Perfect day on the slopes! Plus, my week in Italy

I spent the whole day skiing today. The sun was out and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. There were very few people on the slopes, and I spent the last few runs in knee-deep, untracked powder! It was amazing snow and I hope it continues...

Last week, I took off for Italy to meet up with Maren. She flew into Bergamo which is outside Milan. So I only stopped for a bit in Milan to change trains. We both wanted to spend some time in smaller towns and avoid the big cities. Bergamo is exactly that, small enough to walk around easily. I arrived late at the B & B, so we didn't get out in town till the following day. Maren and I went for a walk and explored the town center. Then we headed up the hill nearby and got some great views. We also checked out the Christmas market before heading to the grocery store. We cooked ourselves a fantastic Italian feast back at the B & B. We made enough for dinner the following day :)

Next stop on the trip was Lake Como, north of Milan. A quick train ride got us to the town of Como, right on the lake of course. We had a pretty bad experience finding accommodation that night. We got a listing from the tourist information, yet every place seemed to be either closed or they just didn't answer the door/phone. We ended up wandering all over town several times in the cold. It took over 4 hours! But we finally found a reasonably priced hotel room and were incredibly relieved to take off our packs and get warm. We went out to a nice dinner, bought some candy at the Christmas market, and went back to the room to crash.

The following day, Maren and I walked through Como (to the few parts we hadn't seen the previous evening). We walked along the water till we got to a funicular. It was one of the longest I have ever seen, and it took us straight to the top of the mountain overlooking the town and the lake. We walked around up on the hill a long ways and took lots of pictures. We took the funicular back down as it was getting dark, then looked for food. After a long search, we found exactly what we were looking for: an inexpensive pizzeria right on the lake. We had another walk through the Christmas markets after dinner to finish the night.

We left Como the following morning to go to Verona. It was a last minute decision. We had been looking at going to Switzerland, but couldn't seem to find a hostel or B & B at a reasonable price. We were absolutely determined not to have a repeat of Como (4+ hours in the cold), so we booked a B & B in Verona the night before. It was only 30 euros for the double room, and it was right in the center of town! I spent one night on my own in Verona back in September, that's when I went to the Verdi opera. But it is a great town, and I definitely enjoyed another night there! Maren and I spent the evening walking through town, checking out the various Christmas markets, and buying more sugar-coated nuts. We searched for a restaurant for awhile until we found a cute little place where we shared pizza and pasta.

Maren had to get back to Germany soon to visit family and friends for the holidays, so we started making our way north. We took the train to Innsbruck, which is the biggest city in the western panhandle of Austria. It is only about 80 km away from where I am now in Kitzbuehel. We quickly found our B & B right in the center of the Old Town. Innsbruck is a really nice place, and I definitely plan on heading back over there this season (about an hour and a half by bus + train and only 5.50 euros each way!) It was really cold when we arrived, quite a bit below freezing. We wandered through town, ate some roasted chestnuts at the Christmas market, and then found a Chinese restaurant for dinner (we both have plenty of time to experience Austrian cuisine another night :) ).

We woke up relatively early to head out of town. We got on the same train, I headed to Woergl (between Kitz and Innsbruck), while Maren had to spend the whole day to get up to Marburg to visit a friend where she went to school. She is going on a ski holiday with her family in Austria, not too far south of Kitz, after Christmas. Depending on my work schedule, I may head over there to go skiing and meet her family. She will probably spend some time here in Kitz or Kirchberg on her way back in the beginning of the year. I am looking forward to it! When I got back into town, I spent one more night at Alpen Rider (the name of the 'hostel' I had been staying at previously in Kirchberg). I joined the whole crew there for a night out in Kitz. We ate at a traditional Tyrolean restaurant (Tyrol is this area of Austria), then hit the bars.

The next day I moved into a new place in Kitz. There are about 10 of the original group staying here at the 'Deutsch Institute.' It is kind of like a student residence that we are all using as temporary accommodation until we find homes. I am going to start looking tomorrow for a permanent place in Kirchberg. The pink palace in Kitz eventually fell through. Well, I could still live there, but it would be even more expensive than we originally thought. Plus, it makes a lot more sense for me to live in Kirchberg where I am going to be working 2 shifts a day beginning Wednesday. The Deutsch Institute is a pretty decent place, the only real problem is the location. It was a 15-20 minute walk out of Kitz. While it is on the bus line, it still takes 2 busses to get to Kirchberg. It is really cheap though. I am paying 10 euros a night for a double room (all to myself unless someone else shows up) with my own bathroom. I can also stay there as long as I want, though I hope not the whole season. If I am still here when I start working, I will see how bad the commute is, but I think I can hold out till I find a new place. I plan on moving to Kirchberg as soon as I find decent accommodation there.

Well, today was my 6th day up on the slopes. So far, only about half of the ski areas are open due to lack of snow. It is easy to find places with lots of snow, there are just some lower altitude areas that are a bit bare. This place is absolutely gigantic. I have probably seen about 10% of the total area so far. There is a massive web of gondolas and lifts that take you everywhere. You can take a gondola up in Kirchberg, then through a series of lifts, runs, and more gondolas, make it all the way out to Pass Thurn, which is over 30 km away! Sure beats taking the bus!

So far, I am doing alright on a budget. I have already paid for the expensive things (my lift pass, my rent at the Deutsch Institute through the end of December, my ski gear, the week in Italy...). So I shouldn't need much more money until I start working and get paid. I am really looking forward to it, which sounds silly considering the job is washing dishes. But it will be nice to get into a daily routine, plus I will get to eat good food for free and practice German all day long!

Merry Christmas everyone! I will try and update again before the New Year. Pictures of Austria and Italy are coming in the next couple of days! For those that didn't catch it, my Austrian phone number is 0043 664 996 6682. Hopefully I will have a mailing address soon!