Brussels and London: Food and Family.

The morning of the 22nd Katrin and I had breakfast in a lovely little bakery on the way 

into Luxembourg City. Seriously wonderful quiche and chocolate croissants. I was very happy to have an unexpected extra morning with her and after breakfast I caught a bus to the train station for Brussels.

I had done the least amount of research on Brussels than any other city. A plane ticket from Brussels to London was my cheapest option and I was planning on the city being more a hop-over point than a destination.

The train deposited me in the north business district of the city, walking out of the station into an urban jungle of skyscrapers was not what I was expecting. After getting lost, and lost again following terrible directions I finally found the check in location for my hostel, the hostel itself being another 10 minutes away right in the center of the old city. I became increasingly annoyed with the check-in location, first locked out then their card reader broke and insisted my card was declined.

With all the logistics finally figured out, I followed a new map to my hostel and once I stepped into the old part of the city my stress melted away and I was taken up in the charm of the city center.

Brussels is famous for chocolate, beer, waffles, and fries. The heavenly aroma of all of these drift through the city center relaxing at least me for sure and everyone else as well I'd hazard to guess. I joined the stream of tourists wandering through the cobbled street leading to the Grand Place, the center Plaza of Brussels. And for all the hassle of having to check in half a mile away the hostel location makes up for it. It's right on the Grand Place, 20 feet away from the central location of the city.

I met some great girls in my room, one from India and one from Brazil. We chatted about our travels and the similarities and differences of our countries and cities and had dinner together in the hostel kitchen before bed.

They were both up early and continuing their trips the next day and in the morning I set out into the city by myself, first into the Grand Place admiring the ornate and beautiful buildings around the perimeter of the square. In one corner I heard someone explaining the purposes of the various buildings in English (hooray!) and I joined the free walking tour. I learned that all of these buildings had at one time been guild halls, and the only one that still is a guild hall is the Guild of Brewers, the most important industry in Belgium.

Our tour guide was very good at his job, leading us around the major locations in the center of Brussels. First the Manneken Pis, the famous statue of a little boy peeing that is the pride and joy of Brussels. He has over 900 outfits and on very special days pees beer or wine instead of water. He has occasionally been stolen and either found or replaced immediately with a backup kept in one of the museums. The legend says that an opposing army was planning on blowing up the wall around Brussels, they lit the fuse and ran for cover. But a passing little boy saw the lit fuse and peed on it, thus saving the city and he became a legend.

The true story is less heroic though, the symbol of a boy peeing used to mark where in the city the poor could sell their urine to leather tanners.

We walked through the old city, observing a performance by the stilt walkers of Brussels, marching down the street in front of the Manneken, some on stilts about 12 feet tall. Then around to the best fries in Brussels and the guide also pointed out where one could find a Trappist beer, a very special and expensive kind for 2 euros.

He led us up to the royal park and took the opportunity to give us a brief history of Belgium's extremely dark history in the Congo, then seriously sobered showed us the Palace and a lovely view of the old city from the stairs to the museum platz.

There the tour ended. During the walk I had made the acquaintance of a fellow solo-traveling girl from Wisconsin who had also skipped breakfast. We decided to go find a famous Belgian waffle and were joined by another member of our tour, a student visiting from the Netherlands for the weekend. We went back to the Manneken, a popular little boy, constantly surrounded by people. According to the guide the streets near the little statue hold the city's best and cheapest Belgian waffles, 1 euro per. They get tourists with toppings, Belgians only ever have plain waffles maybe lightly dusted with powdered sugar; this perfect confection will cost the promised 1 euro, every topping after sugar is 1 euro as well.

If there is a heaven, I believe it smells like a Belgian waffle shop. The waffles themselves exactly walk the line between bread and a confection. With a waffle in each hand we left the Manneken's crowded district and went back to the Grand Place, finding coffee to assuage my persistent caffeine addiction. Having already seen all of the major locations of the city before noon we went to Brussels' next major attraction, the bars. Belgium has some spectacular beers and we did a tour of the three most famous bars in Brussels, the Brown Bar, Celtica, and Delirium, the Guinness world record holder for most commercially available beers on tap in the world. At last count over 3000.

At 6:00 I said goodbye to my new friends, picked up my luggage and walked back to the train station. Navigating tickets, the train, then then the airport, security and finding my gate all quite tipsy was an interesting experience. I was sober by the time the plane took off, and ready to get to England.

