Kookey in Kitzbuhel

For the second time now this season, I’ve missed out on skiing. But this time in, it wasn’t because I either consumed too many Ambien on my way back from America or had the flu, but rather it was the result of freakishly warm weather in Austria resulting in nothing but fog and ice resembling that out of a Snoopy Snow Cone machine. But global warming’s power wasn’t enough to stop Patrick, Chris and I from having fun in what many would call one of the most posh ski resorts in Austria.

Of course, no road trip would be complete with stopping at McDonald’s. And on the way out of Munich, there’s one of the most expensive McDonald’s restaurants in the world. Referred to as “Ferrari,” the McDonald’s boasts a media center, indoor athletic arena, multiple ordering stations, a McCafe with fresh cookies and coffees and even fresh flowers throughout the two floors. After stopping only once, we arrived in Kitzbuhel mid-day Saturday just in time to catch the beginning of one of the World Cup ski events.

The Hahnenkamm World Cup Ski race was being held the same weekend we opted to travel to Austria. It was a pure coincidence as we only selected Kitzbuhel because of the availability of the McDonald’s apartment. Some would consider this a deterrent and a pure nuisance (as we did when first arriving). But after watching the race from the sidelines on Saturday (as our tickets weren’t where they should be), witnessing Bode Miller win the overall competition from the VIP section on Sunday, and venturing down into the town filled with crazies (which can only be described as Oktoberfest in the Mountains), we all agreed the World Cup brings with it pure entertainment (even for those who aren’t 18 and falling down drunk).

Not to say filling two and a half days in a ski resort town without snow was difficult. Snowboarding was out. We couldn’t find the tobaggon run. And retail establishments (in pure European fashion) were closed late Saturday and all day Sunday. But a restaurant up the street from our apartment provided not only two delicious meals of Goulash Soup and Turkey Schnitzel, but also an unexpected surprise of bowling in the basement.

In the alps, it’s called Alle Neune. And the activity is similar in style to American bowling with its use of a ball to knock down pins. But the sport is different in that the ball only has two holes, is about half the size, and the pins are automatically reset even though they’re hung by strings. We played four games – two where you knock down as many pins as possible on the first throw and the second that requires more technical skills as you can’t continue to the next frame until you clear all the pins in the alley. Patrick, who’s quite the bowler back home, won as my technical game required too many balls to swipe the slate clean of multiple splits (check out video below).

Paddy Goes 4 Gold


Bouncing Bowling Pins