Winter Sport
Friday, February 11th, 2011I chose the title of this blog for 2 reasons. One, because it’s spelled the same in both Deutsch and English (although not pronounced quite the same), and two, because it’s what we’ve been doing.
We also found an apartment and moved in, but that is a story for another blog. Nearly all of our time has been spent unpacking, shopping for appliances, and putting together furniture. However, we managed to work some time into the schedule to do what all the Austrians seems to be doing.
I know this probably isn’t true, but it feels like everyone here is great at all winter sports. And they are always doing them. Everywhere we go, I see people going skiing (cross country and downhill) or skating, plus there is sledding, snowshoeing and a whole bunch of other activities and games that are all done outside on snow. We even saw a sign for something called “Ice Driving” (in English!) but didn’t actually see what it was.
Just about every town near a mountain has its own ski lift. Some of them are nothing more than one or two runs, but others are big resorts. We’ve tried out a few already and it is really exciting for us to live so close to them. There are dozens of ski areas within two hour’s drive, and it’s weird to be able to get up, ski for a few hours, and be home before dinner.
All of this opportunity has made the locals into fantastic skiers. There’s not a “snowplow” to be seen anywhere on the mountains, and the speed at which they whiz past me is amazing. The other noticeable difference is lunch. Instead of big cafeteria style lodges, most of the ski areas have smaller restaurants with nice big outdoor seating areas. The food is the best part. What better fuel for zipping around the mountain than sausages filled with cheese, wrapped in bacon, and served over mashed potatoes? I can testify, there is none.
In addition to skiing we also bought skates and headed to the local frozen lake. They have a car with a scraper on it to clear the snow so that people can skate and play hockey. Just like skiing, everyone seems to be an expert.
Hopefully we’ll get some more practice before Spring! Here’s a view of the mountain and our Mittagsessen:
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