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Because of the distance, I have some family in England that I have never met, chiefly my Dad's sister, Tessa and her daughter Chantelle and her family, Rushie, her husband and their two sons Jem and Zach. I had been in talks with Chantelle to meet her and stay with her family my first night in England, and after a short flight and a long line in customs she picked me out of the crowd right away.  

Even though we had never met before, Chantelle felt like family right from the moment we met. It was a seamless introduction; she is a lovely person and I was happy to get to catch up on the last 24 years in the car on the way home and at the house before bed.

The next morning I met the boys, and we ate breakfast together while Chantelle showed me our grandmother's photo album, holding photos of our great grandparents, great uncles and aunts, and cousins. She also knows many family stories and shared them with me all morning until it was time to go back to Heathrow to pick up mom.

Mom arrived safely in Heathrow, customs took her awhile too, but soon she found us and we were on our way. We had lunch with the whole family at the neighborhood pub near their house, talking about our travels and eating really tasty pub food.

After lunch we said goodbye and Chantelle took us to the train station via Windsor and Eton College. We got on a train and made our way to our Air B&B in London near the Vauxhall Station. We were both too exhausted to do much more than eat a snack at the restaurant downstairs and collapse to sleep.

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The next morning marked the beginning of our one and only day in London. In the planning stages of the trip we had accidentally allowed for over three days in London and found we didn't have any time at the end of the trip to see Scotland. So we went a bit extreme in the other direction and cut London down to a day. In the morning we made our way to Victoria station, the starting point of all the double-decker hop-on-hop-off bus tours, finding a decently priced one and getting onboard.

Mom is still recovering from receiving her second fake hip and is getting around very well, but walking all over London wasn't an option, and neither of us felt like navigating public transportation. Bus tour was our best sightseeing option and it also provided facts about each area we went past.

One day in London is obviously not enough, but I knew that if I didn't go into any other building, I really wanted to see the British Museum and the Egypt exhibit in particular. Most of the museums in London are free, so we and about a million other people entered the museum and hung a left into the Egypt wing. The Rosetta Stone is the centerpiece of the exhibit, behind glass with lights shining down on it. Most everything else though isn't behind glass. Signs ask nicely to please not touch the artefacts but you can. You can put your hand right onto the stone sarcophagus of an Egyptian queen who reigned 5000 years ago, get in the face of blank-eyed pharos missing noses, touch the stone feathers of eight foot tall statues intended to guard Byzantine throne rooms. It's wild and totally stunning.

We spent a few hours in the museum, visiting ancient Greek pottery, Roman statues from the Parthenon, and ancient as well a contemporary Japanese art. But with our short amount of time left looming we left the museum, ate some lunch and headed back out into the street.

The tour took us over and around through the city, Rick Steves puts it well when he says that London is England's L.A., Washington DC, and New York, (I'm going to add Seattle too for the tech element) all the country's major industries have hubs in London including politics. The sheer amount of people and layered elements of the city are enough to make your head spin. Parts of London are flashy and demure, new and old depending on where fires have gone through, some parts have exquisite urban planning while others are a mash of streets fitting together like broken pieces of glass. London is the only city I've been in that feels wholly like a new and and old city all at once.

We went by the Tower of London and got off at St. Paul's Cathedral but found it costs 17 pounds to enter the church so we turned around and got back on the bus, passing the re-creation of Shakespeare's Globe Theater and the London Eye. Both catching street names we've read in novels and history books alike.

In the late afternoon we got off the bus and crossed the bridge nearest to Parliament and Big Ben, walking around Westminster Abbey to the quieter residential street behind the cathedral. A restaurant opened in the cellar of the cathedral a few years ago and after the hustle and bustle of the metropolis, the most quiet place of a quiet place like a Cathedral was right where we wanted to be. We had afternoon tea with the greatest pot of Earl Grey I've ever been lucky enough to taste, tea sandwiches, scones, and a few small desserts. Tea at the Abbey was a relaxing way to end a hyper-stimulating visit to the big city.

Luxembourg and Paris

Luxembourg and Paris.

The trip from Zurich to Luxembourg was my longest on a train so far, six hours on one train and two on another. Luckily for me, I prefer train travel to anything else so I was terribly comfortable and content to alternate staring out the window, sleeping, reading and drawing in my sketchbook.

My train came into Luxembourg just after 9pm and my friend Katrin was there to pick me up.

Katrin was my student at Alpha Martial Arts once upon a time. She worked and lived in Seattle for a few years before coming back to Europe. We made friends when she attended Alpha and offered to host me when I traveled through her neck of the continent.

