Sickness, snow and skiing.

Can you guess the link between the three words above?
No, I wasn’t ill in the snow whilst skiing down a mountain… too literal.

Yesterday I got back from three days in southern Germany staying at my second host family’s winter apartment. From there we could take the fifteen minute drive each day across the border into various Austrian ski resorts. One I remember distinctly was in Unken, simply because I didn’t actually go skiing… Two evenings before I became incredibly sick… here comes the graphic description kiddos. ;]
Lots of vomiting to the point of being physically drained… I ended up in complete pain with a serious stomach ache, head ache and a lack of food in my belly… I couldn’t eat for the next 24 hours. I was bed ridden… and it sucked.

The next day however I felt a bit better, and fit enough at least to go outside and get some fresh air. So I went with my host family to ski area Almenwelt Lofer, and instead of skiing, spent a few hours wandering the mountains and getting lost, then later wandering the cute little Austrian town down below.

I’m happy to say I’m now a lot better. Thank the heavens for pain medicine… it made my agony bearable. I’m also happy to announce that the photos aren’t too bad… although the shotty weather didn’t help my little digital camera much… :p

Wishing all the vomiters a fun trip back to recovery.
Ryan
x

Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!

So yesterday I was singing in the rain snow. :]

Two shots of my street blanketed in a fresh layer of fluffy white snow and two of Munich’s Marienplatz in the evening… gotta love living in Germany. <3

Ryan
x

First Snow. :]

…at last!

Hopefully it snows enough for a White Christmas. ;]
Ryan
x

 

Interested in Innsbruck?

Not so much as I am, for sure. I have a little crush on Austria, I’m not going to lie. Ever since wandering by in April, I’ve craved a trip to one of Österreich’s gorgeous cities.

A country of culture, Innsbruck certainly doesn’t let down that reputation. Heading off with my host mum, Sam and that gorgeous French girl from the day before, we stopped numerous times on the way to take in the gorgeous views of the Bavarian Alps. :]

Some of the lovely little stops included Ettal Abbey, Klais and Swarovski Kristallwelten (Crystal World).

We eventually made it to Innsbruck’s centre just before sunset, and had enough time to head up to Hungerburg with a cable railway, where we visited a tiny little Christmas Market claiming to be at the highest altitude of any in Austria. From that point, we could peer over the vast valley that was Innsbruck.

Here are some of the photos from our adventurous day!

Lots of love from snowy Europe,
Ryan
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Glass case of emotion… with snow as an appetiser.

Tonight marked the beginning of the end. My lovely time here in Germany is rapidly soaring by, and to make the most of it, I’ve begun organizing goodbye dinner’s and what not. This evening I “enjoyed” the first of many goodbyes to be had, strongly holding back the tears.

Being an exchange student at this point in time is tough, especially at Christmas, the time when we’d be with our families back home. Currently I’m stuck in a “glass case of emotion”… I’m torn between home and, you guessed it, my new home. It’s strange though… i’ve had homesickness (although not extreme) for the past month and I’m quite glad to return to Sydney and get on with my old life, but the thing is, I’ve loved living in Germany and I’m not sure if I want to give that up. Bit of a pickle if you ask me.

All I can do is not count down the days, but make every single moment count… so it was quite nice to see the first snowflakes of winter on my way to dinner this evening… it seemed even Mother Nature was celebrating my time here in Europe. :]

There was some lovely photos we took during the evening, and I even scored myself some free pasta! Concluding the evening, we slowly wandered through the thin layer of white to the nearby Christmas Markets and snapped a few more shots, taking advantage of the small crowds. A lovely evening to be had!

For all the other exchange students starting to say goodbye, we’ve all got each other when we get back home… it ain’t all that bad. ;]
So buck up the strength, we’re almost home.

Ryan
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Weather or not to go outside [Animails #4]

Animails Update No. 4

Many exchange students worldwide, particularly those from the Southern Hemisphere, would be well aware of this feeling below…
Being completely oblivious to how cold it can get in Europe.

Gotta love Kim’s work. ;]

Ryan :]
x

Snow, a hut and 30 or so exchange students…

This past weekend I’ve spent my time catching up with the new exchange students in my district, all in a hut in the mountains near Obertsdorf in Southern Bavaria. :]

We got up to some wild adventures during our two nights…
Upon arrival there was our first Schneeballschlacht – snowball fight – and it became an all out war with truces being made between a Kiwi at one point “in honour of the ANZAC’s”. ;] That night we got into the grub – some heavy pasta around the dinner table.

