, major ski season­ending bash at
accompanied by strong coffee which are proudly labelled “bio”. Ischgl for the Top of the
and tasty cakes. Winemakers of Lower Austria’s Mountain concert. In past years,
Kaffee und Kuchen hour falls Wine Route offer local wine, the free April outdoor concert
between lunch and dinner, food and culture at various has featured Elton John, Tina
and precedes a visit to the regional wine festivals through­ Turner, Sting, Lionel Richie, Jon
Heurige (taverns where young, out the summer, with live Bon Jovi, Alanis Morisette, Bob
“early” wine is served). music, exhibitions, children’s Dylan and Enrique Iglesias.
Drinkers sit comfortably out pro grammes and wine tastings. While it definitely plays
in the open under trees drinking Similarly, a variety of summer second fiddle to skiing, soccer
a glass of wine or a G’spritzn, a festivals are devoted to an is still a popular sport. As co­
mixture of wine and soda water. assortment of pumpkins, host of the 2008 UEFA Euro­
As a point of etiquette, when cheeses, hams, chocolate, pean Championships, the cities
toasting, Austrians always look even a dumpling festival, of Vienna, Klagenfurt, Salzburg
each other directly in the eyes; Knödelfest, in St Johann in Tirol, and Innsbruck all have state­
those failing to do so risk where the world’s long est of­the­art stadiums, and the
seven years of bad sex or bad dumpling table takes centre opportunity to watch a pro­
weather – take your pick. stage. The Gail Valley hosts a fessional match should not
Speck festival in June and a be missed. The Ernst Happel
cheese festival in September. Stadion in Vienna is home
Among the most charming of to Austria’s national team.
the autumn traditions are the
annual herding festivals, or
Almabtrieb, an annual process­
ion of cows brought down to
their winter barns from the high
summer pastures. The animals
are paraded through the
villages festooned with flowers
and bells. In Styria, the famous
Lipizzaner Horse Procession
brings down the horses from
their mountain pastures in this
way to the delight of onlookers.
Not to be outdone by the
animals, humans as performance
art are the focus of the World
Cattle decorated with flowers and bells for Body Painting Festival at Poert­ Ski contestant on the Hahnenkamm,
the Almabtrieb schach. The annual Euro pean in Kitzbühel

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