Happy Travels

September 12 – Where did I go after Brasov ?– to Bucharest. That\’s a big and dirty city and the feature I noticed most of all was that they chose to cover lots of older but still in use buildings with advertising hoardings. Great. When one takes a photo all one sees is Levis Jeans, Samsung, Vodaphone and the building style and architectural beauty ( or not) is almost hidden. I have never seen this before. We might put adverts on a building being demolished or the building will be named on the top but not this.

There are many cars and the city powers are doing all in their power apparently to make room for more of them. I talked with a local woman on a bus who was telling me about the traffic chaos in the city. I was looking for an internet place with map in hand and stopped a young woman to ask directions who kindly informed me I had gone the wrong way and was miles away [but I had been told before I left the main train station as well as on the way that it was at least 2kms] so she very generously took me on a bus to the internet cafe. I was miles away but then I found out that Bucharest doesn\’t have too inet cafes anyhow. That\’s also something we were told as tourists – to ask for anything choose a young person as they are learning english at schoool, or did learn, whereas before the revolution 17 years ago, russian was the language taught at school. And just about every time I asked a young person, they understood english. Most unfortunately, the staff on the stations or Metro as is called (and very efficient system it is too – the trains only and the routes – not the stairs) can understand almost no english so getting information is difficult. And by the way there is no tourist information office in the whole of Bucharest – that\’s a clue to their understanding of tourism.

In an airline magazine I read that Bucharest people were voted the most rude in all Europe. I found that a lot didn\’t speak english so when buying bus tickets they would just give the standard fare but ask where the bus goes, and when\’s the next bus etc. no understand. At each bus stop there is a very tiny booth on the street in which sits a person just selling tickets. Older people in Romania, well Bucharest anyhow, get free tram and bus travel but a concession only on the trains. But that would be of little concern no doubt as to get to just about any station there would have to be sometimes 80 steps and more, no doubt, very few stations have escalators and when they do can quite often be broken, so I saw no parents with baby carriages or even small children on the trains. That was a boon for me but how do they deal with it? Probably drive. I found a great hostel after the first one which had its only attribute as being very close to the main train station, Gara de Nord, where I spent one night then scarpered to find a decent place. And I did. It\’s Hostel Tina run by a woman and her son Constantine. It is immaculately clean, everything works, the bathroom is spotless, the wc works, there is also loo paper – what a boon – and 9 floors up so the view is great and a kitchen, clean, with lots of utensils and dishes to borrow, and a frig also for food. And the added wonder to this was that there was one room as a 6-bed dorm complete with free 24 hour internet and a tv and the other and private room had its own computer too, faster, with lots of other lovely specials like skype facility, streaming music and no tv. While I was there in the dorm room sharing with either 2 or 1, a party of 4 italians came so Constantine put me in the private room and let the italians have a room to themselves. So I got 3 nights at the same rate of, I have quite forgotten, no, it was 40 lei or equivalent to $A22pn for all the privacy. Did I enjoy that and did I use it you ask?. You bet I really indulged self. There had been a general a lack of good music available. And here in the heart of Europe where tenors, sopranos and orchestras abound, I could rarely find a radio programme or station that broadcast my music. Then I was shown the streaming! Wow! Did I make the most of this. I spent all one day on the computer with the music – bliss. Then decided that I would definitely have to go out, get some exercise and so most of the next day I got more music with a bit of walking.

September 20 2007

BUCHAREST TO DORTMUND, GERMANY

LeftBucharest and flew to Dortmund in Germany again a lovely clean typically german city 90% bombed during the war so most new. The youth hostel large and pretty clean, no kitchen, and a breakfast one had to pay for. The first night I spent in a pretty decent hotel and then transferred over to the hostel. I was thinking what i could do with the time on my hands now that I wasn\’t meeting Julie in Hamburg, and only a couple of appointments in Munich about early October to direct my plans. and the flight to UK too.

