Report #1:
Today, the Austria exchange group traveled to the Schöckl, a mountain in Graz with an elevation of 4,741 feet. While cable cars run up and down the mountain, allowing for an easy journey up, there are also multiple trails that lead up the mountain as well. About half of the exchange group, along with their Austrian exchange partners, opted for the easy cable car option. However, the other half of the exchange group (myself included), agreed that we really have been eating way too much, so therefore decided to hike up the mountain. Okay I like hiking, I really do, but this hike was almost as bad as the spoonful of 100% liquid cocoa I put into my mouth at the chocolate factory because I didn’t read the label. The trail just went straight up, and the path was made up of just rocks and roots. Luckily however, being the quick thinker I am, I paused many, many times to “take a photo”, which granted me a 5-10 second break from the hiking. I would also like to thank Mother Nature for the rain that occurred halfway through the hike. I’m being completely serious when I say this because it gave me another one-minute break while I put on my rain jacket. After about an hour and twenty minutes of trekking up the mountain, we finally reached the summit. Even though the journey was hard we prevailed, and the views along the way were also very rewarding. At the top we were greeted by our cable car classmates who were finishing up their lunch. Following their lead, the hikers went to the one other restaurant on the mountain to eat and get warm. Contradicting the purpose of the hike, I decided it was time to eat a cheeseburger. While enjoying our meals, several dogs and their owners walked into the restaurant. Even after well over a week of being in Austria, I still forget that it’s completely normal and acceptable for dogs to be allowed in most shops and restaurants here. Anyway, contradicting the purpose of the hike even more, the hikers then ordered some chocolate cake to share. It was so good! Now that our stomachs were fully satisfied, we decided to check out some of the stuff on the mountain. Between the two restaurants, there is ride called the “Hexen Express”. It’s not really a roller coaster, but there’s a metal track that winds down some of the mountain. A cart comes with room for two people, one behind the other. The person sitting in the back has access to two levers. By pushing them both down the cart goes faster, and by pulling them back the cart brakes. Basically everyone just pushes down the levers as hard as they can so they can go really fast on the straights and curves. Eventually the the ride comes to a stop and the cart enters a track that brings you back to the top. After that the exchange group decided it was time to head back to town. While we were really tempted to hike down the steep, rocky mountain, the group made its way toward the cable cars. The view was amazing as we made our way back towards the base of the mountain. You could see all of Graz! Overall the day was great, and I’m excited to see more! ~Rachel M.
A video of the Hexenexpress experience
Report #2
My day started out very different from the majority of the exchange group. I was awoken by the sunlight shining through my bedroom window at 9:30, approximately the time the rest of the group left for the Schöckl. Instead of going with the rest of the group, my exchange student, Paul, along with Isiah and his exchange student, Gabriel, and I decided to play soccer with some other guys from the school. At 11:00, the four of us began the treacherous 1/4 mile journey to the pitch. After a long and hard 3 minutes we arrived at the field. Once the others found their way to the field, teams were selected, and the game began. We played for an hour and a half or so before the match was decided via golden goal. After the game reached its conclusion, Paul and I made our way back to the house for lunch. Paul’s younger brother Emil is being confirmed into the church on Sunday, so many of Paul’s
relatives are in town to attend the service. After eating lunch, a projector was set up in the living room. Once the set-up was completed, the entire family gathered to view photos and videos of Emil’s childhood. The room was constantly filled with reminiscent smiles and much laughter. Soon after, Paul and I joined the rest of the exchange group for dinner at Gruberwirt. That concludes the very busy, yet very enjoyable last Saturday with our exchange students. ~Sam
Great posts! Thanks for the laughs, Rachel, and thanks for stopping so many times during your hike to take photos for the benefit of your readers. (Ha, ha!) – P.B.