Trip to Austria, SNOWBOARDING TIME!

For my 43rd Birthday I decided I wanted to do something we havent ever tried before. So we set out on a 3 day trek to Vienna, Austria to do a little sight seeing and try our hand at snowboarding. Lord help me!
I rented our gear from the Outdoor Rec center on post.  Man they have a load of snow gear! Skis, snowboards, snow shoes, all the bindings and boots, helmets, ski suits, everything you need to rent to see if you want to commit to buying your own.  If you have your own gear they also offer waxing and set up service for your equipment.

 It was a 4hr trip from our house in Germany to Vienna.  Once we crossed the river into Austria there was a truck stop where you could get a vignette sticker, You need vignette stickers in most European countries to pay for road taxes, they are priced by length of stay.  In Austria the lowest was a 7 day vignette for €8.50.

We booked an entire apt for the two nights through www.airbnb.com.  It is a great app for phone but has better features for PCs, you can book entire houses, private rooms or shared rooms all across the world, great places in the US also!  So if you travel check it out, or if you live in a heavily visited city and are leaving for vacation try listing your place on the site. We booked this 1 bedroom apt 10 min from downtown Vienna for $57 a night.

We walked around downtown for a little while but had to meet the lady at the apartment to get the key at 6pm so all we really got to tour was St Stephens Cathedral.

 Built 1137-1160 Gothic style St Stephens Cathedral

 The most recognizable feature of this church is the 230,000 colored tiles that adorn the roof.  

 A beautiful church that did not receive any major damage during WWII. The inside was beautiful and statues where everywhere throughout the columns and walls of the church. 

 The main pipe organ above the entrance is HUGE, if you look on the two sides the organ is held up by two Angels.  You cant see it in the picture but the pipe organ has two separate pieces on either side of the entrance as well

 Very detailed columns, and beautiful arched ceiling

 one of the 18 altars in the church, still set up with a nativity scene from Christmas.

 Wiener Neustadter Altar built in 1447, it was restored to its original glory in 1985 and took 20 years, 10 workers, 40,000 man hours and €1.3 million to restore.

 The main Altar.  Its not very clear I had to take the pic from way off because they had it blocked off.

Wider view of main Altar.

We walked thru the huge permanent outdoor market, Fresh Hand made pastas! We passed probably 6-10 of them.

 Fresh anti-pastas, cheeses and smoked meats too.

 The fruit stands where bountiful and very fresh looking.

 A picture of downtown Vienna before we left.

 We got up Sat morning and made our hour drive South East of Vienna to Semmering, Austria. The area was beautiful, the Alps having some decent snow.  I bought mine and Jonahs lift tickets and kim positioned herself for the show.

 Although we fell quite often we soon got the hang of it by watching others.

 Balance is the key.....Snowboarding is NOT like surfing or skateboarding. 

 After an hour or so Jonah and I could go straight and kinda stop........turning was the issue.

 Most of the hill was hard packed but one area had some softer snow and we could turn in it.

 That is a look of pure determination........................and exhaustion!

This is my first try at video upload, we didnt get much video footage but here is a clip of Jonah working it.

We had a great time, I had a fantastic 43rd birthday and we are definitely gonna do this again, maybe with professional lessons next trip.

Our new toy

So Germany has a regulation for US Troops against bringing privately owned weapons into Germany. Don't get me wrong you can bring them over if you want to go through a dog and pony show and ALOT of red tape.

AE Regulation 190-6 says:
"It is prohibited to bring firearms into the Federal Republic of Germany until they are properly registered with U.S. Forces and German authorities. This cannot be done prior to being stationed here and completing the German Firearms requirements."

so if you do decide to get your FBI background check and approval from your first O-5 in your chain of command you can fill out the paperwork and then you:
 "Obtain a German Hunting License (Jagdschein) by attending and passing a local U.S. Forces Rod and Gun Club sponsored German Hunting Course, or obtain a Sport Shooter's Permit (Waffenbesitzkarte). The Jagdschein establishes need for rifles and shotguns and up to two pistols."
Once you complete all of this you can have a "authorized licensed gun dealer" mail them to you in Germany. Then after you register them with your local German town and with the MPs you are good to go. WHEW!!


This all seems like a lot to mess with if you just want something to protect your family with.  So after a little reading a research I figured out you do not need any special authorization or requirements for this.........

Yep that is our new toy/home security, its a PSE discovery 2 compound bow.  I chose this model at the Archery store because it can be used by all of us in the house.  It does not have a cam lock, it has a constant 30lb draw strength so it can be fired from any draw length up to 30".  Which for those who are clueless like we were, Jonah at age 10, kim and I can all 3 shoot this with out it having to be re adjusted to each individual person.  For me it pulls real easy I can fully extend my arm and have a proper draw with no issues. 

Here is Jonah with the professional at the Bow shop teaching him proper techniques.  He did very well. Although with the constant weight on the string he fired about 5-6 times and got tired.

If you look back at the first pick we also bought 2 FLU FLU twister arrows. These are urban backyard arrows.  The extra large fluffy flights on them slow the arrow down considerably when fired.  The sales clerk said to put a couple of rocks in a milk jug and have someone throw it in the air and try to shoot it with the FLU FLU arrows.  If you tried that with a normal arrow and missed there is no telling how far that arrow would go.

 

So what personal protection items do you prefer if you cant take a firearm?