Breakfast however wasn’t all that… some slices of meat and bread. But having to shower with all the others was something a little different. Even after six years of boarding school I found it to be something quite strange; I’m used to having a shower curtain. So I think it’s safe to say we’ve all gotten to know each other quite well ;]

After freshening up for the day ahead, we were informed of the death-defying journey we would soon be facing… an hours march through the freezing snow… but we all had fun pretending to be wolves, throwing even more snowballs, and making some pretty little snow angels. Oh yeah, and we hiked across a river where the water was ice cold. Good times. Good times.

That night it was time to learn some names… so we played a few stupid games. And I really do mean stupid games. For example, we sat in a circle and had to repeat everyones names and their favourite thing / thing to do: “I’m Ryan, and I like fish”. (Which we all know is a lie) ;]

We got even cozier later on when we discussed host families and any troubles we’d been having the past year in a “Candlelight discussion”. We discussed German food, the oddities of the language and even the weather. :]

So that last night turned out to be even more fun… Kim and I played a little game, soon to be joined by the others after we danced the night away to some deliciously trashy club music… and a ridiculous (a.k.a. way over the top) amount of Latin Music. With Leila and Naomi both behind the camera lens, we were the two models following our photographers’ directions. I think we did well…. we took well over 100 photos of absolute shit… definitely good enough for Vogue… ;]

So that was a night to remember… and then we woke up and a whole new adventure kicked off. Sunday meant we had to all pack our crap together and say “see you in Berlin” to everybody, jump on our trains and head home. But, being amazing english speakers, we all headed to our beloved English Cinema in Munich and watched A Midnight in Paris starring Owen Wilson and Marion Cotillard, among others. Good film, great time laughing at its faults. Can’t wait to do it all again.

I’ve fallen in love with the new exchange students, and I miss the oldies like hell, but the one thing that keeps me going is knowing I’ve still got tons of Germany to see. And I intend on doing just that… even if I do end up getting “accidentally” hit in the face with a water bottle whilst on the train to Munich. Thanks for that Little Miss Ontario Representative. It hurt A LOT!

Love you still.
Love you all. Newbies, Oldies and everyone in between. :]

Ryan
x

Switzerland (Holiday Pt. 1)

This is what a valley in Switzerland looks like. Please hold your applause till the end of the show.

A Swiss Valley featuring Aumersee (Lake Aumer).

Not only was the scenery breathtaking, but the entire stay within Flims, Switzerland served fruitful, meeting intriguing new experiences around every corner. The food was something which deserves its own paragraph. So here goes… :]

Beginning with a five course meal in a restaurant with an equal amount of stars, the dishes were phenomenal. Truly exempt from ordinary cuisine, each course served as functional, and delectable, art, despite the portions being proportionally overpriced. Yet, I still can’t look back in regret at eating every speck of food to be discovered on my plates. On another evening we relished in traditional Swiss fondue. An amazing cream cheese with a slight bitter twist. Yummo! Freshly baked bread was a given. Dessert was chocolate fondue with fresh fruits and I can safely say it was the BEST chocolate I’ve had the experience of eating. One last fond memory was of this hidden gem in a nearby town. Food was more amazing than the last two nights put together and the waitress / owner was the most lovely of Swiss people I’d ever met.

What do you think…? Jealous?

I miss the food! It was so good!

The first weeks on this new planet…

Ok, so it’s not exactly a new planet, or a planet at all, but arriving just after mid-winter in Europe definitely felt unworldly to me. Never before have I seen snow in bundles. I’ve been to the ski resorts in New South Wales (no naming names), but I’m quite sure that tourists are aware they’re skiing on illegitimate snow produced daily by golden yellow snow machines. Here it’s fresh. And everywhere!

Take Image A:

It's Snow. Fresh Snow. (Yeah that was a poor attempt at a James Bond parody).

This is a depiction of my lovely town of Augsburg, Germany, two days after my arrival. What a great welcome. Can’t you tell that the car on the right is honking its horn and saying “Wilkommen bei Augsburg”? No? Than clearly you’re more talented than me and can talk to animals as Eliza Thornberry can, whilst I chit-chat with automobiles and other unfriendly inanimate objects. Oh look, a lawnmower.

See what this land has done to me? All the snow and ice has frozen my brain. But, I’m beginning to acclimatise. :] Thank the lord. Or should I be thanking Mother Nature..? :s