Oktoberfest

It’s been a while since I updated my blog and I realize I’m extremely behind. The last entry has me talking about the first of many stops to my 3 ½ week tour through Europe. That was more than a year ago but I’m still going to try to retell about each stop going by memory alone. Which, I know isn't the most reliable since I've probably forgotten some parts but on a good note I usually tend to remember the best parts and forget the not so interesting parts. So bear with me and I will share with my Europe adventures.

Let’s see I think I’ll pick up where I left off, the end of the Salzburg adventure and on to the Mϋnchen (Munich) part.

As I mentioned Philip, Flo and Marita picked me up in Salzburg and we made our way to Munich.

The drive wasn't terribly exciting but we did get to drive part of the way on the Autobahn although the coolest part was realizing, when we crossed into Germany, that I hadn't been here in 17+ years J

Philip’s Aunt and Uncle where cool enough to host all of us all the days that we were in Munich which I’m very grateful of since all the Hostels and hotels where packed because of Oktoberfest.

We arrived pretty late but Philip’s Aunt and Uncle where still up and greeted us with excitement and curiosity. I had previously met them when they came to PHX the prior year with Philip when he was going to compete in Ironman Arizona. The first time I actually saw them was at the Osborn Hospital the day before Ironman AZ. You see Philip had the misfortune of crashing his bike and breaking his arm the day before Ironman and I just happened to be in the Emergency room with a friend of mine at the same time. I hadn't met them before but did catch them talking in German and Philip’s uncle was proudly wearing his Lederhosen (leather pants). It wasn't until the dinner the day after Ironman that I formally got to met them.

Anyway the sleeping arrangements that they had for the four of us included two rooms with one queen sized mattresses each. Philip and Flo decided to sleep in one room and poor Marita was stuck sleeping in the same room as me. When I mean poor Marita I’m referring to the fact that I snore very loudly.

Waking up the next morning I found myself alone in the room and Marita sleeping on the sofa in the living room, I guess my snoring was unbearable.

Breakfast was the typical Austrian/German fare, bread, cold cuts, and all sorts of jellies/jams. The plan was to hang out and head into town around 1pm; being that breakfast was more of a brunch/lunch since it was around noon we soon found ourselves headed out the door en route to the subway or U-bahn. Flo and Marita had their Dirndls on and Philip was rocking his lederhosen. Me, I decided that a pair of jeans a long sleeved shirt and the national German soccer jersey was appropriate.

Our first stop was downtown Munich, and I have to say what a beautiful city. We made it to the central town square in time to see the famous “Glockenspiel” or clock play. The old courthouse has an intricate carvings and statues that go through and elaborate choreography every hour. It’s quite famous around the world and that fact was evident with all the people congregated waiting for the clock to chime.

We grabbed a quick snack while walking downtown and had a long quest in finding some bottled water before heading back to “U-bahn” to head to “die Wiese” or the field where Oktoberfest was set up.

Walking to it and catching the first glimpse of it was quite amazing. It was huge; there where fair rides and big tents everywhere. Some of the biggest tents I've ever seen. To give you an idea the big tent that Westworld seems to have up most of the times was the standard tent size there. 

It was about 4pm when we got there and the weather was hot (relative to Munich that is). Philip, Flo, Marita and I found a table outside of one of the tents and sat down to order our first “Maβ” (short for Maβkrug) or Stein (about a liter of beer). Once we all had our beer I was clued in on the drinking rule of Oktoberfest. The rule is that every time you drink you have to yell “Prost” (Cheers in German) and everyone at the table must drink with you no exceptions. Did I tell you that each beer “maβ” cost 10 Euros (about 14$)….

It was on a Monday that we decided to go to Oktoberfest we were hoping it wasn't going to be too packed with people but the particular Monday that we went happened to be industry appreciation day for all the “Maurer” or drywall workers so it was still packed with people.

Once we got inside the tent we managed to find a table to sit at and that’s when I learned of another Oktoberfest rule. You see the servers are paid for every beer they sell to their tables so if you want to move tables you need to finish your beer first before doing so.

