14 Rides Up And Down The Mountain In Austria - PRICELESS!

Ski Break has arrived and we are off like every other European family to ski the Alps....I still can't believe I'm actually saying that....ski the Alps...I never would have imagined that a year ago.  As every busy mom of 3 (well 4 including dad) knows....the packing for this type of holiday takes days......but we were locked and loaded and ready to hit the Autobahn......

 

We also had a couple of sleds and helmets to add to the mix.....take note of the case of wine - we were well prepared.  We pack our smiling children into the car (ain't no sport utility) - but we were ready for the adventure.

 
 

We drove as far as Munchen (Munich) the first night.....we had heard many a story of this 6 hour trip taking 11!  We arrived in Munchen about 10PM - got a good night of sleep and were up for the 180km the next day.  No Problem....well...think again......we did hit a bit of traffic on the good old Autobahn.....

 
 

There is usually a pretty steady stream of traffic along the route to Austria....so we were prepared with ample snacks...and limited elbowing or name-calling took place as we were all well entertained with what we saw along the way...note the bottom picture....there were several large buses taking groups.....and from time to time they would just stop - open the luggage cabin of the bus and pull out some 'brewski's' - and as you can imagine with all that beer they drank along the way there were many men jumping off at all times along the bumper to bumper traffic to go to the bathroom.....the hills weren't alive with the sound of music, but we had some entertainment nonetheless....never seen anything like it!  But we made it..........safely......

 
 

We were staying just outside of Innsbruck...where two Olympic Games have been held over the years....just perfect for my skiing ability (no laughing, please).  We got to our authentic Austrian Chalet.....checked in, unloaded...and headed to the mountain to get situated for the week!

 
 

  

Stubai Glacier here we come......can you believe it...skiing on a glacier!

   

We pulled in and what do my wandering eyes did appear.....no not 8 tiny reindeer...but the tallest, biggest most intimidating site I've ever seen......the Stubai Gondola......now for the record...I'm not the best with heights...but being the strong and able mother of 3 that I am......I hopped on without hesitation (well actually - I think they almost had to carry me.....and with a couple of nudges I made it on before the doors closed).......breathe, breathe........how long could this last?  Can't be too bad.....I'll just close my eyes and picture the beach and the waves crashing in......and just at that moment we got to the station.....putting my feet on the ground and ready to hop off......one of the kids tugged on my hood and pulled me back in......that was just the mid-point!  I thought seriously about becoming a Sherpa at this point and walking up the rest of the way....and I was the color of my jacket - green!  I looked out and noticed we were above the tree line.....I figured that was a bonus with my skiing ability - nothing in the way.......this could turn out alright!

 
 

When we finally reached the top - 25 minutes later...reality set in....I have to go back down.....and we were here for 6 days....that's 12 trips......need I say more!

But all in all....it was absolutely breath-taking.  The mountains looked like they were topped with powdered sugar.....the sun was shining bright and the sky just a perfect blue.  We did notice as we were fitted for our equipment that being on top of a glacier.....does provide some wind.....so we look like a family of ninjas....but we were warm! Not to mention all of the signs were in German. The skiing was some of the best we have ever done.....incredible! I still pinch myself......

 
 

Of course I now am the weakest link of the Schmidt clan when it comes to skiing.....Tim and all the kiddos skiied from the top!  I continue to picture it in  my mind....as I made it about 3/4 of the way!  

 
 

  

  

  

 

  

 Caleb had a blast at ski school....and even though it was mainly taught in German - there was not much lost in translation....and he pulled off a Bode Miller impression by the end (see photo above) - He now wants to take up alpine - Austrian style!

As we left the mountain each day and took the trip down the gondola....we were exhausted and headed back to the chalet......every hotel looks just as you might imagine....wooden chalets!  Lederhosen is the outfit of choice (not for our clan) but each night we sat down for a 4 course Austrian meal.....except the last night when veal knuckle and turkey stew....along with pickled beets just didn't cut it....so we headed out to a local pizzeria!

 

Since we have been watching the Olympics on a regular basis....we took a day to explore Innsbruck.....and were fascinated by the bobsled run and the ski-jumping stadium.....as you can imagine by this point in the week I have mastered my fear of heights as I stood atop the ski jump - not for the faint of heart!

   

  

The picture above was the real thing....I caught it just in the right time....may not be the quickest on the slopes....but my shutter speed ain't bad!

  

  

To reach the top of the ski jump you took a cable car up the side....then two elevators to reach the top......and as you stand at the top you peer over the city of Innsbruck......nerves of steel for sure!  

  

Our holiday was complete with a sleigh ride.....and a hit with Hannah as you can imagine!  Our driver was an Austrian man that had rigged his sleigh with a hydraulic system so we could be on wheels for the non-snowy parts....and with a little pumping action (actually a lot of pumping action) we were down on the skis as a sleigh.....we ventured through the forests and mountains and were joined by our friends from Australia......my feet were on the ground......and our week came to a close......something I'll never forget...and I will play the DVD in my mind over and over!  

 
 

 

 

 

 In summary - skiing and chalet lots of euros........last trip down the gondola, PRICELESS!

  

 

 

You Speak Really Good English For A German

Grocery Shopping - Germany Style!

