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)

Castle, partying, and Fencing

Hello everyone,

I know it’s been a while since I’ve updated my blog…..let’s just say things have been a bit crazy and a lot has been going on. A whole lot going on actually…..I’ll try to be brief but I can’t promise I won’t get carried away J

MOVING IN:

                Ok so let’s rewind a couple of weeks. On June 6^th the Sickl’s and I moved into their house in Graz after a couple of days of repairing, cleaning and organizing. I moved into Heinrich’s old office on the south side of the house. It’s a small room but cozy, with its own window and an entrance from the front lobby/stairwell. It’s quite nice J

KÄRNTEN

                The weekend after moving in was an extended weekend due to a holiday on Monday…Apparently here you get every Christian holiday off and June is full of them. Because of this we (the Sickls and I) headed to the western neighboring state of Kärnten (Graz is in Steiermark which is SE part of Austria) which is where Ironman Austria takes place and where Heinrich’s mother lives.

                Now a bit on that, Heinrich’s mother Elizabeth bought a Castle in Kärnten called “Schloss Albeck” (schloss is German for castle) about 25 years ago and fixed it up into a restaurant and cultural center http://www.schloss-albeck.at/. The castle is more than 500 years old, which, for those who are counting, is more than twice the age of the US. It’s situated on a hill overlooking a small village and is absolutely amazing. It’s basically a big rectangle two story building with a Barn and a servant house close by. The first floor was turned into the restaurant; the old kitchen with smoke blacked ceiling and walls was turned into a bar while one of the sides has the dining rooms and the other the kitchen. The second floor has a small concert hall that hosts a concert every Sunday and a large gift shop. The basement has another special dining room and where they store the wine as well as the restrooms. The barn was turned into a theater and the servant house is an art house that showcases different art collections throughout the year.

                We spent 5 days there, and were joined by Heinrich’s younger brother Ludwig (who brought along his girlfriend Gaby) and his younger sister Dagmar (who brought her boyfriend Alex). So the old house was pretty full. Heinrich and I brought the road bikes, but unfortunately during the drive there (about 2hours) the derailleur hanger from the Kuota broke L….. Anyway I spend the days relaxing, reading “Sakrileg” (or Da Vinci Code) in German. Chilling at the castle’s bar practicing my German (did I mention unlimited free drinks J). Breakfast Lunch and Dinner included fresh baked bread, and fruit as well as traditional Austrian food….everything was delicious and everyone was so awesome. I also helped out as much as I could at the restaurant and played with Ferdi and Liene (Ferdinand and Karoline) aka babysat. The weather was partially sunny, some rain/thunder storms and nice and cool which was nice compared to the summer heat that I’m used to.

KÄRNTEN EXPERIENCES

                THE LOCAL: So as I said I spend a lot of time chilling at the Schloss Albeck bar, practicing my German with Dagmar. The first day I met a gentleman that had the heaviest dialect that I had heard. I literally understood about 10 words in the hour long conversation we had….Even Dagma had a hard time understanding him. Plus he was really strange…. Did I mention that the dialect in Steiermark is different than the dialect in Kärnten

                CONCERT: So the Sunday I was there was a concert. The group was called Quattro Pro Entertainment and was made up of 4 guys that sang acapella from Steiermark….there is a certain patriotism to your state here in Austria. They where AWESOME, extremely talented and entertaining; they sang some traditional songs in German and some in English. I actually recorded some of their songs on my iPod.

                THE GIRL: Ok so ever since I got to Austria I’ve been checking out the talent here and although I’ve seen many ladies none have really caught my eye…..that changed at the castle. Don’t know if it’s a good idea to share this on my blog but what the hell….here’s the story.

                Monday I was chilling at the bar and two motorcyclist came in for a coffee. It was a dad/daughter duo enjoying an afternoon ride together. The girl was gorgeous, dark brown hair, big brown eyes…and in motorcycle gear. We got to talking a bit and I found out Madeline is studying international law in England and was back after the semester ended. This made the conversation a bit easier because if the German escaped me I was able to ask her to translate from English. Unfortunately having no phone I was not able to ask her for her number and it didn’t occur to me to ask her for her email address L Oh well a missed opportunity.