Philip and I finished our beers quicker than the girls and stood up to wait for them. Immediately our seats were taken by other guys and soon the ladies had their own fan club buying them beers and flirting. I can’t blame the guys; they are good looking ladies and looked great in their traditional dresses or dirndls.

Philip and I decided to go find another place to sit at and ended up sitting with a group of older guys from Hamburg that were only there for the day. They had taken the train in that morning and planned to leave in the evening, talk about a crazy trip. A while later Flo and Marita joined us and we after a couple of more “Maβ” we were dancing on our chairs singing loudly to the traditional music the Polka band was playing in the center of the tent. Every time I went in for a “Prost” with an empty Stein a couple of people would pour some of their beer in my stein it was quite awesome. Everyone at our table became the best of friends. What an atmosphere, everyone was having a grand time and there were people from everywhere Italy, France, Spain, Austria etc.

At around 8pm a girl sitting at our table decided that she’s going outside to have a smoke and I had the bright idea that some fresh air was probably a good idea. Keep in mind that I had just finished my 6^th “Maβ” (that’s 6 liters of beer) Boy was I wrong, next thing I remember is waking up outside sitting on the ground feeling terribly sick and leaning against a wall with two paramedics telling me that they want to take me to the hospital to pump my stomach; this was not good. I manage to tell the girl that I followed out of the tent to go back in and get Philip. Everything was blurry and spinning and I was feeling very sick.

I have to thank my good friend Philip, because he was awesome enough to take me back to his Aunt and Uncle’s house and put me back into my bed. This involved keeping me awake and sneaking me on the U-bahn. Flo and Marita came back later that night and the next morning I woke up with a major headache and a painful stomach. Luckily my hangover wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be and I wasn't the only one that had one.

It was over another late breakfast that found out some of the details that I had forgotten from the night before.

For the record this was the first and last time (so far) that I've gotten sick from drinking too much.

After breakfast we headed back into town to meet a friend of Flo’s who took us on a quick tour of Munich. The weather was, again, amazing and he took us to a park where they actually surf on the river. How? Well right after a narrow bridge they sunk rocks in just the right places that the fast water causes a reverse wave that guys are able to surf on continuously. It was pretty wild to see each surfer taking their turn riding the never ending wave. We also walked by the Mercedes House which was awesome, it had one of the latest F1 racer displayed as well as a SLK racing concept; just amazing works of art and engineering.

Philip, Flo and Marita headed back to Graz that evening but I stayed one more night since I was planning on leaving for Paris the next day.

 Initially I had planned on buying the Euro rail Pass but since I couldn't buy it in Graz I decided to go to Salzburg and buy it there but since Philip and co picked me up on the way to Munich I thought I’d buy it in Munich.

Next day I headed into town and made my way to the main “Bahnhof” or train station.

There’s where I ran into an issue with buying the Euro rail pass. You see the Euro rail pass is only for non residents, which shouldn’t have affected me but when they asked to look at my Mexican passport they did not find an immigration stamp showing when I arrived in Europe. Why didn't I have one? Well I had gone thru immigration with my expired German Passport and it seems like the immigration officer had been too lazy to ask for a valid one. It was for this reason that they refused to sell me the Euro rail pass unless I was able to show them my plane ticket, which I didn’t have. Now they have another rail pass they sell to residents (which is a lot cheaper) but you have to have proof that you've been a Europe resident for 6+ months. So no rail pass either way, luckily there was an English guy at the ticket booth that tried to help me out. He said that if I came back around 10pm that day that I they would, most likely, overlook the missing stamp and sell me a rail pass. So I headed to the German Museum to pass the day.

The Museum was quite awesome and the ticket was free since I passed myself of as an American student and students get in free. I didn't have time to see the whole museum but I got to go thru the sea vessel and aviation part of it and it was quite amazing. They had the history of each with replicas (some to scale some not) and real models of early sea vessels and flying apparatus as well as modern ones. It was a fun way of passing the day.

