There are phenomena, buildings and customs in Tirol which might seem strange at first sight – but they exist.

It is really mean. The sun is shining, the days are growing longer and the open-air season has begun. Spring has sprung, but not everyone feels energetic. For some, it is a season of leaden limbs and fits of yawning. While the world is waking up, they want to go to sleep. Observing the total renewal of nature after a long and cold winter is unbelievably beautiful, but it can make you behave like a sleepy fly—and not after a night out drinking. Somehow, you feel sleepier than during wintertime and that terrible feeling of fatigue and weakness coming between you and the world can feel uncomfortable, frustrating, and debilitating.

Outside the wind whistles and the rain pours, but inside the warm farmhouse kitchen it's nice and cosy. The scent of freshly baked cookies fills the air and reminds me of my childhood, when we would pinch the odd biscuit straight from the tray as soon as they came out of the oven. With Christmas just around the corner, I am looking forward to making my own cookies once again this year. Farmer and baking expert Karoline Schapfl kindly invited me into her kitchen in Lans to share some of her top tips.

“There must be quite a few things that a hot bath won't cure, but I don't know many of them.” said Sylvia Plath, one of the most renowned and influential poets, novelists, and short story writers of the 20th century.

Wrapped up in a soft bathrobe, I lie on my waterbed and close my eyes. I can still feel the warmth of the sauna throughout my body. I detect a scent in the air I am familiar with - the gentle aroma of jasmin. I open my eyes again and take in the majestic mountain panorama outside. The only sound I can hear is gentle piano music. Everyday life seems a million miles away.

There is that one day. When there is a crispness in the morning that signifies the golden hues of fall will soon dress the mountainsides of Tirol. A subtle message from Mother Nature that autumn is imminent. Making people say things like “fall is in the air”. This time of year always makes me get a little anxious as there is still so much to do as the days of summer come to a close. To a much too rapid close. There are countless more activities I would like to mark off the list. Hopefully, this list of things to do will inspire you to enjoy every last minute of summer and to get out and explore as much as possible. The time is now!

I once read that Tiroleans are said to be a cunning, lederhosen-wearing mountain people who yodel. Well, honestly speaking, I wouldn’t describe us as ‘cunning’; I’d rather say we are kind of pig-headed, maybe. Don’t worry, the Tiroleans are still very friendly and welcoming people. If you befriend a few locals and head into the mountains with them, you can be sure to enjoy wonderful scenery, good company and plenty of laughs.

Or perhaps not, because falling in love isn’t really about choosing the type you prefer, but rather more about the chemistry between two people.

Upon the end of his life, Emperor Maximilian I (1459 – 1519) was obsessed with death. He envisioned a grand tomb, fit for an Emperor, surrounded by life-size statues of his ancestors, real and mythical, lining his grave in a mock funeral procession. As work on the ornate black marble tomb progressed, it became apparent that it would not fit into the castle chapel in Wiener Neustadt where Maximilian wished to be buried.