Happy New Years from Bregenz, Austria to all our family and friends from Native Journeys. May 2016 bring you many fun filled adventures and lots of happiness!
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Category Archives: Austria
Pagan Party in Bregenz, Austria, 11-2015
Ore Ore! It’s the 11th month, the 11th day, and 11:11 and the Bregenz market place is alive with the sounds of a brass and a Guggamusik band, a costumed drill team, and high spirited participants are dressed in a variety of colorful costumes. The occasion is the official beginning of the yearly Fasching or Carnival season when the mayor of the city symbolically hands over the keys of the city to the newly elected “Prince of Fasching” and speeches are made by local politicos associated with the Carnival activities that will last through Shrove Tuesday. Many celebrations take place during this “fifth season” whose roots hail back to pagan times and is observed with festivities such as lavish parties and masquerade balls. The greatest revelry takes place during Carnival week beginning with “Fat Thursday” followed by the city parade that happens on Carnival Sunday. The grand finale takes place on Rose Monday when the inner city parties the day away before Ash Wednesday marks the end of the season and Lent commences the time for fasting and reflection. But until then it’s a time to make merry, eat sweet Krapfen cakes, and drink hot spiced Glühwein. Ore Ore!
Franz in the City, Vienna, Austria, 10-2015
A calmness settles over Vienna in autumn. The swarms of tourists have returned home and the locals receive a reprieve before the onslaught of winter winds blow in from the Puszta steppe. Franz and I had travelled to the former capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire to attend the exhibition Transducing the City. My son and his colleague were showing their video installation Hidden Noise. It was a creative evening and following the opening enjoyed ourselves at a Viennese wine bar called Vinothek W-Einkehr. The wine selections were extensive and the company unsurpassed. The intimate bar exudes a distinct Viennese vibe that cannot be recreated anywhere else in the world. The following day our destination was one of my favorite spots in Vienna the bustling Naschmarkt (food market). This open air market has been operating near the same spot since 1780 and has grown from providing local fruits, vegetables, and meat products to offering an immense array of the finest imported products from throughout the world. It is the United Nations of open air food markets. And the vendors themselves reflect that with a diversity of nationalities represented at the exotic food stalls throughout the Naschmarkt. The fragrant spices, colorful displays, and savory aromas entice visitors from far away making this market a true foodie’s delight. Vienna is nourishing for artistic endeavors as well as for the appetite.
http://www.w-einkehr.at
http://www.wien.info/en/shopping-wining-dining/markets/naschmarkt
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The Kool Körbersee, Bregenzerwald, Austria, 7-2015
This summer records throughout Europe hit all time highs. Here in Austria we had the second hottest July ever recorded. Franz and I needed a respite from the sweltering heat by the Bodensee and headed up to the mountains for some high alpine relief. Although it was still warm the temperature did recede and was quite pleasant. Our destination was the Körbersee in the Bregenzerwald. The lovely sound of cow bells clanging in the distance greeted us as we made our way to the cozy Berghotel Körbersee. It’s located on the cool shores of the small lake of the same name. From our room we had a commanding view of the water and the vertical mountain peaks. We had a wonderful time wading in the lake’s refreshing waters and hiking the numerous trails. The meadows were abundant with blooming flowers, busy bees, and tranquil herds of grazing cows. What a relaxing weekend enjoying the fresh air and mountain life. We’ll definitely be back in winter.
http://www.koerbersee.at
Mesozoic Mountain Experience, Lech, Austria, 7-2015
The Sparkling Samina, Austria, 5-2015
Mountains, cascading waterfalls, and the fresh green of spring greeted us as we strolled up the path along the Samina River thoroughly enjoying the alpine spring. Austria is a hikers paradise and almost every week when the weather warms up Franz and I are off exploring the numerous valleys of our region and finding treasures that we had not found the previous year. This past weekend we sought out a hike along the Saminabach a fast flowing river that runs down the Samina Valley that straddles the border to Liechtenstein. The river is around 17 km long and it meets up on the valley floor with the Ill River. My skinny legs look forward to a summer filled with leisurely treks. Happy trails to you!
Ski Tour in the Upper Bregenzerwald, Austria, 2-2015
It was a beautiful winter morning when we drove to Schoppernau and started our ski tour to the Toblermann (http://www.tourenspuren.at/toblermann-2010-m/). We put the skins on our touring skis and started the trek up the mountain, total elevation change was 1140m, over 3700 ft. It got warm quickly, which didn’t bode well for powder on the way down. The landscape was gorgeous as we came out of the valley and saw more and more peaks of the surrounding mountains, int the East the mountains of the Arlberg and in the West the Kanisfluh above Mellau. There were quite a few parties sharing our path, after 2 1/2 hours we reached the top and prepared ourselves for the downhill. My son Stefan and his friend Dominik decided to ski down a bowl while a took photos of them from the ridge. They then hiked back up and we had a short lunch before we started to ski down. The snow got heavy quickly, then mushy and really wet. We were glad when we finally reached the valley floor, but all in all it had been a great outdoor event!