Around 10pm I found myself back at the train station but low and behold they still refused to sell me a ticket. I even went to the city police station for help and an officer went back to the ticket counter with me but no luck. He even took me to the immigration office at the train station and they didn't know what to do. The only thing they told me was I could take a taxi to the airport and maybe I can get the passport stamp there. No one knew what to do, I mean no one. You see in my opinion Germans are all about going by the book and sticking to rules, so much so that when someone (me in this case) falls thru the cracks they are caught off guard and don’t know how to handle the situation or how to fix it.

So I decided I would just buy a full price night train ticket to Paris and figure it out there. Maybe immigration would board the train before crossing the border to France and I could get the stamp then forgetting the fact that I was in the European Union.

150 Euros later I was getting comfortable in a small bunk bed. The train was packed with young adults. Some Americans, some Englanders even some from Latin America. I chatted with some but faded off to sleep at some point.

Next stop Paris, France; first and only destination where I didn't know the native language and first city where I’d be Couch Surfing; this should be fun.  

Salzburg :-)

Train leaves at 5:38 but I’m getting nervous before hand. The plan: Tine is going to pick me up around midday and we’re heading to buy couple of last minute things. Then it’s off to her mom’s/step sister’s place to drop off her car then get a ride back to my place to grab our stuff and head for the train station (in walking distance).

                My backpack is heavy when I put it on but I’m excited to finally start my trip. The train station is relatively calm considering it’s a Friday evening but the train seems to be full. Tine and I manage to find couple of seats and it’s time to let all the stress go. Whatever I forgot I forgot and there’s no getting it now.

                I’m tired but spend the whole trip chatting with Tine. Arrive time: 9:45pm. One of Tine’s friends loaned us an apartment in Salzburg and the quest starts right away to find it. By the time we get settled in it is 10:30pm but we walk out into town hoping to find a comfy place to grab a beer.

                The river Salzach cuts through Salzburg is beautiful and the lighted Burg and churches look magnificent at night. We walk around for a while and all of a sudden realize we are at Getreide Gasse; the street where Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born. It’s late and most places are closed but there are groups of young teens running around headed for the clubs and bars still open. Did I mention that Salzburg has the culture fest this weekend? This means that a large percentage of them are rocking the lederhosen (leather pants) or for the ladies they are rocking their Dirndls.

                We finally find a quiet bar that happens to be on the water level of the river. Drink prices: expensive. We order some fancy cocktails and Tine’s friend, Baumi meets us there. Conversation is relaxed and nice. Baumi (George is his real name) is a pretty cool guy. It’s late we head back to the apartment.

                Sleeping in is not overrated in the least especially when you wake up to already made breakfastJ, Tine got up early and headed to the store. Weather wise we got lucky, Salzburg is famous for its rain but the weekend is sunny and warm.

                We head to Salzburg and decide to head to the Schloss Mirabell first, and then head to the “Festung” or fort and downtown Salzburg. The garden at the castle is magnificent; we had fun watching and laughing at all the guided tours, some in English and some in Chinese or Japanese.  We walk thru the garden and head toward the “Festung”, which is easy to spot since it is on top of a mountain. On our way there we stumble across Mozart’s house…you know the great composer; and just across the way we spot the house of Doppler, they guy that discovered the Doppler Effect.  Both houses are small and nothing out of the ordinary but it’s still pretty cool to see them. Tickets to enter the house are way too expensive so we just stopped and took picturesJ.

We finally make it to downtown and what an absolutely beautiful city. It’s full of history, even the McDonalds in Getreide Gasse is beautifully built and decorated. Once in Getreide Gasse we stumble across the house where Mozart was born.

                Looking up at the Fort or “Festung” Tine and I decide it’s worth climbing up it rather than take the lift since the lift ticket is a) too expensive and b) the line to get on it is pretty long. The decision was the right one because on our way up we got some spectacular views of the city of Salzburg; just amazing and wonderful city. I tried to take some good pictures but my camera isn’t the best and well, pictures just don’t cut it. Ticket’s into the “Festung” again way too expensive so we head back down to grab a beer and relax for a while. Baumi and his girlfriend Stefanie meet up with us for a bit and we decide to meet up at the Augustiner Brau (Augustiner Brewery) later. Tine and I decide to head back to the apartment to get some rest since we were pretty exhausted.

