Bloopers/Behind the Scene stories about Christmas Vacation 2011

In writing the blogs about our Christmas Vacation, Nate told me that I was missing all the mishaps that happened during the vacation.  I told him that no one wanted to hear about the possible critical situations or the blunders during our vacation.  Nate responded by saying that no vacation is perfect and that is what makes it so real, besides it is funny- the behind the scenes stories.

So, I decided to write, hopefully, funny and interesting happenings about some of the bloopers, mishaps, and potentially critical situations that took place during our vacation.  Some of the stories can be compared to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation... so here goes;

Our trip getting out to Obergurgl was exciting and rather uneventful.  We took planes, trains, and a bus.  We did not get lost nor did we miss any connection.  When we got to the hotel, we suited ourselves up with all the necessary rental ski equipment.  Whew- nothing to report on day one.

First day of skiing;  we signed the boys up for ski school and learned that many children had been in ski school all week.  Thursday was their celebration day.  They had a ski race course all set up.  Now, remember the kids had not skied in about a year- so a little rusty.  Connor was told that his class would not be in the race, but Sam and Nate were going to be signed up and it was the first thing they did in class.  Needless to say, the boys had issues.  Nate, wanting to look good, was skiing above his capabilities and had a yard sale of a wipe out during the race.  He twisted his knee, BUT he got back up and finished the course.  On top of that, the race announcer called out Nate from "England" was entering the course.  What...we don't talk like a Brit?  Sam fell many, many times, but completed the course.  I did not witness these events, but they were relayed to me by the kids.

At lunch time, I was watching for the ski schools to come down the hill and bring in the kids for their lunch hour.  While watching a group coming in, I saw a small child constantly falling and actually skiing into another child (wearing pink- a girl) taking her out.  Some parents were talking and laughing about the little kid who was coming down the hill.  I then realized that the child...was Sam.  Needless to say- when I picked Sam up for lunch, I was told by the instructor that Sam needed to go down a level.  Ouch!  NOTE; Sam tells everyone that he was kicked out of his first ski school class, because he kept holding everyone up by falling.....  and he was put in a slower class so he could finish the day.

We all ate lunch and sent the kids back to ski school.  Nate made it through his wipe out, through a woman nailing him in her wipe out and finished the day with only minor injuries.  Sam, dropped to a lower level and finished the day very well, covered in snow.  Connor had a great day and wanted to be in school the next day.  Since Sam was sent to a lower level school, he was moved to a different location.  All classes/school ended around 3:30pm.  I was waiting for Reed at the designated location so we could gather up the boys.  At 3:15pm Reed did not show up.  I had to decide who I was going to pick up first from school, because I could not be at both locations at the same time.  So I decided that I had to first get Sam.  I did not want Sam to think he was abandoned by not having a parent waiting for him at the pickup location at the designated time.

So I picked up Sam.  Then with Sam having small legs that skied all day and were tired, I had to haul him and his ski equipment up a very big hill to the designated location to pick the older boys up.  I was able to pick the boys up late, but it was better the older boys had to wait versus Sam.  In the end all kids were picked up and still no sign of Reed.

So now I had to get all the tired kids with their equipment back to the hotel.  After all, they had been skiing all day and now they had to walk back up another big hill to the hotel.  Well, Sam had melt downs so I was carrying his stuff.  Nate was having a hard time walking in Ski boots and carrying his stuff.  So I took his stuff.  Connor was doing great and could walk well in his boots with his equipment.  Sam all of a sudden stops and says that his legs won't work.  He looks up at me and asks me to carry him.  I looked at my arms filled with ski equipment and told him that there was no room.  He sat in a snow bank and told me to come back for him.  I grabbed him by the collar and told him to walk.  There were many people around and I was not trying to attract any attention to us...We were the only Americans.  We finally made it back to the hotel- so to the lobby bar I went, after getting everyone changed, for a beer.  The kids loved the lobby/bar having a pop and a snack.

Part of our hike back to the hotel

BUT what ever happened to Reed.  This is his story;  He got on the wrong chairlift that sent him far off.  He ended up on the wrong hill that was nowhere near the main ski area.  He had to work his way back to our meeting location.  He stopped several times to ask Ski Patrol how to get back, but it never worked out.  He had to finally come down the mountain and catch the ski bus to get back to our originally designated meeting location, BUT we were long gone.  He then had to hike back to the hotel and found us in the lobby bar area.  He got a beer right after taking his ski stuff off...

That night all the kids were tired.  Not one of them made it through dinner.  They took the key to the room from us and went to bed.  Reed and I had an adult evening having a date dinner.  A quiet, relaxing evening after a long day.

