I can’t help but compare everything to our Italy trip.  I forgot so much about Italy after I got home, that I’ve never finished my photo book.  This is why I must blog about this trip daily because my memory is not good enough to wait.  I am being reminded constantly by the other couples on this trip about Italy though.  Not every couple from last year is here this year.  It’s only five out of the ten from last year and three new couples.  I think the others expected the trip to be just as hard as last year. So far, It’s not even close!  It is so totally different that I trained totally wrong.  Last year, I trained on a hybrid bike (road/mountain bike) and only on Porter Rockwell trail a couple rides per week.  And then we were on road bikes only on roads up hills in the heat for 6 hours a day.  We earned our calories.  So this year I trained on only a road bike for long distances up and down hills.  Well….we are not on road bikes.  We are on hybrids and many different terrains but mostly just like Porter Rockwell trail- except we share the trail with local cars.  Last year I got passed on every hill because everyone else had clip-in bike shoes and pedals.  So this year I trained with bike shoes and pedals and brought them.  I don’t really need them and they are mostly just a way to knock me down.  I totally wiped out yesterday too when we had to stop fast for a car and I couldn’t clip out.  I announced to everyone around me “I am going down”  which is better than my normal reactive problem of swearing. Then today I tipped over again because I was climbing a hill and shifted down, my chain came off and I was clipped in. I am not sure the lesson I am supposed to be learning?  I may have mumbled some sort of curse word after that one, though.

We are staying the first 3 nights in the The Grand Hotel Zell Am See. It sits right on lake Zell am See. The views are spectacular!  The weather has been amazing so far and I burned the crap out of my back and shoulders.  I am usually the sunscreen Nazi….which is ironic because I am in Nazi country and I failed on my dictates of sunscreening.  I will do better!

Here are my observations of Austria so far:

It is unbelievably green and beautiful.

The people are very neat, clean and organized (I will have to take a photo of their woodpiles) with their homes.

Most Austrians I’ve encountered have the grouchiest grumpy looks on their faces. Except the kids, they all say a resounding “Halloo” when we go by them.  Maybe the next generation is growing up less grumpy.

The proprietors of restaurants are very strict rule followers and if you bring a diet coke to your table from outside the restaurant, they will chew you out in German, knowing full well none of you understand a word of it.

I loved the people in Germany.  They were all friendly and wanting to speak English.  In Austria, I haven’t had the same experience.

They like their traditional Lederhosen and dirndls a lot here.

Getting fitted to our bikes. They really are just kind of heavy, mostly crappy bikes.

We’ve seen many periwinkle houses and buildings.I love periwinkle but I am not sure I’d want a house painted periwinkle…maybe on a beach somewhere?  When we stop, we have to line all of our bikes up in an orderly way or it bothers the locals….NO WONDER this was B’s favorite country to visit 27 years ago!

Apparently I figured out how to take a fall without too much damage. I did pull a muscle in my left arm though, but I don’t really use that arm to  bike with so it’s all good. Miraculously I have no injury from the second fall except to my ego.

See the Alps in the distance? The little chapels are in every town. I swear they can only fit one or two people in there.

B decided to take a rest with the locals in the square – just notice how grumpy they all look. I am pretty sure they are all still pissed off about that WWII thing. I think this photo is one of my favorites because it makes me laugh every time I look at it.

Will someone please plant a garden like this on top of my grave site? – wait …..I want to be cremated……. so just plant one in front of a headstone or something? Austrians really have a green thumb! I wish I could grow even one flower pot to look this beautiful.  We need more humidity in UT!

This was my lunch today. It looks really weird/interesting but Austrians know how to make fried chicken and potato salad taste delicious. (It’s crusted with pumpkin seeds – who knew?) Favorite meal so far! I haven’t liked too much yet, so I’ll remember this one very fondly.

Tomorrow………………..WE ARE PARAGLIDING!  Yikes! Wish us luck!