October

Vacation month October

It is softer now, the October sun. Nevertheless, during my garden inspection this morning, it turned the dew drops into thousands and thousands of tiny crystals. It's hard to describe how beautiful the garden world is here when everything glitters and shines. Typical crystal.

Crystal crystallus

Speaking of crystal, do you know where our hotel got its name? It's clear to me that it's from a diamond. After all, I chose this place as my home. However, I had nothing to do with its naming. In fact, there is a realistic reference. Borrowed from the Latin word 'crystallus' is 'Crystal', an old spelling of 'Kristall'. And they can be found here to a considerable extent. By this, I mean more than just the splendid rock crystal at our reception desk. The entire Zillertal Alps are rich in

minerals such as amethyst, rock crystal, moonstone, tourmaline, and especially garnet. The extraction of garnet as a natural abrasive led to a real industry in the Zillertal in the 19th century. Many are of precious stone quality. Even today, exceptionally beautiful, large crystals are found. Our reception desk has an exquisite selection of small precious and semi-precious stones available. Many of our guests say that only a crystal is the perfect souvenir from the Crystal.

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Treasures from the Zillertal Alps

In general, the Zillertal is rich in natural resources. If you believe legend, a bull is to thank for the first silver finds. It had torn up the ground with its horns thus revealing the ore. Truth or myth - I don't know. The fact is however that in the Middle Ages, Schwaz was considered Europe's largest mining metropolis for many centuries, and it was indeed one of the richest cities. The mines in Schwaz belonged to the wealthy Augsburg trade family, the Fuggers,

who financed emperors and kings. Their legendary financial power came from the considerable silver deposits in our region. To this day, the traces of ore mining are evident: the mountain is completely hollowed out by a vast network of passages and shafts. Only 200 m from Gartenhotel Crystal, the Spieljoch mine gives interesting insight into mining. I also recommend a tour through the silver mine in Schwaz. All I can say is that it's very interesting.

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Harvest in the Crystal garden

The richness and abundance of our region is reflected not only by the treasures in the mountain but also the treasures in the earth. It is time for the harvest thanksgiving festival, and this year, we have every reason to give thanks. Our garden house currently resembles a painting by Arcimboldo. Pumpkins, apples, pears, plums, grapes – a sea of colorful, ripe fruit. While Mina is busy picking out the best fruit for her legendary jams, she is closely watched. Jakob-Oskar and Ida don't miss any of her hand movements. After all, one or two tidbits might fall off. The pair of ravens have lived at Gartenhotel Crystal for

over 20 years. Their special relationship with Mina is recognizable at first sight. She has always said they are clever animals. As if they understand every word from her, they answer in their language. The variety of sounds they make is as impressive as their intelligence. Even though whole groups of squirrels, blackbirds, robins, great tits, and sparrows are also onlookers, the protagonist are Jakob-Oskar and Ida. They seem to be well aware of this: without any shyness, they curiously strut back and forth in front of Nina with their heads raised high.

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Mina's home recipe: apple-pumpkin jam

Oh, I almost forgot! Mina found a very special recipe today: apple-pumpkin jam. Savory-sweet and of a magnificent color, it gives cheese platters for example a touch of exceptional sophistication.

You can smell the irresistible fruit aroma after it was just cooked in the kitchen. Now it's time for a taste before it is poured in jars and the lid screwed shut...

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