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Endless Summer

Sunday, November 17th, 2013
It probably seems like my blogs about our summer just keep going, but the summers in southern Austria are really amazing.  The weather is warm, but except for about 1 week in August, not so hot that you can’t sleep without airconditioning.  The sunshine, lakes, and mountains mean that we get a lot of tourists, mostly from Germany and the Netherlands.  The tourists fill up the restaurants, cafes, and bars, but generally there are so many hiking and biking trails that they are not too crowded.

We spent nearly every weekend this summer on those trails and really got to explore a few new areas, like Saalbach, which is actually paradise for mountain bikers.   We also made two trips to the Dolomites which have the most spectacular scenery (see below for proof).  Every trip to this area leaves me with a feeling that I need to go back and see more.

Our town lies on both sides of the Drau river, which starts in Italy, flows across Austria and ends in Slovenia.  There is a bike trail along the whole length and we’ve ridden some short sections near Villach.  This year we did an overnight trip with some friends along a western section…  some year we’ll do the whole thing!

Eric also took up a new sport called “Klettersteig” or via ferrata. It seems to be unique to Europe, and very popular in Austria and Italy.  Basically it’s like rock climbing, but “assisted” with permanent cables and ladders in the really tricky parts.  You wear a special harness to clip onto these elements and it provides a bit of safety so you won’t end up splattered at the bottom of the valley.   Not my thing, but a lot of people here are really into it.  There are quite a few trails and passages which were created during WWI, complete with tunnels that are available for Klettersteig and they offer great views if you have the fortitude to climb.

Finally we finished off the summer with this year’s Kirchtag week – always a lot of fun, but by the end of the week we were exhausted and escaped to the mountains for some rest. I’ll wrap up with a few pictures of the Dolomites, but check the next post for some more hiking highlights.

Posted in Austria, Italy, Living Abroad, Travel | No Comments »

Searching for the sun

Friday, August 2nd, 2013

We had a very snowy winter in Austria which turned into a very rainy spring.  By the end of May nearly everyone was totally depressed by the constant bad weather.  You may have seen the terrible flooding in Austria and Germany on the news that was eventually a result of this.  We finally couldn’t take it anymore and decided we needed to go somewhere sunny and warm, even for just a day.  After spending half a night searching the weather websites, we realized that there was no place nearby which would be any better.  Spontaneously we started searching airline websites looking for anything.  There it was… a cheap ticket from a nearby airport to Catania in Sicily.

We left on Friday night and after some delays eventually arrived.  The next morning we were greeted with bright sun, a blue ocean, and great food.  Catania turned out to be a pretty interesting destination, with Roman ruins and a side trip to the most active volcano in Europe, Mt. Etna.  Sadly Sunday night came too quickly and it was back to reality and rain again.

The Mediterranean isn’t just beautiful, it also yields some great fish, seen here at the famous fish market.  At night these stands are cleared away and great restaurants open up to serve up the seafood.

Mt. Etna – still smoldering…

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What I Did This Summer – Part 2

Friday, October 26th, 2012

This is the second part of my attempt to quickly catch up on what we did in the last 2 months.  Just across the border in Italy there is a region called Süd Tirol (South Tyrol).  It used to be part of Austria and they still speak a lot of German there.  However, the big attraction is the mountains,  an extension of the Alps called the Dolomites.

The rock formations are very unique and, for me, rival Yosemite or the Torres del Pine.  It’s become one of our new favorite spots, especially because it’s so accessible, just a 2 hour drive from home.

Last year we visited the area for a couple of quick hikes and couldn’t wait to get back there this year to explore the region more.  On my last trip to London I managed to find an English version of a book called “Short Walks in the Dolomites”.  Equipped with this, a map, and our backpacks we took off into the mountains.  There might be something missing in the translation because 9 hours and 1300m of elevation later we finally made it back to the start.  I would hate to see one of the “long” walks.

The hike may have taken all day, but I can’t think of a better way to spend the time.  If the beautiful views weren’t enough, the hardy food at the huts along the way might alone be worth it.

Here’s the first of the 3 huts we stopped at:

And another view along the way:

Posted in Austria, Italy, Living Abroad, Travel | No Comments »

Under the Tuscan Sun (or Over the Tuscan Hills)

Wednesday, July 25th, 2012

We’ve been enjoying the summer and I’m once again behind on blogging.  Eric spent a month in Korea on a trip for work, but as soon as he got back we hit the road and spent a long weekend in Tuscany.  The region had everything we’ve heard about – lovely villas, great food and wine, and lots of sunshine.  It also has some seriously steep hills which I didn’t expect.  When we were in the Piedmont region a few years ago, everyone told us it was “just like Tuscany.”  Based on the small rolling hills there, we planned a bike ride through the countryside in Tuscany. It turned out to be a bit more like a stage of the Giro than the casual pedal through the vineyards that I had imagined. Once again I was reminded about why we travel.  You can read and hear about a place, but it’s never quite the same as experiencing it first hand.

After the sufferfest on the bike, as least I could comfort myself with some amazing Chianti Reserva and Steak Florentine – two things that also just have to be tasted to be understood.

One the way home, we decided to take a detour to visit one of the smallest countries in Europe, San Marino.  It turned out that there is no direct highway to get there from where we were staying, so we ended up spending hours on tiny winding roads crossing over the middle of Italy.  This drive falls into the category of things that might be better not experienced in person.  San Marino was worth the drive, however.  It’s not much more than some castle towers and a small town perched on the top of a peak, but it’s dramatic and the views are great.  Plus we got to add another country to our “been there” list.

The beautiful, but tiny San Marino:

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What border?

Thursday, October 20th, 2011

A group of people we know from the US and UK were on a holiday in the Dolomites in Italy last month.  Since it’s only a 3 hour drive from where we live, they invited us to meet them there go hiking.  It’s a really beautiful area and one that I’m sure we’ll visit again.

The most surprising thing about the trip was discovering the area called Südtirol (South Tirol).  It used to belong to Austria, but as a result of WWI and WWII eventually became a permanent part of Italy. While it might officially be in Italy now, the population has chosen to ignore the fact.  The homes are the same style of “Heidi houses” that you see everywhere in Austria, and the road signs are  in both German, listed first, and then Italian.  Most people we met were tri-lingual (along with English), but speak German to each other, and the food was wursts and schnitzels, with a little pasta.  Not quite what you imagine when you think about spending a weekend in Italy.  I never would have even known that we left Austria, except for all the “I” license plates.

The owner of the B&B where we stayed gave me a history lesson, as well as some strong opinions on the regional government, languages, and the possibility that they would someday vote to re-join Austria.  It’s a very interesting piece of history that was completely new to me.  You never know what you’ll find when you cross a border.

Here’s a view from the Dolomites in the “Italian” Alps:

Posted in Austria, Italy, Living Abroad, Travel | 1 Comment »

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