I was a little surprised to be picked up in a car for the first time since I arrived in Europe. Luxembourg is one of the few countries where public transportation is a little lacking and mostly everyone drives. Also, many people commute into Luxembourg City from France, Belgium and Germany. The official language Luxembourgish is a mix of Flemish, French and German.

Katrin owns a beautiful house in a suburb of Luxembourg City and the drive into town is wonderful, crossing through green pastures and forests, up and over hills and along valleys with steep cliff faces on either side. The next morning we came into town together and she went to work while I started the uphill climb into the city.

Luxembourg is a city on a ravine, the older buildings on the highest parts connected by tall arched aqueduct bridges. It's a beautiful and dramatic view. I visited the Casemates, tunnels in the cliffs that have been used for everything from food storage to siege protection. The first tunnels are spacious and we'll lit with large arched openings on either side open to the air beyond, but as I went further and further into the earth the tunnels get tighter, damper and more silent. I'm not claustrophobic but I started to feel the squeeze before too long.

I did what I do best and wandered all morning and afternoon, finding Luxembourg City to be charming in the way that old cities with pedestrian only streets are. One of the squares was in the middle of the weekly market and I admired the flowers, produce, bread and meats for sale. It's a stone city that manages to also be aware of its nature, finding views to the river below, terraced gardens, and green treetops is easy.

That evening we had dinner with some friends of Katrin's, spending a few hours laughing, sipping beers, eating a Luxembourgish cheeseburger followed by chocolate mousse.

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The following day I was supposed to be up and on my way to Brussels but Katrin had planted an idea the day before that rung in my head through the day, refusing to be ignored. "You know." she had said. "Paris is only a two hour train ride from here. You could be there and back in one day, and you only live once."

So to Paris I went, a the frightfully early time of 7:55 I hopped a high speed TVG train and was in the Gare d'Est by 10:30. I grabbed a map from an info desk and walked out into what was turning out to be a beautiful day in the Parisian streets.

I've been to Paris before, but in a similar capacity where I only had a day, or less than a day to explore as much as I could. I knew I couldn't do the Louvre with my measly 8 hours in the city and decided this would primarily be an outdoor exploring adventure. Walking through the city to see the major outdoor attractions as well as getting a feel for some of the neighborhoods and the city in general.

First things first though, breakfast. Due to the early train there hadn't been time so I walked as far away from the station as I could before finding a promising cafe and sat down to an exquisite quiche Lorraine.

After breakfast I headed in a generally Northwest direction, following the map at times and my nose the rest. Soon I was in the artsy Montmartre neighborhood and saw the beacon of the Sacré-Cœur Cathedral rising above the rooftops. Approaching it the ambiance of the city changed immediately, from homey and artsy into tourism central. I observed a ball and cups game in a crosswalk for a few minutes where some serious cash was being passed around. Once at the foot of the hill where Sacré-Cœur is the cherry on top- the number of people, tourists and people preying on tourists skyrocketed to a level I've never seen before in person.

Sacré-Cœur's position on the top of the hill and the various zig-zagging staircases up to it beg to be climbed and explored. I started up, eyes on the prize and also on my bag. On the way up I was approached by several groups of people, the first saying they were taking signatures for a petition and we're obviously no. The second were men selling string bracelets where one reached to hold my arm to tie it on. Several serious "No"s worked just fine and they left me alone, but I was amazed to see how many others were taken in.

At the top I entered the multi-domed Sacré-Cœur and was momentarily stunned by the beautiful building, the aisles circle a large central dome with arches and statues of angels at the corner pillars appearing to be holding the dome in flight. The church is filled with paintings as well as "hush" signs. When I entered there was a service going on, about a hundred people sat in the pews while thousands meandered through the outer aisles in a stream of constant humanity. I sat for a bit and sketched while communion ended and the nuns circled the altar and began to sing. An ethereal call and response that echoed off the walls and covered the constant murmur of the tourists like a blanket, shushing them all.

I've had the chance to observe a fair share of cathedrals in the last few weeks and I always wonder how they manage the fact that the building is a place of worship, yes, but also a serious attraction. People want to see it and generally the cathedrals find a way to deal with us. Some have posted services where sight-seeing is absolutely not allowed, some continue on as usual, ignoring the tourists and hoping they will be polite like in Sacré-Cœur. The sheer size of the Dom in Cologne manages to eat the tourist's noise, enveloping it into the stones, losing it in the soaring arches. Some of the churches are silent, even with hundreds of people and others have been noisy and bustling . I'm not sure what the deciding variable is.