Day two of skiing;  a beautiful sunny day on the mountains.  Connor went to Ski School.  Sam having a slight fever took the day off.  Nate was skiing with his father and loving it.  We all met for lunch and then the older boys and Reed took off for the afternoon.  Reed told me that there was a little drama on the last run of the day.  Reed was skiing with Connor (after ski school was over) and Nate.  They were going to head into the mid-mountain chalet for some hot chocolate.  Connor somehow managed to take a wrong turn and ended up skiing away from the chalet toward a lift that was about to close for the day.  Luckily, Reed saw him take the turn and had to sidestep climbing, back up the hill about 100 yards (he was a little miffed...).  He found Connor at the closed lift talking to the German lift operator.  Connor was scared and a little lost, until Reed arrived.  Luckily, the operator was able to restart the chair for two more stragglers.  Thankfully, Nate waited patiently at the chalet for 25 minutes for them, wondering what happened.....but knowing that Reed had to get Connor.

Day three of skiing; Reed wanted alone time with Sam to ski.  I took the older boys sledding- so they could be wild and crazy while Reed went skiing with Sam.  Reed and Sam had a great time.  I on the other hand had drama..... 

The sledding hill was great.  A couple of areas had twists and turns that were protected so people would not go down the wrong part of the mountain embankment-keeping people safe.  There was one particular area that was a straight way with a very large drop on the other side.  Somehow, CONNOR managed to get too close to the edge.  He saw the steep down side of the mountain and got scared.  He then over-corrected his sled and crashed.  He was safe, but lost his sled down the mountain side- the side of the steep embankment.  I arrived on my sled and saw that Connor was going to try to retrieve the sled, but the steep embankment was too much.  I helped him back to the top.

I looked at the sled- wondering if I could climb down to retrieve the sled and somehow manage to get back up without having to be rescued.  NOTE-prior to sledding, I read in a brochure the cost for being rescued in the Alps (120 Euro without helicopter help). I then wondered if this was worth the cost (Rental of sled 5 Euro), because I was sure I was going to get stuck and have to be rescued.  Realize;  I had to climb down the steep embankment in waist high snow to retrieve the sled and then manage to find footing to climb back up with the sled.  Trying not to show that I lacked confidence, I took the challenge on.  It took a while, but I managed to make it back to the top with the sled.  The kids were watching and giving me encouragement as I took this challenge on.  Note; several people stopped to ask if we needed help, to which I replied "I'm good."  Really ?!?!  Was I good?  Nate later told me that he saw a Ski Rescue guy watching me from above...Oh great, more witnesses to this embarrassing feat!  BUT he did not have to rescue me and I did not have any explaining to do...YES!

Sledding

In the afternoon Reed took the big boys and the drama continued....  It started snowing more in the afternoon and by the end of the day it was a blizzard.  Reed was at the top of the mountain when the weather changed.  The boys became very scared and nervous telling their dad that they could not see the signs and which way to go.  Connor even said that you could not see where one path ended and the cliff began.  Reed had them stay close and they slowly made it down the hill with a lot of stops, complaining, fears and encouragements.   In the end Connor says that it was the craziest run of the day- not being able to see and all.  WHAT!?!  Reed told me that Connor was the most scared about skiing in the blizzard.  He was the most vocal about wanting to find a chairlift to take them down...and now the adrenaline was the best part about that day.  Oh boy, we are in for trouble with this adrenaline junkie kid-  LOVE HIM!!

Prior to the wind and snow picking up

That night, Sam, at dinner, decided to show the server that he did not like the main course.  She put the plate of food in front of him.  He looked at the food, made a face and said "Yuck!  I'm not eating that."  He then plugged his nose and waved his hand in front of the food as if it smelled bad....HOW embarrassing.  AND I was trying not to laugh, because really it was funny.

Coming home was smooth...until we met our taxi guy in Munich, Germany.  We were asking him to take us to our hotel.  He acted as though he knew the name of the hotel and where it was, until we were all in his taxi with our bags in the trunk.  He then pulled out his reading glasses and asked for the address.  Reed had paperwork (thank goodness) with all that information.  It was dark out and he turned the interior dome light on to read the paperwork.  He tried to get his GPS up and running, but the signal was being blocked.  So he started the meter and started driving - like he was on the autobahn.  Now, while driving fast with no reading glasses and small print on the GPS he was asking Reed for the address information so he could enter the information into his GPS.  SERIOUSLY-he was taking corners, switching lanes and entering the address into the GPS while pushing his seat back so he could see the numbers that he was punching into the machine (he did not have his reading glasses on and the print of the GPS was small).  I was getting car sick and thought we were going to die. Several times I grabbed Reed's leg and squeezed...thinking this is it.  But eventually we made it to the hotel.  Whew.

