Weather or not?

Twenty-three days until takeoff. I thought I would check in on the weather of the places where I will be traveling in June and July. Undoubtedly things will heat up over the next three weeks, but I was surprised when I compared today’s St. Louis temperatures with those of my European destinations.

• St. Louis (my home)    High 86        Low 71
• Zurich, Switzerland      High 53        Low 40
• Konstanz, Germany     High 53        Low 39
• Luzern, Switzerland     High 51         Low 39
• Bolzano, Italy               High 66        Low 45
• Colfosco, Italy             High 37         Low 35     SNOW
• Ortisei, Italy                  High 57        Low 37
• Cortina, Italy                High 57        Low 37
• Venice, Italy                  High 70       Low 49
• Salzburg, Austria         High 55        Low 43
• Munich, Germany        High 58        Low 41

All temperatures noted are in degrees Fahrenheit.

Every single destination has cooler temperatures than St. Louis here in the Midwest. I am a happy camper. I don’t care for heat. Venice has the highest temperature today, and it is still 16 degrees cooler than it is in St. Louis.

Comparative Temperatures

Today I planned a long hike with my dog. The sky was clear at 7 A.M., but we’ve had a lot of rain lately. I checked The Weather Channel online. The forecast for St. Louis was

Sunny, High of 62, low of 41. Fantastic hiking weather.

Then I thought, I wonder what the weather is like in the places I will be traveling this summer. I checked that out too.

 

I’m landing in Zurich, Switzerland.

Cloudy, High of 56, low of 41. 20% chance of rain. A little cooler than here.

I’ll be a tourist in Luzern, Switzerland.

Cloudy, High of 54, low of 39. 80% chance of rain. Cooler and wetter.

I’ll be visiting my cousin in Konstanz, Germany.

Cloudy, High of 57, low of 39. 20% chance of rain. Cooler than here.

I will visit my college friends in Munich, Germany.

Cloudy, High of 59, low of 40, 10% chance of rain. Slightly cooler than here.

My Dolomite hike will start in Bolzano, Italy.

Partly cloudy, High of 75, low of 43, 40% chance of rain. Warmer than here, but dropping at night.

Ortisei, Italy, our first two nights in the Dolomites.

Mostly cloudy, High of 59, low of 36, 20% chance of rain. Cooler than here, cooler than Bolzano.

Colfosco, Italy, our second two nights in the Dolomites.

Mostly cloudy, High of 43, low of 33, 20% chance of rain. Winter’s back!

Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, our last two nights in the Dolomites.

Mostly cloudy, High of 59, low of 34, 20% chance of rain. Cooler than here.

I will visit my host family (1973) in Salzburg, Austria.

Light rain, High of 60, low of 38, 70% chance of rain. It always rains in Salzburg.

Assessment: The temperatures are not that different from those in my hometown, except in the mountains where it is substantially cooler. (All temperatures noted are in degrees Fahrenheit).

Day 6: Tre Cime di Lavaredo

As we travel from west to east in our hike, the last part of our hike brings us into the most famous and well-traveled area of the Dolomites. This formation, also known as Drei Zinnen auf Deutsch, is probably the most popular destination for several reasons. First , it is unique because these spires are singles. They stand alone in an area separate from other peaks. They are very accessible by vehicle with even a large parking lot nearby. They are a draw for hardy mountaineers who want to tackle climbing their sheer faces, and since they are so accessible we less adventurous folk can watch their maneuvers up close.

Here is a video of experienced mountain climbers traversing the face of one of the towers. You would never find me attempting this.
Tre Cime used to form the boundary between Austria and Italy, but after the First World War the border was pushed northward. Now these towers separate two Italian states, Belluno and South Tyrol. Heavy fighting occurred here during World War I, and the remains of encampments, tools and barbed wire are scattered throughout the area.

Day 4: Wildflowers Galore

“Edelweiss! Edelweiss! Every morning you greet me.”
I sincerely hope that Edelweiss will greet me on my hike through the Dolomites. It is elusive and grows far off the beaten path where people rarely go. If our group is to be lucky enough to discover the Edelweiss, it will likely be on Day 4 in the Natural Park of Fanes.
We start our day on the aerial tram ascending Col Rodella. From the heights we will have excellent views of the Sella group (weather cooperating), and from this vantage point we will get our first glimpses of the eastern peaks.
Views of the Sella group.

Sella hiking trails.

The hiking brochure suggests that the highlight of this day will be the wildflowers, the diverse array of wildflowers that grows in this region. Below are photos of indigenous plants..colorful, unique, and possibly Edelweiss. I’ll be on the lookout as we hike past grazing herds of sheep.

The systemic name for the Edelweiss is Leontopodium alpinum; it is a member of the sunflower family. Wikipedia describes it in this manner:

“The plant is unequally distributed and prefers rocky limestone places at about 1800–3000 m altitude. It is not toxic, and has been used traditionally in folk medicine as a remedy against abdominal and respiratory diseases. The dense hair appears to be an adaptation to high altitudes, protecting the plant from cold, aridity and ultraviolet radiation.^[2] As a scarce short-lived flower found in remote mountain areas, the plant has been used as a symbol for alpinism, for rugged beauty and purity associated with the Alps, and as a national symbol especially of Austria and of Switzerland.”

I think I must have lived a previous life in the Alps, because I never fail to experience an overpowering longing which brings a tear to my eye when I hear the beloved Rodgers and Hammerstein song bearing the flower’s name. Here is a clip of Christopher Plummer and Julie Andrews singing the song in the film The Sound of Music.

The Untersberg

Three views of the Untersberg above Salzburg, Austria.  One taken from the window of my room on Naumanngasse.  

The second was taken from the cable car on the way up, and the third (that’s me) at the top looking down on the city of Salzburg (1973).  A big shift in perspective.

