From the Principal’s office….Day 4
The view from foreign eyes…yes….So let me start with the toilet paper debate. You know the one, (if someone manages to put the roll on the dispenser instead of just sitting it ON the dispenser) should it roll over or under.? Well it seems the Europeans are ahead of the curve on this one. I have noticed that in public restrooms that have the household dispenser, (as opposed to the industrial dispenser) and the homes I have visited, they have this tp guard that insures that you dispense in the right direction. See picture. Problem solved.
One of the other things I have noticed about Innsbruck is that I have encountered very few people who are of unhealthy body weight. I have seen thin people, skinny people, fit people, curvy people, healthy people, voluptuous people, but I have not seen people like you see at Walmart who opt to use the old people cart because they are too large and uncomfortable to walk. I have some theories. 1. There is not a fast food chain restaurant on every corner. 2. The meals that are served have a healthy balance of carbs, proteins and Healthy fats. 3. People here live very active lifestyles as evidenced by the full bike racks on every corner, and the abundance of walking, hiking and biking trails and other recreation options. 4. There are a lot of smokers. It is my thought that often smokers don’t snack as much because they are smoking instead. This is also surprising to me because it is counterintuitive to the healthful lifestyles people seem to lead.
Anyway, aside from people watching today was another adventure. It started with a yummy breakfast of muesli with yogurt and fruit. Kathryn and I went to meet up with Miriam (Kathryn hosted her during the Innsbruck visit to the US). Before we could meet up though, Miriam’s car broke down. It seems she put petrol in the gas tank instead of diesel. She called a tow truck, and the driver dropped us off at the train station. So we took a couple of trains and a couple of walks up the mountain to a ski resort. The ski resort is gearing up for some big mountain bike event, so the place was filled with mountain bikers of all ages. We took a cable car up the mountain, and got dropped off about 1/3 of the way up, where we proceeded to hike another 2 kilometers to a restaurant. It was a beautiful hike on a beautiful day. The alpine air was cool and refreshing. The trail was grassy and well trod. Until we got to the snow. Then is was well trod and slushy. And then when we passed the snow melt it was well trod and muddy. For those of you that know me, you know if there is one thing in this world that I hate….it is mud. And in true Jasper form, I decided to wear white Nike shoes for this particular adventure. All around me, the more prepared (including Kathryn and Miriam) have backpacks, athletic pants/gear, and hiking shoes. And here I am in my white Nike’s, jeans, and cute bag. Ok, I am not high maintenance…but I sort of felt like I was today.
Anyway, back to the beautiful hike…just when I thought my hamstrings were going to give out, we came over the hill to the rustic little cabin restaurant where I had another amazing latte, and these traditional dumplings called Speckknödel. One was spinach, one was bacon, and one was deep fried cheese. And all three were amazing. I savored every bite. Pure deliciousness. I must get the recipe especially for the spinach one which was soaked in butter and Parmesan cheese. Pardon me while I wipe my drool. At the rustic little cabin restroom I also noticed they had a tp guard to insure it is dispensed from the correct direction. See picture.
Again the hike down the mountain is harder than the hike up the mountain, but newly energized from Speckknödel and caffeine we made it in less time than the hike up the mountain. 22,000 steps in total but Fitbit said 130 floors. Instead of taking the tram down the mountain we took mountain carts. These are like tricycles with no pedals and hand breaks. So.much.fun. We rode them over several miles of twists and turns along the pathway, and if I wasn’t so worried about losing my phone after Chase’s go cart incident, I would have made a video. Once at the bottom, I rewarded myself with a beer before boarding the train and heading back home. Kathryn thinks we should open a mountain cart center in Jackson and make our fortune. If only we had a mountain to use….
We took the train across the valley and then got off and walked to a bus stop. Thinking we could catch a bus to take us across town to a stop close by, we were pretty content until we realized that A. We would be waiting in front of a naughty lingerie store that sold mens leather underwear with a zipper crotch in a not so great neighborhood, and B. the particular line we were on doesn’t run on holidays- like today. So…we hightailed it past a man urinating in an alley and three crackheads arguing. We got to the bus station and found a line that is running AND going to our stop and hopped on. We got to our stop and were feeling pretty smug because we recognized our location. We recognized it so well that in Typical Jasper form we got completely lost. We could see the big yellow building across the street from our house, but not how to get there. Aaannnndddd. My phone was dead. Ultimately, we hopped across six rows Of train tracks and landed exactly where we needed to be at the entrance to the neighborhood. We arrived home just in time to eat some freshly prepared Speckknödel!!!
Getting ready for bed and I noticed that all of the discomfort on my neck and shoulders wasn’t from my heavy cute bag. It appears that for the second day in a row, I omitted sunscreen. Without my husband here to remind me, I might burn to a crisp before I get home.
Once again, it looks like the kids had another amazing day with their host families, and we appreciate all the pictures being posted to WhatsApp and Shutterfly.
