Hooray for lots of breaks in the International school system (shorter summer vacation = more mid-year weeks off)!
Last week the kids & I headed to Filzmoos, Austria to ski (Logan had to cancel due to a meeting, his sister Amy came as a stand in) A few notable mentions:
Small world: After 13 years of travel in & out of Chicago’s gigantic O’Hare International, it was totally novel to fly from Kyiv’s relatively tiny Boryspol Airport (ala San Jose airport in 1989 or two Fargo airports today)……clearly the options are less abundant when we knew ~6 other families heading out on the same flight to Munich!
Picturesque Architecture: During the ~3 hour drive to Austria, I wondered how they got the entire country to agree to only build things that look ‘cute & cozy’……But I swear, there isn’t a building that doesn’t seem to scream ‘come inside friend & enjoy some Gluwein’
Pervasive Sportiness: While it’s no surprise to find sporty people at a ski resort, Austrians sportiness seems to push past typical. 2 & 3 year olds whip down the ski hills (Xavier complained that he did not like ski school because all of the littler kids were better than him – he’s only 6!), & they need to actively discourage people from carrying infant backpacks while skiing!!!!!
Coming from a world where there is NO WAY an infant carrier would be deemed an acceptable outfit accessory, this was particularly comical!
Fantastically fun & most likely unsafe: If you tire of skiing, or want to extend the day with an evening adventure, you can ride a toboggan down from the top. There is a path carved out, ~4’ wide, with maybe 18” embankments. You hop on and in Fred Flintstone style, use your feet as breaks. It was the greatest combo of hilarious and petrifying I have experienced in a while.
I suspect this is another one of those things that would never fly at home for fear of safety & lawsuits…..but hot damn, this alone is reason enough for us to go back (would love to go again in 2013 – anyone join us?!)
Civilized Ski Lodge Dining: Paper plates with greasy hamburgers? Party cups of beer? Nein! It’s real glassware & plates full of steaming schnitzel at these ski lodges....
OK, I'm realizing this shot does not look too appetizing - but trust me, it was DELISH!
I think it’s actually a smart business ploy – the inviting atmosphere must increase dining time, thus creating more capacity on the hill!
Holy Baked Goods! While Kyiv is certainly no slouch with baked goods, the white rolls I have come to associate with Germany & Austria were mighty fine. Our group of 5 certainly strained the Pension’s buffet – by burning through ~a dozen of them / breakfast…….
Parenting tip: Uno games at the table actually resulted in ~7 minutes of all 3 kids remaining in their seats!
International Brands!!! Of course, no trip would be complete without hitting a local grocery store. Despite the kids’ protesting ‘do we HAVE TO GO?!?’, the effort was well worth it..........
3 full-sized boxes of cereal were imported back to Kyiv!
Working & Shopping Logan: So we would not feel too guilty for Logan missing all the fun, he kept us apprised of his atmosphere in Huntington Beach……..always fantastic I think…..
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And, once again, he did not disappoint with a suitcase full of ‘US loot’. And OMG if you have not tried the mint M&Ms pictured up front; RUN - don’t walk - to your nearest store to buy some….heaven in a bag people!
So here’s to ski vacations, sister-in-laws who fly out to help & all the M&Ms that make it possible!
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