Traveling to Austria: History, Skiing and More Besides

Ask anyone to name someone or something Austrian and they’ll probably say Beethoven, waltz’s and the fact that one of the world’s worst tyrants was born there. Of course they would be correct, apart from the fact that Beethoven wasn’t actually born in Austria; but two out of three isn’t bad. Austria is in fact so much more than that. Is one of the most diverse and interesting cultures in Europe and once you get past the grand baroque architecture and the apparent curtness of the people, you’ll find that they are in fact quite pleasantly bonkers! I mean absolutely no disrespect by that at all; they themselves are sometimes at a loss to sum-up who they are as a nation. but being a verbose bunch will never tire of trying to explain the intricacies of their national Identity.

Where is Austria in Europe

Austria geographically the centre of Europe. Germany and the Czech Republic to the north; hungry is to the east and Switzerland the West and let’s not forget Italy to the South! A unique place in Europe is shaped the Austrians into a wonderfully interesting and curious people, they’re fearsomely proud of their history and consider themselves the heart of Europe in every sense.

Throughout history it has been a focal point for trade and dispute. The Brenner Pass bisects the Alps on its way to Italy; and the ancient road – its history lost in time – wends its way southeast down the Adriatic coast, this and the Danube have always been a vital highway for goods and people.

Austria has a long and illustrious list of famous citizens, Mozart, and Schubert to name just a few and although Beethoven wasn’t actually born there, he flourished as did his contemporaries in the competitive atmosphere fuelled by Aristocrats eager for the best in music and art.

My favourite story of a famous Austrian is the one of the Emperor Franz Joseph, who was distressed by the wastage of Oak in the elaborate coffin making of his subjects, devised a reusable coffin. It was hinged at the bottom so the corpse could be dropped into the waiting grave, thereby saving the coffin. The emperor to eco-conscious for his time and the furore caused by is invention made sure it didn’t get off the ground (or in it). A model of the coffin can be viewed at the museum in in Vienna honouring the Nation’s undertakers.

The Capital City – Vienna

The capital city Vienna, has a population of around 1.5 million people. It is the Cultural Centre of the country and boasts some of the grandest examples of baroque architecture in the whole of Europe. One of the main features of the cities Skyline is the cathedral of St Stephen, it symbolizes Vienna and is affectionately known as the ‘Steffl’. On New Year’s Eve it is the focal point for the people of Vienna when the ‘Pummerin’ – pone of the biggest bells in the world – rings in the New Year and the whole of Austria waltz’s happily to the strains of the Blue Danube.

Exploring Vienna

Walking past the cathedral will bring you to the Grabben, premier pedestrian precinct, and the enticing shops lure passers-by to spend their Euros on all manner of gifts and souvenirs. Everywhere you go in Austria confectioners lure you with brightly colored candies, a great favour of mine is the wonderful entitled ‘Metres of Love’ which are sweet dishes exactly 1m long and filled with minute handmade confectionery, how traditional these are I do not know, but I do know that they are delicious.

What Sports can I try in Austria

Skiing

Skiing Is a sports synonymous with Austria and being the home of modern skiing it has the greatest density of year-round glacier skiing of any other country in the world. Places like Dachstein, Kaunertal, Pitzal and the one of the most popular, Kitzsteinhorn offer skiing with all the trappings, whatever the weather. Some people even go skiing in swimming costumes in the summer on the glaciers of Austria!

As you would expect all of the winter sports abound here and it’s still possible to find places that haven’t been totally overrun by the tourist trade. Sports like, ice-climbing , sledging and Nordic skiing (the Long Run) can all the tries and the Austrians are great teachers, they hardly laugh at beginners at all, unless of course you ski like I do.

Watersports

If you are after something a bit different and why not visit in the summer? The valleys come alive with color and the calm mountain lakes are ideal places to go sailing, paddle boarding and swimming – glacier water filling the lakes it’s not quite the Bahamas but the challenge and rewards are worth it. If the water is too cold for your liking then take to the air, the perfect thermals in the summer months make the Austrian Alps a haven for gliders, para-sailors and other enthusiasts of the air.