                A couple of hours later we walk to the brewery dressed in “Trachten” or traditional clothes. Tine in her Dirndl and me in a pair of jeans, a traditional dress shirt, vest and jacket, we look pretty good I must say ;-). It is the first traditional brewery that I visit while I’m here in Europe and I’m pretty amazed at the place. First of all it is humongous, the entrance is almost hidden and you decent a long stairwell. All of it showing signs that it’s been there for many many years. Thru some doors at the bottom of the stairs and there is a long hallway with food “Stands” or kitchens on one side and doors to big rooms full of tables, chairs and people. Another pair of stairs down and it opens up to a huge “innenhof” or courtyard with more food kitchens, behind the stairs is where you get the beer.

Ok let me explain a bit more…Basically it’s a bit of a self service type thing. Each kitchen offers different types of food; you pick what you want and order it there and pay for it right away. But the coolest part was getting the beer. There is basically one type of beer and it depends on the season; you go and you pay for either a Liter or a half liter. Then they give you a empty Stein and you walk to a fountain where you rinse out the Stein, next you walk over and give your Stein to the beer server who fills it up for you…..I know it doesn’t sound so exciting but I guess you have to experience it in person….The only bad part: the beer wasn’t that good L Tasted a bit like it was the last of a batch…..

Beer Museum (Hell yeah!)

Next day we decide to visit BrauWelt (Brew World) and the Stiegl brewery. A very famous Salzburger Brewery. It was on the other side of the mountain so it took a bit long to walk there.

Museum Tickets: 6.50euro each…not bad and it included 3 beer tastings (each .25 liters) and a gift (small beer glass).  Not a bad deal right?

The museum is the biggest beer museum in Europe so it took about a half a day to walk thru it. The cool thing was that we (Tine and I) were the only people there. The museum talked about the brewing process and how each type of beer brewing differed. Not surprisingly it talked about how Stiegl’s brewing process was the best in the business. Still it was great to see and learn about Stiegl’s history and the history of beer brewing. Afterwards we sat down to eat and drink our beer samples/tastings. The food was pretty good J

Then it was off to meet Baumi and Stefanie again before we headed to the train station. Both of them were so nice, and Baumi even drove us to the train station. Tine headed back to Graz and I waited there for Phillip, and Flo to pick me up and head to Munich. Marita decided last minute to join us too which was a great surprise.

Said good bye to Tine L and headed off to my next adventure…..

Heaven and Hell....haha :-D

In Heaven…

the mechanics are German,

the chefs are French,

the police are British,

the lovers are Italian,

and everything is organized

by the Swiss.

In Hell…

the mechanics are French,

the chefs are British,

the police are German,

the lovers are Swiss,

and everything is organized

by the Italians.

Paris....part 1

The café is in a small corner in a part of town outside of the tourist filled center. The area seems to full with life, with people taking a break from work, people bike commuting and children hurrying home from school. Streets are narrow and seem to dart in every direction, cars and vespas fill the roads. Sometimes I wonder how they manage to get to where they’re going without accidents; even with all the commotion in the streets life seems to pretty calm and relaxed, with very few people seeming to be in a hurry. The café is mostly full of locals with some customers obviously knowing the wait staff. The atmosphere is in stark contrast to the tourist filled center of Paris; where wider streets make way for cars, taxis and the ever present buzzing Vespas and motorcycles. Where groups of tourists crowd ever y sidewalk remotely close to the typical tourist destinations or roads lined with designer shops. This quiet corner of the city is what I feel the real Paris not the Tourist Paris but the real one.

