Ski week!

It’s been a whirlwind of a past couple of weeks, so to go into full detail of everything I’ve been up to lately would make for a super lengthy blog post. Instead, to spare you all the reading – or to better the chances you’ll actually read the entire post - I’m going to do a drive-by or sorts and just touch on the high points.

The reason I’ve been so busy recently is because MIS had a week off from school – “Ski Week” as they call it. Apparently, it’s a very common thing in this part of the world that schools break for a week sometime in the middle of winter to give families an opportunity to vacation together and hit the slopes. For me, it was a much-needed vacation and my first bit of time off since I’ve started here in which I haven’t made the decision to go home and be with Tricia. So, explore I did!

The week started with me taking a very early morning train to Berlin last Saturday, to meet Sammie who was flying down from her study abroad experience in Copenhagen. The two of us had a fabulous weekend, and of course it was super awesome to see her for the first time since Christmas. Berlin is quite a city. Again, impossible to detail everything we did in this post, so I’ll hit the high points. We did a bunch of the Berlin Wall sites including Checkpoint Charlie, the Graffiti Wall and the Berlin Wall Memorial. We also spent time taking in a lot of World War II history including a visit to the site of Hitler’s bunker, the former site of the SS and Gestapo and the Jewish memorial and museum. In addition to all of that, we did a ton of walking, seeing Brandenburg Gate and many of the other beautiful sites around the city. We snuck in a free classical music concert at one of the music universities. And we ate and drank well, getting in plenty of beer stops, an awesome pizza dinner, a classic German meal, several curry wursts and cup upon cup of wonderful coffee. There’s so much to do in the city, that it feels like we barely scratched the surface. And with all of the parks and outdoor cafes, it’s clear that the city would be a blast in the summer. One day I’ll return for sure.

Monday morning we said goodbye, Sammie returning to school and me exploring Berlin more on my own before training it back to Starnberg in the evening.

Tuesday was the start of “car exploration” week! Because of the hassle and expense of owning a car, because I’m here only temporarily and because public transportation is so good in the area, I haven’t chosen to buy a car. However, there are definitely a lot of places that are only really accessible by car. So, for a few days I decided to rent one. Definitely worth it. The following few days were a blast.

Tuesday I was still a bit tired from our busy days in Berlin, so I was only mildly adventurous. I rested a bunch in the morning before heading out in the afternoon. I drove about an hour to the town and lake of Tagernsee. It’s in Bavaria, a bit south and east of Starnberg. Our winter has been incredibly mild in Bavaria this year, therefore there’s not an inch of snow on the ground and hiking in still a great option. I knew about the area from a friend of mine and from doing a little research. I parked my car at the train station and headed up into the mountains. The hike was great. Again, no snow except for a few scattered spots, so the footing was good and the views even better. I had packed some food, so I was ready for a long hike. The trail took me above the town and above the lake and wound through several stretches of beautiful forest. The loop took me back into town, where I stopped at the local Hofbrauhaus for a beer before getting back into the car and heading home.

Wednesday was my first of two days of cross-country skiing. I had brought all my gear from home, assuming there’d be snow in close proximity to Starnberg during the winter, but it turns out this was my first real opportunity to hit the trails. I wasn’t going to let the opportunity pass by. I hit the highway around 9:00 a.m. and headed south. Almost immediately the scenery was amazing, the mountains getting progressively closer with every kilometer. I had purposely mapped out a route that would take me off the freeway and into the countryside, but I did get to enjoy a little stretch of the autobahn. I topped out at 150 km per hour at one point. Just for a few seconds. It was too nerve-wracking for me. Even at speeds near that I was getting passed as though I was standing still. In the windshield of my car was a sticker that was in German but listed the speed 210 km/hour. I’m assuming that was Hertz’s own prescribed limit.

The day of skiing was fantastic. I stopped first in Seefeld, Austria at the tourism office and to get a morning cappuccino. I paid for my ski pass and was given recommendations on where to go. After my coffee I drove to the town of Leutasch and was immediately greeted by dozens and dozens of other skiers. Awesome. And also, immediately, I was greeted by the Austrian Alps. The scenery was spectacular. I set off on my skate skis, whistling a happy tune. After about 10 km, the loop did a 180 and turned back toward the parking lot. But at this point there was also a hut. The beautiful thing about skiing – and hiking for that matter – in this area is that there are these huts every so often right along the trail. Some are rustic, others are full-service restaurants. This was the latter. Of course, I couldn’t resist. I wasn’t especially hungry at the moment, but I couldn’t let the opportunity pass without a good weis bier. Hardly had one ever tasted so good. The place was packed with happy skiers, with not another English speaker in sight. I was immersed in Austrian, Tyrolean Nordic skiing. Truly awesome!