The Rax-Schneeburg area in the Vienna basin has gliding centers, small airfields and landing fields. Glider pilots need an internationally recognized license to be able to fly in Austrian airspace and you must also register your flight with the airport authorities. That’s not quite your thing and then I highly recommend paragliding, basically running down the hill as the wind picks up the parachute on your back and your off. There is of course slightly more to it than that, but for a sheer adrenaline rush it can’t be topped.

Summer Sports

Mountain biking is one of the main summer Sports in Austria and you’ll see hundreds of people out in the mountains, on their backs ready to relax after a hard day’s riding and hard work is too, but you must try it once.

Now for this bike riding, flying and general running around gives you an appetite, then you’ll enjoy the local cuisine. It’s all good healthy food and if you leave any on your plate it’s thought you haven’t enjoyed the food. But never fear, the Austrians have the greatest method combating indigestion I’ve ever come across. After a large meal (well most meals) Schnapps is downed is a digestif. It really works honest! Beware a potent Schnapps that comes with a pear in it – describe the effect has been hitting head with a large tree – enjoy it, remember to pack the aspirin.

Transport Links

Vienna’s International Airport in Schwechat is serviced daily by most of the large airlines and there is a more limited service to some of the smaller airports like Salzburg and Innsbruck. The airport is 9 miles to the east of the city about 25 minutes drive and an express bus service operates from the early morning from the two main train stations.

Good option if you have more time, and a lot more patience. The best way from northern Europe is to come through Germany taking advantage of the excellent toll-free autobahns. It is always a good idea to get insurance, especially if you’re going to drive; first aid kit and a red warning triangle are mandatory, also between 15th of November and 10th of April snow chains or winter tires are a must; has the less travelled roads and become extremely treacherous.

In conclusion Austria is a great place for action, good food, great people and having fun. If any of these are on your Wishlist then I suggest you give Austria a try and enjoy yourself and Prost!

St Jacob – small town big heart

The biggest isn’t always the best, so they they say , and I found that out when I went to the tiny ski resort of St Jakob in the Defereggen Valley, East Tyrol. Which is a sure bet for good snow throughout the season. Most people I met there seemed intrigued that an Englishman had even heard of the small village (pop: 500), has most of their tourism consists of Austrians and a few German and you get the feeling that they like to keep the place at secret!

Skiing is mostly Red Runs, with a couple couple of Blue Runs and a nursery slope as it’s quite a family orientated resort. Plenty to do for everyone and after a hard day on the snow the warm glow of the Alms beckons for that first Apres-Ski drink. After warming up in the Alms for an hour or 3, a quick freshen up and off to one of the many restaurants and bars in the village. Some are small, some are tiny, but all of them of a great food and good company. Austrians love to talk and welcome the chance to meet someone new.

If you need a late drink then pop into the Jesacherhof Hotel, it’s one of the biggest (and most expensive) but non-residents are welcome in the bar and the small disco downstairs. Recommend the barmans’ secret cocktail and as for service you couldn’t get better.

By far the highlight of any stay in St. Jakub is a trip to the Alpe Stalle, a small restaurant 1740m up a mountain. People normally meet in a tiny but vibey bar called the ‘Igloo’ which has plastic walls instead of Ice and plenty of heaters, though the fantastic cocktails help to keep the temperature pretty high. From the bar you can call a taxi which will take you up the 2.5km road to the Alpe Stalle, as taxis and the owner’s car are the only vehicles allowed on the road.

After a huge meal, good conversation and a load of Schnapps you’re ready to head off back into town. One word of warning, there is only one toilet and that’s a ‘Long Drop’, so guys form a line and girls well… the seat can get a bit cold!

Getting back down the road is easy; just pick a sledge you want, get yourself a willing accomplice or victim and off you go. Remember there’s no lights! It’s exhilarating! It’s breathtaking and extremely frightening all at once, but for the sheer novelty experience it’s an absolute must.

