New Austria Stuff Part II

This is my second post today so I can fit in all the pictures I want.

Our second full day on Innsbrck started with an early wake-up to go paragliding. We met our guides and took a cablecar up a mountain to about 2000 meters elevation. From there we had to lug duffle bags of equipment larger than me up about another 100 vertical meters. Let me tell you I now have a newfound respect for Everest sherpas because that hike just about killed me. Thin air and weak quads do not make for a good climbing Mike. Once they finally told us we could stop we turned around and the lunacy of what we had got ourselves into finally hit us. We stood on a steep mountainside overlooking the valley and town of Oetz below. In a few minutes we would be in gear and harness (attached to our guide of course) and be asked to run at full speed off the side of this mountain. Gabe, Mike, Landon and myself got suited up in jumpsuits, gloves and helmets (saftey first when jumping off mountains!) and were soo strapped in to our harnesses with our guides tied in behind us. Gabe and his guide were set to go first and when he gave the command gabe ran at full speed down the mountainside. After about 15 yards they got airborn and began to sail... then the parasail turned left and they came down and had to roll to come to a stop. "Wow," my guide said as he looked on from behind me, "that crosswind just came up and messed that up. Happens sometimes. OK, we're next." We're next?!?! HELLOOOO! Those two just took a tumble down that hill stopping just soon enough to avoid crashing down on those rocks and trees and you are ready for us to go try the same? But at that point I was tied in and was pretty much commited. Besides, I had confidence in my running ability. Once we got a sufficiet head wind he gave the command and I was off sprinting. After ten steps we were yanked up into the air by our sail. We lifted almost straight up and once we were a good 30 feet off the ground he gave me the OK to sit back in my harness. "Perfect takeoff," he said. Once comfortably situated I was able to look down at the valley below and at the mountain ranges atretching out in every dierction. The world is quite beautiful from 1000 meters up. The 20 minute flight was amazing. It came as close to my dreams of flying as I could imagine. I reccomend it to anyone. We have pictures but I don't have them on file right now to post.

After four successful landings we thanked our guides and took off for our next activity: moutain biking. In many way this was more dangerous than the paragliding. For starters we would be on the bikes alone instead of trusting our fate to an expert who had as much interest in continuing to live as we did. Secondly, none of us were in biking shape. Sure, we figured that biking would be easy but for whatever reason we failed to account for the thin air and steep grade of the trail we selected, one that took us up a windy mountian road to a lake. My breathing in this video is not an act, I was really winded.

After some struggling and ample breaks we made it too the lake. Once we set eyes on the lake we knew we had made the right decision not to turn around when the biking got tough. The lake, flat as glass with pines trees surrounding and mountains in the background, looked like something right out of a Bob Ross painting. Happy little trees everywhere. There was a pavillion with a deck and lots of local austrians swimming and picnicing along the shores.
Hot and sweaty form the biking we were more than ready to jump in the cold lake. We walked along the shore trail until we found an empty spot. None of us had planned on swimming so we hadn't brought swimming clothes much less a change of clothes or towels. The other were content to jump in with thier shorts on, but I was not too keen on another hour of biking with wet shorts as I knew that was an invitation for rashes to form. Confident that I was out of sight of all the picnicing locals I made sure the trail was clear, asked my comrads to avert their eyes and left all my clothes nice and dry on the lakeside. As we swam and cooled off in the lake we began to notice that the people walking by on the path would stare at us. Pretty typical since most places we seem to get looks from locals once they hear our accents anf realize that we're americans. We swam more and the stares continued, sometimes accompanied by giggling from the young women. I was not until Gabe got out of the water fisrt and looked down from the path at the rest of us that we finally understood. Crisp, fresh alpine water is ALOT clearer than the murkey water of kentucky's lakes that we were accustomed too! So the whole time, even though I was swimming a good 30 yards offshore, I had been giving quite the show to any onlooker willing to watch. I just hope Austrians have heard of the George Costanza theory of caold water. The guys had a good laugh at my expense but I got the last laugh as I was the only one with dry shorts for the rest of the day.

Thats me on the right. Don't look too closely.

The trip down was easier but more dangerous as our bikes skidded frequently on the gravel. At the bottom we took another trail (this time a flat one thank god) that followed a raging tributary of the river we had rafted the previous day. Here ore some pictures and video:

It was a great weekend and I think Innsbruck was my favorite city of the trip.