It all goes back to that Schmidt thing.....but quite honestly today it happened.....I made my way to the local grocery store and was doing some last minute shopping before a trip to Austria.  A very nice man working in the store spoke a little English.....and then I about fell over...he said, "you speak really good English for a German".  Need I say more?  Just ponder that one for a moment.  I was trying to ask him where hamburger buns were.....and just as a side note - I did find good old American Hamburger buns...but they just aren't the same.

Things have been busy here in my 'new normal' Deutschland.  I thought I'd share a bit about grocery shopping.  Keep in mind the refrigerator in my kitchen is like one of those dorm fridges you buy at Wal-Mart before heading off for college.  There are no trips to Costco...so surely there 'ain't' no buying in bulk....I knew I've become a bit 'European' as I pondered over buying more than one jar of pickles....did I have enough space to store them.......wow I think I've been away too long!

 

When is the last time you bought unrefrigerated eggs?  That whole 'ecoli' thing always is in the back of my mind every time I buy them.....but as soon as I get them home I do what any American would.....stick them in the fridge!  Of course by that time who knows what is brewing in those cartons.......

 

I realize I am living in the land of 'wurst' (pronounced vurst) but buying hot dogs is a real adventure...this is just a glimpse - now just close your eyes for a minute and picture aisle after aisle of things that resemble hot dogs....not refrigerated of course....but just imagine.  I will say we've found some pretty good 'dogs' and some darn good 'wurst' over here!  We're definitely expanding our box!

 

There are so many different kinds of ham and salami that you just close your eyes and point to one....you ask for 500g (there's that good old metric system again) and you're on your way!

When you go to the grocery store or any store in Germany you have to be prepared at all times.  There are no grocery bags - you must BYO!  I can't tell you how many times I've gotten there...dug for my 'happy coin' (more to come on that later) and forgot my bags.....not to mention the fact that the cashiers at the checkout must have taken the 'Evelyn Wood' speed class at some point - because I'm 6 weeks in and can't keep up.....my stuff is always piled at the end of the lane holding people up...and then just imagine not having any bags to put it in......can you see "L" on my forehead.  I now have 'junior' packed for all occassions - I even have one of these cool things that you can line up your milk and it collapses down to the size of a postage stamp when you're not using it....

 

  

Speaking of milk....once again some of the milk is not refrigerated....haven't gone there yet.  I buy litres of milk.  1.8% is the cosidered 'low fat' and can you even fathom how many litres of milk a family of 5 goes through?  Remember, stores aren't open on Sundays.....basically we go through a litre a day!  

The other crazy thing about grocery shopping here in Germany is the whole cart situation.  I mentioned a happy coin - when we first arrived I was told to always have change in my pockets.  Now keep in mind there are several different coins in German money - really what you need in  your pocket is a 1 euro coin.  Any time you want to get a cart at the store you need to insert a euro to release it.  

 

  

When you are through shopping, you simply plug the cart back in to the proper spot and 'voila' you get your Euro back!  Now the benefit is that there are no carts taking up parking spots...and you can't be lazy and not return your cart...because you really want your euro back!  One of our first weeks here I had the kids with me and we headed out on our daily 'outing'.  This time we were to check out a REAL store (pronounced RE AL - and it doesn't live up to it's name - not real great) - it's a little like a Wal-Mart but not really.  It's freezing cold, and I'm digging through my purse to find a euro to release the cart.  People are darting right past us and getting their carts...and they weren't going to stop and help.  We were digging under the seats of the car, through pockets...until this very nice German woman came up and handed me 'gold' - truly it is like gold.  It's a little plastic coin with a smiling face on it that works as a euro and releases any cart, anywhere......I don't leave home without it. Last week I took Tim to the store with me...we used the happy coin, we had our bags with us , we were golden..until it came to putting the cart back.  The cart has a color-coded band on it...and it has to be returned to the same place - same color row that it was taken from.......it took us awhile to figure that out......sometimes you just need to laugh!  And before we even left the parking lot we devoured the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup (King Size).....found that baby in the International section of the store and paid 2 Euro and 50 cents.....worth every penny - a taste of home!

 

Really, that's not me!

 

The love affair is alive and well in Germany!

It's love at first sight......

It was a snowy, cold day and I shoved these fleece insoles in the bottom of my boots.  I see them everywhere so I thought I'd try them out - now maybe standing at a barn for a couple of hours isn't a true test - but they just didn't seem to keep my little toes any warmer.  Now you might wonder why we'd be standing at a horse barn for a couple of hours....but a 'mom has to do - what a mom has to do' (especially when you move a 'tween' away from all of her friends and her favorite barn in the universe (if I had a euro for every time I hear that...)  Actually what better love affair for Hannah to have then with horses.....it's really a parents dream.  I still haven't developed that true love affair...but seeing her ride just warmed my heart (but not my feet).  Horses in this part of Germany seem to be everywhere (if I had a euro for every time I've hear that - well you know), but most are privately owned.  We drove down these beautiful winding roads until we found the stable.  They don't call them barns in Germany...they call them stables.  It's 12th century....and absolutely gorgeous....so with the new camera in tow here are a few shots.

 

  

  

  

  

It was so nice to see a smiling face.....even though we were all freezing - it's all worth it!  And check out this picture of the 'black dog' - there's one in every part of the world.