mariluna.musings

My first weekend in Linz was mostly out of Linz actually. Herbert took me to Klausriegler, Oberosterreich on Saturday for a hike and picnic(he actually wanted to go paragliding but the conditions weren’t quite right).

The plan was to hike up to a clear take off point for him[he likes to run off mountains :p I wish I was kidding!] and for me to hike down while he flew down with his chute. Unfortunately(for him) the conditions weren’t good enough for him to have a long flight and we settled for a nice day hike and lunch at the very top. It was a perfect day for hiking and I gladly avoided the solo trek down while lugging all our junk. I was very much on board for plan B.

It was a strenuous hike but many parts were in the shade and it was a gorgeous day.  The cottage at the top of the mountain served us a delicious Kaiserschman with plum compote and powdered sugar.  We enjoyed our packed lunch with an unbeatable view at four thousand feet.

People were constantly arriving, some by car some on foot and even by air! Conditions for paragliding were actually not so bad after all and we saw a few bamf old men land at the peak we had just hiked 3.5hours to get to. It was pretty impressive and rather alarming to see grandpa ages guys casually travel by air.

After spending a day on the mountain and the previous evening in the climbing hall, I was happy to relax a bit on Sunday at his parents’ farm. They were away for a day trip but Herbert and his two brothers prepared a very tasty barbecue with pork steaks, tons of sausages, squeaky Greek cheese, boiled potatoes and fresh veggies from his parents garden. My contribution was guacamole with fresh cilantro(they call it coriander here) and it was a hit.

Herberts family home is hard to describe without mentioning how very well taken care of it is. First of all, there are flowers everywhere! Colorful flowers line the windows, hanging in the patio and in small pots along the home too. Tidy and full of memorabilia, their home is warm and welcoming. I think it is the perfect representation of coziness and practicality. The backyard is a huge garden with rows of fruit trees and veggies. They grow everything from pears to potatoes. Though the peaches were tiny compared to those in California they were sweet and soft to eat. Everything I tried was so yummy, especially the raspberries. His mom makes her own jams which I get to enjoy at the breakfast table.

It is such a nice home I couldn’t help but feel at-home. I don’t have any pictures of their house but rest assured it is straight out of a self-sustaining Christmas card with a compost bin to boot. My next visit will be when I get back from Ireland and I look forward to seeing his parents again. This time I brought them back some canned peaches from my mom and some Napa Valley wine.

My next post will be soon. Last weekend was even more eventful 😀