Sorry I've been a little absent, but so much has been happening...lots of good things, I'm sure you'll be glad to hear. And also, I'm currently in Salzburg, and I've adopted this new way of thinking; in by where I've literally turned off technology for a bit. One of the msot infuriating things for me to see, is travelers constantly on laptops, iPads and smartphones. True, without them we lack that much-needed GPS, a way to be always connected to the social media world or whatnot. But without them, the advantages are far greater. I've been using maps (yes, read old-fashioned maps) as I have trekked all across the US and Europe - and true, it's mostly been a whirlwind adventure, and a cycle of getting lost and caught in the rain - I am grateful for it. For without it, I would have never stumbled upon that awesome British backpacker of whom I met later for drinks, and I would have never found that cheap and authentic cafe tucked into a nook of the city. There has been nothing better than having no internet on my phone; no emails, Facebook, messages always popping up to bother me - but rather a more simplistic life. Hell, I deliberately decided to not have a phone number in Europe - so I am a lone soul who is, for the most part, uncontactable. It's brilliant. Catch me if you can.
So when travelling, or hell, even if you're in your hometown of _______, get off your laptop, leave your phone at home, and I don't know, climb a mountain or something.
I did.
Salzburg has promised me many things, and it has delivered. The weather is cold, and the city expensive. I've never been before,v and I'm keen as a green bean to check it out.
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| Purely for the snow-o-meter |
I can remember my year 9 German textbook, reading up about the famous Salt Mines in Salzburg, where the fictional cartoon characters in the book got lost in the mines and rode the slides all down the mountain, as if it were the Magic Faraway Tree #childhoodfantasy. I got myself out there on the first afternoon, and it was beautiful.
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| Check the build up |
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| ...and again. The seat! |
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| Sporting my newly-bought-Mozart umbrella |
Lots of snow - like 50 cm, and glorious mountain wandering beforehand. It's decently expensive to get out there from Salzburg Hbf, I paid 29 Euro for a return bus and train ticket, and the admission tour ticket. So depends on your budget.
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| Hate me -it's okay. I would too, if you had that sort of view. |
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| That was once a garden. now - snow mass |
Being lead through a maze of underground tunnels form the 15th century - I don't think you can quite comprehend how stunningly beautiful it is until you get down there, but if you're claustrophobic, I suggest sticking clear of the whole 'ultimate mining experience' shee-bang. Salzburg Mines and their little ant workers have been producing BUCKET LOADS of salt for most of Austria and lower parts of Bavaria in Germany since before dinosaurs roamed the earth. (Okay, well there's obvious logical flaw that statement, but you get the picture). A couple of the real memorable parts of the tours included learning the story about the town, the owners and politics behind the mining community, how it's done, where the salt goes and how it gets there, learning about brine production and salt layering in the mountains. So it's basically like a little history/geology/geography lesson all in one. Considering Dice and I skipped the Geology Exhibitions at the National History Museum in New York, this was great to catch up on my rock-on studies.
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| Le slide |
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| German and Austrian border crossing...hundreds of meters underground |
You can slide down the slides - which I was obviously hopping about like a 5-year-old on Christmas day to do. They give you special suits, they take your picture, the stout little Austrian man with a hilarious accent gives you a push and then away you whiz. The longest slide we rode was around 42 meters that day I believe, and it was the steepest I've ever encountered. If you're quite the daredevil - you wouldn't think a small trip to Salzbergwerk Duerrnberg, the small and-let's-face-it-deadly-quiet plateau just above Hallein in Austria, would be the site of thrill-seeking adventure. But you've gotta hand it to the small-town-where-I-saw-no-signs-of-human-life, beneath the mountain lies a world of heart-thumping excitement, especially at that point in the slide where it dips ever so steeply and you're whizzing down holding onto nothing and you don't quite know if you're going to fall off or stay situated on the slide.
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| Salt lake |
Adrenaline rush for the next five years - tick.
The tour itself was amazing, I can absolutely 100% recommend it; riding across this underground salt lake in the middle of the mountain, THAT'S RIGHT - I SAID UNDERGROUND SALT LAKE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE MOUNTAIN, was the secondary element of heart-stopping fun. My (irrational?) fear is being trapped underground in a cave with water.
So claustrophobic?
No. Caves are fine. Small, tight, and squeezy spaces are fine. Love them. Let's have a tea party.
So aquaphobia?
Do you know me at all?! No.
It's precisely the combination of cave > underwater > underground that gives me the heebie geebies. So the 'surprise' salt lake forced me to dig my heels into the cool dirt beneath my feet. I'll not bore you with the details, but I eventually got on the boat, and we cruised across the lake, and it was a-okay. It was in fact, actually, quite nice. So all in all I don't think it can technically be called a phobia - because #pscyhstudent, a 'phobia' implies an irrational fear about something, that hinders your ability to function like a normal adult. So let's just call it, to use grown-up and academic terms; something big and scary that I don't like.
Some 90 minutes later - I stepped out of the mine - to THIS;
Crazy weather, terribly cold, snow falling down so fast, with the biggest snow flakes I'd ever seen. The next bus, I realised, to my dismay, was another 65 minutes. So, on an abandoned road somewhere in somewhere-close-to-Hallein I sat, and waited. I think I got 4 minutes in the freezing cold before I decided I had to do something. I was contemplating interpretative dance on the road, and building a snowman. the snowman won out, and a good hour later I had this little guy; of whom I named Heins.
A good hour-and-one-minute-later I couldn't feel my hands, I had snow everywhere, that was fast melting (even in my underpants) and I regretted Heins.
But yes. A splendid day was had; so I encourage you to go, climb that mountain; face your fears, and enjoy being alive. And when you need something to pass the time on a cold winter's day in heavy snow - chose interpretative dance. Always choose interpretive dance.
