Trapped in the black Hole that is Grunau!

Our median picnic while waiting to switch trains!

I have been sucked into a black hole...it is called Grunau! The hostel here is so amazing that it is quite impossible to leave! People come her for 2 nights and stay a week and a half. It's hard to explain why exactly...it's like being at home as it is just a big house and the rooms and showers are great.
It is actually a ski chalet of sorts, it is up in the Alps (lots of snow here) just up the mountain from a small town called Grunau.

It's not really accessible to town so the staff pick you up from the train station, make huge home cooked meals every night and breakfast in the morning...the basement is turned into a bar with drinks that are cheap (half of them are on the house!). My one night here turned into 2 and now it turned into 3.... but tomorrow I leave for Venice...for sure...I hope.

It's a 5 minute walk to the base of the ski hill.  The hostel has a room full of mis-matched ski clothing to borrow so we all looked ridiculous but we were warm! We all went skiing yesterday and I taught Rachel, Tammy and Jason to ski. They all did good! I thought the Aussies would pick it up very fast because they surf but Rachel was the one who was instantly good at it...she kept up with me all day in intermediate runs.

It was beautiful spring skiing although the hill will likely close within a week as things are melting fast.
It was cheap too...21 euros for a lift pass and 11 euros for ski rental.

Today, I am figuring out train schedules and trying to find a place to stay in Venice (not an easy or cheap task) Tammy is heading off for eastern Europe somewhere, Rachel to Florence and Jason is going to travel with me a bit before he heads to Greece in a week.