Week 2 - Things

20 July - 26 July: Austria

Here in Seefeld, not far from Innsbruck, you can do a lot of hiking. People sporting two nordic walking sticks are to be spotted overall, of all ages and abilities. We thought we could get in on the act too, and bought a reasonably priced pair of stocks each. You can use them skiing apparently (although we are hardly the alpine types). We chose the variety of sticks with rubber grips as they´re handy to use in winter too - remember we do have the Pieterpad still to do when we return to Holland, and they´ll be useful then. The principle of these sticks is that they keep your arms moving and thus increase your heart rate. When going up tricky inclines, you can use your sticks/arms and take the weight off your legs, which is also a relief when it´s steep, or just a relentless ascent. The lady in the shop adjusted our stocks to our heights (they must be held perpendicular when your arms are bent at right angles), and we set off on a practise stroll around the village ofSeefeld. I seemed to be able to find a natural rhythm without thinking too much, but Edwin had more difficulty, syncopating the tap of his sticks. It was something awful , like perhaps 11/7 time or perhaps even more complicated. We imposed upon a merry looking couple, older than us, and asked if they spoke Dutch. They did, and were from the Brabant part of Belgium which was nice, and we had a chat about walking tracks and so forth when Edwin asked about the Nordic walking technique. “Well it´s simple, you see. You just sort of do it like you would normally walk. You shouldn´t even think about it or you´ll bung it all up”, he said – words to that effect in a strongly accented Dutch. He then proceeded to show us how he walked, which was rather interesting. Right foot went forward at the same time as the right arm (holding said stick) and then left foot with left arm and so forth. He did this weird walk in a circle around us. We chatted some more, wished them a happy holiday, he even gave us his walking map, and we nodded politely. Shortly afterwards the couple headed off and I whispered to Edwin, “They were really sweet, but I don´t know about you, but I don´t walk or run like that. I walk with my left arm forward when my right foot takes a step, and so on. That´s how I´m going to do it – thinking or not thinking!” I wonder how long this geezer has been loping about the European countryside, with all his weight on one side of his body rather than evenly distributed over a larger surface area. Months, perhaps, years even.

It´s the little things that make my husband happy. Reclining chairs at a discounted price can last him absolute ages with endless utterances of gratitude and enjoyment. We bought some orange outdoor chairs near Füssen that sit upright and also go right back to a snoozing position. Edwin hasn’t stopped singing their praises since we left Germany. They match the Austrian scenery beneath which we christened them, and I must admit I have quite relished the moments I have use them thus far. In this picture, I crochet a gift for my dear little sister … (Susan, sneak preview for ya!).

I have decided that it´s time I learnt German. After a week bumming through Bavaria last week and this week in Austria, and knowing that throughout Eastern Europe most people will speak German over English … and above all knowing that I´m going to be a witness at a Dutch/German wedding in May (in both Holland and Germany) next year, I have decided to bite the bullet. I went into a bookstore in Innsbruck and bought a learn ´German in 30 Days' (Deutsch in 30 Tagen) kit. (Anke and Mike, if you´re reading this, it won´t be a surprise anymore!). English is indeed an international language, but in Europe, German will help me immensely. I hate being able to sort of understand and then be unable to respond except by smiling moronically or looking (also moronically) confused.