SUNDAY 15 JANUARY 2017 COMMUNITYCOM | 7 HEALTH | 9 BOLLYWOOD | 1111 How Women Work Don’t think your kids Nawazuddin is a holds wellness are obese, else they gem of an actor: programme gain weight Shah Rukh Email: [email protected] A longtime visitor leaves the beaten path for three very different locales: Bad Schallerbach, Gmunden and Kaprun. EXPLORING AUSTRIA P | 4-5 SUNDAY 15 JANUARY 2017 COMMUNITY 03 Ooredoo Marathon a big success he fifth Ooredoo Mara- thon took place on Friday, with hundreds of runners from across Qatar taking part in a Tnumber of different races. Kicking off at 6.30 am at the Museum of Islamic Arts Park, the event saw runners jog, sprint, and walk around the full marathon route, which looped the Corniche. H E Salah bin Ghanem bin Nasser Al Ali, Minister of Youth and Sports, joined senior Ooredoo exec- utives on the start line, including H E Sheikh Abdulla bin Mohammed bin Saud Al Thani, Chairman, Oore- doo and Sheikh Saud bin Nasser Al Thani, Group CEO, Ooredoo. There were three competitive races – full marathon (42.195km), half-marathon (21.0975km), and 10km) — where the winners received a range of prizes. Oore- He was followed by his compatri- Chepkemoi and Sally Kimaiyo. tions to all the runners and our doo also hosted a children’s 1km fun ots, Benard Kipsang Chumba and In the half marathon, Alex Kibet thanks to the many supporters who runas well as family-friendly 3km Henry Kipsang, also of Kenya. of Kenya came first, followed by came to cheer them on, emergency and 5km races. Runners from Kenya also led Benard Korir of Kenya and Aziz staff for keeping our competitors First place for the full Ooredoo among the women marathon run- Lahbabi of Morocco. Violah Jep- safe and volunteers for making this Men’s Marathon went to Henry ners, with Georgina Rono of Kenya chumba, Faith Chepkoech and year’s event so successful.” Kilagat of Kenya, with an impres- coming first in two hour and 38 sec- Daisy Chepngeno Langt, all of “I’m extremely happy to see the sive time of 2 hours and 16 seconds. onds, followed by Vicoty Kenya, came in the top three places amount of families and friends tak- among the ing part in the race, as the Ooredoo women. Alsadik Marathon is not only an amazing Mikhou of Bah- lifestyle festival but raises money rain won the 10K for a great cause. We hope the event race, followed by has encouraged the people of Qatar Edwin Rotich and to live a healthier lifestyle and come Elnathan Kip- together as a community,” she kemboi Rotich of added. Kenya. Eilish To see the full list of runners McColgan of and times, people can visit:http:// Great Britain, www.premiertiming.com/res/ Isora Sosa Cabal- events/Ooredoo_Marathon_2017 lero of Spain and All funds raised from the 2017 Eva Taggart of Ooredoo Marathon will be donated Great Britain to Reach Out To Asia. The charity came in the top aims to help develop the potential positions for of Asia’s people through a network women. of centres devoted to progressive Speaking education, research and commu- about the event, nity welfare. The Ooredoo Fatima Sultan Al Marathon, which began in 2013, Kuwari, Director was designed to help Qatar’s peo- of Community & ple become more active and healthy, Public Relations, and has grown into a highly-antic- Ooredoo, said: ipated event for experienced “Firstly, we offer marathon runners, health conscious big congratula- people and novices alike. 04 COVER STORY SUNDAY 15 JANUARY 2017 Exploring Austria like a local Carol Sottili Schallerbach, the Lake District town outdoor cafe drinking, laughing and residents consists of just a few The Washington Post of Gmunden and the Alpine village talking as an accordion played in blocks of shops and restaurants, yet of Kaprun. the background. The scene was the it is visited by more than 400,000 ienna has its traditional On a balmy Friday night in late very definition of the difficult-to- people each year, almost all Aus- cafes, opulent palaces September, I threw open the over- translate gemuetlichkeit, an trian, German and Czech. Some and venues for its leg- size windows in my street-front Austrian state of being that conveys come for the concerts: For more endary classical-music hotel to the captivating sounds of friendliness, good cheer and than 20 years, it has hosted a series scene. Salzburg traditional Austrian folk music. Bad relaxation. of live shows (70 are scheduled for Vattracts a crowd with all those Schallerbach locals sat at the The town of about 4,000 2017) showcasing genres as dispa- churches and castles. But within rate as klezmer and classical. easy striking distance of both big- But most make the trip for the name tickets are delightful