Is a wonderfully relaxed place, ideal for anyone that wants to feel they’re staying somewhere fresh and untainted by the commercialism of other more well-known resorts. If you’re in the area and stay a night or two – just be careful if you want to up any deserted roads in the middle of the night, that screaming isn’t wild animals, it’s probably someone a sled!

Paul Windust

Passionate about how we deal with getting older and maintaining both our physical and mental wellbeing. I’m keen to take life head on and explore the challenges and possibilities we face as we age in a positive and honest way.

The Magic Forest

As we get older we sometimes drift away from the places of our child. Ever since I was a teenager, I wanted to travel and travel I did. Six years of working abroad had in the memory of those magical places that we all have tucked away somewhere in between the first day of school an our first kiss.

So when I came back, I decided to rediscover it in all these places, and the only place to start for me was the New Forest. The New Forest is roughly 200 square miles of South West Hampshire bordering Dorset and with the River Avon to the east and within easy distance to the south coast. To get there from London is easy enough, from the M25 take the turning for the M3 all the way way to Southampton, then onto the M27 for another 2 – 3 miles and you’re there. You turn off the six main highway past the huge signpost marking the route and within minutes you’re driving through a beautiful Avenue of trees. The changes almost instant and pleasantly disorientating.

History

The New Forest was established by William the Conqueror in 1079, he described it as his ‘new’ hunting Forest; designed as it was to protect the hunting of the Royal Deer. Its modern form is called the New Forest Heritage Area and although a lot of the old Forest, Oak, Beech and Yew ( used to make the infamous English Longbow ), has long since disappeared. It still boasts 16, 000 acres of protected enclosures – most of these areas contain Deer sanctuaries, and some of the oldest and most fragile remnants of the old Forest.

Today, the New Forest is run like a business, and a booming business at that. Forest has always been a major resource for Southern England and in the 17th century mighty Oaks were taken to help build England’s’ burgeoning Royal Navy fleet. Wood from the forest is still used for paper-making and authentic fencing, although tightly controlled. From the banks of the Beaulieu River at Bucklers Hard you can watch craftsmen shape huge Oak trees using traditional methods, whilst enjoying a pint from the local Pub.

But even in these modern times most of the common rights granted the forest dwellers by William the Conqueror are still law. This includes, Pasturage – being the right to graze stock, and Pannage – write to let storage for acorns. These ancient practices continue today and are administered by a group called the Verderers, who meet six times a year. The officers of the Verderers are known as Agisters and still patrol the forest on horseback, he said the cowboys only come from the Wild West!

New Forest can be enjoyed the whole year round, but my favourite time of year has always been autumn. It is much quieter the whole Forest is bathed in reds and golds, making person truly awesome sunset, so don’t forget your camera!

As you drive through the diversity of the forest, you’re suddenly find yourself out in the open gorseland that makes up much of the area. From deep dark Forest into huge vistas of open sky, it makes for interesting drives or walks – as there are many options for hiking and camping. This is where you’re probably get your first sense of how big place actually is, the sense of grandeur and openness, belies its place on the busy South Coast.

New Forest Ponies

If you stop in one of the many laybys provided, for a picnic or just to enjoy the magnificent views, will see the New Forest ponies ( one of the main attractions ) raising around in small groups, dozing in the warmth of the late autumn sunshine what does milling around like they own the place, which they kind of do. They live outside in all weathers and are sometimes referred to as wild ponies, they do in fact all have owners and are rounded up using late September to be branded or sold at auction every year. Bonus with their long before William the Conqueror and some say even since prehistoric times. My favourite Theory however, is that they’re descended from Jennets, which swam ashore from wrecks of the Spanish Armada. They can be found throughout the forests, outside country pubs, and in villagers gardens and are as much a part of Forest is the trees themselves.

