The train winds it’s way slowly through the jagged peaks of the alps surrounding Innsbruck, following the curves of the shockingly turquoise blue river whose name, Inn, lends itself to the city. Green fields give way to dens pine forests on one side, while the mountains peer down their snow-capped nose-tips on the right…
Houses appear on the slopes at heights one would think beyond the reach of anyone but a mountain goat, red slate roofs unexpected as wildflowers growing through concrete. Waterfalls cascade down the sides of cliffs, the sky is an unimaginable blue. I am on the train heading out of Austria; next stop, Regensburg, Germany.
I’m not sure why I’ve always felt so at ease in the company of germanic people…I’ve asked myself a few times whether it has to do with the fact that we share the same language root. Or the fact that I studied German language and culture for a couple of years during my brief stint in high school. Or is it some strange karmic confluence, some throwback to another life where I lived in these mountains and knew all the thirty letter words necessary to communicate fluently in several of these currently indecipherable dialects? Who knows.
I flew from Dublin to Münich almost two weeks ago, was picked up at the aiport and whisked off to the city of Linz where I was to stay with friends and play a few shows. My first impression of the European Union was the marvelous ease with which one can pass from one ‘country’ into the next- no suspicious security guards, no intensive questioning, no need for the nailbiting stress I have beceom accustomed to in crossing the border with the U.S. of A. What an incredible relief! As I walked out of the aiport I kept exepcting another checkpoint around the corner…but there was none. I just walked off the plane, said how long I’d be staying to a polite, serene person behind a counter, and was fancy free. I was in shock!
The drive from Germany to Austria was much the same…no border crossing, just a laughing ‘now we’re in Austria.’ If only it could be so simple everywhere.
The first day in Linz we went exploring the Müllfirtl, an area just outside the city with beautiful rolling hills and farmland.Unfortunately the fog was so thick that it was impossible to see anything, but walking for a few hours on the steep slopes and intensely managed woods ( no branches or undergrowth allowed…though trees are left to grow to be quite old, unlike in most of Quebec’s forests ) was enough to get a feel for the landscape. Through the mist would appear fellow walkers and bikers, voices muffled, quiet as ghosts. We returned home, legs drenched from dewy grass, back to the city down the winding pinhead turns.
The evenings entertainment included visits to a couple of local bars (the two main haunts for lonely hearts) and my instruction in many important Austrian phrases. The downside of going out in Austria is that smoking is still legal indoors and though most places have separate smoking and non-smoking sections, they’re often not really separated by anything more than a sign.
And in case anyone is wondering, no, Austrian is not the same as German. First of all, even if it was, the Austrians would bite your head off if you said so. So I won’t
. Secondly, my German is rather scant but I’ve found that when people speak it I can still follow the conversation. With Austrian I am generally lost within two words. Communication with people in Linz was a mixture of English, French , Spanish and broken German. I found it incredibly stimulating to be surrounded by people who speak a minimum of two languages fluently, and usually at least one or two more! The language bug bit me hard, and I hope to get the chance to deepen my knowledge of Austrian and German sometime soon.
I spent a wonderful week in Linz exploring the city and hanging out with some really great people. I was able to return to the Müllfirtl on the last day and was stunned by the beauty and calm of the place, despite it’s being so close to a decent-sized city.
Thursday night I played unplugged at a local resto-bar, the Wirt am Graben, as background to the late evening customers, attended by a group of new friends. Saturday night I had a more formal show at the Wirt am Graben, and was very well received. I felt disconcerted by the experience of singing to a crowd who, for the majority, barely understood anything I was saying, but got good feedback from people afterwards. I felt very grateful for the effort put in to organizing an event for me to perform at in a city where no one knew my music at all. The band after me (whose name I dare not attempt to spell) sang traditional Austrian melodies with modified lyrics, which was quite good despite my not getting any of the jokes.
Having scoured the city for chai to no avail on Sunday ,I finally got some in an Indian restaraunt right before leaving on the train for Innsbruck. I was afraid I might go into major withdraw, having not had any for more than a month at this point.
Th
e train ride to Innsbruck was pretty uneventful, complete with typically gorgeous Austrian scenery. The fog got thicker and thicker as night came on and we approached the Alps. I arrived after dark and was picked up and walked to another friends apartment.
I feel blessed to be on the receiving end of so much generosity of spirit, thank you so much to everyone who has hosted me thus far!
The next morning I packed for a day trip and wound my way through the city in search of a way into the mountains. Ten minutes walking, some gesticulations and broken German inquiries later I found myself on a path up into the Alps. Yes! Oooohhh it felt so good to be alone, sweating in the sun and wind, clambering up the slopes, ducking into caves in cliff faces, hearing only the crunch of leaves and my own breath. The sounds of the city slowly faded behind me as I hiked higher up…and then…what? A town? Up here? How the…
A half hour hike into the mountains I came upon the extremely sleek and modern town of Hüngerburg, which appeared in my path seemingly out of thin air. There I met two people from Hawai’i also headed uphill and so we accompanied each other through the town and up into the mountains again. At about 1200 metres, the peak still a distant dream, I had to turn back to be in town again in time to meet up with my friend, but even so the view was absolutely breathtaking.
I clambered down, half running as a result of the slope, and stumbled back into downtown drunk on mountain air. Everything seems brighter when you’ve spent the day hiking.
We wandered around the city and walked along the Inn river, taking in the mountains from another vantage point.
And now here I am…on the train to Regensburg. Bathed in sunlight, rocked by a hundred different threads of thought and emotion…
Bis dann! Tchus.