corners waters. Since 1918, the town’s nat- of Austria where English-speakers ural sulfur springs have attracted are rare, crowds are thinner and those in search of a cure. Most the gemuetlichkeit is pervasive. recently, with an infusion of pub- I have an inside track. My explo- lic dollars, rations of the country’s it has morphed into Eurother- lesser-known delights have been men Resort, a massive spa-themed led by my Austrian-born mother facility situated in the midst of a and cousins who have lived in 22-acre botanical garden along the Upper Austria since birth. During Trattnach River. my stays there, they’ve squired me Anchored by a luxurious 150- on frequent day trips to a multitude room hotel connected to the spa via of spots unfamiliar to most Amer- a covered walkway, the resort is a ican tourists but well-loved among series of indoor and outdoor pools, Austrians. By the end of my most hot springs, waterslides and loung- recent visit, I had come up with a ing areas so extensive that a top-three list: The spa village of Bad first-timer easily can get lost. SUNDAY 15 JANUARY 2017 COVER STORY 05 that offers a place to meditate. town’s waterfront, we headed for Walking back to the hotel, I wan- its newest attraction, the Grunberg dered past an atrium where a Mountain cable cars, which started traditionally garbed Bavarian brass operating in summer 2014. band was performing for employ- Backpack-equipped hikers ees of a local business gathered at the bottom of the — gemuetlichkeit defined on a typ- 3,300-foot mountain while we took ical afternoon in Bad the easy way up via one of the two Schallerbach. 60-person cable cars. We piled into two cars at my During our ascent, a sweeping cousin’s home in the tiny village of view of Upper Austria unfolded, Krenglbach for the 40-minute drive eventually giving us far-off looks to Gmunden, one of many scenic at the cities of Linz and Wels. Imme- lakeside towns that grace Austria’s diately below us, glamorous Salzkammergut region. We’re not lakefront homes turned into strangers to this historic resort town dollhouses. that sits on the northern end of Atop the mountain, children crystal-clear Traunsee (Lake Traun). zoomed down a long, red slide that Repeat visits never get old with the starts at a lodge-style restaurant promise of a long hike along post- and ends at a playground. As their card-perfect trails punctuated with parents sipped sturdy beers and a lovely piece of pastry at a water- tucked into plates of schnitzel, the front cafe. kids raced along the playground’s On a recent unseasonably warm zip wire and rope walk. A few yards On a Tuesday afternoon in early lunching couples, families resting day in early October, sailboats away, intrepid adventurers lined autumn, one end of the resort, under infrared heaters, women drifted past Schloss Ort, an island up to ride the Gruenberg Flitzer, a called Tropicana, hosted a group heading into the massage area and castle founded in 1080 and con- toboggan-on-a-rail that heads mostly of young adults bellied up older visitors waiting at the nected to the mainland via wooden straight down for nearly a mile to the pool with Caribbean-style Physikarium health centre for bridge. The Gisela, a 145-year-old before returning via a roped ski lift. drinks in hand. Off to the side, a few supervised medical treatments. restored paddle steamboat, ferried But these man-made amenities people lounged in smaller special- Adjacent to the resort, the free- sightseers along the lake. A back- play second fiddle to the star of the ity pools infused with salt, iodine, access parklands offer a respite drop of cornflower-blue sky and show, the surrounding mountains. selenium and sulfur. Covered with from the spa crowds. Botanica Park towering mountains dominated by Dozens of walking-stick-equipped a towering retractable glass roof is a quiet haven that attracts a mix the distinctive and boulderlike hikers, including a few wearing tra- and dominated by an indoor-out- of joggers, parents pushing stroll- 5,500-foot Traunstein transformed ditional lederhosen, traversed the door pool, Tropicana also sports a ers, dog walkers and plant lovers. the view into something straight out miles of hiking paths that connect 5,000-gallon tropical fish aquar- During an afternoon run, I stopped of “The Sound of Music.” Grunberg Mountain to Laudachsee ium, sandy beaches and huge frequently to examine the various After drinking in the fanciful (Lake Laudach). More skilled hik- plastic palm trees that, if you squint, gardens, including one that focuses scene during a walk along the quiet ers tackled the difficult ascent to the could pass for the real thing.