It turned out, however, that I had bitten off a little more than I could chew in terms of the skiing. My path back to the car included a headwind and an ever-increasing snowstorm. I bonked. It was all I could do to fight my way back. But I made it, with the reward of lunch and another beer at a rustic restaurant a few miles down the road.

Onto Thursday. This time, some downhill skiing. Sorry to keep going on and on, but again, it was a freaking blast and a half! I woke up before dawn and again made my way south, this time to the Zillertal region of Austria. I wanted an early start because the rental shop opened at 7:30 and the lifts opened at 8:00. I didn’t want to miss a minute. The car ride was good – absolutely stunning scenery again – and I made it on time. After getting my gear and figuring out what the hell to do at this huge, busy ski slope, I boarded a gondola to take me up to the base of the skiing. I made my way to a lift, did a couple of runs, then met up with the Schmidts, a family from Australia who is at MIS – new this year like me. They’re a terrific family, and we had an absolutely wonderful day. We all skied at about the same level, so we mixed in some easy runs with some medium ones. The lifts and runs were incredibly long and the views were beyond stunning. I was once again in my happy place, not quite sure how I had gotten lucky enough to be enjoying moments like this one.

We broke for lunch – me a Zillertal pilsner and some kase spaetzal (Austrian mac and cheese) at this spectacular mountainside restaurant then skied until 4:30 or so when the lifts closed for the day. During the day there was a mix of clouds and sun and a slight snow shower, but the day ended with an amazing blue sky and a sun receding into the horizon. I did not want to leave! But, again, I felt like a very lucky man to have had the experience. It was by far the best downhill skiing experience of my life, having never skied outside of Minnesota therefore having never really mountain skied. I get why people love it so much! Happily, I did quite well, falling only a few times and only one of those being rather violent. I kept getting better and better as the day went along, gaining more confidence by the hour. So, so much fun! That night, not wanting to drive all the way back to Starnberg and wanting to spend more time with the Schmidt’s, they graciously allowed me some space on the floor of their rental apartment to crash for the night. We had drinks as the sunset, then dinner in the evening. We were all thoroughly exhausted, so bedtime came early.

Finally, Friday. And another day of cross-country skiing. After breakfast with the Schmidt’s, I hit the road and drove a half hour north to the Achensee region of Austria. There wasn’t much snow in the valley along the drive, but when I stopped at a visitor’s center, I was pleased to find out that the conditions were good for skiing. After a day of skate skiing and a day of downhill, my thighs were like jelly, so I decided to do some classic skiing instead. I didn’t last long, however, because the temps were in the mid 30s and I just didn’t have the right wax for that. I was slipping and sliding all over the place in just the first few hundred meters, so I knew I was doomed. I’m not sure if most folks are going waxless these day, because tons of people were classic skiing with no problem, but I decided to turn in my classic skis and strap back on my skaters.

Immediately I felt it in my legs, and I was exhausted after just a few minutes. Fighting the urge to pack it in and go home, I continued on. As I did, my muscles seemingly relaxed some and I was able to get into my groove. I knew there was a restaurant hut about 5 km up the trail, so I made that my destination. The only problem was, the trail was uphill all the way. But, I figured… I’ll get the tough skiing out of the way, reward myself with some food and drink, then turn around and coast back.

The plan worked. I made it to the hut, a bit fried but in one piece. The sun was shining, the weather was warm, I was hot, so I grabbed a weis bier from inside and parked myself at a picnic table outside. Nirvana. Sun shining, snow-capped mountains all around, a cold beer, a feeling of pride in making it there and happy Austrians talking and laughing all around me. I could die a happy man. I milked my beer for a very long time, then went inside to a table for some coffee and apple strudel. Again, nirvana. With a full belly and a new skip in my step, I easily made it back to the car, mostly gliding along the gently-downward-sloping trail. Gorgeous!

Back in Starnberg that night, I finished off my ski week alongside some naked Bavarian ladies in the sauna. Pure joy. Not because of the naked ladies – they were mostly in their 70s and 80s – but because of the relaxing warmth and the vivid memories of my amazing time in the beauty and serenity of the Austrian Alps.