Up and Over a Mountain

Saturday, May 26, 2012
We leave our awesome hostel and ride the train into a town called Mariahof/St. Lambrect where a bus picks us up. This bus is going to drop us off at the monastary and drive our stuff to a hotel but we won't see it until the next day when it drives us to Zirbitzkogel mountain.

our bus

The monastary is beautiful and breathtaking in all its history. It is run by monks, you know guys in robes that vow to be celebate and take on a vow of poverty although our monk was sporting a pretty nice watch for being in poverty. He gave us a tour and explained some of the history which if I tried to repeat I would get wrong but its the monastary of St. Lambrecht if you want to look it up.

my photos don't do the building justice but its amazing

this is inside the courtyard

wider courtyard shot

After the little tour we went in for the monks prayers, there were only 5 or 6 of them and they chant/sing their noonday prayers. We then went on a more extensive tour of the building.

thats our monk in the corner and I loved this room, there are portraits of each abbot painted on the wall...only room for a few more though...

After the tour we had lunch in the gardens of the monastary and behind us was this mountain that people kept saying..thats what we have to climb over to get to our hotel. I thought they were kidding...they wern't...

how do you say I am not going to climb that thing in German?

Serously I thought they were kidding, I could see ski lifts on the hill they were pointing at, thats a hill you slide down not walk up!! alas...we started walking and pretty soon I would have sworn to you I was going to die on the mountain, I as a sterotypical fat chick was wheezing my way at a snails pace up the mountain while the batch of late teen/early20somethings fairly sprinted up. The professor offered to take my pack and I couldn't do that, I had to prove to myself that I could do this! I just kept chugging along, hoping I wasn't going to die on the hill since it isn't a mountain its a hill...

the town we are hiking to is Zeutschach...

that monastary is getting smaller and smaller the further up we hike

I can barely see it now but there is a snow machine...

most of the trail is this vertical

still climbing I think I need to get to the top of the tree line...

I made it to the top!! Everyone was waiting for me but I did it! What a feeling of elation that I did the impossible and hauled my hugeness up a mountain. I was slower and took longer than the others but I still did it and I am pretty proud of that accomplishment.

gotta do a victory dance at the top

such a pretty view. The photos don't do it justice

Now to climb down the mountain..when your body is screaming obcenities at you even a climb down is not that appealing. I did it. I hiked into town and made it up the 3 flights of stairs into my room that I am sharing with Miss Carla.

we are looking at some storm damage

you sure this is a trail? Looks more like a goat path to me!

coming through the trees we see the little town we are staying in

a weary group heading to the town

I turned around and marveled at the notion that I just climbed up and over that...

our little town..I still can't pronounce it.

Ok thats enough for now...more later!

Going to Graz

Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Today was a long day of class. Learned lots but its hard to sit when you want to explore the beautiful country you are in.
Later on after class we were taught a new kind of walking, Nordic Walking, apparently its huge out here and it burns 40% more calories (if done right) than just regular walking. What you have is two ski poles with rubber stoppers on them and you move them when you step, you also use them to pull you up hills. We had a great walk through the town.



out Nordic Walking

 Thursday, May 24, 2012
Today was another long day of class, we had early lecture so they served a traditinal Austrian breakfast to us which was pretty neat, an assortment of breads and slices of ham and chese, we also had these yummy chocolate bites.

We had the afternoon off so I took the time to do laundry and grocery shop for the weekend.

Friday, May 25, 2012
We started off our day at the little train station that really reminds you of a bus stop its so tiny
After our long train ride we literally jumped from one train and hustled to the next train which took us to Feldbach. Then we went to the train that took us to Graz. We walked from the train station to our hostel. We dropped our luggage and went to a kebap stand.



a small group of us with the train station and train in the background

this is a kebap and traditional Austrian ginger ale (YUM!!!)

 We then went on a walking tour of Graz. Graz is an amazing city, its full of history and culture and the people are surrounded by it. I know we looked like crazy tourists just snapping away with our cameras but the beauty of the city was not lost on us.

Graz's city hall...its a newer building...you know only from early 1900

We went up to the clock tower and had the most magnificent view!