Upon exiting the Cathedral the city of Paris spread out before me to the south. I looked for the Eiffel Tower in the distance but couldn't pick it out. I sat down with my map in a less busy corner and re-evaluated.

I wanted to walk as much as I could, but knew I would have to cheat and use the metro to avoid getting exhausted before my remaining six hours were up. It had taken me about twenty-five minutes to walk from the Gare d'Est to Sacré-Cœur and based on that distance on the map walking to the main sights on the river wouldn't be reasonable. So I caught the metro to the west side of the Eiffel Tower, emerging with a crowd of commuters under the iconic piece of architecture.

I went up the tower last time I visited Paris and waiting in the snaking line to go up again was not tempting. I passed under the tower, admiring it's fine arches through to the park on the other side. I hung a left and walked over the river to the large and small palaces that I believe are now museums. On the other side of them was the Champs Elysee, perhaps the most famous street in the world, mostly it's a very wide road with rows of trees on either side. One can see all the way from the Louvre past the obelisk Napoleon took from Egypt all the way to to the Arc de Triomphe. That the axis and the view is so major and unencumbered is probably why it's famous.

I planned badly and by the time I was walking through the Tuileries Garden to the Louvre I was starving and not willing to put the normal plan into action of walking as far away from the major attraction as possible before buying food. I stupidly fell into the first cafe I could find and ate a good but extraordinarily overpriced meal. Always bring snacks, especially if your "last straw" is hunger. Silly.

Quickly though, the cafe was behind me and the Louvre was in front. I admired the buildings and the pyramid fountains, dipping my hand into the water before heading still further East out the back gate.

By then it was 4 and I had just enough to walk a bit further along the river, cross to the island and visit Notre Dame, perhaps the most famous Cathedral in the world. I can only describe it as startlingly beautiful, I was almost creeped out it was so gorgeous. Large chandeliers hang between the arches, and uplighting illuminates the upper braces and keyhole arches, making the main aisle look visible and also mysterious. At some point a very clever lighting designer was on the payroll at Notre Dame.

Again I wandered through with the flow of people through the secondary aisles. Notre Dame has managed to combine its religious purpose with its tourist destination reality very well. It's part museum, info center, and active place of worship.

Upon exiting the Cathedral it was time to make my way back to the train. My feet sore but my self very happy to have been able to swing a visit. Paris is its very unique, the feel of the city is different than any other I've visited. I definitely hope to go back.

Innsbruck and Zurich

(this post is a bit late) 

1:59pm last Friday found me running as fast as I could thorough the Bischofshofen train station from the bus from Filzmoos. If I made the 2:00 train I wouldn't have to take a later train with long connections to Innsbruck, Austria.

Bags a-swinging I took the stairs two at a time and gasping slightly, burst onto the platform to find it...deserted. No train and no people except for two well dressed older ladies smiling at me.

As luck would have it though, the train was 10 minutes late, and the mostly empty platform was due to the fact that Bischofshofen is not exactly a hub of bustling vibrancy.

This last trip was to mark the almost the end of my relatively long time in Austria, starting from the far East in Vienna and terminating in Innsbruck in the far West.

After a short and comfortable train ride I was deposited in the Innsbruck train station where Rowan was supposed to join me. We had again decided to use the "let's meet at the largest central entrance" technique that had worked so well in Frankfurt and Nuremberg, but of course, this time we managed to find the only not-symmetrical train station in Europe.

It didn't take long to find each other thankfully, and being reunited with my friend was so sweet. We had only been apart a week and a half before but it felt like a month at least. Since we separated she had traveled all over Germany looking at schools, met great people and had a few adventures.

Together we walked through rainy Innsbruck across the river to my hotel, an establishment that has been run by the same family for five generations. It just happened to work out that there was one room left that Ro could rent and a double to we could share the second night. It was a very lucky afternoon. It's so nice when things go right.

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We spent the afternoon in Innsbruck exploring a bit of the old town town right across the river from our hotel. Innsbruck is a small city a little larger than Salzburg but with a very small old center. Ro and I found an outdoor cafe and took the opportunity to catch up and eat some delicious Austrian food.

The next morning we set off into the drizzly city properly, starting off at the cathedral, decorated in the Baroque style so popular in the Czech Republic and Austria. It was Rowan's first one and I got to see the style through new eyes again with her. We of course visited the Imperial gardens, and nearby found a coffee shop with a full band playing outside one of the major museums nearby.

