Austrians take Sölden

What an amazing weekend for skiing! 

The World Cup Season started in true fashion at the Rettenbach Glacier in Sölden (AUT)

Anna Fenninger & Mikaela Shiffrin © Agence Zoom

A surprise opener in the Ladies Giant Slalom saw two girls rise to the top with Austrian athlete Anna Fenninger and 19-Year old Mikaela Shiffrin from the US taking the first win with an ex-aequo time of 2:39.85. The Austrian Ski Team showed no signs of missing the retired Marlies Schild and obviously had a home advantage, with 5 staters finishing in the top 20, including Eva-Maria Brem, who came in third with a time of 2:40.12 and Kathrin Zettel who was only 0.02 seconds behind her team mate. 

The Top Ten list was occupied by well-known names such as Italians Federica Brignone (5) and Nadia Fanchini (9), Germany's Viktoria Rebensburg (6), Tessa Worley (FRA, 7), Sweden's Maria Pietilae-Holmner and Liechtenstein's big hope Tina Weirather, who finished tenth. Fenninger seemed to start into the new season right where she left off in the last season. It was her fifth consecutive giant slalom win after winning a Olympic silver medal in the discipline and claiming the GS and Overall Title of the World Cup Season 2013/14. However, Sölden showed that she has some tough competition going into the new season. For Shiffrin, it was the first ever win in a Giant Slalom event. The 19-Year old previously turned all her attention to the Slalom, which paid off in February this year, when she won a gold medal at the Olympic Games in Sochi. 

Sweden's Sara Hector also accomplished an incredible result, ending the race in 11th place with the high start number of 27. Other achievers were Andrea Fischbacher (AUT), Michele Gisin (SUI), Julia Mancuso (USA) and Ramona Siebenhofer (AUT), who all made it into the top 20, despite starting with bibs as high as 65 (Gisin). 

The women's results are listed at www.data.fis-ski.com

Fritz Dopfer, Marcel Hirscher & Alexis Pinturault © ÖSV/ Erich Spiess

The Austrian racers continued their winning streak the next day with matador Marcel Hirscher winning the traditional kick-off race, the first Austrian to triumph on the Rettenbach glacier in nine years! In a role that is usually played by Mr Giant Slalom, Ted Ligety (USA), Hirscher finished with a lead of more than one and a half seconds on Fritz Dopfer (GER) and more than two seconds ahead of third placed Frenchman Alexis Pinturault. 

After making a big mistake in the second run, Ted Ligety, who was second best after the first  run, only placed 10th. The young French team were the nation everyone was talking about, with three starters finishing in the top ten but the Swiss team also showed that they were back with full force. Most impressively, Justin Murisier (SUI) managed to place twelfth, with bib number 55. Usual suspects Davide Simoncelli, Roberto Nani (both ITA) and Austria's Benni Raich also placed in the top ten. 

However, one person that was definitely missing this weekend was attacking viking, Axel Lund Svindal, who is likely to be missing out on most of the World Championship season because of a torn achilles tendon. Junior World Champion and Olympic bronze medallist, Henrik Kristoffersen (NOR), unfortunately failed to finish the first run. Bode Miller (USA) also abstained from racing. 

The complete results can be viewed here.

The icy slope, especially the steep hill turned out to be quite a challenge, not only for the athletes but also the material, which many Audi FIS World Cup frequenters have yet to get used to. Racing team Head won over the most athletes after the Olympic season, with Alexis Pinturault, Adrien Thaux (both FRA), André Myhrer, Matts Olson (both SWE), Eric Guay (CAN), Gino Caviezel (SUI) and Josef Ferstel (GER), as well as the girls Marion Bertrand (FRA), Veronique Hronek (GER), Sara Hector, Nathalie Eklund (both SWE), Elena Curtoni (ITA) und Edit Miklos (HUN) joining the World Cup Rebels this season.  

The Audi FIS Alpine World Cup continues on November 15th in Levi (FIN). 

Stereotypical Amsterdam

See the Sights: Brandenburg Gate

Beautiful Brandenburg Gate in Berlin is one of the most well known monuments in the whole of Germany. Its neoclassical statuesque body looks down on the now empty square of great historic significance, where the Berlin Wall once stood as evidence of the Cold War from 1961 - 1989. 

A place for American presidents, it's where John F. Kennedy stopped by on his famous 1963 visit and Ronald Reagan held a speech in 1987 commanding the demolition of the Berlin Wall. Bill Clinton spoke at the gate in 1994 with the quadriga looking down on him and most recently, president Obama addressed internet surveillance questions just earlier this year. 

To many, the Brandenburg Gate is a symbol of a United Europe and Europeans, especially in recent years. Others might think of the Berlin Love Parade or the crowds of football fans that line the streets in front of the gate to watch important games on screens in one of the largest open air sports viewing areas. Nevertheless, the Brandenburg Gate seems to bring people together & it's a beautiful must see on your way around the world. 

Favourite Place; Museumplein

My favourite place in Amsterdam was definitely Museumplein, the area between the Van Gogh Museum and the Rijksmuseum. This huge pool, with random pieces of art is just so relaxed, just the way all of Amsterdam is & I would die to eat my lunch on the banks of it every day! I am in love with this place. I think I Amsterdam! 

Amsterdam Architecture

What makes architecture in Amsterdam so fascinating is the contrast of old and new. The charming renaissance & UNESCO protected canal houses or grachtenpanden as the Dutch call them, stand in stark contrast with the newly developed parts of the city. The whole city is built around water & it's not hard to see how this has had an impact on the architecture. Some of the newest areas of Amsterdam are even built on artificial islands. 

Discovering the different styles of construction in the city is best done by travelling from north to south. Taking a free ferry from the waters that divide north & south is a great way to see some of Amsterdam's newest buildings, such as the Dutch Film Museum, The Eye, or the Science Centre 'Nemo', as well as cool new apartment complexes. Along the grachten, in the southern part of the city, you'll be able to find the traditional canal houses, usually four stories tall & famous for their gables. Walking around any of the streets is wonderful just to take in all the houses, which are so similar & yet not the same.