Lindegg.

[robert maclure]

Hi there. I'm new to the world of Forums, so here goes.
We are in the lovely South East Steiermark region of Austria. My wife Tove and I (along with dog Harvey, and cat Minnie) have moved lock, stock and barrel from the UK to Lindegg which is close to Bad Blumau. For those who are "not in the know" which would appear to be everyone in the UK, this is the Thermal Spa region of Austria. Bad Blumau is one of the most famous spas, but we are surrounded by them!

There is more to Austria than lakes, mountains and The Sound of Music, and we love living here. We have a milder climate than the mountains, but we have easy access to the white stuff when the need arises, which in our case is fairly often. We are also in the main wine producing part of Austria and that in itself is a good reason to be here. We have discovered an area blessed with lovely countryside, friendly people, and excellent places for eating and drinking. It is also incredibly good value for money. I am amazed that all of our friends in the UK think that Austria is hideously expensive. It may be in some of the more upmarket ski resorts, but here you can have all you can eat, and enough drink to sink a battleship for next to nothing. We have discovered Bushenshanks which are typical of this region. The local people produce all of their own meats and drink, and serve them in some very upmarket restaurants or Bushenshanks as they are locally known. Everything is beautifully presented, and very good value for money.

So what are we doing here. We have bought an old Gasthaus which we are hoping to run as a bed and breakfast. Our neighbours are trying to persuade us to open up a coffee house also, and we are currently considering this. Our web site address is www.landhaus-lindegg. com. We have had problems with our architect which has affected the progress of our building plans, i.e. they haven't started yet!. However, in the meantime we have been getting to know the area, and we have settled very well into this lovely part of Austria.

I think I have probably blabbed on enough for a first attempt. There is so much more I could say about this region, but I don't want to overload the system! If anyone would like any information about this area, please let us know.
Robert and Tove Maclure.

[Linda Harpham]

Hi Robert and Tove

Good to see you on the Forum and you certainly make your area sound attractive. As you say there is a lot more to Austria than mountains snow and the Sound of Music!

Can you recommend any good wines from your part of the world?

Linda

[David Potter]

Hi Robert, Linda & Tove,

Surely we are not going to put secret information about the source of good Austrian wines at the disposal of everyone - are we ??

I would much prefer it if you sent me a private e-mail 

Some things are sacred surely ?

David.

[robert maclure]

Hi Linda and David.

There's no need for secrets here. There is more than enough for all of us, and since little of it sees it's way outside Austria, it is a veritable gold mine of new tastes! We have all the usual favourites, Zweigelt, Blaufrankisch, and a great variety of whites including Welschreisling and Sauvignon Blanc to name but a few! My very very favourite is Uhudler, a rose with a very distinct flavour. It has an interesting history, having been banned from production for many years. Local folklore maintains it will cure all ills, so it MUST be good for you!

The grape harvest is just starting...in fact we are grape picking for our local Bushenshank on Saturday. Not an activity I expected in Austria! There are some very large vineyards such as Thaller who export all over the world, but most of the wines are locally produced and drank. So I guess your best bet Linda is to head here for a wine tasting tour!

Best wishes, Robert

[HelenJames]

Something alike was discussed on the Yahoo! Answers last week, i can share a link if you want some

[scoobie]

hi Robert, last time we chatted by email and you told me of your renovation etc.  i was wondering how things are going? is the coffee shop in the plans yet? we are in bad ischl at the moment and rode down to furstenfeld area on sunday on our motorbike.  as mentioned in our emails we want to retire over here but have only been looking in the carinthia area so thought we would have a ride over your way. 

[David Potter]

Hi Scoobie,

You may have to wait a while for a reply.  Robert is in the UK for a month.

[scoobie]

cheers david.  i was just sat here in the rain thinking about the drive down to furstenfeld on sunday and thought i would drop him an email.  i will pm him instead.  i thought the area reminded me of france quite a bit - cant make my mind up if i prefer carinthia just yet.  we wouldve popped across to see you and jenny (after phoning first of course) but time was running quite late by the time we left

Tracey

[chippy]

Hi Scoobie

       I also live in the Furstenfeld area at Ottendorf-an-der-Rittschein and can agree with everything  David has said about the

Steiermark. I have found the people here very friendly and helpful even with my lack of German.

       So I would say have a good look at this part of Austria, if you wish send me a PM or speak to David about me.

       Cheers Chippy

      

[scoobie]

hi chippy, thanks for your message.  we have looked at the pics of your property and it looks pretty impressive.

we are over on our motorbike this time and leave tomorrow to head for home.  i have sent you a pm

Tracey