Fruit Salad and Mixed Veg

Long weekends are the perfect opportunity to do something. Last weekend was a long weekend, so my favourite German and I decided to go to the mountains in south Germany. I had always wanted to try hitchhiking...and since there was nothing stopping us from hitchhiking, we hitchhiked.

On Thursday morning we packed our backpacks, found a piece of cardboard and a thick pen, and stood on the side of the Auto Bahn.



1. Where do you want to go? Write it down!
2. Stand on side of road
3. Arm out...
4. Wait.....wait...
5. Are you bored? Ok, decorate your sign with some flowers and smiley faces



In Australia, hitchhiking has a bad name ever since one man provided a lift to some backpackers and then decided to kill them in a forest. Our experiences were far from scary. Hitch hiking is fun. It's fun to stand on the side of the road and see the facial expressions of the people in the cars, driving past. Some people smile and laugh, some people shake their heads and indicate that there is no space in their car (the backseats are EMPTY!).

We traveled in five cars, before we reached Austria. A red van, a black Ford, a lift from a Russian guy, then a lift in a hippie van (well, it was a normal van, but the woman had dreadlocks) and then in a LandRover. The man in the LandRover was driving to Austria, and we decided to go to Austria too. Why not? Austria is just over there *points*.

Back to the view of many 'Hitchhiking is dangerous'. Have you ever tried hitchhiking? There wasn't one point in the trip that we felt threatened. Crossing the road in the morning is more dangerous, smoking is more dangerous...many things are more dangerous than hitchhiking.


My first view of PROPER mountains.


So, then we were in Austria, on the side of a road, with views of mountains covered in green trees and snow. It's a really beautiful place. We weren't sure if camping was allowed in the mountains. We're still not sure if it is allowed. However, we saw no signs so we set up camp in a forest, between the trees, next to a little creek.


I had my first lesson in 'How to build a tent'


The next day we decided to climb a mountain, the Kohlbergspitze, 2202m high. I have, for a long time, wanted to climb a real mountain. I under estimated the effort, strength and power needed to climb a mountain! It is HARD WORK! I am slow, weak and unfit Put a backpack on me, and I'm slower!

Walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk BREAK walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk BREAK walk walk walk TRIP OVER walk walk walk walk walk walk STOP BECAUSE IT IS RAINING, SHELTER UNDER TREE, PUT ON RAIN TROUSERS wait wait wait SUN COMES OUT walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk OOOO A SPRING WITH WATER walk walk walk walk walk walk OOOO A LITTLE HUT! walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk BREAK walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk AHHHH THE TOP....NOPE, THERE IS STILL MORE walk walk walk walk GRR THERE'S SLIPPERY SNOW IN THE WAY AND NOW WE HAVE TO WALK AROUND IT! walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk AHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH THE TOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

After 4 or so hours of hard work, we reached the top. All the effort required to go to the top was definitely worth it. I had never been so high before! The view was amazing, like something I had only ever seen in tourist brochures. We could see so far and wide and there were even clouds below us. We were also the first people to sign the visitor's book this year


Girl who has never climbed a mountain before, is amazed by snow


Me on the top!






Possibly the highest, most out of focus ANZAC biscuit ever?


What goes up must come down. On the way down, we stopped at the hunter's hut where we decided to camp.




The kitchen at the hut. There we cooked bread and roasted marshmellows


View from the kitchen


The next day we climbed the rest of the way down the mountain. We then wandered over to a lake. First, we stopped for icecream at a camping ground, full of grey haired, sunburnt tourists, spending the inheritance of their grandchildren. When I am old and grey haired, I hope to not be one of these tourists. The water in the lake was very cold, but that doesn't stop Germans from swimming in it!




The last night, we camped in a meadow, with the tent between blue, yellow, white and pink flowers.




Sunday morning, after a hearty breakfast of bread rolls and sausage at the petrol station, we stood on the side of the road once again. After perhaps five minutes, we were in a car on the way to Germany.


It was a wonderful weekend!