You’ve probably seen people doing it, you’ve probably scoffed at them. It’s called Nordic Walking but I prefer the more literal translation of Stick Walking. That is, walking with sticks.
I myself have scoffed at people doing it. Now, why on earth would you go walking with sticks when you can just walk, or run? Surely it’s just an old person’s sport for people that need help walking?
That was until I tried it.
My first winter, I had exactly one.
In retrospect, it wasn’t that bad. Though at the time, pretty traumatic.
I scraped the car windows and drove out of the slippery, ice covered parking lot. So far, so good. The weather conditions weren’t bad, but I had a 45 minute drive on the autobahn… and as I found out, conditions can change a lot.
Magical, magical snow. That’s how it feels to us desert-dwellers. I mean, I’ve always been a skier, so I like snow, and I’m under no illusions as to what it’s actually like… it’s cold and it’s wet… but of course, it is beautiful and magical and the idea of a moonlight, snowy European walk is enchanting.
Coming into winter upon my arrival in Austria I was a bit worried about becoming a hermit who wouldn’t leave the house! And so knowing how much I loved dogs, and missed my own in Australia, my lovely boyfriend organised for me to walk dogs at the local shelter. This not only made me (and the dogs) happy, but also motivated me to get out of the house for some fresh air on those really cold, winter days. So here’s my current top three dogs!
Swimming is not big in Austria. Sure, there are people that do it, but not that many. Well, what did I expect from a land-locked country anyway? In Australia it seems like there is a pool every 5km – that is definitely not the case in Austria.
My first swim alone was a bit of an adventure.
I like running. It’s easy, it’s quick and it doesn’t cost anything. And it’s something you can always do – you just have to rug up, right? Wrong.
Turns out we didn’t have a particularly cold winter this year in Austria (that’s what they tell me), but it was plenty cold enough for me! Though I managed to keep a pretty consistent outdoor running schedule I did spend quite a few days inside on the X-trainer!
Living in a valley surrounded by beautiful mountains is very scenic, but it does have its downfalls. In winter we don’t get much wind (bonus), but that also means that we’re often shrouded in clouds, with no wind to blow them away (anti-bonus). But if you know that somewhere up there the sun is shining, all you have to do is jump in the car and drive up a small mountain until you pop out!
I can ice skate to a reasonable level, but never got the chance very often in Melbourne, what with the few ice skating rinks we have. Maybe three?
But in Winter in Austria it’s easy. YOU JUST ICE SKATE ON A FROZEN LAKE. We are surrounded by lakes and mountains so it’s pretty easy to find one, hire a pair of skates and go for a few quick laps. The day we went was beautiful and sunny. I found it a little daunting to step onto an ice covered lake, but the 14 inch thick ice block they’d carved out to check the depth earlier that day was quite reassuring, as was the car driving round and around on it, smoothing out the ice.
Despite the fact I’m from Australia, I am an avid skier. So skiing was on my list of ‘must-dos’ for winter. Unfortunately, I seem to have shacked up with the only Austrian who ‘doesn’t really like skiing anymore’. An oversight on my part. However, he was still willing to take me, given he knew how much I loved it.
When I first arrived in early November it was just starting to get cold. I must admit I was feeling uninspired to get outside and be active but given I had no job, and huge chunks of my day to fill, inevitably I turned to exercise.
an aussie in austria 