9 Hours of Alp Exploring

Yesterday Martin and I went on our hike through Liechtenstein and we had a wonderful time! I don't have very much time because we are about to go to Heidelberg so we can pick up my parents tomorrow (YAY!!!), but here's a couple of pictures.

Love Katie

Hiking in Liechtenstein Tomorrow!

Hi All!

We're in Liechtenstein right now, and Martin and I are getting ready to go on a hike tomorrow that's supposed to be really beautiful and challenging and dangerous. How exciting! It's called the  Fürstensteig (Princely Trail, after the Prince of Liechtenstein), and it traverses the ridge atop the Three Sisters mountains which form the border between Liechtenstein and Austria. 

 

It's very dramatic-looking, isn't it?

Since the Alps are a very old mountain range, they've had lots of time to erode, meaning that they're very rocky and pointy on the top. Anyone who's gone hiking in the Rockies or the Sierra Nevada--both comparatively younger mountain ranges--can identify the feeling of being on the summit but not really feeling like they're really on top. Those mountains are more of a hump, whereas the Alps are more jagged peaks. That means you actually get to walk along narrow ridges with the mountain dropping off on either side. It feels like you're walking on the edge of the world, but it's really not for those with a fear of heights. 

 

Tomorrow these pictures will include Martin and me. Yay!

The Fürstensteig will be my second major hike in Liechtenstein--we've already done some hiking up in Mauren--but I'm told this will be a much more demanding experience. There are apparently places where you literally climb ladders embedded in the rock, and areas where the ridge trail is so narrow and the dropoffs on either side so steep that there is a cable to hold onto to prevent falling. There are also apparently areas where we will wish there was a cable. I'm hoping that handling the cables at Halfdome with Cal Crew will mean I can handle this, but I'll find out tomorrow! 

 

If you look really closely you can see the trail cutting through the middle of that picture.

Martin's mom says that she spent most of their hike on this trail worrying about her three boys rather than enjoying the view, in much the way I think my mom experienced the Grand Canyon when we were kids. I'm glad I've been running up hills, I think I'll appreciate every minute I've done! I will be taking lots of pictures, because it seems like the views are going to be amazing. 

 

So pretty!

I'll let you know how it goes! 

Update: here's a video of the mountain!

Love Katie  

I'm a Legal Resident!

Hello all, so sorry it's been so long!

Along with exploring Zurich and other fun activities, I've been working on getting my residence in Switzerland figured out. I finally did!

First I had to get my visa--a process that started well before I left the USA, but which only ended a couple of weeks ago when I went to Munich to finally pick it up and have my passport stamped. What a relief! Waiting for something important is really hard when there's nothing you can do to speed up the process. 

Swiss consulate in Munich. Can you tell this is the Google StreetView photo I used to make sure I could find it? I really love screenshots for navigating without a data plan.

The bonus of having to leave the country to get my visa, though, was that I got to spend some more time wandering around Munich, which Kira and Laurel and I had visited on our travels. I hit the daily farmer's-type market for lunch and train snacks, and had a lovely time wandering and picking up little things to munch on the train ride home.

 

I love farmer's markets. Markets of any kind. It's my favorite thing to see when I'm traveling!

Once I had the visa, I had to go to the Kreisbüro (the city of Zurich is divided into units called Kreis..es. I'm not sure how to cross-lingually pluralize that) to give them things like my rental contract and a passport photo and lots of personal information. After that, I was given an appointment at the Cantonal office (Cantons are like Swiss states) here in Zurich to have my fingerprints, photo, and retina scans taken. Seriously, retina scans. There's a reason James Bond villains choose Switzerland beyond the scenery. They promised to mail my permit, and I was back to waiting.

Yesterday I had a certified mail slip in our box, and today on my run I went by the post office and picked it up. I am now a legal resident of Switzerland! This means I can get a cell phone contract, and bank account--no more fees for changing money to Swiss Francs!--and can use my American driver's license to get a Swiss one! I feel like a real person!

Hopefully all of those places are open on Saturday...somehow I don't think they will be.

Love Katie

Getting Stuck in Innsbruck

After I left Kira in Munich, I took the train back to Zurich via Innsbruck (since I have a free train pass in Austria). My train pass in Switzerland is only free after 7pm, so the plan was to spend a little while in Innsbruck before hopping on the express to Zurich. I figured that meant I could explore until 7, so I wandered out into Innsbruck and saw the golden roof (secretly tiny, but in a nice oldtown area) and got a glimpse of the ski jump left over from when the winter Olympics were held there.

Innsbruck! Very pretty, very Alpine.

After exploring, I headed back to the train station and looked at the departure board for my train.

No train.

I went to the information counter to ask when my train was coming, and was informed that it had left at 5:45. It didn't cross into Switzerland until after 7pm, which was why that train worked with my pass, but I hadn't checked because I was sure I couldn't take any train unless it started after 7. Oops.

Bigger problem: no more trains to Zurich that night.

I found free wifi in the station and texted Martin in a panic, desperate to get to Zurich that night. Even though I was convinced that if I just wanted a train badly enough it would appear, it really was impossible. Martin called his wonderful parents and told me to get on the next train to Feldkirch (near Liechtenstein).

I was mortified: it was going to be the middle of the night by the time I got to that station, and I'm really not good at screwing up. Not that I'm not good at making mistakes (obviously that happens all the time), I just prefer to quietly sweep up my own mess and move right along. When it turns out I really need help, it's an ugly little learning experience every time.  I was also just exhausted enough for this to seem like a much bigger deal than it really was.

Still, I have rarely been so happy to see someone as I was to see Martin's mom waiting on the platform in Feldkirch (at midnight, let's not forget). I spent the night at their house and took an evening train to Zurich the next day. Everything worked out, but I am so glad I'm not alone here! And now I check the schedule about a million times before I leave the station.

Love Katie