They are quite tame, and you can get close to them but it is advisable not to try and stroke or feed them. When confronted by one ( or a few ) wait patiently and maybe a light tap on the horn will do, chances are though that they will look at you nonchalantly and go on about their business until they are ready to move. Enjoyed the experience take a few snaps and remember it’s one of the only places in the UK that you can get really close to a semi-wild animal in its natural habitat.

Accommodation

As for accommodation, that is many and varied. The best bet is to get yourself along to the New Forest visitor centre in the village of Lyndhurst and they can advise you on your options. They will phone guest houses for you and book rooms ( a small deposit for this service comes off of your bill ) and they have maps and detailed advice on how to reach any of the places that interest you. Accommodation can range from simple too very expensive , but for the more adventurous campsites and caravan parks can be found all over the New Forest, giving you the option to move around and really explore the different aspects of Forest.

The New Forest is so many things, and it would be impossible to describe the myriad of wildlife and historical sites on offer in a short article. So if you’re tired of the city and want to get out into the fresh air and see some of the most beautiful countryside, get down to the New Forest and discover some of the grandeur of Old England. I’ve been there so many times and I’ve only scratched the surface. I will keep coming back to reignite the curiosity and wonder I felt there as a boy for this beautiful corner of my homeland and I will always enjoy my own ‘Magic Forest’.

Paul Windust

How do I stay motivated at work after 50?

Why do we start losing motivation at work after 50? The reasons why older employees can become unmotivated at work especially as we age. For example, boredom, dissatisfaction, and general malaise brought about by illness or depression, these are some examples of extreme or serious manifestations of dis-engagement. Our ability to learn new things or to be willing to learn new things decrease as we age, and this can be exacerbated by working in a role or an industry for a long period of time.

As human beings, our needs can be grouped into 3 main areas:

Basic needs: food; shelter; warmth; safety and security – these are unchanged since we evolved into modern humans
Physiological needs: friends; love; feelings of accomplishment – in our modern world, our connections and prestige can be vital to our worth as members of society
Self-fulfilment needs feeling ‘successful’; achieving our potential; creative activities – these needs our part who we are as modern humans, and can have a dramatic effect on our motivation at work

Why do we lose motivation as we get older?

By the time most of us have reached 50 years old, in our personal lives and our work lives ticked off many of our personal ambitions or goals that we had when we were younger.

Families may have grown you may have reached the ceiling in your field and the drive and ambition you had a younger person will be waning.
This can lead to the view – especially in the modern business world – that older employees are too old to, re-train, be cutting edge, or have the go-getter attitude of their younger colleagues.

This kind of you can be reinforced by the natural fact that older people can be more realistic and that can be misconstrued as pessimism.

The role of motivation at work is its importance

Older workers can be considered too old to focus, train, be cutting edge, or relevant as we place a premium in the business world on employees being go – getters, motivated.

The intrinsic motivation apparent in younger employees, that positive attitude can be lacking in older adults, which is why employee engagement needs to consider the needs of a diverse group of employees.
Highly motivated workers will complete tasks, efficiently, on time and to a higher quality. This has a knock-on effect for the whole workforce and more importantly your clients. Happy workers present a professional and motivated workforce to your clients, who in turn will be happier with the results, creating more work.

There are many scientific studies on why motivation is important, why we can lose that same motivation we may have had in our twenties and how that affects us. The simple fact is, we spend much of our waking life at work. As we get older our desire to achieve (at work) may decrease as other things take precedence.

Common Causes of de-motivation

Older employees can have specific issues in their lives that can create a dip in motivation. But all of us will have periods in our lives that impact our work.

Being overworked: Having too much work can be overwhelming and is one of the most common causes of employee dissatisfaction.
Not enough leisure time: There will always be the need to go over and above for our work. This can lead to an unrealistic expectation on what you can complete in a normal working week. Be realistic about what you can achieve and set boundaries.
Life Issues: Sometimes things hit us out of the blue and ‘life happens’. We’ve all been there and it’s important that you are supported by your employer. Work with your employer so they understand how this may affect your motivation or working environment and come to an agreement on how to tackle this.
Caught in the Pay Trap. This can be common for workers over 50. You have a got to a certain level and your pay reflects that. Your lifestyle will be geared to that level, and any thoughts of changing career and taking a financial hit can be an impossible way forward for many people.