                KLAGENFORT: Klagenfurt is the capital of Kärnten, and I got the opportunity to spend a day there. Dagmar had to go into town for an acting class and invited me to come with. It was about 30 minutes away. We got a drink before she headed to class and I send a couple hours exploring the town solo. It was awesome; downtown is pretty cool with a lot of history. I also happened to find an awesome bike shop where I bought some tubeless sealant for Aria’s tires. I also got to go into a store which sold traditional Austrian clothes to check out some “Leader Hosen” of leather pants…price for a good pair = €350 but where they cool J

                LOSING MY JOB L: The last day in Kärnten I got the bad news that the shop that I worked in had finally found a way to hire a mechanic that they’ve wanted to hire for years; someone with more experience than me. The problem was that there was not enough hours of the both of us and my boss had taken the difficult decision to keep him on. This sucked majorly but I understand why he made that decision…

                So now it was time to look for another job, which was semi fine since it just pressured me to start the search for a better job earlier than planned. The bike shop thing had always been a temporary thing. Andrea and Heinrich helped me translated my resume to German and the search is on. First find something (whatever) fast and then start looking for something better where I can use my languages of studies. I got some options already J

ARIA

                The drive back to Graz was uneventful but once I got back I was finally build up Aria, but getting the tires tubeless was more complicated than I thought. It included two different bike shops. I also had to replace the cassette but she’s finally working great and ready to tackle the trails here.

GO KARTS AND PARTY

                 Saturday after Kärnten, I got invited by Ludwig and his girlfriend Gaby to go GoKarting with them and the choir that Gaby belonged to as well as the BBQ they had afterward. It was my first chance to chill with some people closer to my age as well as a chance to meet new people.

                The GoKart place was outside affordable and awesome. The race included 10min of qualifying driving and then we got lined up according to our fastest lap time for a 20 minute race. Out of 14 I was 10^th but I had a blast. Usually they go paintballing instead of GOKARTING but there was a Paintball tournament going on which we decided to go watch afterward.

                The paintball place is literally the large back yard of someone’s house (I’m not kidding) and we found it only because of small signs that guided us thru a small neighborhood. It was quite interesting to say the least.

                The party was quite fun, an interesting group of people. The food was delicious the drinks flowing and super fun. It was odd though since they would randomly start singing songs being that they are part of a choir. I found out that it was the year or season finale get together where they presented awards, showed pictures etc. I met some awesome people and even found myself playing “100 Club” with a group (100 Club is taking a shot of beer every minute). It was pretty funny but we only made it till 45 or 50 J (record is 150!!)

ANDREA’S PARTY

                Yesterday was Andrea’s birthday and she organized a pretty awesome party. The location was at the house of the “Burschenschaft” that Heinrich and Ludwig where part of when they were in the university.

                What is a Burschenschaft? Well it’s a special type of “Studentenverbingdungen” or fraternity only smaller with a different history and tradition. They only exist in Germany and Austria, they were founded in the 19^th century as student associations that encouraged liberal and nationalistic ideas. They encourage critical thinking and help you network. Here’s the cool part though, to become a member and to maintain your active status you need to learn how to fence as well as actually fence against other “Burschenschaften” and I don’t mean the typical fencing you see around the world I’m talking sharp heavy medal swords. The tradition was started in the time of Napoleon where only soldiers, students and law enforcement were allowed to carry a weapon as well as from “dueling”. The fights occur around 3-4 times a year and you have to practice a lot since it is dangerous and quite difficult. The traditional protective gear they wear protects you everywhere except for the top of your head and part of your face. Each fight lasts quite a long time and you have to get thru a couple of them.
Here’s another cool fact: the protective gear was BLACK with GOLD buttons and RED stitching. BLACK, RED, GOLD (yellow), remind you of any particular country’s flag? Germany

Anyway, this is the reason that Heinrich, as well as Ludwig, have gnarly scars on their faces….but back to the party.

                The preparations lasted about two days and everything was organized super well. Lots of beverages, decorations, catered food, music as well as a photo slide show. I got to meet more nice people and dance and have an awesome time. The fun started at 7pm and was not over till 4am. J

So that’s the story in a nut shell. My German is getting pretty damn good and I’m having a blast out here. I do miss everyone back home though L….I’ll try to update this more often but, again, no promises

Halo von Österreich

So made it to Austria….here’s an account of my first days here.