With such a small center we circled around a few times, getting slightly lost and surprising ourselves by turning onto a street we knew well. There was a Bouldering competition or championship going on in Innsbruck and we stopped to watch the climbers practice for awhile . Some of them were like monkeys, flying up the wall, sometimes sideways or jumping from one precarious perch to another. Innsbruck is known for outdoorsiness and winter sports in general, so the Bouldering fits right into that image.

We took a rest in the late afternoon, taking advantage of a solid WiFi connection and hiding out from the rain that had finally started to abate. By six the rain clouds and mist that had been present all day finally dissipated and evening sun bathed the city and surrounding mountains. Ro and I set off up the mountain behind our hotel, entering a residential area looking for the best view of the Alps that we could find.

Our path lead us up a winding road through a churchyard and a zig-zagging sidewalk almost straight up cliff. This led us to the first great view and ultimately into another churchyard another hundred feet up or so. Up behind this last church the city ended and a dirt and rock trail continued up into a suddenly lush deciduous forest alongside a practically vertical cow pasture.

We hiked up the serious slope, beyond the pasture and still up till we couldn't hear anything of the city far below, just the birds beginning their evening songs. Eventually we came to a level spot that turned into a ridge where we could see into the next valley's smooth pastures, steep rolling hills and above us an isolated house at the edge before the drop into the valley.

Upwards and onwards we hiked, once following what turned out to be a track driveway to a small red cottage. This place looked like paradise, with a view over the valley, a bright garden spilling over the fence and the tinkle of bells around goat's necks in the pasture. Serene, quiet and cozy.

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The next morning Rowan and I said official goodbye for now, no tears just lots of hugs as she caught a bus for Germany and I headed out of the Alps to Zurich, Switzerland.

In Zurich my friend Sophie and her boyfriend Florian were waiting for me at the station. Yet more friendly faces, I'm very spoiled.

They showed me the S-Bahn Subway to take to their quiet neighborhood in northeast Zurich. Their lovely apartment is a new one-just moved in with their gigantic and terribly regal Maincoon cat Garfield.

They showed me the Suspended Garden in Zurich. A multi-level metal skeleton of a structure with platforms. The cables and framing make an anchor for thousands of vining plants that have climbed it and taken over even the tallest reaches. The vines make living pillars, walls, and ceilings, it's unlike anything I've ever seen.

We then went down to the lake and the park along the bank full of people on the warm evening. Some were already in swimsuits, ready to jump into the water with the swans and ducks.

That night Sophie made a delicious dinner with cous-cous and eggplant and we caught up. She is almost finished with her masters degree at ETH the science and tech University in Zurich and Florian works at a startup he founded while in school. Getting to know them, and getting to know Sophie again as an adult was really lovely, the last time I saw her I think I was 18 and she was 19, I'm so glad that our friendship has maintained over time and the Atlantic ocean.

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Early the next afternoon I met her at school after she finished a morning in the lab. She showed me around the new campus, a pleasing mix of modern buildings and meadow grasses allowed to grow tall and flower. We then took a bus to the campus in the city center, and visited Florian in his office nearby.

The day was perfect, sunny and warm but not too hot. I managed to finally avoid dehydration thanks to the public drinking fountains through the city that are literal fountains. If the water isn't potable law requires that the fountain has a sign saying so. So no sign, go ahead and take a drink.

Sophie showed me all over the Zurich old town, and over to a newer part of town for a beer a funky bar with an Italian bistro attached. At dinner time we met Florian for what are essentially Italian quesadillas that are crazy delicious.

Taylor had arrived in Zurich that afternoon and that night she and a friend met us for a beer at an open air bar near the river. We sat on the planks in the warm night air sipping beers and juices, catching up and talking of our travels, plans, home and beyond. We learned from the Swiss people that Americans are unique in our exuberant language, using "Awesome! Fantastic! and great!" more than anyone else. There are worse things to be known for than exuberance I think, so I'm totally owning that one, being that I use all three several times a day.

I'll take some ridiculous exuberance. Soon Luxembourg and Brussles, it's going to be awesome!

Filzmoos: Hiking, Biking and Relaxing in the Alps

Greetings from a tiny mountain town!

At almost the halfway point of this journey I thought it would be a good time to take a little vacation vacation. Thus far I have been very go, go, go minded, trying to get out and see as much as possible, pounding the pavement to experience, feel, taste, and laugh as much as I can and it has been awesome. I know how I like to travel and it's pretty fast paced; up in the morning and ready to collapse into bed at night. Four weeks in though, it is time for some serious relaxation, and the place I have chosen to do this is called Filzmoos, Austria.

