My Interesting Weekend

I know it's still Sonntag, aber I'm feeling blog-y. So there.

Friday we were supposed to go on a hike around the Wolfgangsee. I set my usual two alarms. I slept through both of them and woke up at 9, with the bus scheduled in 19 minutes to leave from Mirabelle, which is at least 25 minutes sprint from the Lehrerhaus. I called a friend who got Phoeobe on the line, and I apologized profusely. I got off the phone and cried for about twenty minutes, and then pulled myself together, determined to have a good day anyway. I ran some errends in the man city that morning (went to the bank, went to the Eurostore-- the dollar store, basically-- and bought some bus tickets). I returned to the Lehrerhaus for lunch, and then set off to find the correct bus to get to the Europark.

I found the Europark! I wasn't very impressed with the mall part of it, since I live five minutes from the Mall of Georgia in the States. I almost bought a nice knitted scarf in wool from Pimkie, or Pimplie, or whatever that store is, but I didn't after all. After I walked around the mall part, I went to IKEA!!!! Huzzah!



I really really really like this couch. Funny story: this is the picture I took the second time through the store because the first time, this lady happened to be sitting there, and she came up to me and was all like, "WHY DID YOU TAKE MY PICTURE, ERASE IT AT ONCE, BEEEOTCH!" and I was like, "Sorry, ya know, I just liked the couch and you just happened to be sitting there?"

This chair matches the sofa that will be sitting in my living room. And yes, it is as comfortable as it seems.

It's a moose. I thought it was so random and cute I had to take a picture of it.

After I'd walked through the store twice and bought tupperware (DISTANS, 2,48) and a cup-thing for my toothbrush (BEHALT, 0,49), it was only about three-thirty, which is really early for dinner, but I'd wanted to eat dinner at IKEA anyway, and so I bought spinach crepes, a cake thing that was deeeeelicious, and the soda fountain thing, which was 1,14 or something for unlimited refills. Needless to say, I sat there for about an hour, constantly refilling my drink.

You see the empty seat across from me? I was stuffing my face and this business-dude come up and asks, in German, if he can sit down. My mouth full, I motion with my fork, "Uuuh, okay, sure," and he leaves his briefcase and coat in the chair while he buys some coffee. Now, I'm not mean and creepy and going to take anyone's stuff or let anyone else steal it, so, whatever. But it seemed very strange to me. I mean, I wouldn't do that in the States. He returns with his coffee, drinks it, says, "Ciao," the only words other than asking if he could sit, and leaves.

Odd.

Saturday! I hadn't planned on hiking to the Ice Caves, but I thought since I'd missed the trip on Friday I should go. We met our guide, Alex, at the Bahnhoff at 8 that morning, and he led us onto the train. The ride was about an hour, and the mountains just got bigger and bigger.

We also got crazier and crazier, as Dominique demonstrates.

Once at the correct stop, we got off the train and found a little bus thing waiting to take us up the mountain a ways before the trail began.

And we got some great views, but these are nothing compared to what we saw later.

This is before we began hiking. I was happy. We were all happy.

Half an hour later, we were tired, but we saw these views.

Another hour went by, and we were getting done. It was cold on the mountain, and we could see our breath streaming white in the air as we gasped our exertion, and I was wearing a long-sleeved shirt with the sleeves pushed up to my elbows.

However, we got views like this.

Me all bundled up to go into the Ice Caves!!


You weren't supposed to take pictures, not officially, but if you turned off your flash it was okay. I tried to hide my camera, but other people were taking pictures in full view of the tour guide. Who was really cute. This is the polar bear. Oder Eisbär!


And this was the Elephant, obviously.

Going down the mountain was so much easier than going up, although it was scarier, because there were rocks and gravel on the trail, and you'd slip and slide, and you were right on the edge of of the mountain, and so there was much imminent fear of death. Aside from all that, I was glad I went.

Heute (Sonntag): I was going to the Franciscan Church to hear something Mozart. However, when my alarm woke me up at 8:15 I wasn't ready to get up, so I rolled over and went back to sleep. I woke up later, and did absolutely nothing much for the entire rest of the day. (Except for now, of course, haha.) I went and sat outside on the patio of the Lehrerhaus, and read in the sunshine. I wanted to make something different, and I had sugar and milk and rice, so I made spartan rice pudding like such:


It is fantastic! How you do it: boil the beejesus out of some rice until it's cooked and all the water is gone. Add milk and sugar and a little bit of Nutella for depth, and then add more and more sugar. Cook the mess for about twenty minutes, making sure to stir from the bottom so that it won't congeal there. When you think it's about done, add a little more milk and sugar and one more little bit of Nutella, cook for a few more minutes, and then it's done.

I was very proud of myself. :)