Laßt mich nicht erfrieren…

It has been a while since I last wrote here, but not much has happened.   Right now it seems as though things around me are changing at a faster rate than I am. Some of the main differences are that it’s December now, which means that it gets dark by 16:30 and it is cold, very cold–though it hasn’t been as cold lately as it had been; a couple of weeks ago when we had several weeks of -5 °C mornings. I quite like the cold here, but only when we get snow; that is the reason why I went with some friends to Schauinsland, the closest mountain we have to Freiburg. It truly was one of those postcard-like places people image when they think of snowy Germany, complete with huts where people could eat a hot Gulasch, chow down a Wurst, or drink some Glühwein. This place is very popular with the locals, because one can get to the base of the mountain for free with the unlimited public transportation ticket, and from then on one pays 9,50€ to go up with a cable car. I was amazed by how much snow was there since it was only mid November! But, there was a lot more snow in…

Austria

I went to Innsbruck, in the Tyrol area of the Alps, in early November. I really liked the city, but not as much as its surroundings. In a way, it felt like I hadn’t left Germany, but it was still a bit different, but in a way that other German states differ from each other. Maybe it felt like that because the people there talked really weird and at the same time it felt like I was still in Germany because there was only a small sign on the side of the road letting me know I was in Austrian territory, coupled with a text message O2 sent me outlining my roaming options. I’m glad I’m not a vegetarian, because it seemed harder to find good vegetarian options in Tyrol. How bad is it? Well the Innsbruck University of Medicine invited us to a dinner every night we were there and the options of the third day were: a dish with four types of meats and fish with bacon for Vegetarians. I decided to go with the “vegetarian” menu because I had eaten meat about three times a day the past two days. It is also not as green as Freiburg is, because every bathroom I used only had paper towels that weren’t even made out of recycled paper, but this perception could be slightly off, since Freiburg is as green as it gets and then it goes a little further. The people there were generally nice and friendly, but the bus driver had warned us that things will be a little different, because Austrians are a little slower than Germans (as in moving slower) and this proved to be true. Maybe the speak so weird because of the cold that prohibits them from moving their mouth in certain ways, hindering the proper enunciation of certain German words. Die Strassenbahn kommt, the tram comes, ends up sounding like D’ Bim kim. The generic greeting in this area is either Servus! or Grüß Gott! Which brings me to my next point: this area of Austria, not unlike Bavaria, is VERY Catholic. In the old area of town, most–if not all–important buildings, as well as others of less significance, had façades with busts of Virgin Mary holding Baby Jesus in her arms. There were also crucifixes in the corners of big rooms and everybody proudly told you they were Catholic and also stated that virtually everybody in Innsbruck is Catholic. It was more present and latent than even in Ecuador, it seemed, and it contrasted starkly with Germany’s predominant deism and just-cultural Christianity. Even Freiburg does not feel as Catholic as Innsbruck and it seems like we have a Catholic church in every block. Among some of the things we did, we went to the Aline Zoo, where I saw bears and beavers up-close. There were also owls, wolves, lynxes, etc… On the way back to Germany we went on a little detour and stopped by what is arguably the most famous castle in the world: Neuschwanstein Schloss. If you’ve been to Magic Kingdom, the resemblance will be quite obvious and that seems to be one of the reasons why so many American tourists make this one Germany’s most visited and photographed buildings. The place is really cool, but most of the interior is not accessible to tourists, but what is just as interesting is a bit of the history of the crazy king, Ludwig II. von Bayern. Read up a little on him and then you’ll probably be just as puzzled as most people who visit the castle.

Oh, the Christmas Markets have opened for business here. That is as typisch Deutsch as it gets, but more on that another time.