Sunday morning I woke up at 4am, my flight left at 7:15 and I had to be there by 5:15. My first flight was to Miami. Unfortunately my bike box was over the 50lbs limit (actually by 33lbs) so instead of being charged $35 dollars I got charged $150 L but the good thing was I was given an emergency exit seat which meant more leg room.

Two guys from Tempe sat next to me and I found out John and Stephan were headed to Berlin to spend a month traveling Europe and as luck would have it were going to be on the same connecting flight to Dusseldorf from Miami.

The flight lasted about 5 hours and I slept most of the way. Besides briefly getting lost at Miami airport we (John, Stephan and I) made it to our gate with just enough time to buy an overpriced personal Pizza Hut pizza before boarding. Slowly I started to hear more German and it started settling in that I was in fact headed for Europe. The flight lasted quite a long time but we got a dinner and a breakfast on the plane. I slept for a good while and got to finish Angles and Demons (my third time reading it). We arrived at Dusseldorf and I exchanged contact info with John and Stephan and we decided to meet up when they travel to Vienna.

One more quick flight (1hr 45min) and I arrived in Vienna. Luckily for me all my luggage and bike arrived too.  Heinrich picked me up from the airport and we were on our way to Gratkorn, which is where his parents in law (Erik and Rosemary) live and where him and his family and I were going to live for the next week before their house in Graz is ready to move in.

The highway there gave way to some extremely beautiful views of the country side and to my surprise was exactly how all the pictures portrayed it. Everything is so green and the houses are typical. Farms scattered around with big fields of wheat and other crops; between fields are dense green forests and mountains. Quaint clusters of houses and with churches complete with their signature pointed tall spire.

Eric and Rosemary’s house is a tiny, comfy house with a beautiful back yard. So tiny that Heinrich, Andrea (his wife) his kids Ferdinand (3years) and Karoline (15months) and I have to sleep in a small room upstairs. But as I said it’s a comfy house and we are making it work so far.

Everyone was (and still is) so warm and welcoming, and the afternoon after I arrived I got to see everyone for the first time since they left Phoenix in January and February. Everyone just as warm as I remember them being.

Exhausted and tired bed time came at 9pm central European Time (9hours ahead of Phoenix time) managed to get a solid 12hours of sleep in my attempt to fight off the jet lag. After dropping the kids off at their babysitters house Heinrich and I headed to downtown Graz and grabbed a quick coffee with Andrea at her work. Downtown Graz is the largest and best preserved downtown in all of Europe. It was not damaged during WWII and is quite beautiful. I was glad to see so many cyclists everywhere. Next destination was Heinrich’s house where we had to do some work as well as pick up his old Kuota Kahn road bike he was going to let me borrow. I got my trusty Adamo saddle on it as well as my pedals and we headed to Rad Fuchs, the bike shop where I’m going to work at, to do some work on the bikes. Then back to Gratkorn for a solid ride thru the Austrian hills.

The ride was nothing less than spectacular. We rode on a beautiful country side road that could have been ripped right out of a fairy tale book. Complete with small hill side farms, tree canopies and the occasional tractor on the road. We rode up some great little hills, bombed down some awesome winding roads. All in all it was a tough ride trying to keep up with Heinrich is quite a challenge. Did I mention he’s a professional Ironman Triathlete? Needless to say it’s quite easy to fall in love with this place.  

After the ride I got a chance to Skype with my Mami in Phoenix. I wish my family was here to live these experiences with me but I guess the bird’s got to leave the nest at some point.

In the evening was a swim workout with Heinrich’s training group (he’s a professional triathlon coach too) in Graz, which felt good although it’s odd to swim in an indoor pool. Afterward everyone went out for a beer and dinner. Which brings me to something that I find interesting here, everyone always hears about the awesomely good beers that the Europeans drink right? But what people don’t know is that Austrian and Germans love to mix their beer. For example a “Radler” is lemonade with beer and there are many more such mixes. As a beer coinsure I was skeptical of such a mix but it is surprisingly good and refreshing. Anyway we had a couple of those after swim. The frustrating part of the night was that I only understood about 30% of the conversations since everyone went off the deep end with their dialects. I know it was only my second day here but man did I feel like an outsider sitting in there not understanding much of what was being said; an odd feeling I’ve never really had before. I’m going to have to be patient knowing that it will take a while before I understand their dialect…..