Two Austrian Gentlemen

Herr Marbler’s craft

In Herr Marbler’s workshop

Herr Franz Kücher and his wife in their lovely home in Salzburg

Herr Karl Marbler, der Würzelschnitzer (Wood Carver) of St. Wolfgang

Lately I’ve been sifting through old photos of my previous European travels, and I came across several that stood out from the last trip I made in 1975. Once again I was in Austria.  Through a mixup I did not stay with my previous host family.  When we arrived at the Bahnhof in Salzburg, a man with an artificial leg pushing a bicycle approached us. He flashed a huge smile and queried “Room?” which actually came out sounding like “RRüüümm?” We, that was my boyfriend and I, shook our heads “Ja!”, and he motioned for us to follow him.  Outside of the station we marveled as he balanced a suitcase on the handlebars and went pedaling ahead of us.  We made our way slowly to the Salzach and across to a lovely quiet section of Salzburg.  Here Franz Kücher and his  wife ran a pension or bed and breakfast.  They saw us nicely settled in our second floor room.  It was so homey and there were geraniums in flowerboxes.  We learned that this wonderful man with the smile of the century had actually fought for the Germans in the Luftwaffe in World War II.  That is where he had lost his leg. I found it difficult to fathom that this man had been our enemy, because he was so friendly and hospitable.  How could he be anyone’s enemy? I have thought of the Kücher’s from time to time over the years. By now they are long gone from this earth, but the impression that they have left is enduring. It is people like them that make me have such a special place in my heart for Salzburg.

During our stay in Salzburg in 1975 we made excursions outside the city.  A bus ride took us to the beautiful Salzkammergut region where we then boarded a steamer on the Wolfgangsee. The water mirrored the blue of the sky on a perfectly sunny summer day. The surrounding mountains had dips and slopes evocative of musical phrases, hence “the hills are alive with the…”. Across the lake in St. Wolfgang we meandered along the water until we found a bathing spot and spent a very relaxing couple of hours dipping and sunning.  Afterward we walked further enticed by signs for “Der Würzelschnitzer” and we decided to check it out.  It was quite a walk out of town, but finally we found the wood carver’s shop and delighted in looking around at his handiwork, which included entire trees and stumps carved into fantastic and humorous “tree people” with eyes and noses and mouths.  The trees seemed alive indeed.  We made some small souvenir purchases and then realized that we were very far from the bus station in St. Gilgen and probably wouldn’t make it back even if we ran.  Well, Herr Marbler would not let that happen.  He closed his shop and drove us all the way around the lake back to the bus station, where we arrived on time.  What a gentleman!  Once more I was impressed by the way the Austrians went out of their way to be helpful and accommodating.  Gemütlichkeit!  Herr Marbler and I have shared Christmas greetings over the years, and if I’m lucky, I will once again visit his workshop near the shores of the Wolfgangsee. The accompanying photos are out of order, but you can figure it out.

Cousins…way back then.

1981, St. Louis, MO.

1975, Island of Mainau near Konstanz.

1973, on the Untersberg, Salzburg, Austria.

1972, Konstanz.

1971, Konstanz.

Hier sind wir. Just a selection of photos of Hannes and Rosemarie from the 1970’s and 80’s.  Hannes came once to visit my family in the Midwest.  Before that I made four separate trips to Europe. We have been corresponding for that long. This summer after 38 years we will reconnect and take photos to join this collection.  So much has happened.  That was the spring.  Now it is autumn. We have both lost parents and now we are the elders.  Ups and downs, highs and lows. I got married, had two children who are now living their own lives, and later I got divorced.  Hannes got married and he and Dorothee are enjoying their retirement now with a lot of exotic travel. 2013 will be a good year. And part of the reason for this post is to learn how to insert more than one photo in a post. I think I succeeded.

Mirabell Garten

Near my old stomping grounds at the Mozarteum where I took classes in the summer of 1973. So many times I walked through these beautiful gardens. There across the river stands the fortress Hohensalzburg, a sentinel over the poetic and musical town. The many church steeples provide a counterpoint to the Salzburg skyline. The sky is cloudy and threatening rain, which happens daily in the summertime, the so-called Schnurlregen. I just want to walk again through these narrow historic streets and absorb the charm that enthralled me that summer long ago.

Meine Ōsterreichische Familie then…1973

Inge Orliczek, Alexander, Me, Ursula, Salzburg, Austria. They were my host family in the summer of 1973 when I attended the Mozarteum and studied German at the Hochschule.  I will visit them this summer.

Preparations

When you are planning a trip of a lifetime, you have to start planning early.  I began in January booking my weeklong hike in the Dolomites with Andiamo Adventours (not inexpensive).  Then I purchased travel insurance.  Next up…choosing my dates of arrival and departure and booking my flights ($1500 round trip) and purchasing flight insurance.  Done.  I will arrive in Zurich, Switzerland on June 22 and depart on July 15 via SwissAir.  Hotel in Zurich booked for first and last night at Hotel City Zurich.  Four nights in Luzern at the Cascada Swiss Hotel by the Hauptbahnhof, and finally a night in Bolzano, Italy at the Hotel Regina prior to the first day of the hike.  Other plans include four nights in Konstanz with my cousin Hannes Pfund, several nights in Salzburg with my former landlady Inge Orliczek, and a still to be determined visit to Munich to see my old college buddy Barton Weber.  Lowa hiking boots purchased and woolen socks (2 pair).  I need four. Thank you, REI. Our group will be hiking four to six hours a day from Bolzano (Bozen) to Cortina, overnighting in lovely hotels and inns. ipad at the ready for blogging and emails and uploading photos.  Practicing German on my ipad.  I haven’t forgotten much.  It just needs refurbishing and vocabulary. Bis später.