Today was partly sunny, so Jim and I went cross-country skiing in Seefeld. Seefeld is a charming ski resort up in the mountains just northwest of Innsbruck. I had heard that it was a famous cross-country (Langlauf) center. It was a great experience. It would be awesome to go cross-country skiing there under a full moon, because it is a big, wide-open meadow. The snow conditions were very good. My new cross-country ski boots, that I bought at EMS with Karen Nassif's help just before leaving Newton, fit great and are very comfortable. The boots didn't fit into the old bindings, however. But the ski shop at the Langlauf Center in Seefeld put new bindings on my skis in 10 minutes, so it all worked out just fine.
We had lunch in a hotel in Seefeld and I had Schwineshaxen and Sauerkraut. I had developed quite an appetite from the Langlauf.
When we came back, I went to the Hotel Krone in Oberperfuss to go to their sauna. It is nice, but basic in that you have to bring your own towel, soap, shampoo, hairdryer etc. (even water!) Next time I will be better prepared. Everyone prances around stark naked, the European way. I was demure and wrapped myself in a towel. They have a nice large (and pleasantly hot) sauna, a steam room, and an icy plunge-pool. I did the ice plunge and it felt very good.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Langlauf in Seefeld
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The one hour drive to the Stubai glacier was very scenic, and the ski area itself is massive. What was unfortunate today is that while the lower mountains and valleys were peaceful, there was an unexpected high wind up above. 60kph at about 20 degrees (F), which was quite unpleasant. At times, I couldn't see the ground because there was a fast moving layer of blowing snow between my knees and ankles!
Stubai was reported to have a high concentration of telemark skiers. I have been hoping to meet up with at least one. So far, I haven't seen one there or anywhere else. What I do see a lot of are "touring skiers". They are climbing up the slopes on randonee skis. These are normal alpine skis, boots, and bindings, but the bindings are mounted on a plate that pivots at the toe, and with a moveable heel lift, so that with skins on the bottoms of the skis you can walk up the hill without slipping backwards. There are a lot of skiers doing this. Great workout and no lift ticket!
I had an interesting experience at the post office today, which is part of what the whole adventure is supposed to be about. Although I purchased us two identical cell phones, mine seemed to be defective -- no signal. The short story is that Motorola said that I should send it back. I had ordered it from Amazon.de, so I packed it up and brought it to the post office. How much to send a package? Nothing. Sending things back where they came from is free! I don't know why and I didn't want to ask. Anyway, since there is no free lunch, I presume that the cost is part of the high rates on everything that I do receive or pay to send.
One thing that I love here is that the supermarkets charge money for bags. So people bring their own and reuse them. Also they are really into recycling everything. Household trash is not allowed to contain compostable material, which they have separate bins and pickup for.
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