I chose Filzmoos after deciding not to go to Ljubljana, the capital of of Slovenia. Once I had an idea how long I had to be on a train to get X miles away, Ljubljana seemed a little too far to go from Vienna. Instead I split that time between Salzburg and Filzmoos.

Though, it must be mentioned that Filzmoos isn't exactly easy to get to if you don't have a car. Following excellent directions from my AirB&B hostess I took a train from Salzburg to Bischofshofen into the heart of the alps and from there two busses from tiny town to tinier town to what can only be called a collection of buildings.

The trip into the alps has been my favorite leg so far. Watching the mountain range approach and being enveloped by the sheer faces covered in green grass was an amazing experience. The scenery is similar to home, mountainscapes thick with green forest climbing the sides. But even though they are similar, these are definitely not my mountains. For one they don't really have foothills, they just pop out of the ground. One moment one could be walking in a flat pasture and the next the ground is going up at a 70% angle, the steepness of them is astounding. Also that the meadows slide from the valleys up the sides of the mountains to a very distinct treeline and from thereon it's forest until the craggy stone caps at the top. It's all rather orderly.

I arrived at the collection of houses in a picturesque valley and soon found that my B&B was not actually in the town of Filzmoos but about three miles away in Neuberg. The directions from my hostess worked very well and a short walk later I was welcomed into my new home for the next few days.

And oh what luxury! I have my own room with a bathroom with a sink and toilet all to myself, a wardrobe and drawers and a light switch I have exclusive control over. I think I've adapted to hostel living pretty well, gotten fairly consistent good sleep, but man, to be back in a place with four walls between my snoozing self and any other sleeping person. It's luxury, I've slept so well and recuperated so much in the last three nights. I'm very happy I made this choice at this point in the journey.

Perhaps I was more run down than I had thought, because I didn't realize it could be a problem that I had just run out of cash, using my last Euros for the two busses here. My B&B bill was already paid online but I didn't have any food or way to buy any since most places don't take cards. I thought I would take a chance, and walked about a half mile to a roadside guesthouse and restaurant on the way to Filzmoos. I entered the silent main entrance, and carefully went through the interior door feeling like I was walking into someone's living room.

The two people at the table looked up very surprised at me.

"Are you open for dinner?" I asked. And their puzzled expressions reminded me of the dolt I am. Rural Austria, probably not nearly as English oriented as the cities. The woman at the table stood up and began talking very quickly in German, then when I looked just as puzzled she sighed and looked at me like the poor, young thing I am and said. "Essen, ja?" Which I know means "Food, yes?"

    "Ja!" I agreed, and sat down at a table in the completely empty restaurant. Quickly though I was back on my feet and took out my debit card. She shook her head sadly. Cash only.

I thanked her and left, walking slightly defeated and more hungry back to the B&B. I needed more info. From my hostess I found out that the nearest cash machine is in the town of Filzmoos, about an hour walk or 3 miles. Then she very, very kindly offered to let me use her bicycle. I accepted gratefully but she warned me, that it's steep, it might be too much for someone not used to cycling. But having been recently reintroduced to the wonder of bicycle travel in Copenhagen, Amsterdam and Köln I felt more than prepared. Hills be damned, I only had an hour or so before the bank and shops closed.

With shopping bag, wallet, and inhaler at the ready I started off on my new ride, a 24 speed mountain bike and together we headed up the road to Filzmoos.

Katja was not lying. The first two kilometers were very steep, most of it on a bike path by the side of the road but a good section on the road with busses swooshing past at 80 miles an hour. My legs burned and I stopped a couple of times to take drags off my inhaler but made fairly good time up the incline. The scenery provided an unimaginably beautiful distraction, traveling through the valley with mountains and forest rising on either side.

Thankfully only the first mile and a half or so were uphill and for the rest I could pedal along at a good pace, arriving into town with more than enough time to spare to find the bank, buy some groceries and explore the town a little bit. And by a little bit I mean ride through the two main streets and head back. Filzmoos is tiny, and seems to be completely supported by winter and summer tourism. All along the valley and into the town were motionless ski lifts. So I guess in winter skiing is really an everywhere thing, not just back down to where the lifts are collected.

Almost every building is a hotel or guesthouse sporting a cafe and without fail all of them are closed. I think I must be the very first tourist this year, heralding the new season like the return of the robin, or the first drop of rain in the calm before the storm...depending on your perspective.

