Off and Crawling

There seem to be about 16 students in my class here. It would be nice if they found it to be of sufficient value to stay until the end - we'll see. As usual, the bunch seems quite alert and bright. My cold is better, but more improvement is needed before I do any strenuous exercise. I am still coughing in everybody's face.

This is a compact city and crossing it on foot is not unreasonable. Eli and I are either biking or walking as our mode of transportation. Yesterday we walked for about two hours, either separately or together. The weather has been sunny, but not hot. This is a temporary aberration and rains should be imminent.

On our agenda this week:
* the arrival of Betty Swanson and her son Rick Thursday night; we'll act as tour guides
* our departure for Cividale Friday afternoon; Julie, Georg & girls will pick us up

It will be interesting/fun to see Betty, whom I haven't seen since senior year of high school. We went to grade school together.

The Cividale trip will span 4 days (the Pentecost holiday). Last I heard, we were going to use Peter Bachler's flat, which can sleep us all.

It's quitting time here, so I'll see if Eli is up for a bike ride.

Richard
2004.05.25

Yes, I inhaled.

A typical Austrian pharmacy (Apothek) carries the sorts of products our pharmacies do in the states. They also carry various herbs and folk remedies that the USA pharmacies might term 'alternative' and typically would not provide. These folk remedies have often been the subject of research on their efficacy and are widely used. Julie's mother-in-law, Rosa, has gathered mountain herbs throughout her whole life, relying on the writings of Hildegard von Bingen.

So to help my sore throat and cough, the family recommended a tablespoon of Holunderbluete (dried elderberry blossoms) in a pan of water brought to a boil. The pan is then taken from the stove to a table where you inhale the medicinal vapor for about 10 minutes, covering your head and pan with a towel to make a little steam tent. It does a good job on the symptoms, enough so that it's a good treatment before bed, allowing one to have a decent sleep. It doesn't cure the underlying cold, but is useful nonetheless.

We took the train back to Salzburg today, arriving about 1:00 PM. Tomorrow class starts and I'll have an idea how many students have enrolled. Traditionally, a class may start at, say, 8:00AM, but the students don't arrive until 15 minutes later. That's just the way it is here.

Richard
2004.05.23

To Aschau and back

Yesterday we biked to Aschau, maybe 16 km round trip - an easy ride. I am fighting a cold and could not keep up with my son-in-law, Georg, nor with my 16 year old granddaughter Jessica. When I am healthy again, I will still be unable to keep up and will have also lost my excuse.

So Eli and I kept each other company, riding slowly up valley. The stream with rapids and falls made its way swiftly down valley balancing our cycling karma. There is more snow than usual remaining on the nearby peaks so all the streams are frenzied. The major peak visible on our ride is at the end of the valley, the Grosser Rettenstein (about 2340 meters). The elevations here are similar to those in North Idaho.

When we reached Aschau, church was just letting out from the First Communion event so Eli snapped some pictures of the adults in full Trachten. There were 6 first communion children, a somewhat high number for this tiny village. We then stopped at the Oberland Hütte for a Mineralwasser und ein Radler (rather like half beer and half 7up, meant for bike riders and hikers). When our thirst was quenched, we headed back to Kirchberg, a downhill coast on bikes. We beat Georg and Jessica home. Of course, they went 417 km. further.

Today is rainy, off and on. Eli and I met Sophie (4th grade) at school so she could show us to her friends. We then walked home with Sophie and her three friends, all very cute - as we know, a temporary condition soon outgrown.

Richard
2004.05.21

Safe Arrival

Our journey from Spokane to Salzburg was straightforward albeit lengthy. The 8 hour layover in Denver was a bit much. Julie, my eldest, met us at the Salzburg airport and transported us and luggage to the apartment we are sharing with her friends, Anne and Claes. Their hospitality to stangers is unparalleled. They are very brave, but will learn their lesson soon.

I checked in at the university, but needed to return the next morning to get the Internet connection and access keys arranged. I met a number of friends there from former visits. They were relieved to learn that I was in no way responsible for Dubya's ascendancy to the presidency of the USA.

I returned to the apartment around noon and after a nice lunch, Eli and I walked to the Hauptbahnhof and caught the 13:04 to Kirchberg, a slow 2 1/2 hour scenic ride through the alps. Arriving at Kirchberg, we were in a hurry to see the rest of Julie's extended family but were forced from habit to stop for a gelatto. As we walked down Reithergasse to our home away from home, we met various family members - Jessica, Helene, Willi, Mathilda, Marie, Rosa, and Sophie. We finally reached Julie and Georg's house, finding Julie rather sick (a frequent side effect of our visits). Georg was at work - he was the only one we had not yet encountered.

When Georg returned from work, he fixed a quick supper and then we were off to Jessica's piano recital in nearby Kitzbühel, featuring the new Bösendorfer piano (got those umlauts out of my system). Just off our trip, we took turns awakening each other until Jessica finally appeared in an otherwise endless stream of musicians. She did a great job. Before leaving for home, we walked about the Altstadt and had (of course) a gelatto.

Then home to bath and bed. We are now sleeping while my automated, computerized letter writer extracts the day's memories from my brain (or facsimile thereof).

Bis Morgen,
Richard
2004.05.20

The Journey Looms

Eli and I leave for Salzburg on Monday, May 17. This will be my fifth stint teaching at the university there. The assignment, in the Computer Science Department, lasts until the end of June. We'll not return to the USA until July 26, leaving us time to wander the Tirol and perhaps visit Italy. I'll keep this web log as a journal, although daily entries aren't actually contemplated.

This weekend we will pack and search for things which should be packed (air tickets and passports would be nice). Forgotten items will remain forgotten, until their memory creeps into our minds somewhere over the Atlantic. What camera?

United Airlines will take us from Spokane to Denver and then Frankfurt. A cooperating airline will handle the last hop to Salzburg where we hope to touch down in the early afternoon on May 18. My eldest, Julie, will retrieve us and our luggage and drive us across town to our lodging. Julie fortuitously found us a place with friends gracious enough to host us. Clearly, they have not met us; else this would never happen.

If all goes as scheduled, I will visit the university that same afternoon to organize the office and get connected to the network. Thursday will be one of the Catholic holy days, so no school in this Catholic country - they observe holy days (no work), but are less concerned with the less essential dogmas. In fact, I'll start work on the next Monday.

My next journal entry will start by recounting the success or failure of the Salzburg landfall. If there is no such entry within 4.7 weeks or so, please send memorial offerings to the Schweitzer Ski Patrol Hair Transplant Fund (SSPHTF). The viagra fund has been discontinued, unable to keep pace with the demand.

Richard
2004.05.12