Saturday 21st September- We stopped in a campsite in Prutz for 2 days and thankfully the reception we received was welcoming and friendly with the receptionist even giving our little ones a lollipop each. A better start already! There was a park next to our pitch and so the children played on it with their daddy whilst I caught up on some chores that desperately needed doing. Dinner time came around and my husband nearly set our motorhome on fire when he failed to remove the cool-bag that we stored inside the oven. It wasn’t until he saw smoke that he realised something was wrong and managed to grab the bag and throw it out before it caught fire- well that was a scary lesson learnt and the end of our cool-bag which we used for our little ones milk when we were out and about but thankfully we were all okay including Beluga.
The following day we took a leisurely stroll into the town pointing out grasshoppers along the way before going back to the van to wait for the pizzeria we had passed to open. Again the little ones played on the park and our little lady made friends yet again where she was given another lollipop! We then walked back into town to grab a pizza for dinner because we were feeling a little exhausted and couldn’t really be bothered to cook anything plus the pizza was reasonably priced. Yet again our little ones were handed more sweets from the customers at the counter- our little girl was thrilled with all these treats to say the least. There is something wonderful that stirs within you when you see people treating and giving your children so much attention that is not only genuine but you can see brings joy to their eyes too. We were happy with our second welcome into Austria so far as everyone seemed a lot friendlier than before.
On Monday 23rd it started to rain as we drove onwards towards Innsbruck where we stayed in a campsite called Camping Nattersee for 2 nights. It was a tad on the expensive side but the campsite was absolutely amazing and you could only imagine how rammed it must be in summer. It was right next to a lake which had a tube slide going into it, a park with a slide going into the water too, an inflatable obstacle course which wasn’t up at the moment due to low season, boats, more playgrounds, an exercise gym and an indoor play area that was also used a a kids club in the summer but we could use it for our own entertainment. The facilities were also immaculate- probably one of the best we’ve ever seen! You could tell they had taken great care in the decor. It was all very modern with artificial grass covering the walls and doors mixed in with wood- giving it an organic feel. There were whole walls filled with different types of toy campers on shelves behind panes of glass which was pretty cool and they had family showering rooms. These rooms were the same size as the others but it was still nice to know that they cared enough about families to create such rooms as it’s difficult washing little ones on your own sometimes as they slip and slide everywhere and cry and scream; so it’s much easier when you can both be there to help. The separate sex bathrooms were amazing too and it felt very glamorous as you stepped in and saw the huge length of dressing table that was adorned with lighted mirrors and hairdryers and the same could be found in the men’s!!
That first day we just chilled and played in the indoor playroom as it was raining and it had already been a long day travelling with two little ones who tire easily so it was brilliant to have all this space and let the children have free rein of the place.
The next day we caught the free shuttle bus into Innsbruck and bought some drink and snacks. We bought my favourite drink since travelling (Almdudler) which I first found in Switzerland and some croissants because Austria does the best croissants I have ever tasted! We then went and explored the old town which was pretty spectacular which is also where we bought our little boy his first pair of shoes; Nike trainers seeing as he is now walking and had the most unfortunate incident of having a splinter in his foot after going to the park in Prutz in just his socks where the ground was covered in bark. Our little girl received a light up pen which left her delighted- the people in Austria seem to be really kind to children and spoil them with treats. We then went and bought some pizza and chocolate where our little ones were also handed cuddly Milka cows which they clutched onto, instantly in love with them.
After filling our tummies with naughty treats we took a walk to the Alpenzoo which was a trek and a half as it was mostly up hill. I was excited as the zoo claimed to have beavers and moose and I had never seen either, so those were the animals I was most excited to see and which motivated us to go in the first place. However, the beavers were hidden and didn’t come out once but I did get to see the moose! We also saw bearded vultures which were absolutely huge!! There was this funny ram that would press its face against the gate so it could get some food but it was so woolly that you couldn’t see it eyes and it’s huge horns trapped it into position so it couldn’t push its face any further than its horns allowed. I thought that it was stuck when I first approached it and even though this would have been a terrible thing I couldn’t help but laugh- it turns out he wasn’t stuck as I pointed out above he was just limited by his horns but he would stay there for a long time which made it all the more funnier. However, we weren’t allowed to feed them so his efforts were futile.
When we exited the zoo we caught the bus back down and then the bus back to the campsite where we went and played in the indoor play area again with myself and my husband also piecing a jigsaw puzzle together. It was fitting really as we felt we were slowly putting the pieces of our life back together again after having had our own jigsaw start to crumble to pieces.
K.E.E.N Explorers 