The cool thing is that I got to see the bike shop I’ll be working at and it’s pretty cool. Super high end triathlon and road bike shop, with Look, Ceepo, Argon 18, Cervelo and a couple of other European only brands that I’ve never heard about. The shop is behind the owner’s house, which is also an odd thing here in Austria since there isn’t a separation of residential areas and retail areas. Hannes Fuchs is the owner and he runs his shop very well, evident by its well organized show room and spotless repair area.  Can’t wait to start working there this coming Monday, I’m sure I’m going to learn a lot J

Today (June 1) I woke up to my 25^th birthday, the first birthday I pass without being with my family L . But I’m sure I’ll talk to them via Skype at some point and I’ve been told by everyone here that we’ll celebrate tonight J.

Tomorrow Heinrich and I head south to a “Trainings Lager” or trainings camp that he organized for his athletes. We’ll be staying next to the coast and riding and running in some of the most beautiful areas I’ve seen. It’ll be a small group of people but I’m really looking forward to it. We’ll be back on Sunday and then moving in to their house in Graz the next day.

I’ll get pictures up soon, camera ran out of batteries but I’m getting new ones today. Don’t know how often I’ll put up updates but stay tuned. I miss everyone back home very much. The door is always open though if you want to visit.

Bis Bald J

P.S I'm probably going to start writing some blog updates in German....I might or might not include translations so sorry ahead of time to those who don't understad German ;-)

New Blog

OK so I know what many of you are thinking. Why have I started a new blog if the other one I only had for a couple of months?
Well the simple answer is that I got sick of the name. "The Most Interesting Athlete in the World (Not Really)" was something I came up quickly and without much thought. Even though it was an amusing off shoot of the Dos Equis marketing idea it didn't really reflect what type of blog I wanted it to be.

Where did "Moments of Consciousness" come from?
Well, since I started participating in endurance sports I've always gotten that question about why I put myself through Ironman, marathons, cycling races etc.
There are always cliche type answers you can use, "because I can", "because I like pushing my limits/finding my limits" because it's fun" etc.
So I actually started to really think about why I put my body through such suffering besides the fact that I might be masochistic.

Have you ever been in a race, or maybe training where it dawns on you what you are doing? You sort of get to see yourself doing what your doing, like an out of body experience and you realize just how amazing it is that you can do?
This is a Moment of Consciousness, a moment were you can really appreciate the act of doing an endurance sport, no matter if at that moment you are feeling good or are trying to get though a tough patch.
These Moments of Consciousness are the reason I love endurance sports

So there's the story.....

Triathlete vs. Mountain Biker vs. ????

I was a triathlete for 6 years, meaning I competed at trained for triathlons for 6 years. I had so much fun and I loved it. I met some great people and some great friends. It was only last year that I decided to focus on mountain biking and I do not regret that decision at all. Sure I’ll still participate in a triathlon here and there but that’s not my focus anymore.

I have to say that the triathlon community and the mountain biking community are very different. The more I get into the mountain biking community the more I notice the differences.

(Before I get into specifics I want to say that I’m talking from my perspective and talking about the general sense of each sport/community. I realize that generalities don’t fit everyone but that’s why they are called generalities.)

Let me explain,

Triathlons

                It is intense, very performance orientated but still fun; although some take the sport to seriously and forget actually having fun. People tend to be very healthy minded individuals and are kind. Now there is generally a big difference in mind set between beginners and people that consider themselves more ‘experienced’ in the sport. Generally there is a relatively small percentage that participates in the sport just for the fun of it.

                                The overall feeling that I get from the community (and I’m not the only one) is that it’s elitist, and snobby, and judgmental. This feeling can be intimidating and rude at times.

