First I went to the office where I was told I could pick up my Aufenthaltstitel (residency permit), but because I hadn't turned in my Meldezettel (register my address with the city- not a direct translation), and it's not October (?), I couldn't get it yet. However, now I know exactly where I need to go in that huge building, and the woman was actually very nice and interested in what I'm doing. Then I went to the Rathaus (city hall) to turn in my Meldezettel, the woman there was also very nice and chatty, but unfortunately I didn't know my apartment number (it wasn't provided in my lease) and I couldn't remember my landlords name (oops!). So I have to go back tomorrow. The third thing on my list was going to the ÖBB (the Austrian train company) office and getting a Vorteilskarte (discount rail card) and a Monatskarte (Month ticket) but they were closed when I stopped there (at 10:45), and by the time they reopened I had decided to go for a hike.
I was really pleasantly surprised by how nice all the office people were, it's a much different experience than I had in Graz. I was so nervous starting out this morning, but in the end (even though I got nothing done) I was really pleased with myself (and my German). Now I know where to go, and I won't be so nervous going back!
I remembered another helpful tip for any of you who will be visiting Austria: DON'T WALK ON RED! When you're at a crosswalk with lights you must wait until it turns green to go, even if there's not a car in sight, DON'T WALK! Otherwise if your at a crosswalk, without lights, just go for it! You barely even have to look before you cross (although I always do). Cars always stop for pedestrians, even if they're not in the crosswalk yet. So far I haven't quite gotten into the habit of just going yet, so I've pissed a few drivers off who stop at the crosswalk and wave me across because I'm standing there waiting for them...oops!
Something else that I've been noticing in my wanderings through town is how green Baden is. There are trees lining almost every street (which is why from the hill tops around here the town looks about like a forest), and there are city planted flower beds along many of the streets as well. Most people here have a very tiny space for their lawn/garden, but anyone who has space has a tree, a bush, and flowers (lots of really incredible roses).
The route I took (roughly), according to MapMyWalk.com it's about 6.5 miles.
Alright, so now to tell you about my hike! To start it off I knew I'd probably want a snack break somewhere in the middle, so I took an apple with me, and I stopped at what is now my favorite bakery (because its one of the few non chains in town) and got a Marille Kuchen (apricot cake). Apricots are really big here, and anything with Marillen is always delicious, *hint hint* Cafe 27 ;). I had checked out my maps before leaving my apartment, and I planned to hike out to a castle ruins, then through the woods and down into the Kurpark. I did exactly that, only I took the wrong path at some point, and ended up going much farther up the hills and into the woods than I had planned. The first part of the hike up to the ruins was amazing, it went right along the hillside, so you could see out across the valley. I didn't take as many pictures as I wanted to because my battery was dying, but I'll do that part of the hike again for sure! The ruins themselves are HUGE, I can't believe they built such a huge structure on top of a cliff way up on a hillside, needless to say, they were pretty safe up there. Those of you who have traveled with me (or read about my travels) will know that climbing around in ruins (not restored ruins, but actually crumbling-around-you-ruins) is one of my favorite things to do here in Europe. These were real ruins, and there were so many different areas to go in, and 1/2 missing stone steps to climb... it was great! Climbing to the top of the enormous tower on the wooden ladder/stairs they installed (maybe in the 80s?)... not so great, especially coming down... but the view from the top was worth it once, I won't be doing that again.
Anyway, I continued on my way up the path...and up...and then I stopped and ate my cake... and up... and up, until I was at the top of the hill (Just for you mom! But I couldn't see any mountains on top because there were too many trees). By the time I got to the top I was pretty much ready to be done, so I started following the signs toward the Kurpark. Little did I realize how far away I was to begin with, and how big that damn park really is! In the map above it just shows the park as that little green strip where 5 is, but really it starts up closer to number 4. It took my awhile to realize just how far off from my planned route I was, but as I entered the Kurpark and consulted my map again I knew that I wasn't where I thought I was... hows that for confusing! It took a long time to get out of the park because there's really no direct, clear route out. I ended up doing a lot of zigging and zagging, but some of the views from up there were great and I was able to snap a few pictures, but I don't know how they look compared to what I saw.
Now I'm home, drinking some wine (which I find goes well with blogging) and thinking about making dinner. My camera is charging, and as soon as its done I'll post the pictures from today, I hope they convey at least a little bit of the great views I saw! Oo, and I have a Schoki Croissant and an Apfelstrudel...one of which I'll be enjoying tonight, I couldn't resist buying more bakery on my way home.
Tomorrow: Actually turn in my Meldezettel, go to the ÖBB, and hike to the ruins on the other side of the valley.
I am so glad to get to follow your adventures. To get in the right spirit, I will have a glass of wine with your blogs. Love ya
ReplyDelete