PARIS DAY 1

I arrive around 11:15. After locking by backpack at the station I buy a small coffee and a map before heading out into the city. Proud of managing to order both in French J I walk down the first nice street I see, thinking that wherever it leads it will be worth the walk. After a while I started seeing signs to the center of Paris and decided to follow them. Up ahead I saw a cathedral, it could only be Notre Dame. Incredible.

The Seine River cuts through the heart of Paris, it is riddled with over priced cafes and souvenir shops. Along the river’s edge there are small stands selling art and trinkets. Tour boats fill the river and tourists crowd the streets. The weather is gorgeous today, albeit a bit hot and the views are incredible. I walk along the river stopping every once in a while to take pictures. My walk takes me all the way to the Eiffel Tower where the whole place is teaming with tourists of all parts of the world. Ticket to take the lift to the top of the tower: 30 €, too expensive and not worth the price. As I approach the area underneath the tower I hear load hip hop music and notice people crowded around some sort of show: Street Dancers, I stop to watch….

My stomach growls….it’s afternoon and I haven’t eaten since yesterday. I walk across the bridge and head into the city. The map shows the Arc de Triumph is somewhere ahead. The roads are busy, full of cars, vespas, motorcycles and bicyclists. Then I see it, huge, majestic standing in the middle of an enormous roundabout. Pictures doesn’t do it justice, you have to witness if yourself. If the traffic on other streets was crazy than the Champs-Élysées is a mad house; seemingly without rules or laws the traffic darts by, some forming turning lanes where none seem to be marked; honking, some yelling but somehow avoiding any accidents. More tourists, more overpriced cafes and restaurants, McDonald’s meal price: 6.50 € just crazy but I relent. It’s getting close to 7:30pm, the time I’m supposed to meet my couch host.

Subway station….thought it was warm outside this is way worse; plus it is rush hour, feels like a sauna. First stop: train station to pick up my heavy rucksack, then off to the east side of town. A violin player gets on the same subway and starts to entertain the passengers. Some ignore him, some listen, one even yells at him to stop. Remember it’s France, or more specifically Paris, kindness is not what they’re known for. Navigating the subway with a huge backpack, what a trip no one seems to want to get out of your way and after a while I just decide to pick a straight line through the crowds, forget dodging people……

My feet hurt; I’m sweaty, and tired. Host is cool; we go get some food and a couple of drinks. Café/Bar is really laid back and chill and the wait staff are super nice. Very unlike Paris, at least that’s what my coach host says. Get back past midnight and the couch: tiny, sleeping will have to be in the fetal position….it’s going to be a long night.

Not Afraid

Granted this might get me in trouble with copyright infringement but I hope it doesn't

These were originally the lyrics to Eminem's Song "I'm not Afraid" but I've changed the lyrics a bit to personalize them.....it basically talks a bit about what I'm going through.....
Most of the altered lyrics fit in well but some parts are a bit forced.
Yeah it might be terrible but I still thought I'd share it with you guys :-)

I'm not Afraid

I'm not afraid, I'm not afraid
To take a stand, to take a stand
(Yeah, it's been a ride)
Everybody, everybody
(I guess I had to)
Come take my hand, come take my hand
(Go to that place to get to this one)

We'll walk this world together through the storm
(Now some of you)
Whatever weather, cold or warm
(Might still be in that place)
Just lettin' you know that you're not alone
(If you're tryin' to get out)
Holla if you feel like you've been down the same road
(Just follow me, I'll get you there)

You can try and read my thoughts before I say 'em
But you don't know how these words sting when I say 'em
'Cause ain't no way I'ma let you stop me from being me
When I say I'ma do something, I do it, I don't give a damn what you think

I'm doin' this for me, not for anyone else
Your expectations, nope they’re not stopping me
I'ma be what I set out to be, without a doubt, undoubtedly
And all those who look down on me, I'm tearing down your balcony

No if, ands, or buts, don't try to ask me why or how I can
From my “passion” down to that last personal “quality"
I’m still here' developing personally, emotionally
If not I’ll blow up, changes can be tough to go thru

