Austria...kangaroo free!: Lantern Hike

St. Mary’s has several scheduled events for us while we’re here that are included either with our tuition [which is still more than $100/hour cheaper than JMLS…love it!] or with our hotel. That’s right Heather Noonan although you sent some 5 or more e-mails STRESSING that we are not staying in a hotel here. To my surprise, when I drove up, what were the words attached to the outside of my ‘dorm’, but Hotel Karwendel. Seriously…if the name of the place is Hotel Karwendel I really don’t think you’re dressing it up by saying that it’s the Haus Karwendel. And…while I’m on this kick, Mama, that may be why you can’t find it on the Internet, because it’s not Haus Karwendel, but Hotel Karwendel.

Anyway…back on task…last night a lantern hike was included with our trip. The buses picked us up at the Karwendel and took us partway up the mountain and then we ‘hiked’ the rest of the way to a restaurant/beer garden. And people…I use ‘hike’ in the loosest sense of the word. The only thing that made this stroll up a paved steep incline even the remotest bit strenuous is that we had to stay behind our 60+ year old ‘guide’ who walked at a snails pace. Seriously…I think if Tommy could have gotten out of his bed during the last 6 months of his life he would have ‘whipped his as*’ up the incline like he used to when he was at AYC! Anyway…we were all carrying our cameras [of course there were plenty of picture perfect moments] and maybe a lantern.

Needless to say some of the type-A’s…a/k/a law school students were a little more eager than others to get up the hill. And yes…put on your surprise faces Wick, Daddy, Will and Mama, I am one of the more laid back students. In fact…there’s a girl here who I could have sworn was born later than 1990…a regular Doogy Houser who has no regard for personal space! She was ‘nipping at my heals’ for a ton of the ‘stroll’….meaning, she was hitting me in the ankles with her lantern so I had to get as far away from her as possible.

Forgot to mention that Innsbruck is the only city to have had the winter Olympics more than once and the paved road up ran right through the downhill course.

I took some pictures, but I’m not sure they do it justice. The first one is the downhill picture, almost at the end of the course and next is the portion right after the big turn right before the end of the run.

Notice the barbed wire in the first picture, which is removed during the winter months so this area can be skiied, but during the summer months is used to keep the cows in line!

When we finally reached the top, it was great fun. The views of Innsbruck were spectacular which I attribute to the beautiful, cloudless day we had. And, they got even better as the sun went down. We spent some time socializing and then went up for some music. I took some pictures and even a video, so check it out.

Here is a view with the sun just setting.

This is Meredith, me and Jennifer. They both go to Texas Tech.

And then someone thought it would be fun to take shots of schnaps, except they failed to tell us we were basically shooting golden grain.

It was quite possibly the grossest shot I've ever taken, which includes the low level tequila that was poured into my mouth by a bartender in Tijuana!

After the singing was over and it was finally dark, we lit the lanterns and headed down the hill. I must say although I thought the ‘hike’ up was harder, it may actually have been harder to stay away from the drunk retards carrying fire with kerosene. Seriously…did the leader not know that he was leading a bunch of future lawyers up a hill and then handing them, many half drunk or more, a potential fire bomb. Not a good idea, but it does go along with the recurring European theme….”we, unlike America, do not ensure everyone from everything and just try to sue us and see what you recover.” Ha!

Of course I had to take some pics right before the decent. Don't we all look like we've signed our lives away and are all sober enough to be carrying fire down the mountain? Did I mention Austria is AWESOME?!!!