Kuchl was where we had our fabulous Untour for two weeks from July 27 to August 10, 2005.

On our way to Kuchl from the airport, we realized that we were just about 20 minutes from Salzburg, which was what we had all expected. Little did we know of all of the other delightful adventures we would have in the Salzach valley!

When my wife and I and our 9 year old daughter arrived at the Seiwald A apartment, we were greeted by a beautiful sun-filled home-away-from-home for the next two weeks. The Seiwald's were away for a short vacation, but Terry's sister-in-law and Josef's father gave us a very warm welcome. The refrigerator was well stocked with cold meats, eggs, fruit, cheese, lovely breads and, of course, a Stiegl bier and a bottle of wine. After a snack and a quick nap, it was off exploring.

When we met Terry and Josef Seiwald a few days later, Terry was everything of the lively ball of fire that we were told she would be. Occasionally we'd find a scrumptious dessert made by Terry awaiting us at our apartment door when we would arrive home after a day's journey. Terry and Josef's hosting of strudel and kaffee one evening was a delight as we got to know our next door neighbors, fellow Untourists Jim and Laine from Virginia. And Ray got along famously with Grandpa, who took a delight that Ray speaks some very credible German. Discussions ranged from the weather to politics to religion, and everything in between!

Our daughter and Terry's daughter Anna made fast friends. What better way to introduce our child to another culture but through playing games, biking, and going to grandpa's farm with the kids in the neighborhood?

We were awestruck by the beauty of our surroundings and of the center of Kuchl. A five-minute walk was all we needed to get to the grocery store, post office, bakery and 3 or 4 great restaurants in the local guesthouses.

On the morning of our second day, Lisa provided us with a very helpful orientation, discussing customs, train schedules, places to go, things to see and do. The 90 minutes we spent with Lisa and the 8 other Untourists was a great way to quickly get acquainted with everything this area has to offer.

We happened to be experiencing a hot spell for the first few days, so, after a very hot bike ride to Golling, we returned to the beautiful lake in Kuchl for a cooling swim. The water was so clear and there were lots of large fish accompanying us wherever we swam.

As a group, the next day we went with Birgit to Hallstatt, which is a town that should not be missed. It is nestled into the side of the mountain and has a beautiful church and a bone house, where peoples' skulls are enshrined due to lack of room for burial. Our daughter loved seeing that! It was hot again, so knowing our daughter's love for water, we walked about 20 minutes to the beach, with a spectacular view. We met the group for the boat and train ride back to Salzburg and then back to Kuchl.

Finally, on Saturday we had our first of many visits to Salzburg! Salzburg is truly a special city. There is music everywhere! We spent time in the Dom going to concerts, marveling at the architecture (Ray is an architect and Julia grew up with an architect-mom), and trying to stay away from as much touristy stuff as possible. With a 9 year old, we laid down some ground rules and had a great time. It took no time at all to get used to "kaffee und kuchen" in the mid-afternoon, after a day of walking, hiking up Monchsberg, some shopping and lunches in some great restaurants. Peterskeller, right next to St. Peter's Church is a 1200-year-old restaurant in which we relished two fabulous meals. The farmers’ market at Mirabellplatz was a fun and tasty way to sample Austrian produce, meat, cheese, bread and pastry. Hundreds of farmers sell their products every Thursday morning at this busy market. A visit to the Salzburg Marionette Theater for a performance of Mozart's Magic Flute also should not be missed.

In and around Kuchl over the 2 weeks, we had some great trips to Hallein / Bad Durnberg to the salt mines and the alpine slide (summerrodelbahn), the waterfall in Golling, the ice caves in Werfen, the cog train up to Schafberg, St. Wolfgang and St. Gilgen, and the Hellbrun Palace with its water tricks and beautiful grounds. Don't miss the fabulous ice cream shops in the main square in Hallein.

On the few rainy days we had, we went to the spa in Bad Vigaun or just roughed it with our ponchos, not to be deterred by a few drops of rain!

Our daughter is a great traveler. But, as with any 9 year old, you have to make sure that there are plenty of things that are fun to do. We were never at a loss for that and Mom and Dad enjoyed them too. With so many scenic views, hiking opportunities to great spots, going up to very high mountain tops, natural and man made wonders to visit, great food, wonderful kids in the neighborhood and at our host family, any kid would be entertained and would take back the "right" memories of the culture, food, and atmosphere of one of the great places on earth.

What more to say? We felt right at home with everyone we met. The hospitality was second to none and the exchange of pleasantries in the bakery and restaurants was very welcome and comforting. We always felt very secure and never had any notion that any place was unsafe. If you go to Kuchl, bring bug spray and make sure that there is a fan to keep away the mosquitoes in the evening. There are no screens, so be careful that your ears don't get buzzed during the night!

We also recommend that you think about having a car for the second week. We were happy we did. Getting to some of the further places in the valley proved to be a bit long by train and bus, as our Untour neighbors, who didn’t have a car, informed us.

On our way to Salzburg to return our car and to start the next leg of our trip to Linz and Vienna, the crying started not long after we got on the road. We all knew that we would miss this experience very much, but were somehow comforted that would have lots of great memories to keep it alive.

We are wondering what we could ever do to top this vacation.

PS: Our daughter has already received two letters from her new found friends in Kuchl. We hope that she'll be corresponding with them for a long time.