New Austria Stuff Part I

I'm gonna break this post up into two seperate posts because I want to put up lots of pictures and blogspot limits the number of files I can upload per single post.

Like Hannibal and Napoleon before me I have now conquered the Alps. We took a train this weekend to Innsbruck, as city in the Tyrol region of western Austria where they held the Winter Olymipics twice. The city is a ski mecca in the winter but in these summer months offers plenty of outdoor activity as well. Since we've been to so many capitols and giant european cities on this trip it was really a treat to get to a smaller town and experience the beautiful countryside.

Having never really been to a mountain area other than the eastern Kentucky foothills and windy West Virginian motorways I was compleatly stunned and awed by the large crags surrounding Innsbruck. The scenery was grand with or without clouds on the mountaintops. After arriving late Thursday night (thank the lord that there was still a hotel employee to give us a room key) we started out early Friday by taking a quick train to a nearby village to go white water rafting. We have some pictures but they are hard copies so I will have to wait until we can get them scanned to share them with you. It was great fun though with some pretty good rapids. At one point we (7 of us in total including our guide) intentionally flipped the raft for a bit of fun and a rush. Those of us on the starbord side rushed to port and caused the raft to flip. It's worth noting at this point that the water (moving very fast and fresh from the mlountains) was about 41 degrees F. Even knowing this did not prepare me for the shock when I fell in. The strong water held me down for a bit longer than I expected but my life jacket soon brought me to the surface. Problem was that I can up underneath our overturned raft where there was luckily an air pocket. The shock of the frigid water caused a natural reaction for me to breath in deeply, bring some of the water in with the air. The cold water, disorientation, force of the current and realization that I was underneath the raft and not where I was supposed to be resulted in what I can describe as a few quick moments of panic. However, in a split-second I was able to grasp the situation and calm down, then make my way to the side of the raft where I could then pull myself out from underneath. We then got the raft flipped over the right way and helped each other back in. What a rush!

After rafting we cleaned off at our hotel and then headed out for some hiking on the nearby mountain. We took a cable-car up past the tree line to an altitude of about 2000 meters.

From the landing point we then hiked up and westward along the narrow hiking path. It was truely amazing hiking on literally the side of a mountain. Needless to say we tred very carefully. Two things we noticed very quickly were: a) it really is colder with altitude, and b) thin mountain air is a LOT different than that thick, chewable Kentucky air we had grown up on! It only took five minutes of climbing what I would consider a moderate grade at a slow pace for me to find in amazement that my heart was racing like I'd just run the 200. It was all worth it though as we admired the view. After a bit a cloud came by at our level. It was so cool to be in a cloud!

There was even a bit of glacier left from the winter snows.

Finally, a little bit from last week. On Wednesday the university held a "Cultural Evening" where all the students from the different countries studying in our summer program were encouraged to give a short presentation about their homeland. Also, each contry got a table at in the hall where we were supposed to provide samples of our native foods. It was really neat and I got to try Russian, Bulgarian and Croatian pastries, Czech beer, and Singaporian finger foods among other things. We represented the USA but chose to focus on our Commonwealth. Naturally our foods samples were Kentucky Fried Chicken and Four Roses Bourbon! I am proud to say that all our food was eaten and that they were all impressed with our bourbon, although it wasn't near as strong as the liquer the Bulgarians brought. Our Austrian hosts had a food table as well and it was very unique. The famous local sweats are these little "Mozart balls" which are chocolate-coated and filled with cream and marzipan and look a lot like bourbon balls. The variation that they provided us was the "Burning Mozart". They put one of these balls on a toothpick, dipped it in some 160 proof Austrian rum, then used a lighter to set it on fire beofre you put it in your mouth. As long as you closed your mouth quickly, so they said, they flame would entinguish and you would be safe with a tastey treat in your mouth. We all peer-pressured each other into having one. Here is the video:

It was fine and I didn't burn my mouth at all. However, as I was munching the candy I started to smell the immistakable smell of burning hair. Only after a friend pointed to some charred hairs on my upper lip did I realize that I'd charred some of my whiskers!

