October 9th 2008
Hiking kicked my butt today. I went to work with Christian, which was out in the field. We hiked allover the place and tested water in the mountains. In the summer he does it every 2 weeks. I had some shin splints going on, which I was worried would bother me. . . and they did. There were two hikes which were a good length and elevation.
The first was about 1.5 hours each way and I'm not sure what elevation we reached, but it was a steep hike at times. Our elevation gain was 800 meters. The last sign I saw said 2000 meters (6500ft) and I hiked a good distance after that. Getting to the trailhead was half the fun, though. We must have gone through 25 hairpin turns on the way, and one of the roads, along with a hairpin turn, only had room for one car to pass. I don't know what happens if a car is coming from the opposite direction, and I don't want to know. Anyways, back to the hike. I found psylocybin mushrooms. No, I didn't eat any. I was wandering while he was taking measurements and I came across another hiker and we exchanged a few words. He was wearing all black and I found out later it's because he was going up to the hut at the top to clean the chimney, and it's tradition to wear all black. ooooookay. I'm told it's like that everywhere, even the US. Comparing countries is endless fun, by the way.
The second hike was about 1 hour roundtrip and reached 2142m (7000ft). I'm not sure what elevation we started at, though. I went ahead and hiked to the top myself while he was doing readings elsewhere and he met me afterwards for more readings, so I got to spend some time up there. It was gorgeous, too - stunning views. There was also a nice stream running through and a cute little hut there. Everything was wonderful there until a bumblebee chased me around for a while. He was trying to check me out, but I kept moving away from him, so he kept moving towards me. Lucky for me, he gave up first. Probably lucky for him, too.
I don't have a clue how far any of these hikes are because they measure hikes here by time instead of distance. There's no way to be sure how far they are, because the time is adjusted based on steepness, I'm sure.
I'll probably be sore tomorrow, which is double trouble, because tomorrow we start the 3 day hike through the Alps where we'll be hiking 4-5 hours each day! yeeha! We'll see how it goes. . . and if I survive.
By the way, Europeans drive like maniacs.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Planes, trains and automobiles
Disclaimer: posting these after the fact. I tried to write as I went, but I couldn't actually post anything until I got home.
October 7th, 8th. Days 1 and 2 (1 was a travel day, 2 was my first full day)
after 24 hours of travel, I've arrived!
My flights were fine, nothing much there to talk about. There wasn't a passenger in the seat next to me, which I was very happy about. Otherwise I end up with a giant pile of stuff on my lap. One thing I found strange about my journey was that every time I landed they didn't have a terminal, I had to walk or get bussed across the runway. I was surprised they did this for the international flight, because it was a big plane.
I flew to Frankfurt and had a quick connection to Germany, which was uneventful. I was through customs within a minute, including time waited in line. Then came the real treat. . . that airport is like a MAZE. I swear I must have walked a mile at the very least to get to my terminal. The flight from Frankfurt to Munich was easy. My only complaint was that I don't speak German. A little girl sat next to me and apparently I buckled myself up using her latch, so she was trying to tell me and I just didn't have a clue what she was saying. I finally got it, but I felt like a terd. I bet the expression on my face when people talk to me in another language is priceless, probably like a deer in headlights.
The train ride from Munich to Innsbruck was more of me being confused by people speaking German to me, which was extra fun. I never know what to do when I go to a counter to buy something - should I just ask for it in English right off the bat, or should I first ask them if they speak English in German? Really it makes no difference in the exchange, because if I ask if they speak English and they can't, it's not like it'll make communication any easier. I suppose that way we're on the same page, though. . . and I don't look like an ignorant American who expects the world to bend to my needs. I've found my best plan of action is to say "hi" right off the bat, and if they speak English, they'll immediately start speaking it. Wow, I'm so lame. It's funny, because I do know small bits of German which could get me through some of these situations, but I'm afraid to speak it because I'm sure I sound ridiculous.
Speaking of sounding funny speaking another language. Today Christian said 'California' and I nearly died of laughter. Poor guy had no idea what was so funny - I was laughing because he said it exactly like the Governator. I really wanted to ask him to say "It's not a tumor!" and "get OUT!" but I decided against it. English is his 3rd language, which is a hell of a lot more than I can say, so I think I'll keep the accent critique to a minimum! I wish my video camera worked - I'd make a whole montage of Austrian people saying Governator phrases.
Other than a bit of jetlag, everything is great. I'm about to go walk around Innsbruck for a while - it's beautiful today, warm and clear. The mountains here are just beautiful. More on that later.
October 7th, 8th. Days 1 and 2 (1 was a travel day, 2 was my first full day)
after 24 hours of travel, I've arrived!
My flights were fine, nothing much there to talk about. There wasn't a passenger in the seat next to me, which I was very happy about. Otherwise I end up with a giant pile of stuff on my lap. One thing I found strange about my journey was that every time I landed they didn't have a terminal, I had to walk or get bussed across the runway. I was surprised they did this for the international flight, because it was a big plane.
I flew to Frankfurt and had a quick connection to Germany, which was uneventful. I was through customs within a minute, including time waited in line. Then came the real treat. . . that airport is like a MAZE. I swear I must have walked a mile at the very least to get to my terminal. The flight from Frankfurt to Munich was easy. My only complaint was that I don't speak German. A little girl sat next to me and apparently I buckled myself up using her latch, so she was trying to tell me and I just didn't have a clue what she was saying. I finally got it, but I felt like a terd. I bet the expression on my face when people talk to me in another language is priceless, probably like a deer in headlights.
The train ride from Munich to Innsbruck was more of me being confused by people speaking German to me, which was extra fun. I never know what to do when I go to a counter to buy something - should I just ask for it in English right off the bat, or should I first ask them if they speak English in German? Really it makes no difference in the exchange, because if I ask if they speak English and they can't, it's not like it'll make communication any easier. I suppose that way we're on the same page, though. . . and I don't look like an ignorant American who expects the world to bend to my needs. I've found my best plan of action is to say "hi" right off the bat, and if they speak English, they'll immediately start speaking it. Wow, I'm so lame. It's funny, because I do know small bits of German which could get me through some of these situations, but I'm afraid to speak it because I'm sure I sound ridiculous.
Speaking of sounding funny speaking another language. Today Christian said 'California' and I nearly died of laughter. Poor guy had no idea what was so funny - I was laughing because he said it exactly like the Governator. I really wanted to ask him to say "It's not a tumor!" and "get OUT!" but I decided against it. English is his 3rd language, which is a hell of a lot more than I can say, so I think I'll keep the accent critique to a minimum! I wish my video camera worked - I'd make a whole montage of Austrian people saying Governator phrases.
Other than a bit of jetlag, everything is great. I'm about to go walk around Innsbruck for a while - it's beautiful today, warm and clear. The mountains here are just beautiful. More on that later.
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