Summer Adventures

I haven't been posting much in the last year or so for two reasons. First, I'm working more at the university, teaching and editing, so I don't really feel like writing anymore about my life. And second, my life is becoming routine. What used to stand out to me as cultural differences between the US and Germany, now just feels familiar. I think if I moved back to the US, then I could write a blog about the differences again. But for now, Germany is my home and feels comfortable.

That said, I would like to write about our summer adventures, starting with our hiking trip to Berchtesgaden. The plan was for the entire family, including Oscar, to hike to a Hütte in the mountains about 10 kilometers from the Königsee. What is a Hütte? Well, it translates into "hut" but a Hütte in the Alps is more like a youth hostel, with smaller dorm style rooms or large rooms with mattresses for 20 or more. Not only do they have sleeping accommodations but a restaurant that serves beer, wine and schnapps.

Our goal was to reach Kärlingerhaus. According to their website, the route we chose was "keine Schwierigkeiten," meaning "no difficulties" or "easy." It was one of the hardest hikes I have ever done! It was steep and the trails were covered with scree. What should have taken us four hours took us six. We just weren't prepared for this "easy" hike.

We did eventually make it to Kärlingerhaus and enjoyed a great meal with beer. Beer tastes so much better after a long day of climbing. The boys and I slept in a room for four people, but Bob had to sleep in one of the cellar rooms with Oscar. Bob felt sorry for him, so he let Oscar sleep in the lower bunk.

The next day after a big breakfast--by the way, all provisions are transported to the Hütte by helicopter--we decided to hike back the way we came. We had planned on hiking back along another longer but easier route, until we were told that it would take up to 10 hours. So, we decided to go back down the steeper, shorter route. Going down a steep slope is not any easier than climbing, in my opinion. By the time we reached the Königsee, my knees felt as if small fires were burning inside. Oscar also didn't fare well. The pads on his back paws were scraped up. Luckily, Alex and Oscar wear the same size socks and using tape we attached a pair of Alex's extra hiking socks onto Oscar's paws. He made it back without giving up.

We learned two things from this trip: Germans have a different definition of "easy" than Americans do, and dogs also need good hiking boots. Speaking of boots, Philip did the entire hike in skateboarding shoes, because he refused to wear hiking boots. Inside the Kärlingerhaus, we had to leave our boots on shelves near the front door and wear slippers. Among about 50 pairs of hikers stood Philip's beat up skaters. I'd like to add that Philip did not once complain about pain.

I had my own adventure without the family this summer. I went on a two-day horseback riding trip through the Franconian Switzerland. This area around Erlangen is very hilly with limestone cliffs and lots of trails for hikers, bikers and horses. I didn't realize how well horses can climb up and down steep hills! At one point, we were practically galloping up a steep slope.

We spent the night in a stable at a horse ranch in a village that's surrounded by hills, and the next day rode back to Erlangen. Bob, the boys and I have driven and hiked through these hills, but by horseback I saw so much more because we were able to cover more area than by foot.

Finally, our big family trip this year was to the Plitvice Lakes in Croatia and the island Krk, also in Croatia. I wouldn't say that the Plitvice Lakes are as amazing as the Grand Canyon, but it was breathtaking to walk through a beech and spruce forest and peer down into a canyon with a string of turquoise and emerald lakes at the bottom. We were told that we could see all of the major lakes in one day, but we bought a two-day pass and it was worth it. The first day, we went without Oscar--he stayed in the room we rented in a private house--and were able to see most of the lakes and waterfalls. But, we returned the second day with Oscar, took our time, and saw more without the crowds (Plitvice is very popular with German, Italian, and Polish tourists). This time we noticed how the color of the water changes depending on the time of day. Bob, Philip and Alex also rented a row boot and explored a part of Lake Kozjak.

After Plitvice, we drove to the Croatian coast and the island of Krk. We stayed in Baska, which is famous for its two-kilometer long beach. We had planned to do quite a bit of snorkeling and I had hoped to do some kayaking. Unfortunately, the weather didn't always cooperate. The temperature was comfortable but it was often very windy. The boys did learn to boogie board when the surf was up. When the water was calm, we rented pedal boots, pedaled away from shore and snorkeled. The water was very clear, but there wasn't too much to see. We saw more fish and interesting rock and coral formations off the coast of Amalfi, Italy, two years ago.

We did discover a charming town, Vrbnik, on the eastern side of the island. Vrbnik sits on a cliff overlooking the part of the Adriatic that separates the islands from mainland Croatia and is known for its white Zlahtina wines. We ate twice at Restoran Nada, which had great local oysters and seafood.

We had quite a few good and different adventures this summer, but I think I prefer taking one long summer vacation, like we did last year to the US and two years ago to Italy, rather than several short vacations. After all, it's the same whether you're packing for a weekend or for two weeks.

Snowboarding

This year, we went back to Radstadt and Obertauern, Austria, the towns where both boys learned to ski and swim. And now snowboard!

I signed us all up (Bob and me too) for a three-day snowboard class through the Blue Tomato Snowboard School in Obertauern. Needless to say, the boys picked it up faster than Bob and I did. By the end of the first day, Philip could snowboard, and Alex got it right at the beginning of the second day. For Bob, it clicked on the third day. I, on the other hand, got the backside and frontside turns down, but since I couldn't link them together I couldn't carve. Bob took a video of me and I didn't look as bad as I thought, but I still can't call myself a snowboarder.

Fifteen or so years ago, Bob and I tried snowboarding. Since we didn't take lessons, we spent a lot of time rolling in the snow. Back then, the frustration came not from falling but from not understanding how to turn on a board strapped to both feet. This year, my frustration was completely due to a fear of falling and hurting myself. When I was younger, I was afraid of making a fool of myself. Hurting myself didn't frighten me, because I knew I would heal. Now I'm not so sure. When Alex was 2-years-old, I hurt my back picking him up, and I can honestly say that my back has never been the same. During our second class, as I was trying to make a backside turn right after a frontside turn, I fell hard and hit my head (thank goodness for helmets). I had a slight headache, but it was my neck that really hurt. My neck that is connected to my back that has never been the same! Remembering how much my back hurt and how hard it was to walk when I hurt it initially affected me during the entire class on the third day. It's hard to learn and improve when you're afraid.

I promised myself that I would try again next year--maybe by then I'll forget the pain. I'll first try it on my own, because I do now understand how to turn the board, and then decide if I need more lessons. I may need a lesson just to learn how to get on and off the lifts, because I definitely never got that part right.


Of course, we also enjoyed the Austrian Alps and did some hiking with Oscar (see Oscar's blog).