The ride back to the hostel was much more exciting than the way to town, I prayed the bike would be as sturdy as it looked as I hurdled down the mountain road, wind rushing in my ears, hands white knuckled on the handlebars.

Soon I arrived back at the guesthouse and restaurant by the side of the road, parked the bike, walked in more confidently and said clearly "Essen bitte?" The lady running the place clearly hadn't expected to ever see me again, especially bedraggled and flushed from the flight back down the mountain. She broke into a big smile and laughed, continuing to talk to me in German while I smiled back and asked for a schnitzel. The schnitzel and french fries were delicious and I ate the whole thing.

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The next morning over a spectacular breakfast Katja informed me that it would probably rain on Thursday, so if I wanted to hike, I should probably put off my plan of working inside that day and hit the trails. So hit them I did, packing some food, water, sunscreen and my tablet I set off on the trail she suggested, this time intending to walk to Filzmoos.

The coolest thing I have learned about this area is that hiking here in the Alps is very different from how we do it at home. There it is a recreational activity, and here it is that and also a legitimate way to get around. At home you get in your car, drive to the trailhead, pack in all your food, supplies, camping gear, then hike back to your car and drive home. But here is an entire network of amenities for hikers. You can start from a hotel, hike all day through the wilderness to a bar on the trail for a beer. Then get on the trail again to another hostel or tiny town. It's an entire network of amenities provided for hikers.

For example I left my B&B, hiked about a mile and a half, and came across a 4 foot ice cream cone at the crux of two trails. The sign attached pointed to a dairy farm where they make their own ice creams. Another mile and a half later I was in the town of Filzmoos, with any number of trails to choose from. I had lunch and set off north in the direction of the largest mountain in the area and came across benches every half mile or so including one that was practically a couch. Another mile and a half later would have been a hostel or hotel.

It's not the rugged kind of hiking that America knows and loves but it's for people who aren't looking for a situation where they are more likely to get lost and freeze to death. Is different and definitely really cool.

Also, I was definitely passing through somebody's land, not a state agency or public land, but somebody's pasture. At first I wasn't sure if I was allowed to pass through closed gates, but there are signs around that say to please shut the gates behind you, keep dogs on a leash, keep to the path, and kindly stay away from the cows. Private owners allowing people to pass through their land with no more regulation than a sign that says to please be polite. Totally mindblowing.

Through the day I hiked five or six miles in the bright sunshine, getting burned to a crisp on my shoulders despite more or less constant sunblock application. On the way home when I reached the 4 foot ice cream I hung a right into the dairy farm.

They had a covered seating area that was completely empty except for one table with about ten people squeezed into it drinking beer and uproariously laughing every few minutes. I sat a little ways off and ate my homemade ice cream until as one, they all turned and looked at me then waved me over.

They invited me to sit with them, which I did, and once they found out I speak no German at all I believe had a wonderful time making good-natured fun of me. One lady across from me spoke English and she made polite conversation, translating necessary bits of information for the others at the table and from them back to me.

I managed to make them all laugh on purpose a few times and that was the best. Finding a way to transcend a language barrier to make the whole table bust into giggles was very fulfilling.

As the afternoon turned into evening, dark clouds rolled in and a cold wind picked up. I was getting ready to head off when one of the older ladies offered to give me a lift the last mile and a half home. I accepted and was very glad I did, not ten minutes after I arrived a storm blew in out of nowhere and pummeled the valley. Hail crashed onto the roof above my bedroom, lightning split the sky and the thunder echoed off the sides of the mountain seeming to gain purchase with every new boom.

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Filzmoos has been wonderful and restful, I spent my last day just working and sleeping, preparing for the next four weeks of go, go adventure. It's almost time to catch a bus to a bus to a train to a train to Innsbruck where I'll see Rowan again!

Salzburg: The Hills Are Alive With The Sound Of Delicious Food and Beer

Even after spending two full days in Salzburg I'm still not sure if it was real.

A serene little city nestled into the foothills of the Austrian Alps, church towers dot the horizon and fill the streets with their singing through the day. Some locals have started wearing Dirndls and Lederhosen again to get back to their native roots, and it's not uncommon to see a group of them sitting in a cafe in brightly colored outfits singing songs in German together. The whole time we were there, Taylor and I kept exclaiming, "how is this real!"

We arrived and walked to our hostel without a hitch. In the common space we saw a sign saying they play "The Sound of Music" every night at 8. The movie was filmed here and the Sound of Music tour is apparently super great, even people who hate the movie say the tour is worth it. Do be warned, they make you sing on the bus.