Changes to our working environment

There are two main schools of thought about how we should approach work especially in these modern times post-covid. Both options have pros and cons and more importantly both working environments are open to us now as many businesses are showing and increased willingness to offer them to staff. It has been shown that offering a flexible approach has a positive effect on mental health, job satisfaction and employee retention.

Working at home – the pros and cons

Working from home all your interaction with your fellow workers will be over the phone via various tele-conferencing tools. Something many of us have come to know and sometimes hate, during the Covid lockdowns.

Some people prefer this way of working as it suits their home life and personality. You may have a young family and need to share parenting duties, or you might just be more suited to this kind of working environment.
Some important things to consider are that there is less in person or face-to-face contact with your colleagues. Those little meetings of chance that sometimes happen around the water cooler don’t really happen when you’re working from home. So, it’s important to have time to just chat to colleagues about non-related work issues, so you get that sense of belonging.

Working in the office – the double-edged sword

There is a view that this model suites younger employees as they have more social time available and like the interaction with their work friends. And while this type of work is important, there are other factors to consider. The commute is probably the biggest factor to consider and can be a major drain on all workers motivation.

There are of course, many positives for the in-work model. Many people need the interaction with other workers and has a positive effect on many people’s mental health, which can also lead to greater job satisfaction.

How is the lack of motivation exhibiting, what are your triggers?

It’s important to understand how this lack of motivation is exhibiting what your triggers might be. These can be everyday annoyances or frustrations that can build up over time and are part of our normal busy world. Symptoms can include:

Stress
Tiredness
Short Temper
Burn out
Malaise
If any of these are affecting your work, it’s important to recognize them and how they affect your performance.

Has it been noticed by colleagues or managers, is there help on offer and how do you access that help or support. Making your work environment more engaging can keep you interested at work. It may be small things like prioritizing your time, offering to become a mentor, or just working out for yourself how to think about work as not the main factor in your life, but rather the means to explore more fulfilling activities.

Anxiety and stress be extremely demotivation. This anxiety, sometimes brought about by the repetitive nature of working at the same thing for many years. The stress of all these factors can manifest not only as stress, but in many other negative ways as outlined above.

What can I do to tackle lost motivation?

If work is increasingly taking a backseat to what you want to spend your time on, then this can be tricky to balance. The most drastic approach to effect change would be to look to take on other roles within your current industry or take a new path completely, or (if possible) retire early.

But for most people this is not a viable option, but there are other ways and small daily tasks that can fight lowering motivation levels.

Daily tasks and little wins that can improve your motivation levels

Develop a good morning routine – sometimes easier said than done, but a good night’s sleep then some gentle stretching or yoga can set you up for the day
Take regular breaks – it’s important to take a break often, rest that brain and those eyes if using screens. Take a walk around, roll the shoulders or whatever works to get the blood flowing again
Be organized– simple to-do lists are a good way to make sure that nothing will surprise you when you get down to work. A few minutes at the end of the day noting tasks for the next can lower anxiety. Listing the big tasks first also means you tackle the trickier or more intensive tasks when you are at your freshest
Nurture external motivations – go see that movie, meet friends for a walk or a meal, take up that hobby. As you get older cultivating external motivations can boost your moral and ease stress and anxiety

Conclusion

If there is one thing that we can take away from all of this, is that relaxation, physical exercise and creating positive affirmation within your life, as you get older, is a strong step towards being happier at work.

Motivation can take many forms, and for younger or older employees, maintaining a positive outlook can improve your working life. These external motivations can be used in conjunction with improved working practices, to make you more productive, but more importantly, happier.

Paul Windust