This Must be the Place

If I had to sum up the last week in only a few words, those words would be friends, food, snow and single malt scotch. If I had the opportunity to sum up the last week with more then words, well, than it would probably go something like this…

I just recounted the last 7 days to my friend Irene over a Steirerschnitzel at Cafe Retro and while doing so it occurred to me, again, how much the last few weeks have rocked. Nice realization, eh? Seriously, there has been so much to do that it has me reeling but I’m going to try and stop spinning for a minute and catch you up. When last I left you, I had had a well-marinated night of country rock at the PMK followed by a day of lounging. That night I dragged myself up and out into the world for the annual X-mas party at the Workstation. I was early or everybody I knew was late…either way I sat alone with my beer for a good hour and a half taking in the basement and reminiscing of a similar basement I sat in once outside Kansas City for my first (and only) taste of Dinosaur Junior.  Friends finally rolled in right around the time I was ready to roll out but I stayed for a little QT and a super funny photo shoot.

Wanna see some more pix?  Click here for the whole silly set.  What started out as a boring party ended up being a fun night filled with quality time with good people.  Im looking forward to a reason to return to the Workstation…something about it made me all nostalgic for the good old days and super grungy rock and roll.  Good conversation and existential thoughts about life, love and the plight of being a human in the world saw me watch the sun come up…theme that would continue the following day/night.

After not enough sleep I grabbed only half the stuff I was supposed to and headed to Kufstein for X-mas mit Niamh.  Her digs make me feel like Im back in Woodbury, Vermont so, yet again, the nostalgia was thick and sweet like honey.  Everybody was on task to cook something yummy and I whipped up my signature risotto…Butternut Squash, Toasted Hazelnut and Sage risotto.  Fortunately Hermann was able to fill in 99% of the gaps that I couldnt (all except the ukulele, naturally) and things came together.  Dinner was part vegan, part vegetarian and totally delicious…a feast that sees everybody slouched in their chairs, asleep on the couch and holding thier bellies.  Really fun stuff.  After dinner we gathered around the tree for gifts and irish coffee made by a stellar hostess and real lass from the Emerald Isle.  It was so warm and comfy and fun…There are lots of photos which you can see here, but these are a few of my favorites.

Somewhere after the Irish Coffee things got mellower until it was just N, Dirk, Renee and I drinking whiskey and making, or at least trying, to make music.  Niamh was amazing on guitar and she also sings like a bird…had the ukulele made the journey it would had the potential to be a nice little session.  Im still not sure, though, whether or not the fact that whiskey allows me the courage to sing accapella is a good thing.  Jury is out on that one.  I ended up watching the sun come up over Kufstein and then heading back to Innsbruck.

My walk around Langekampfen before I headed out yielded some odd photos…this was an insane gnome I found.

On Saturday I had a nice visit with B wandering around the woods below the Alpen Zoo before heading to….can you believe it??…another feast!  This time curry chez Elisabeth.  It was quite a feast she prepared and I was lucky to be one of the 11 people attending :) Can you handle more food porn and party people?  Click here for the whole set.

We should take a breather here.  Perhaps something like an after-dinner constitutional, a metaphorical walk around the block or something.  A pause to let us digest these very fulfilling days.  I have a nice idea for a pause.  A relevant song for the moment and a treat anytime.  Naive Melody by the Talking Heads live at the Cape Cod Coliseum circa 1983.  Don’t see the player?  (click here).

Ok.  That was nice, wasn’t it?  Where was I?  Sunday…I was on Sunday.  The sun was shining something fierce so the cold, white balnkets on the mountains were gleaming and the sky was crazy blue. Chris and I headed out of town for my first day of Rodlen.  Rodlen is basically what sledding wishes it was.  We hiked up for about 2 hours before arriving at the Jufien Alm stopping along the way to dodge the people sliding down and to take in the view.  Arriving at the tiny, tiny hut was totally satisfying for the warmth, the Käseknödelsuppe and for the view of a lavendar sky that slipped into the valley just after dusk.  We had the ‘bahn’ pretty much to ourselves on the AWESOME ride down so I let ‘er rip and discovered that I like speed.  I might be a natural on the Rodle but that didn’t stop me from taking a good number of faceplants…and some ‘assplants’ too if that’s what they’re called.  We toasted the super-funness  with some delicious single malt and Queens of the Stone Age before I came home to sleep off my bumps and (many) bruises.  Here’s the link for all the pix and a couple of my favorites.

Today was back to business, in the sense that I wasn’t frolicking or eating my way across Tirol, and tomorrow promises more sunshine and more rodlen.  The saying for Happy New Year here is “Guten Rutsch” which basically means have a good slide into the New Year…this year Im taking that literally.