Our boys!

So this is a small handful of stories about the behind the scenes of our Christmas Vacation.  I hope you enjoyed the stories I chose.  Nate this blog is for you!!

St John Nepomuk- Obergurgl

As stated in prior blog, the small village of Obergurgl has a the highest (altitude) built church in Austria.  I found the detailing of the church (the steeple, the detailed paintings inside and outside of the church, the stained glass windows, and overall beauty) incredible.  I read about this church and this is what I learned;

The people of Gurgle (Prior to the three Gurgles making the small village of Obergurgl) built a small church in 1726.  The church was in honor of Saint John Nepomuk and so they named it after him. Saint John Nepomuk is revered as the patron saint of the Seal of Confession and the Loyal Fulfillment of Duty.

The church has undergone several expansions and renovations by the architect Clemens Holzmeister.  There are several ceiling frescoes painted, paintings throughout the church walls, stain glass windows, paintings on the exterior of the church and a large bell steeple.

The church

The painting above the entrance into the church

The boys posing by the Christmas Tree inside the church

A Picture of one of the stain glass windows

One of the many paintings inside the church

The exit of the church

As you can see from the photos, this church has incredible detail and beauty.  We enjoyed visiting the church and seeing how hard the village worked to make this church a work of art!

Obergurgl, Austria

Christmas in Obergurgl.  I wanted to understand the historical background of the small, beautiful, quiet village where we were staying.  I picked up brochures and read about it.  This is the information I learned;

Obergurgl is a ski/tourist village in the Otztal Alps in Austria.  It is near the larger ski resort of Solden.  It has a population of about 400 people.
The first people to visit Obergurgl were researchers and landscape painters, with records dating back to 1840.  Farmers were there and cultivated the land.  Obergurgl gained recognition in 1931 when a Swiss explorer/physics professor (Auguste Piccard) was forced to land his stratospheric balloon on a nearby glacier and found the village.  The news of his flight and landing was in the world press and the village became well known. 

Obergurgl built the highest parish in Austria.  Records show that the elevation of the parish is 6,330 ft.  The Parish has had renovations and expansions based upon the plans of a well known architect named; Clemens Holzmeister.  Clemens is known for several designed buildings not only in Austria and Germany, BUT also in Ankara, Turkey.  Interesting side note; during the seize of the Nazis, Clemens was in Turkey designing the Turkish Parliment Government building.  His journals, designs and paperwork were seized, but he was safe.  He stayed in Turkey from 1938 to 1954; designing several Turkish Government buildings.  When he returned to Austria, he continued to design Churches and public buildings until his death in 1983.

Obergurgl's appearance changed due to the tourists.  As the tourism industry grew in the region, out of the farms the small villages of Obergurgle, Hochgurgl and Untergurgl were developed.  This area is very popular for hikers in the summer, because of the valleys leading over into the Italian Province, the numerous peaks that are over 11,500 ft, and the several glaciers.  This region of the Alps offers hikers an adventurous challenge during the summer months.  During the winter months, this area houses skiers.  It is estimated that 100,000 guests visit the village yearly.  The majority of the visitors come from Germany, Great Britain, and Austria.

The Alps

So what did we think about the village of Obergurgl?
We loved it!  I especially loved the history of this small village.  What an incredible story of how the village was established and how it continues to thrive.  The service of the hotels was incredible.  The staff understands that their visitors are there to rest and reflect on the incredible beauty/peacefulness of the scenic Alps and their quaint village.

Our "Hotel Austria"

The boys loved skiing. The Alps provide the ease and challenges needed for our wide variety of skiers. Sam (the beginner), Connor (snowboarder), Nate (Medium level) and Reed (expert skier) all found the slopes were great. It snowed heavily one day and provided the boys with fresh new powder to ski on the next day.  Reed said the sun was just fabulous and illuminated the beauty of the slopes with the fresh new snow powder on that day.

The boys heading out to ski

Sam finished his day of skiing- heading back to the hotel

The boys heading down in a blizzard

We found that you could rent sleds and go sledding.  I could not ski, so I decided to enjoy the slopes of the Alps VIA sled.  In the morning I took Nate and Connor, so Reed could ski with Sam, and in the afternoon Sam and I enjoyed the rest of the day sledding.

Sam and I

This vacation was a dream and we were blessed with the great opportunity to visit this village.  We had a great time and really enjoyed the beautiful scenery of the Austrian Alps.