25 - 31 August 2008

The Catholics certainly seem to put some effort into their religion. Justine joined Jan, 2000 others and the Maria Alm band (carrying their instruments, tubas and bass drums included) on Saturday for a 20 kilometre, 9 hour, 1300m up, 1500m down, pilgrimage to St Bartholomä Church on the Königssee, across the Steinernes Meer. Climbing the treacherous mountain path to the Riemannhaus (2177m) in the black of night to get to a communion service at 8.00am certainly gets everyone praying - that they will just make it alive. Towards the end of the whole ordeal subsequent prayers are for helicopter rescue, or deliverance through death. Next time she thinks she'll just opt for a couple of hours of self-flaggelation.

18 - 24 August 2008

Inspired by the Olympics (and the fact that the local council had organised some sporting activities to prevent Summer holiday boredom and consequent decline into malevolent behaviour), everyone has been swimming, climbing, nordic walking, skateboarding, breakdancing, golfing, footballing, tennising, tae kwon do - ing and karateing. At 10 euros per week for a full timetable of activities it worked out a bit cheaper than the 41 billion dollars spent on the Olympics.

11 - 17 August 2008

Maria Alm's church, with the tallest spire in Salzburgerland, dominates the skyline and almost every aspect of village life. The bells chime every quarter hour all through the day until 11.00pm and then generously let us lie in until 6.00am when we are woken daily by a vigorous peal. The church is obviously concerned about the spiritual well-being of local catering staff who are busy serving breakfast on a Sunday morning and dinner at evening mass. But there's no excuse and no escape when all the chefs, bartenders, waiters and waitresses are rounded up, still in uniform, and marched off to church at 10.45pm to celebrate the feast day of St Lawrence, their patron saint. He was martyred, in 258, by being slowly burned on a grid iron; apparently he told his torturers "Turn me over for I am cooked on this side".

4 - 10 August 2008

It's good to be back in Maria Alm with the feeling that this is definitely where we want to make our home for the foreseeable future. It's also good to know that nothing really changes in a year and that most of the things we love about England will stand the test of time, (apart from maybe friends and family!), and we will hold them dear until our eventual return some day.

28 July - 3 August 2008

A near perfect day (well, for Simon that is). We searched out a ringing practice on Saturday morning, and were invited to ring at a wedding that afternoon. With a few hours to spare we happened to chance upon open day at Brede Pumping Station - not only one, but two 14 ton fly wheels on a beam engine!!! Cornish pasty for lunch and then we earnt £24 ringing for a wedding (that's a whole days work for a ski instructor). Finished off with fish and chips on the sea front and to bed in a tent in the pouring rain! Bliss!