Whichever comes first, for better or worse
Life’s an ever changing game, you got to face it strong.
Change’s not a curse, forget that idea, it’s opportunity
urging you to grow as a person and learn from the whole universe

I'm not afraid, I'm not afraid
To take a stand, to take a stand
Everybody, everybody
Come take my hand, come take my hand

We'll walk this route together through the storm
Whatever weather, cold or warm
Just lettin' you know that you're not alone
Holla if you feel like you've been down the same road

Okay, quit playin' with the scissors and words and cut the crap
I shoudldn't have to rhyme these words in a rhythm for you to know it's a wrap
I thought this was it, twas a lie there is more
For that screw your notions, instead of getting crowned you're getting capped

And to the friends, I'll never let you down, I'm back
I promise to never go back on that promise, in fact
Let's be honest, the last “me”  he  was kinda "eh"
Perhaps I ran the max and since hit the ground

Relax, I ain't goin' back to that now
All I'm tryin' to say is get back, click clack, pow
'Cause I ain't playin' around, it's the game called circlin'
I don't know how, I'm way too tough to back down

But I think I'm still tryin' to figure this crap out
Thought I had it mapped out, but I guess I didn't
This stupid black cloud still follows me around
But it's time to exorcise these demons, these suckers are doing jumping-jacks now

I'm not afraid, I'm not afraid
To take a stand, to take a stand
Everybody, everybody
Come take my hand, come take my hand

We'll walk this route together through the storm
Whatever weather, cold or warm
Just lettin' you know that you're not alone
Holla if you feel like you've been down the same road

And I just can't keep living this way
So starting today, I'm breaking out of this cage

I'm standing up, I'ma face my demons
I'm manning up, I'ma hold my ground
I've had enough, now I'm so fed up
Tryin' to put my life back together right now

It was my decision to come clean, I did it for me
Admittedly, I probably got help from people like you
So I could come back a brand new me, you helped see me through
And don't even realize what you did, believe me you

I've been through the ringer, but take it through little to the middle finger
I think I got a tear in my eye, I feel like the king of
My world, haters can make like bees with no stingers
And drop dead, no more beef flingers

No more drama, from now on I promise to only focus
On handlin' my responsibilities as a grownup
I solemnly swear to always treat this roof with my passion
And raise it, before I couldn't lift a single shingle on it

'Cause the way I feel, I'm strong enough to go to the club
Or the corner pub and lift the whole liqueur counter up
'Cause I'm raisin' the bar, I shoot for the moon
But I'm too busy gazin' at stars I feel amazin'

And I'm not afraid, I'm not afraid
To take a stand, to take a stand
Everybody, everybody
Come take my hand, come take my hand

We'll walk this route together through the storm
Whatever weather, cold or warm
Just lettin' you know that you're not alone
Holla if you feel like you've been down the same road

Saturday night consciousness

Saturday night, July 17 2011

Sitting at a café/pizzeria in the evening in old town Graz, it’s quite the experience with all the sights and sounds.

There’s a multitude of activity going on. I’m waiting for the server to come sitting in a large table for 6. There are couples holding hands, groups of young people and what seems to be a class trip walking down the street.

The waiter finally arrives and points at a half hidden “reserved” sign and leaves without saying a word. So much for hospitality, so I get up and move to another table where he redeems himself by quickly coming by to take my drink order of a “Radler” with a smile.

There are all sorts of people walking by of all age ranges, and my ears pick up multiple languages. Some ‘older’ couples enjoying a night on the town. Across the street 4 young guys are taking silly pictures of each other in head locks.

Many groups of beautiful ladies dressed to kill are walking by, probably grabbing some drinks with friends before hitting the clubs later. Other people are pushing their bikes or walking around with their dog.

A large group walks by following an interesting man dressed in a long black coat with long hair and awesome facial hair carrying what looks like an old lantern. He stops and everyone gathers around him when he starts talking loudly in a heavy Austrian dialect, saying what seems to be a prepared monologue. I only catch every third or fourth word but it’s still interesting to watch.

Families are also out tonight, some parents pushing baby strollers and others sitting down for a bite to eat.