Gonna climb mountains and yodel

We have decided to go to Innsbruck, Austria this weekend in hopes of getting some good outdoor activity in. Innsbruck is located in the far western part of the country in the heart of the Alps almost in Switzerland. Tired of the old town halls, museums and churches of the European capitols we are eager to see some scenic countryside. With hiking, rafting and biking all available we should get some ecxercise in as well. Good thing too because it is impossible to eat a meal here that isn't some form of fried breaded meat or sausage and moll might just get flabby if this keeps up. Really though I have loved the European cuisine (GMO free as it is) though I will admit that I am craving both a big burrito and bar-b-que, neither of which can be found in this dern land. So if you want to be my new best friend I suggest you meet me at Louisivlle "International" airport with a big bag from Mark's Feedstore. Just sayin'.
Finally, a word about man-capris. They are everywhere here. For whatever reason the very same european men that strut the streets of Vienna, Paris and Munich in skintight jeans decide that, when the temperature dictates cooler clothing, they should then switch to baggy man-capris. I have to call them "man-capris" in order to differentiate them from regular "capris", which as I had always understood it were for women and women alone. Rest assured that I will not be returning to 'mercan soil wearing those uncommited pantaloons. Shorts or pants boys, pick one. We're at war, get off the fence!
Next post I hopefully will be able to post amazing video of me eating fire. Oh yes, you read that right. I ate fire.

Germans Love David Hasselhoff

We've been in Vienna, Austria for a week now and it's been great. Public water fountains are abundant (unlike everywhere else in Europe) and the meal portions are huge. This land is known for Mozart, Strauss and Ah-nold but I kid you not when I tell that the very first thing I saw on Austrian TV was a Baywatch rerun.

We are taking classes at Wien University (they call Vienna "Wien" here and yes, the word "wiener" is posted everywhere) and they have beens great hosts setting up events for us. We have visited an outdoor wine garden and swam in the Danube River. I even ate wienerschnitzel which to my surprise consisted of veal. It was delicious.

This past weekend we traveled to Munich, Germany, about a 4.5 hour trip by train. The city greeted us with a rainstorm but that didn't keep us from running through the streets in search of the famous Hofbrauhaus. Soaking wet and weary from a day of travel we entered the great beer hall to a cacophony of singing, laughing and a traditional german oompah band. It was sensory overload in the best way. After finding a table I ordered a comically large glass of Hofbrau beer (dark, or dunkel as they call it, of course) and a plate of meatballs and mashed potatoes. After having lived for weeks on the rather dainty cuisine of France and Denmark the hearty german meal brought tears to my eyes.

The next day we went (again in the rain) to the Olympic Park from the 1972 games. We got to see the pool where I'm pretty sure Mark Spitz did all his stuff and the soccer stadium. We also climbed a big hill to see the city which you can see below.

Bavaria has earned its title as world beer capitol and the wheat beers rivals those that I sampled in Belgium. The german people have been very nice even though they may stickin a jab at americans every once in a while. Honestly, looking at most of the tourists we pass I can't blame them. Seriously people, fannypacks and jorts (those would be blue jean shorts for you laymen) do not present a very good image of our native land. Europeans for the most part dress a lot more formal than we do. If America is sweatpants, sneakers and a t-shirt, Europe is skinny chic jeans and buttondown shirt and leather shoes. I would also describe Europe as the world's attic because everything here is so darn old. The streets here (at least the parts that weren't bombed to hell by Stalin and the Allies) are filled with buildings way older than our country.

On our way back from Munich we stopped by Salzburg, Austria, where most of The Sound of Music was filmed. The family home and the famous hill were in suburbs and out of our range but we did visit the garden where Maria and the kids danced and sang. I'm pretty sure they were by this fountain when they sang Do-Re-Mi, maybe Grandma or Joy can tell me if I'm right.

I've seen London, I've seen France...

Since JoyJoy requested I put up pictures of weird foods, how about some goat cheese fondue? OK, that isn't so much weird as just yummy.

I don't know why it gave me the devil eyes in this picture though.

But ESCARGOT is plenty weird and gross right? I did eat this plate of snails and I will say I enjoyed it. The green stuff is the yummy garlic sauce that they were cooked in. The sauce was so strong that no snaily taste really came through; the dish was just kinda slimey.

