Day 5 In the morning, I said my final goodbyes to Angelika as she took me to the train back to Gratz. There I met Daniel Salcher, who is studying at the University of Gratz and is brothers with Carola, who will be my host for the next 2 weeks. We drove a little over 2 hours to just outside the town of Gaflenz in Upper Austria and I got to meet Carola, her husband Daniel Reigler and their dog Kate. They showed me their place that was built in 2023 and is attached to Daniel’s parents house and had a collection of old farm equipment in their barn. Daniel also showed off his Pucha Motorbike from the 1950s which he recently rebuilt. Daniel is an electrician so had all the latest technology in his house and Carola is an English teacher so had the summer off. In the evening we went to a neighbours barn where they had a big party with all the other neighbours. I got to learn new words such as “Gris Die” “Prost” and “Gefullt” as we had a big meal of pork salads and desserts that all the neighbours had made. We celebrated late into the night and it was 1 in the morning by the time we got back home.
Day 6. A tunnel was being opened in the neighbouring town of Weyer. We got to the opening ceremony where the mayor and the governor of Upper Austria cut the ribbon and we got to walk through the new tunnel. There was then a festival going on throughout the day. We had lunch and then went home where Daniel’s dad, Karl, showed me how he made wooden bowls with his lathe in the shed. I also got to help Carola make Jogurt Rye bread and then went back to Weyer and the festival. I got to meet some of Carola and Daniel’s friends and partied until late into the night.
Day 7. On Sunday we recovered from the previous nights of partying. We went to the river Ybbs for a swim and then went to the old town of Waidhofen. We toured around there and I got to learn about the history and see the castle. We got home in the evening and had an early night. In the evening there was a thunderstorm that knocked out our router and took out 2 other neighbours’ internet and a solar panel precursor.
Day 8. On Monday, Daniel went off to work which included fixing the neighbours internet and Carola and I went into the town of Gaflenz and visited her grandparents. They lived above the restaurant that they used to run called the Jedermann and is one of the oldest buildings in the town. Carola’s grandfather was a well known hunter who had his walls lined up with trophies he had collected over the years. He even took a trip to the Yukon in hopes of hunting a bear but only found a squirrel. He had such a good time, he built a cabin in the mountains and called it the Canada Cabin, where the fellow hunters all gather once a year and share stories about the trip. Carola’s father also stopped by and celebrated his last day of teaching before the summer break. He taught cooking and has served food around the world including L.A where he got to meet several celebrities.
After sharing stories, and getting a tour of the old restaurant we got home and Carola and I and their dog Kate went up to St Sebald am Heilgenstein. This is a church at the top of the hill where Carola and Daniel got married. It overlooked the towns of Gaflenz and Weyer. In the evening we went to Martin and Tonya’s place and hung up some storks and celebrated since they had just had a baby. It is a tradition there that the night a baby is born, the father will have a party while the mother is still in the hospital and all the guests will hang up a stork and give baby clothes to celebrate. Martin was part of the Landjugend, Hunters Club, Schuhplattler and the brass band so there were a lot of people and a lot of music played. I got to meet the local Landjugend club and many other people and got to plan some things out for the rest of the stay here.
Day 9. Tuesday was another rainy day as Carola and I went to her parents place, where I got to help her brother Daniel make some boards for repairing their balcony while she trimmed her horses hooves. I then got to meet her mother who made chicken schnitzel, zucchini schnitzel and potatoes and salad. I then got to see the Canada Cabin and shared many stories. We then went to Carola’s neighbours place and saw how they did organic dairy milking. They milked 30 Fleckvieh cattle and it was very interesting.
Day 10. On Wednesday I took the train to the city of Linz and met Carola’s other brother, Berni. He had just finished his exams for electro-mechanical engineering and was able to tour me around the city. We saw the Linzer Mariendom which was an impressive cathedral that was supposed to be bigger than St Stephens Cathedral in Vienna but was stopped by the pope who thought that Vienna should have the biggest cathedral. It was also fairly new as it was just finished in 1924 and held impressive stained glass windows. We then grabbed a Bana for lunch and went to the Voestalpine and took a tour of the steel manufacturing plant. I was told not to take pictures as we saw how the iron mined in Austria was turned into steel rolls and learned that the area was built originally by people in concentration camps and POWs. There are a lot of structures that were built this way including many of the hydro-electric dams that produce most of the power in Austria. It is a dark reminder of the past that wasn’t too long ago.
After the tour, we went to the Postingberg that offered a great view of the city. We then went to the Gasthous zur Eisernen Hand (Guesthouse of the Iron Hand) where I met Berni’s girlfriend Lola and his friend Johann. We had dinner where I had a Cordoni Bleu and then Berni Drove me back to Carola’s
Day 11. Carola and I went to her parents house again and I met Berni and Daniel again and her dad, Christoph, taught me how to make some traditional Austrian food. We made Zwiebelrostbraten with horseradish sauce, grilled potatoes and Apfelstrudel. It took all morning and was a delicious meal. I then got to see around their farm and see their equipment. In the evening I went out with Leo, who I had met at the stork party, to try hunting on the way up we saw 3 deer but when we got to our hunting spot, the deer disappeared. Leo told me that wolves had been reintroduced to the area and was scaring the deer more. In the end, a thunderstorm made us quit early and I returned home soaking wet.