I order my pizza and enjoy my Radler when I realize that this pizzeria is owned and operated solely by an Italian family. The mother and father man the kitchen while what looks like their son and daughter work as servers. I also realize that I could have had the gorgeous daughter as my server but instead got the son as a server….

If walking in heels what a sport I bet the European ladies would win hands down. So many ladies seem to only have heels in their closets and have no issue waling on the cobble stone streets and uneven sidewalks. I’m not complaining tough since most also have some killer legs. At the same time there are many rocking the flat non heeled shoes too.

The old town area is full of street side cafes and restaurants with outdoor seating and the atmosphere is comfortable and filled with happy chatting voices.

Liquor laws are pretty lax here and it’s common to see people walking the streets enjoying a beer or a cocktail.

The sun is slowly disappearing on the horizon while more and more people seem to walk by. You can only see small patches of sky since the old high buildings rise on either side of the street. Most buildings have some sort of business on the first floor and residential condos/apartments on top. You can spot the entrances to them wedged between said business entrances.  

Many of the people walking by are drop dead beautiful girls and I’m quite enjoying it ;-)

The lights create a warm glow and the absence of cars allow the air to be filled with laughter and voices or people sharing time with friends or family

I take deep breaths and try to take a mental picture of this. What an experience, the solitude and peace allows me to clear my mind of all the clutter and I immediately start seeing things in my life so much clearer.

I pay my bill and get up to walk around a little more.  Down the street I stop in an ice cream shop to grab something sweet.

The slightly cool air of the night feels so fresh as I make my way to the “Schloss Berg” or Mountain Castle. There are a series of stairs that lead you up it and at night they light them up and it too is surrounded by cafes and restaurants, what I view.

I slowly climb the old stone stairs and stop every couple of minutes to enjoy the emerging view of the city. As I climb the temperature gets noticeably cooler as the wind seems to pick up.

I don’t quite make it to the top before I turned around and headed back down. I have to say that it is a pretty romantic place; I’ll have to remember that if I get a date while I’m here ;-)

At the bottom I walk to the entrance to the stairway that goes up but thru the inside of the mountain as well as the tunnel that takes you to the lift up….what engineering feats.

I start heading back home down the main street, and I enjoy watching the people walking by. At the end of the street I stop by a fountain and see a couple trying to introduce their Labrador to the water. An entertaining show as they coax him to jump in the fountain to join his owner.

The last couple of streets that take me home are dark and uneventful.

I get home and feel content and happy; having enjoyed a pleasant night on my own J Life is good…

Ending thoughts:

 “Placing a large amount of your happiness on external factors puts your happiness in a precarious situation”

“At the end your happiness is directly related to your attitude”

“Don’t wait for opportunities, create them”

"The more I step outside of my comfort zone the more I achieve and create!"....

What does “Growing Up” even mean?

If it’s just getting older than “Growing up” is just a matter of years spent on earth but I’m not sure it’s that simple. Years spent on earth might be a factor in “Growing up” but it doesn’t answer the question. How many “older” people do you know that still act like 5 year olds?

If it’s just learning information (aka high school, trade school, College) than it means the more “book smart” you are the more you “Grown Up” you are. Again I think learning information is a “Growing up” factor but doesn’t hold much water on its own. How many “nerds” do you know that are still immature?

I think “Growing up” is really a creative way of calling the journey of finding who you are? Of defining yourself, of developing your identity and yourself. It’s something that doesn’t have a destination. You don’t get a diploma when you are done “growing up” because plainly said you never stop growing up (or you never should). You never stop finding out who you are and defining yourself. Yes age and education are factors, but they are tools in your quest in life.

Through education you are exposed to new ideas, and information. You are exposed to different people in your classrooms; and you experience and learn about different aspects of the world. This helps form your own ideas/views....that whole “critical thinking” stuff they kept saying in school remember? The downfall is that sometimes you end up adopting other’s ideas as your own and never get the opportunity to develop your own.