DORTMUND, GERMANY to AMSTETTEN, AUSTRIA

So I found an organic farm at a place near Amstetten in central Austria, a vegan family and spent 4 days there helping with their cows, 3, very old breed, a very solid highland-looking beast. There is a story told that 50 years or so ago the government decided that this cow didn\’t produce sufficient milk to go commercial, and instructed farmers to destroy their herds and replace them with the now brown/red and white cow, the commercial variety. One farmer hid his herd of 200 from the govt inspectors and because of that there are still a few around and this farmer says the reason he likes them, better temperament, hardier, and live and produce many years longer than the expected life span of a producing commercial cow which is about 5 years. They also had a rare and early breed of chicken but unfortunately the foxes had got into the pen. But I helped move and stack wood so he could saw it for the kitchen stove. I was given, as with a lot of the farms, my own room, this the whole top floor, or loft, and a v comfortable bed, good pastoral views too. This farm was at 1000m and most of the neighbouring farms were farming organically even if not registered so.

AMSTETTEN to MITTERSILL, AUSTRIA

However after 4 days eating lovely vegan meals left there, took the bus to Linz and wondered what to do. My Wien contact was unavailable so into the farmlist again where I chose a young family in Mittersill, sw of Salzburg and again at 1000m. They were willing to have a wwoofer on their goat farm, so off I went on the train with many changes getting there at about 4.50pm the same day. Left Linz and changed at Salzburg, Schwartz, and Zell Am See before arriving at Mittersill. This is real snow-capped alp territory. Ramona and her son collected me and introduced me to my loft accommodation again, the regime of goat feeding, and chicken feeding which were to be my daily chores plus other work as required. That could be inside the house or outside on the farm. So I even learned how to stack wood for the kitchen or stube. A stube is a lovely room. It is the \’living\’ room in winter and contains a table with bench seating, or tables, maybe tv, place to drink beer and eat and just interact. And of course heated by one of their special heaters which burns wood and heats up a special tile which the heater is made of. Most of the old houses and perhaps new ones, some cafes, have stubes, pronounced \’stoob-i\’ – short \’i\’ as in \’it\’.

I have to admit that I didn\’t take sufficient time or study of the language so forget a lot of what I learned in Germany and the many Austrian farms I went to. But it was starting to sound familiar to me.

Went to Zell Am See one day with Ramona who worked there 1 day per week and saw on the terrace of the Grande Hotel overlooking the \’Zell Am See\’ (see is lake) sipping my lovely iced coffee. Saw sufficient of the town to not need to return but the drive there and back was delightful, the difference in driving regulations and manners, the scenery, how people act, and Romana picked up a young family who were waiting at a bus stop and took them into ZAS too. They were from Romania, from a place close to where I was living, looking for work in Austria. I didn\’t see them again but I hope they managed to find something. This happens a lot in Europe, people are allowed over borders to work and I have heard people talk of the problems this is causing in the countries they work. Romania entered the EU, for good or no will be seen, in about March or later this year. (I hear that Slovakia will do so next year – again who knows).

Festivals

Ramona, Georg her partner, and young son, young Georg have a very old typically styled house for both the area and the country which they are renovating. It was quite amazing. On every level there were doors leading to rooms, doors I never really noticed until I did! Lots of rooms not used presently, but used by a bigger family previous to their owning it.

I was at Mittersill at the right time – \’the cows came home\’ from the top pastures for the winter and were in procession through various towns. I saw one such at the next village called Hollersbach and both Ramona and Georg are part of a team that dress in a traditional costume and ride decorated horses in the parade. Also Georg cracked the whip, forget the word for that, with about 3 other men on the parade. The horses would walk a few metres and then stop and the fellows would stand in the stirrups and crack their whips. Quite an unusual event. There were of course local stalls selling local goods, warm clothing, traditional clothing, food ie meats, cheeses, and beer, and beer and beer, of course. I had believed that only Australians and maybe poms drank so much beer. A point here – all the supermarkets in Europe have aisles of alcohol. Whereas our liquor stores may be attached to the supermarkets, theirs take up a lot of space in the stores, in place of the many sweets and chocolates that Australians have on display and to purchase. So far havent seen anywhere near as much sweeties as we have in the supermarkets. Wonder which is better?

So the next weekend, the cows came home onto a private farm, where there was this \’castle\’ a house very much an old castle. This farmer provided a huge tent, as usual here, with food, beer, and entertainment and these cows were also dressed up with an headdress of flowers and holy pictures. The cows here seem to be very placid and very healthy as the hills are incredibly steep which they graze on all the time.