Example: show up to a triathlon with a POS bike, or one that shows it’s age and it seems like other “serious” racers scoff at you. They write you off as a beginner and “inexperienced”. It seems like if you don’t have the latest, lightest, and greatest gear you obviously are not serious about the sport. It happened to me in a couple of occasions.

It seems the “spend a lot to win” idea is strong. I tried to ignore and even tried changing this overall feeling in the 6 years that I was so involved in the sport. The problem is that the elitism and snobbism seemed to grow regardless of what I did.

Yes, in the beginner circles the feeling isn’t as strong and it’s actually gotten to be a pretty inviting crowd but as soon as you get to the competitive level the atmosphere is thick with elitism; which takes a bit of the fun out of racing.

Don’t get me wrong I think that the triathlon community has many good qualities but the somehow the athletes that bring out the worst aspects of triathlon – elitism, and snobbery – are the ones that seem to get much attention which allows them to expose the rest of the community to this toxicity. 

For the most part the people who are triathletes tend to be wealthier type-A personalities that need to boost their egos by bragging, but I do not agree that this applies to the majority of triathlets. I believe that the majority of triathletes are not elitists or snobby, I believe they are the complete opposite.

The problem is that elitism and snobbism are the impression that the triathlon community sends.  I worked tirelessly to change this impression and know many people that are also working on changing that impression. Unfortunately I also know some people that exemplify the elitism and snobbism…..

Mountain Biking

                It can be intensely competitive if you want it to be or it can be chill relaxed (just go to a mountain bike race). Some ride to compete some ride for fun, there’s a large percentage that rides for fun. They can be health minded people or sometimes they’re not, though that doesn’t mean they can’t ride. Doesn’t matter what level you are there is a lot emphasis on having fun and having a great experience.

                The general feeling and impression in general is relaxed, chill, fun. The mantra “you ride a bike therefore you’re my friend” by Gary Fisher is strong throughout.

Example: in direct contrast with the triathlon community, you show up to a race with a POS bike you become everyone’s friend. People generally admire the guys who ride outdated bike and use outdated equipment while they tend to give riders, who have the latest and greatest, a hard time.

The atmosphere is extremely welcoming. It doesn’t matter if you’ve been riding forever, and/or win races on a regular basis, or you are brand new to the sport everyone seems to want to talk to you.

Instead of doing the sport to boost their egos, mountain bikers tend to ride because they have a genuine love for riding. As I mentioned there are the riders that participate in races to place well and/or win, but they seldom forget to still have a fun time out there. Then there’s a big group that participate in races for the experience, for the fun of it. But unlike the triathlon community that tends to be a bit clickie, there is no differentiation between the ‘racers’ and the non ‘racers’ everyone hangs out together and everyone excepts everyone. Although there is a small percentage of mountain bikers that are ego driven, they are not the ones that garner all the attention.

The community is very welcoming, non threatening; which might be a reason that the sport keeps growing. On top of which there is an increasing number of converts who have come from other sports to mountain biking because of the general chill, relaxed non-elitist attitude, me being one of them.

So would I consider myself a “mountain biker”? Well, not quite yet. There is no question that my personality and attitude is more aligned with that of the mountain biking community and in the short time I’ve been involved in it I have met countless of awesome people almost as many as I did in the 6 years as a triathlete. My friend Jeff (who has been riding mountain bikes for a long time) told me the other day that I am not a “mountain biker” yet but that I was on my way to becoming one.

What then???

This begs me to ask myself the following question…When I did triathlons did I consider myself or identify myself as a “triathlete”? And before that when I was a runner, albeit a slow one, did I consider or identify myself as a “runner”?

No, I didn’t, and maybe it was because I liked doing triathlons and running but didn’t love it. I love mountain biking. There are very few things that I’d rather do that ride my mountain bike. It’s an amazing feeling, there’s nothing like it. There’s no doubt that I’ve found my passion but for now if I had to identify myself something besides “Patrick Warnholtz” I would have to go with “endurance athlete”.

en·dur·ance

n.

1. The act, quality, or power of withstanding hardship or stress

2. The state or fact of persevering

ath·lete

n

Definition of ATHLETE

1111ssjsjjs1. A person who is trained or skilled in exercises, sports, or games requiring physical strength, agility, or stamina