We had a great time in Paris and fit tons of stuff into one day. Eiffel Tower, Arch de Triumph, Notre Dame, Concorde, Place de la bastille, Louvre, Les Invallides, St. Michel, the Sacred Heart Basillica and the Champes Elyses. We met up with two of our french friends who were our classmates at Kentucky and are now living in Paris. They acted as de facto tour guides and helped sheild us from the famous french snottiness to foriegners. Paris is very much a modern city but with a bit more of an old europe feel than London. I was proud of my ability to use a few french phrases that I could remember and converse with some locals, albeit in caveman french. Dan, I tried to order a Royal with Cheese at the McDonalds but they were out! Lame. I settled for le Big Mac.

Once again were we denied air conditioning in the hotel and I suffered in an 80 degree room at night. Seriously, if any of you need a wise investment tip I suggest you put your money in whatever company is positioned to install central air in europe as global warming increases.

Funny enough the best night's sleep I have had yet was last night on our overnight train to Vienna. We had a sleeper car with 6 people in it, but the car had A/C!!! It got wonderfully cold and I slept like a baby despite shakey train car, foul smells from some foriegn neighbors and a snoring bunkmate.

Brussels Recap

This is the second post for today, be sure to see the London stuff below. Brussels the city, much like the eponymous sprout, will now hold a special dark place in my heart. It is a large city and a very dirty one at that. Trash literally litters the streets and the city has a potpouri of less than plesant odors. The main tourist draw to Brussels is a little staute called Manneken Pis which depicts a little boy urinating. Fitting for the town but really quite dissappointing as the city's most well-known sight.
Brussels, we are told, has a very short summer but apparently we visited during it's zenith. The warmth wouldn't have been so bad if only they didn't seem to have some aversion to air conditioning, or even fans for that matter. I was basically covered in a healthy film of sweat for the 3 1/2 days we were there.
Not to be too harsh on Brussels though. We did have excellent food and the chocolate is quite nice. We also visited a beer pub which was recognized by the Guiness Book of World Records as having the most varieties of beer (2,004) in the world. I ordered a bottle of Dark Voodoo Benin beer in honor of Matt Koch.

Finally, a comment on my facial hair which many of you have mentioned. A few of us decided to grow some out for thr duration of the trip. I really don't think my face fuzz deserves to be called a "beard" do I have taken to just calling it "The Thing". As I have told Joy, it works really well in keeping any european girls from even talking to me, so you need not worry.

AAAAHHHOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! Wherewolves in London.

I'll recap our time in London since I didn't get to post much while we were there. After landing and standing in line for TWO HOURS to get through customs (how are you ever going to handle the olympics London?) we finally stepped outside the airport only to be greated with some that that famous London rain. Luckily the trip only got better after that. The first impression I got of London was its size. I think the sprawl of London makes Chicagoland look like Corbin. It was very much like any other large city I suppose, but with the ubiquitous red phone booths, black taxis and double-deck buses filling the streets it was impossible to forget where you were. After weeks of trying to decipher danish it was a wecome sight to see street sign and advertizments in English again.

We did have to do some school learning there which consisted of visits and meetings with the London 2012 Olympic commitee and the London Transport Association. We managed to see all the touristy musts: Big Ben and Parliament, Buckingham Palace, Tower of London, Trafalgar Square, etc. We also went to the British Museum which might sound boring (as Homer Simpson says "Good thing don't end in -eum, good things end in -ateria or -maina ) but was really neat. The Rosetta Stone was there along with tons of Egyptian artifacts which the Brittish took form Napoleon (who took them from the Egyptians) and have never returned. The museum also houses loads of sculptures looted from the Parthenon. What was really cool was that I often found myself walking through or past areas in London that I recognized from rock 'n roll songs - The Royal Albert Hall, Picadilly, Mayfair.

On Saturday night, after we got to see Spamalot in London's west end, I met up with Joy's high school friend Eva and her beau and friend. We went to a local pub/disco which seemed to play the 80's greatest hits all night long (the place went crazy for Bon Jovi). We had a good time learning about each others' cultures and swapping stories about JoyJoy (oh yes I know EVERYTHING about you in high school now, muwahahaha.)

As I mentioned in the last post I had a blast at Wimbledon. It was really different than just seeing old building or famous spots; more of an experience. The grounds of the All England Lawn Tennins and Crouqet Club has the quaint and hallowed feel that I assume must be present at Augusta. Televison does not do justice to the sport, as the speed of play is amplified when watching live and up close. I sat center court in the 8th row to see Marat Safin win. He has since advanced to the semifinals to play Roger Federer. These pictures were taken with no zoom and reall yshow how close my seat was. Awesome.