Munich the Alps and ICE CREAM!

This is best taken in two installments. I would recommend after my "munich" stories you have a small water break.


Well on Friday, since I didn't have any set weekend plans, I decided to tag along with some people from school who were going to Munich the next day. They were planning on spending a night there in a hostel and coming home the next day, but I decided I'd just tag along and then come home that night because I had plans on Sunday... I'll get to that part...and it's only a 2 hour 5 euro trip. Since I didn't want to go on a train alone, I was happy when Charles decided to come with us too and then come home with me on the train that night because he was partaking in the same Sunday activity I was planning!

We boarded the train at 8:00, I got made fun of for saying it reminded me of the Hogwarts Express, I hummed the theme song, and we were on our way. Munich was incredible! It was so much fun to just wander around. We saw the huge city center with the "glockenspiel" in it. It's a very very old and giant clock that has people who dance and spin (figures, not humans) while rotating around every hour. I had heard about it before but hearing it and seeing it in the square was awesome. We wandered to eat lunch in a park at a place they had there that sold all the classic Bavarian foods like Pretzels and Sausages and sauerkraut and other things. We ate a TON and then laid around in a park for about an hour. We got up and wandered to an old museum that is in the house where many famous rulers have lived. Walking through the house was so amazing, everything was so ornate and just what you'd expect to see. When we got to the ballroom,Joachim (a couple people on the trip knew someone who lived in Austria and he was there... that's joachim) taught me a traditional Austrian dance! Charles, Joachim and I then wandered to a place to eat and had one of the best meals I have ever eaten involving sauerkraut, cheese and potato noodle things. We then found our way back to the train station (now running because we had been so lethargic all day we had lost track of time) boarded our train, and discussed the different lifestyles we grew up with on the way back! All in all it was a fantastic day!!



Deep cleansing breathes... this next part is a long one...

TODAY (sunday.. just like I promised I'd tell you about) I decided to again tag along with a couple people going on a hike! Since I'm from Utah I thought I'd better represent and go along with them. Charles, Peter and I met at 8:00 in Mirabellplatz ( a local stop that a lot of the busses go to). We took the bus for about a half hour and then we got off and were supposed to catch a boat to a town called St. Wolfgang. The boat didn't show up and we waited about 5 minutes longer and gave up and decided just to walk to town. It was only about a thirty minute walk to the road leading up to the trail head and then another probably 20 minutes to the trail itself (paved until then). About 10 minutes into the trail I discovered I was not Utah enough for what I just got myself into. Dad if you're reading this-- the first 2 hours of this hike was exactly like the first push we did up mount Olympus. It was straight up, slippery, humid, hot and I thought I was going to die! Luckily it was just my legs that were tired and not me so I pushed through it and made the guys stop when I couldn't... annoying for them I'm sure but I tried to make it up when I could by just pushing through it. So we had left for the trail at about 9:30 and it was probably about 10:30 when we got to the trail. It was steep for a time then gentle then extremely steep and then gentle but my legs and lungs got in a rhythm and I was happy so it became much easier. We stopped and ate lunch at the first summit (we did a marathon climb and hiked to one summit then walked to over to another mountain, only loosing some altitude, that was much higher and climbed to its summit too). Eating there was very relaxing and it gave me a much needed food and water break as well as a moral boosting one. The summit of this mountain was actually a steep rocky cliff (again not unlike olympus) so we actually ate at the bottom of this part and left our packs there and ran to the top to see the view. Breathtaking! I have pictures!

We crossed over a long and winding trail that led down to the base of the next mountain. Some snow was still left up here and we got a bit soggy. Luckily I was wearing water proof shoes! We found ourselves at a beautiful lake with no river running to or from it. It was caused by melted snow and was very clear and deep and COLD! We then started the climb of the second mountain. It was about 1:30 by now.


The second mountain started like the first, very very excrutiatingly steep and rocky and loose. We came to the rock face that I had seen from the road and prayed that we weren't going up annnnnd we started going up it. It wasn't bad, as long as i didn't look down. It was a sheer cliff with a drop off that even a cat couldn't land. The way to the bottom was so steep it actually played a trick on our eyes. As we looked down it looked like everything was moving away from us. It was a weird sensation! We pressed on and continued to slip and slide up this cliff. We were spending a lot of the time with our hands gripping the rock to keep our feet from slippping, and more than once (but just twice!) i had to stop and wait for a minute because fear paralyzed me. Ahead of us was a steep and winding "staircase" made from roughly cut rock. Each of the steps were a few inches deep, just enough to get your toes on, and then a cable ran up the side of the cliff. On the other side of us was nothing. We hung on to the cable with all our might and again, didn't look down. *nerd moment* It looked almost EXACTLY like when frodo and sam were walking to the spiders cave. Just straight steps leading up a cliff... insane...We walked up this "staircase" and realized that part of the cabling had been damaged in what looked like an avalanche track. It had wiped out a portion of the rock and taken the cabling with it. At parts like this we would just get on our hands and feet and just slowly creep along the face...not looking down. It got more gentle from there and it was great to have grass and path under my feet, occassionally i would have to stop for fear or for unsure footing or just to rest but I made it!

At the top of this mountain is a hotel. Random sounding I know but a huge train was built and winds its way up the opposite side of the mountain (the "sloping side" not the death trap side). When we got to the top (4:30) of this mountain there was a convenient place to buy ice cream! This is one of the tallest mountains (according to my host dad) and it has a place to buy ice cream at! I could've died for happiness! We bought an ice cream bar and then messed around on the summit (we had planned to take the train down or we would've gotten home in about 4 more hours and it would've been dark... and i think a six hour straight up and terrifying hike is just fine thanks!). We got on the train, got on a boat, got on a bus, I got on bus 4 to go to my house, and I walked home from my stop. When I got home my host family was waiting (I called ahead to let them know I hadn't been sacrificed to the cliffs) and had a huge dinner waiting for me...

Nothing is better than the fact that I just got out of the shower and washed off all the mud and scrapes and scratches, am slightly pink from the sun, and now I am laying in bed! I feel like I have accomplished so much in one day! I have climbed to TWO summits in the ALPS! That is one memory I know I will not forget! The view from the top was something that words and pictures can not describe... but I"ll still attempt!


Bed time!

Love you all!