Kleinwalsertal

So, I left that last ski trip post on such a sour note. We had another ski trip, with another ski group (this one German...yikes!) the weekend immediately after Zell Am See. Steve's friend, Miles (the one on the right) has lived here for 15 years, speaks fluent German, hangs out with the Germans and they had a couple extra spots, so we took them.

We didn't even unpack - well, except to wash our almost unused ski gear. We were definitely apprehensive about going with another large group.

We awoke at 3:00am - guh - to meet the bus departing at 4:30am. Steve failed to inform me of this little detail until after we were paid in full. This was probably a smart move because I would never have agreed - and it actually turned out to be not that bad at all. We slept on the bus (why I can't do this on an airplane is beyond me) and - it was great because we arrived just in time to eat breakfast at the top and hop on our skis at 10:00am. So we got three days of skiing with only one day of vacation from work - not bad.

We were pleased as we approached Kleinwalsertal to see that there was, in fact, snow on the ground. The snow was not bad. It snowed on us a little the first day and was gray, but really not that cold. The next day we went a few minutes down the road to Mittelberg where Hans (our new-found ski buddy and friend) said the views were nicer and the crowds, smaller. He was definitely right about the view. I don't know if the Alps are actually prettier than the Rockies or if it's just because they're The Alps, but it was this - in all directions.

The skiing was fun - I don't know if my legs have ever been so sore. I don't know if it's because I was trying desperately to not be the last one down every run or if it's because I was 5 days shy of my 30th birthday :( but I was so sore.

The Germans were good to us. They were so gracious and always wanted to know if we were having a good time, if we were okay. We made a few new friends and probably picked up a new word or two, had some amazing food and skiied our little hearts out....until next year...