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Grüss Gott!
It’s the last week of July and being a scout leader in
heart and soul I’m itching to go on a camp.
This year though I can only show solidarity with my fellow-leaders
and for the corresponding period I pitch my tent in Lienz,
the capital of East-Tyrol.
For a week I have nothing else to do than cycling and mountaineering.
I enjoy the company of an internationally mixed group of youngsters.
Each day we go for a swim and when the evening falls we cosily
sit together. It feels like ….. a summer camp!
My German neighbours Matthias, Silke and Tobias persuade me
to do some canoeing on the river Gail.
I must admit that after 3 seconds I’m already soaking
wet but all in all it stays an overwhelming experience.
I join my teacher Matthias in a double canoe and challenge
one of the finest rivers of the region: sheer pleasure!
For those who have Austria at their fingertips it will be
easy to follow what’s on my agenda these days; I witness
the eternal snow on the Grossvenediger glacier in the Virgental
and enjoy the climb to the Scharech panorama and the Molltaler
glacier.
Toiling up a mountain luckily alternates with going down hill.
The winding roads and the variety of hairpin bends make it
all worthwhile.
Once more I’m looking forward to a visit from my family.
This time my eldest brother Robin and our friend Björn
join me for a week. Together we plan to cycle through inland
Romania. Our place of venue this time is Salonta, hometown
of Adriana, my brother’s girlfriend.
Salonta is a provincial Romanian town near the Hungarian border,
which is not exactly a stone’s throw away from where
I’m staying at the moment. Time to get a move on, so
I get on my bicycle heading for the Austrian province of Carinthia
whose lakes charm me a lot.
On my way to Hungary I pay a flying visit to Austria’s
neighbouring country Slovenia.
Here I remember with great pleasure a scout’s camp when
I was 17. What fun we had especially diving into the Soca
River. This time I’m much quieter, after all I’m
a few years older (and wiser?).
After all the high mountains of these last few weeks Hungary
is a piece of cake.
The language on the other hand is a horse of a different colour:
it’s incredibly difficult!
In Hungary the shopping malls shoot up like mushrooms and
so do their prices. The costs here soar much higher than I
expected. On the other hand Hungary is synonym for hassle-free
travelling and the country has few differences in heights.
I reach the region of the low-lying countries, "The Great
Plain", better known as the Pustzta.
I peer to the horizon and the scenery is so extensive I bet
I can see my brother standing at the end.
At last I reach the borderland.
My brother Robin and Björn, who are already in Romania,
want to surprise me by meeting me at the Hungarian side of
the border.
Robin knows this region thoroughly due to his many visits
to his girlfriend. His help might come handy if I were to
encounter some difficulties in that region. Apparently they
have underestimated my experience concerning East-European
diplomatic affairs, because the moment Robin’s passport
gets the stamp allowing him access to Hungary I cross the
Romanian border unsuspectingly of my brother’s presence
at the other side of the crossing-point. Speaking about bad
timing! There we are each in a different country! Throwing
our arms around one another will have to wait for a moment.
But it will be worth it!
Bye!
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