Age allows you the time to experience new things, situations etc. that challenge you and force you to make tough decisions about your life. Just because you are older doesn’t necessarily mean that you are more “Grown up” because age does not correlate directly with life experience. A hard working self made middle class young adult can have more experience and thus have the potential to be more “Grown up” than a rich young adult that has had everything handed to them.

The problem is that many people get “stuck,” or “stall” in regards to “Growing up”....Their life gets too routine, same friends, same activities, same job etc. They get comfortable and they’re happy, life is good. Uncomfortable, difficult situations are kept at a minimum and life is relatively easy. Life is a “comfort zone,” doesn’t sound bad does it? I agree sounds pretty damn good but you are still in a rut. With no new experiences, and/or difficult situations you are basically “stuck” the way you are. It’s a way of saying that you are content with where you are in regards to your development as a person, defining who you are etc. But inevitably difficulties will find their way into your life and you won’t know how to deal with them since you are not used to them.

This has been my opinion for years which is why I never thought that I would fall into my own “comfort zone” but I did. I eventually started to feel the effects, any little difficulty would send off the wall. In Phx I had everything I needed to be happy, great family and friends, a decent job, great weather but something was missing. I was in a “rut,” my development as a person had come to a halt and I came to find out that that was why I wasn’t completely happy.

I had to make a change....

This is one of the main reasons that I moved to Austria. A way of picking up my Etch-a- Sketch and give it one hell of a shake. I thought had an idea of how hard this “shake” was going to be and prepared myself but I was still scared shitless; even with the fact that I was going to be living with some great people and had a job lined up. I took the leap knowing that a net would appear and that such an experience was going to be great in my “Growing up.”

The sad truth is I totally underestimated the difficulty of this adventure. It’s been one hell of a roller coaster. Here are all the hurdles I’ve hit along the way. (My biggest thanks to Heinrich, Andrea and Phillip, without them this list would be a lot longer):

--   Lost my job to someone more qualified than me after only a week of working there. Found another one fairly quickly but it’s not as nice as I’d like it to be so still looking but it’s a job that pays so I’m happy for now.

--   Had to visit the German Consulate three times to finally turn in everything to renew my passport. First visit I didn’t have a certain form, second visit I didn’t have enough cash to pay for it, third time was the charm, should have it send to me in a couple of months.

--   bought a cell phone with a great month by month plan, but still jumping through all the hoops (there’s a lot of them) to get the service started. One of them being that I can only use an Austrian bank account to pay for service (been surviving with the 100 free minutes they give you in the beginning).

--   LANGUAGE even though my German came back quickly I’m still not completely comfortable with it and the dialects here are tough to understand. Small talk is tough and picking up on jokes etc. is not easy.

--   Missing my friends and family back home a lot. Didn’t think I was going to miss everyone so much. I miss their support. Not many friends to get a beer with in the evenings, not many friends to go on rides with (road or mtn) etc over here.

--   A new city to get used to. Didn’t think it was going to take me so long to figure out a city but it’s tough. All the small narrow streets seemingly going nowhere and everywhere etc. 

Most of these hurdles are not that big but together they’re a big pain but I’m eliminating them quickly. Others are pretty big and are tough to get over, mostly it’s just a matter of time and patience but it’s still kind of shitty.

The biggest issue is trying to get out of my shell. You see, inherently, I’m a relatively shy person. This might be a surprise to most of you but it’s only when I’m very comfortable in my surroundings that I open up and become social. Took me a couple of years, but in PHX I was able to shed my shell. Now I’m here in a new country, another language, new people, new culture, new surroundings, new friends and a completely different way of life so I’m back in my shell again. I’m hoping it will be easier to get out of than last time.

I’ve broken down a couple of times over here, and even been tempted to fly back home early but that would be the easy way out and would defeat the purpose of this trip. Things will work out and each difficulty/challenge is an opportunity to learn and grow, and even if this is not how I had imagined it being over here I’m still glad I’m here.

 "The more I step outside of my comfort zone the more I achieve and create!" (Thank you Dee Scott for the quote)