How to Climb an Alp

While in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, we had the opportunity to go for a hike.  With our trusty Austrian guide, Rocky*, we were off!

*Name has been changed for libel protection.

Yes, he is wearing lederhosen with a backpack and sneakers

When you climb an Alp, you want a guide.  And by guide, I don't mean Rocky.  I chose the pseudonym "Rocky" for a very specific purpose; instead of taking us on the marked, cleared path, Rocky got us lost and proceeded to make us climb for our lives up a crag-like path intended for mountain animals.  We were innocent, unsuspecting Americans, Brits, and Scots, not behoofed* creatures adapted to the Alpine landscape.

* I created my own definition for this word, similar to "bespeckled."  For another definition of behoof, check here.

When you climb an Alp, you should bring a friend.  This friend should carry your water, pretzels, jacket when you begin to sweat profusely, and the weight of the world on his shoulders when you don't think you can go on.  If you quit on the Crag Trail, only a goat will be able to help you down.  If you have a friend, he can encourage you, feed you, and comfort you (unlike a goat?).  So, in short, you should bring a friend.  Here's mine.

When a fellow hiker asked if we wanted a photo with this sign, I replied, "Yes, for posterity!"

When you climb an Alp and your friend keeps telling you that the peak is close-by, resist the urge to snap and keep snapping pictures.  High winds and less oxygen can make one irritable, or that's what I'm just going to say.  It was relatively close at this point.

The red face does not lie.  It took so much out of me to be at this point.  And there was more left.

Catching my breath on a plateau, nearly ready to do the 89 degree incline

Gorgeous - Click it!

 At the summit! Satisfaction achieved!

The sign and part of the cross at the top of the mountain

It felt like such an achievement to reach the peak.  I pushed myself.  I made it.  Being here, doing this, is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.  And what's better, I had my best friend with me.

Civilization below

And when you climb an Alp, your legs shaky; your body shivery; your spirit nearly broken; find time to laugh and enjoy life. It's what it's all about anyway.

Again, I am so lucky to be here.

Journey to the Center of the Alps

Okay, maybe not the center, but indulge me a little.

One of the best parts of living in Salzburg is the proximity to the Alps.  Salzburg is on the northern edge of the Alps, and although we have some breath-taking views from town, we luckily do not have the full effect of Alpine weather.  But, a quick train ride to the south is all it takes.

The view from the window next to our door (zoomed, admittedly)

The Salzburg Hauptbahnhof, or main train station

On the train to Zell am See - me looking far too coy, and Ben mugging far too much

Last week, we traveled to Saalbach-Hinterglemm, a village like a grande dame preparing herself for an appearance - you can tell that it's beautiful, you can tell that it's important, but it hasn't yet achieved its significance.  A month or two more and Saalbach will be a winter wonderland (and make no mistake!).

Click it to enlarge!

The view out of our window was completely enchanting.  Some mornings, there'd be this fog that blanketed the upper reaches of the mountain, and other mornings, the oranges and yellows of this tree glowed.

I am incredibly lucky to be here.

Haus der Natur

This weekend, we visited the Haus der Natur in Central Salzburg, which celebrates and educates on topics in nature and technology.  It spans five floors (Austrians would say ground floor, then one through four) and includes a range of exhibits, from Journey Through the Human Body to the Space Hall to Fossilized Life.

The aquarium was extensive and included many aquatic animals that I had never seen before.  The Moray Eel?  It entwined itself in the rocks of its tank, and opened and closed its mouth in five second intervals.  The Giant Squid?  The museum staff couldn't suspend a real one from the ceiling (unfortunately), but the information that accompanied the model stated that Giant Squids have the largest eyes of all living creatures.  A small portion of the information about the animals was in English which I appreciated, but there are so many German-English cognates that I was able to get the gist of things when the information and labels were exclusively in German.  And, the husband helped too.

There were dozens of these carved, wooden figurines.  I snapped these photos quickly, but now that I look at them, I wonder what sort of comment the artist was trying to make by putting the animal heads on human bodies.  Did the artist have someone in mind when he/she carved each figurine?  Did the model's personality dictate which animal head was carved?  I want to look more into these.

And, because we're silly -

Salzburg is a taxidermist's dream.  The museum was filled with display after display of stuffed animals (but not the cuddly variety).

Case in point: bear attack.

Once we left the Haus der Natur, we walked along Kaipromenade which stretches along the River Salzach.  Many merchants had set up shop and were selling their goods to Austrians and tourists alike.

It surprised me how many Austrians were dressed in traditional garments - lederhosen, dirndl, tracht.  I was wearing a blue and white gingham button-up which is the pattern of shirt that men and some women wear under their traditional vests and jackets.  At first, I only saw red and white gingham shirts, and I worried that my shirt may have been offensive, but then I saw green and blue gingham and I felt less self-conscious.  Overall, it was a good day, and I loved exploring more of the city and all that it has to offer.

The Flight Over and Early Impressions

Earlier this week, we arrived in Salzburg by car, plane, another plane, a shuttle, a train, and Strassenbahn. I had three competing feelings - excitement, exhaustion, and a sense of urgency.  We needed to make it to Salzburg before the office of our complex closed, so there wasn't much sightseeing on the way from Vienna (Wien).

Commence photos!

At the airport before our flight to D.C.

At the D.C. airport - can you see the crazy/tired?

You can absolutely see it here.

I haven't flown in over a decade, so this may be old news, but I loved how the screens on the back of the seats had maps of where we were flying over, and the live feed from the two cameras positioned at the front and bottom of the plane.

The sunrise from out of my window

 The first night was pretty horrendous.  Our beds didn't have sheets, so we used makeshift sheets in the form of bath towels, bath robes, sweatshirts, and the like.  Sleep came early in the morning and wasn't very fulfilling.  We still haven't shaken the jet-lag.  Also, sadness crept in with the realization that I was actually far, far away from home, so we dealt with that too.

I am happy to report that here, on Day 4, I feel much, much better.  We have accomplished so much and I feel much more settled in Salzburg, so to speak.  Every day, our "normal" life continues to emerge: bank accounts, cell phones, bed sheets, pots and pans, food in the fridge, a lease, etc.  These may not be the most exciting tasks for a first-time European visitor, but I'm much too Type-A to let them be anything besides Priority #1 (and 2, 3, 4, 5...).

Well, that's all for now.  We're looking forward to our first weekend here, and I do have to say that now that some tasks are checked off our list, I think we're going to enjoy it.