The map provided at the hostel marked out three self-directed walking tours that would take us past most of the major Salzburg points of interest. After lunch, Taylor and I set off on the longest flat one, through the city, over the river and into the old city near the Dom.

First we entered the Mirabell garden, where part of "Doe a Deer" was filmed. And I kid you not it may be the most perfect garden I have ever had the privilege of entering. Human scale, bursting with flowers, still symmetrical and very orderly and imperial but at a size that makes sense for people.

Unicorn statues greeted us at the main entrance down a path flanked by flowers in swirling patterns then over to another part of the garden with walkways all leading to a central fountain with nymph statues and a wall dripping in purple wisteria blossoms. We sat on a bench for awhile taking in the views, unable to believe that it really exists. This is the garden illustrated in fairy tale books, sitting in it was surreal and wonderful.

The end of the Mirabell garden led us to a pedestrian bridge across the river to the older part of the city, then through a close to the famous and very expensive shopping street. Every store has an ornate sign stretching out beyond the door. Soon we wandered into Domplatz and Kapitalplatz at the base of the mountain where the fortress balances on top. A violinist played in the stoa between the two plazas and serenaded us and other visitors while we rested.

Salzburg is surrounded by ridges and small mountains I guess, they're not hills but not quite towering peaks. This gives them the amiable quality of providing excellent views with just a little bit of cardiovascular work. That evening I hiked up the south ridge at the west end and followed the cliff all the way along back above the old city, on the same level as the fortress one mountain over. Watching the sunset, turning from yellow, gold then orange, bathing the old city in color was one of the highlights of the trip so far. At one outlook I could see beyond the fortress mountain out to the alps beyond, still dusted with snow.

I worked my way down to a ridge right at the level of the rooftops and from that position it was just me and the bell towers hanging out in the evening air together. As I walked home they all started to strike ten, and I listened to their clear tones all the way back to the hostel.

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The next morning I made the trek up to the fortress, it's a short but impossibly steep ascent. Parts of it have ladder like rungs bolted to the ground to make the trek safer. Eight Euros bought me entrance to the old fortress, but more importantly the view off the side opposite Salzburg. I could see the start of the Alps in all their glory on a clear sunny morning. I sat at a very well placed cafe and enjoyed a coffee and the view for a good long while.

At noon I met Taylor and some of her friends from the states in the Mirabell garden. One of them, named Andreas is from the Salzburg area and he acted as host and tour guide through the city. First to a food stand in the old city where they sell the world's greatest hotdog. Onions, mustard, curry powder and real bratwurst on a lightly toasted bun. It rocked my world. Apparently the lady running the stand will occasionally yell at patrons who ask for ketchup on their sausage. Sacrelige.

After the greatest hotdog ever they were planning on heading up to the fortress. I almost didn't go since I'd already made that trek, but they said they would just hike to the beer garden about halfway up and stop for lunch. On the way through the street Andreas recognize a man walking the opposite way, stopped him and chatted for a moment. And a minute later he lead us back the way he came towards the mountain.

Turns out this man went to school with Andreas 12 years ago and the two haven't seen each other since, and now he manages the brewery we were headed to. He gave us a little tour of the building hanging onto the the cliff below the fortress including a huge traditional event hall and a balcony overlooking the city. Then he sat down with us and caught up while we enjoyed beer, wine, sun and snacks for a few hours. Again, Salzburg felt unreal.

We ate and drank our way though Salzburg and the day, the brewery, a dessert shop where there is a designated cake lady who brings fat slices of decorated cakes to the table on a large platter. Then to a monastery where the locals go to have dinner and drink in the beer garden. You pay for your beer based on size, get a ticket and pick up the correct mug off the shelf. Rinse it out at the waiting taps then hand it and the ticket to the man managing the beer dispersal. He fills your cup from a tap in a large wooden barrel and off you go. Taylor and I somehow shared one of the smallest size they had; it was delicious, but we were both pretty done with drinking by then.

Afterwards we hiked the ridge, back down into the city and back to the hostel for what? Yes to watch "The Sound of Music". It was really cool to see so many of the places we had wandered for the last few days appear before us being danced upon by Julie Andrews and 7 kids.

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The next morning we had breakfast together and hurried to the station to catch our separate trains. Taylor heading East and me headed South for a few days. I'm so lucky to have found such a great travel companion and friend. I really hope we meet up again soon.

So I am headed off to the south. Into a small mountain town to relax, take in the mountain air and views. Off to Filzmoos!