\’FLOHMARKET\’ = Fleamarket

The local Lions Club arranged one of these at Hollersbach. With a large large marquee, they set out stalls with everything, books, appliances, clothes, shoes, furnishings, computers, etc and food/eating stalls. It was a wonder. The regulations require that all goods are in good, clean, (clothing) pressed condition, and work. Not like our markets. And the place was full of clothing and goods and people also. It was on for only 2 days. I bought good warm clothing for €2 per piece except for a traditional austrian cardigan which was rather a lot more, but still a good price. Also bought about 10 books – in english – which I read as I go along and leave with the family. I tasted traditional food and there is a lot of beer consumed.

Another thing I was able to do was to go for a walk, mainly on the way to the village which was about a 20 minute walk down and up for home. Tracks and walks are marked and signposted and there was a place on the track, all info in german so i can write very little, where people go. Water runs through it, pure clear authentic spring water out of the mountain, and goes in certain channels at different depths and one can walk in it, and just enjoy the place. Because I can\’t explain much I\’ll direct you to this site http://www.austria.info/xxl/_site/uk/_area/417073/_subArea/417117/_subArea2/408173/home.html which explains clearer what Kneipp water treatment is about. The walk to town was good. The water that runs in the streams, falls down the mountains, and runs in the gutters is clear, not muddy and I am sure it would be almost pure to drink. Their house had a larg e horse-type trough into which water ran from out of the mountain constantly, all wonderfully pure and full of minerals. I drank a lot while at this farm. It was also very cold. It would be a great refresher in summer.

LEAVING MITTERSILL

I had to go to Munich the AK person, and then Kempten for a couple of visits to the dentist to repair previous work done in June. So after the second trip from Mittersill I decided to change plans. There was the opportunity to meet up with a friend, and also to visit others. What eventuated was that I had to find something to do and so I went to another farm, this time right on the Swiss, Leichtenstein borders. The reason I remained in Austria at these farms was that I require the farmlist for the different countries and that list has to be purchased separately. So I went to a demeter vegie farm in Nofels, near Feldkirch south of Lindau which is right on the German border and Bodensee. I had been to this region way back in June with my Kempten friends.

Again I had my own room, the house also had a couple of borders, and Josef and Ruth ran the farm. They also had a shop opened on their property a couple of times a week, and took vegies to the Feldkirch market every second Saturday. Busy is what they are. They also bake bread for sale at these times, and for the house, and sell apple juice/wine, the best apple juice I\’ve ever tasted. Good apples and good process. Like the many farms, they mostly use foods produced on their farms so I ate a lot of vegies, yum, and drank just a little juice, and the food was well prepared.

The work was to help weeding the \’tunnel\’ like a greenhouse, spinach was growing, collect tomatoes in same tunnel, and prepare celeriac and carrots for storing and sale for the next 6 months and a few other things. Some daysI worked in the vegie patch right outside of town, and the chill wind was right off the snow onto my face, and some days at the house. And I learned to feed the 30 or so brown hens and collect their eggs. He grew lots of vegies, tomatoes, potatoes, cabbage, raddicio (red bitter cabbage), fennel (now I know how to prepare, cook and eat this delicious vegie), herbs, broccoli, leek, cauliflower, various lettuce (or salad/t here), carrots, beans, turnips, peterslie (or whatever parsley with a root on it like parsnip), and brussel sprouts. I have never seen the latter growing before and how interesting is that plant. I am sure there were more vegies but this is a start.

NOFELS to LONDON, UK

October 25 2007

My flight to Heathrow had been postponed once to 25 October out Munich so I left at 6.18a on the Thursday to Lindau – and was stopped once again. This had happened to me on my way to a Kempten appointment and caused me some trouble. Train strike! and here I had only a few hours to get to the airport. The train 1 hr later got me there with about 3/4 hour to spare, and then the plane, BA, left late anyhow. They cut trains but let others run. The train runs all the way from Munich to the airport and their train system is very good, as I have found in a lot of the big and smaller cities.