 After our walking tour we went to this pretty old restaurant which was very very pricy (dinner was €18!) but it was sooo yummy and the atmosphere of eating in this old cobblestone alley under a pergola of grapevines was so worth it!

dinner under a grapevined pergola

chicken with pommes and white asparagus...YUM!

After dinner we walked back to this bridge that had a club under it next to the water. The club was hopping and the line went halfway around the bridge.

When we first walked on this bridge we all noticed that the fence around the bridge is covered in padlocks. Our professor explained that young lovers or newly married people put a padlock on the bridge to lock in thier love. Since they were not with me but I wanted to ensure their love was locked in I put a lock on the bridge for Shannon and E...love you guys.

the whole bridge is covered in these padlocks

later on after the tour I went back and added a lock for Shannon and E, that would be the tiny gold lock

We climbed up to the clock tower which is a central point and landmark in Graz, wow its an amazing view. It so hard to not look like a tourist while your mouth is hanging open at the beauty and history surrounding you.

The clock tower and the view



 Thats enough for now...more later...we are going hiking tomorrow...

Leaving on a Jet Plane

Sunday May 20, 2012 (please pardon the typos, I am using a German keyboard)
Today was hard, I said goodbye to the hubby and kiddos for a month, thats right I am leaving town for an entire month, I get to go study abroad in Bad Gleichenberg, Austria for 3 weeks and then spend another week tripping around Europe with my other half. I can't wait for that last week but getting through this first three weeks will be tough.

Our gate that leads to a 747 waiting to take us to Frankfurt, Germany

Today at 3:40 pm I take off in a 747, yep a human sardine can, I was squished and in the center so I couldn't see but the airline had a very nice selection of movies to watch. My eyes leaked a wee bit thinking of the kiddos but I know I am building my resume' and learning lots! Well that is all I did today is sit on the plane...more tomorrow.

Monday Maz 21, 2012
6:50 am we arrive in Frankfurt, we then have to go through the passport check, sprint to our terminal and go through security all over again! most of us had water and had to chug or toss it, one girl still had hers and went through the securitz point with it and thez made her drink it before she could leave, she didnät have the option of tossing it! We sprinted and made our bus?! which drove us to the tarmac where our plane is sitting, we now have another flight ahead of us...

Our little bus to take us to the plane

our little plane with stairs...so neat

8:10 am we land in Graz where we are greeted by Jim our professor out here who has a nice cushy bus and we all want to sleep on it. That is not in Jims plan, we get to register with the police and do other bits of paperwork on our hour and something drive to BG Town. His thought is, get us going now, no sleep until its night time cause then we get over jet lag much quicker. He hands out room assignments and we get to go unpack before our welcome lunch and orientation, I feel bad for the guy but most of us were doing the classic lecture eye droop and head bob. Then we did a walking tour of campus and then a walking tour of the entire town (its not that big but it is hilly!) then we meet up with our personal buddy assigned to us that is Austrian, mine is Julia and she is a sweetie! and hike up a hill (think rib mtn sized hill) to a beautiful restaurant that only serves food that they produce. It was amazing!! The laughter and tales shared by our group only made it better. I think I fell into bed at this point and slept after talking to the kiddos and Dan till midnight. Wow what a first day!

dinner

my buddys dinner, those are beans, soaked in pumpkin seed oil...its sooo yummy!

Tuesday, May 22 2012 We are allowed to sleep in a wee bit but I am woken to the beautiful sound of rain and thunder. We have class for a bit and then we board a bus to Reigersburg Castle and all I can say is WOW what a place its at the top of the mountain and we would have had to climb our way up except it was raining and the professor didnt feel it was safe. We explored the castle having lots of fun and giggles and then rode the wonkavator back down to our waiting bus. We then drove back to BG Town to change and get ready to hit the spa, we got to go into an original thermal pool and I wish I could have had my camera it looked like an infinity pool, we spent a couple of hours soaking it up and then went out to dinner without a guide of any sort, we managed pretty well too!! Now we hiked back to our dorms for some much needed sleep!

the spa...

dinner...yum!

me on a drawbridge to a castle!

our first glimpse of the castle it was rising out of the mist....see that zig zag brick...thats our trail up

me with Hungary behind me! I was in Austria still but Hungary is that close!