Winter has arrived in Bregenz, Austria, 12-2014
Long faces on December 25th, no white Christmas again! And the weather forecast was cryptic, definitely rain the following day, maybe a little snow, after that it could get warm again. And then to everybody’s surprise it started snowing on the 26th, and it kept on snowing with interruptions until the 29th. Then the heavens really opened their gates: it snowed for two days straight, in total over 1 meter (over 3 feet). I grew up in this town and don’t remember anything like it.
Autumn Mood on the Rhine Delta, Austria, 9-2014
It was the first day of autumn and my favorite time of year. I love the autumn foliage, migrating birds, the harvest, the wine festivals, and the coming truffle season. So in celebration of the first day of the fall season we took a leisurely stroll on the Rhine Delta where it spills out into Lake Constance to take in the migrating birds and the wild grasses. Lake Constance is shared by three countries, Austria, Germany, and Switzerland with the alps as a dramatic backdrop. It’s such a lovely time in our town nestled against the Pfänder mountain when the trees are just beginning to turn vibrant colors before the long winter months. It’s a time of plenty with the harvests in and the bounty of the summer months displayed in full splendor at the local markets filled with squash and pumpkins of all shapes, sizes and varieties. It’s also time for the Austrian Schlachtpartie when the local restaurants offer up a hearty faire of meat varieties such as deer and wild pig dishes served up with dumplings, vegetables and pumpkin soups.
The lake was quiet after the bustle of the summer months and the Bregenzer Festspiele Opera and the tourists had gone home. The sailboaters have begun pulling their boats from the water and stored them for the winter and the last of the rowers made the best of the waning season’s weather. There is a lull before ski season begins so the city enjoys a quiet time during the autumn months. The lake fosters a wide variety of wildlife including 35 species of fish and 412 different species of birds as well as small game such as squirrels, rabbits, and deer. This time of year is a wonderful to view the migrating birds such as ducks, geese, loons, and the occasional stork as well as its permanent residents such as hawks, ducks, swans. The entire lake shore length is 273 kilometers, with 28 km of them in Austria. The lake is an essential drinking water source for the three countries as well as for the unique flora and fauna that rely upon a healthy lake ecosystem. So as the last strong rays of the autumn sun shone we enjoyed a quiet walk along the life giving shores of our lake.
http://www.bregenz.travel/en/vacation-in-bregenz/sights/nature/pfaender/
The Big Cheese Day, Schwarzenberg, Austria, 9-2014
Excitement was in the air as the judges and crowds gathered in the main auditorium in the Bregenzerwald alpine town of Schwarzenberg for the 2014 cheese awards ceremony. Who will be the “Big Cheeses” of the year? This much anticipated judging of the year’s best cheeses that the Bregenzerwald region has to offer are awarded top honors and this means top dollars for the world renowned cheese makers of the region. It is a festival atmosphere in the tiny fairytale town with the local vendors offering up not only cheese but other craft related products such as home made jams and marmelade, home spun loden, and other seasonal offerings.
It was a perfect Indian summer day in September and this Native American was off to taste and buy some of the best cheeses of the year. The previous week the flower laden cows had been brought down from the high Alpe where the cows have pastured during the summer months and the cheese had been made in the Alm huts. Before the first snows the cows decorated with flower wreaths and their handlers decked out in their traditional clothing bring the herds down into the valleys for the winter. They are welcomed back to great fanfare and paraded through the town as the locals and tourists applaud their milky contributions that make the famous cheese possible.
There were 312 cheeses selected representing some of the best cheese makers in the region. The local cheese that’s produced in this area is well known for its high quality and standards that are upheld in their regional techniques. Every summer in the 90 dairy alps the cheese makers collectively hand make 200 tons of cheese. The milk is silofree which means that the cows only eat grass and herbs from the alpine pastures during the summer and through the winter they eat air dried valley hay. This unique three stage farming method in 2011 merited the Bregenzerwald the honor of being inscribed in the Austrian National UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Overall the Bregenzerwald has 17 dairies producing approximately 3,000 tons of alpine cheese. Many awards were given with two gold awards going to the Alpenkäse Bregenzerwald for their Sennerkäse jung (young dairy farm cheese)and their mild Bergkäse (mild mountain cheese aged less than 6 months). They also received a silver award for their Rahmkäse (creamy cheese), and two bronzes for their 6 month aged Wälderkäse (regional cheese), and their Bergkäse würzig (mountain cheese). Many more medals were awarded and it was a great day to celebrate the cheesy delights while lauding the historical knowledge that culminated in today’s techniques employed that date back to the 19th century when it had been in demand by the monarchy and cheese lovers aboard. And today it still is in demand by gourmands throughout the world. A noble calling for its humble beginnings.
http://www.bregenzerwald.at/w/en/bregenzerwald-culinary-delights-region