Day 12. Friday July 7th. Ramona, who is a part of the Gaflenz Landjugend, picked me up and we went to the Burning Brass Festival with her friends. We got to the campsite and met up with the rest of the club, who had set up several tents and a cooler for drinks. We played several games and then went to the stage where Austro-pop music was being played. It was a big event with hundreds of people attending. Before I knew it, it was midnight and Carola and Daniel picked me up and we headed home.
Day 13. In the morning, Daniel and I worked on cleaning up some piles of wood that had rotted away. We loaded up the wood onto his tractor and took it to the neighbours where it would be chipped up and used for heating in the winter. After a minor breakdown, we got most of the area cleaned up. In the afternoon, we went to Losenstein and met up with Alistair from Northern Ireland and Eva, who had gone on the exchange to Ontario last year and was hosting Alistair this week. Eva was getting ready to go to Ireland and meet up with the other people on the exchange last year as one of them was getting married. We went up a trail and went to a well that was built by the local Landjugend clubs and had a lever that when pulled, would reveal a bar that served seltzers, cider, and apple juice. It was great to see them again and catch up on what we had all been up to. Carola, Daniel and I then toured the local castle as Alistair got ready to leave for his next host.
Day 14. On Sunday I was surprised with a bottle of Ahornsyrup, which translates to Maple Syrup and we had it with yogurt for breakfast. Daniel and I then went to Stephen’s place where they raise Waigyu beef and were doing a major renovation. While Daniel was giving them advice for the electrical, I got to tour around the barn and see how buildings are built in Austria. They use big clay bricks and a smoother mortar in between that seals it up. The flooring is usually cement with many people putting in floor heating. When putting in lines for water or electrical, they have to chip it out of the wall or floor and in the end they put a plaster over the interior and sometimes put a coating on the exterior, but its exterior is mostly for looks. Most of the houses use wood pellets or chips for heating and Daniels house used solar panels for heating the water.
In the afternoon we went to Gerard’s farm where they milk 12 organic cows. Their milk tank was small enough, they had to trailer it to another farmer’s barn in order to sell it. I got to help them milk and he showed me how they manage their forest as well. Most farmers cut their trees in sections as it is easier to manage and you don’t get cables caught on other trees. He was experimenting with only cutting the tallest trees and letting the new trees grow back on their own but in order to do this, he has to keep a path clear down the mountain every 3 meters. This is opposed to his neighbour who hired a big excavator to clear wide swaths and has to replant the trees he wants to regrow.
Day 15. On Monday Carola and I went to Waidhofen and did some shopping. In the evening we met with their friend Martin who is a butcher as well as makes schnapps. Martin was a very relaxed guy as we went through the safety protocols and what he looks for in an animal. He showed me how he cuts up a lamb and we tried some of his schnapps and we all had a good time.
Day 16. I joined Daniel at his work for the day and learned about the electrical business. We started at a group of houses that was for the workers who managed the forest that the church owned. We finished up the electrical for a bathroom and did the final inspection. We then went to a grocery store called Billa and had a Kaseschmecken and then went to the ski resort where they were building a Chalet. There I met Herbert and his daughter Sophie. Sophie was in Australia for 3 years for school and was excited to talk in English so I talked with her as Daniel and Herbert finished the final inspection. As well as running the ski resort in the winter, they rented out the chalets to people throughout the year and had cattle. We then went to Waidhofen to help install some solar panels and we had kebab for lunch. Daniel dropped me off at the house after that as he had some meetings and I helped Carola cut the grass just before the rain. I then met up with Daniel again and met his boss before we installed a new solar panel converter at Daniel’s neighbours.
Day 17. On Wednesday Carola and I went to the city of Steyr. We took an audio tour through the old part of the city with MP3 players that only cost 4 euro. Steyr is a city with a rich history of manufacturing and is located where the Steyr river meets the Enns River. It was a very good tour and after that we went home and I met up with Moritz from the Gaflenz Landjugend and with 4 other members, we attempted to climb the Lindamaurer mountain. We got about half way up when it started pouring rain and we were forced to turn around. We dried off and hung out at the Jedermann restaurant before calling it a night.
Day 18. Carola, Kate and I went to her parents house and I helped her brother rebuild the porch, where I learned the term “Fol” which is used to describe when jobs get bigger, more complicated and don’t line up properly. A “Foller” is someone who works without pay and usually on weekends which also describes our worksite. In the end we got it looking half decent and Daniel took me to the fire brigade station and we set up a training exercise. The fire brigade were to practice rescuing a dummy that had gotten crushed by some fallen lags in a remote part of the mountain. We then went back to his place where Carola’s mother had made us some dinner. In the evening, I went with Carola’s husband to a Schuplattle practice. Schuplattle is a traditional men’s dance that involves synchronized clapping and stomping. Carola’s husband was a part of the group when he was younger and he showed me a video of him and his group competing in Dubai.
Day 19. On Friday, Carola and I went to the Sonntaberg Bassilika. It is an impressive cathedral that was built at the start of the mountains and can be seen for miles through the valleys. It was very beautiful and built in the Baroque style that had bright coloured paintings and gold statues and even held the bones of St Clemons and St Fredrich. In the afternoon I met up with the Gaflenz Landjugend and took part in their new member day. We did some ice breaker games and got to learn all the events they do in the year. They had about 12 new people show up to the event and after we played soccer and a version of dodgeball. After all that, we went to the Jedermann where I said goodbye to everyone.
Day 20. Saturday was the first sunny day I have seen in 2 weeks. Daniel and I cut up wood for the winter and the clothes were all hung outside to dry. Balers and rakes were out getting the hay ready. We did a lot of work and we had Gulash with Daniel’s parents and I said my goodbyes to them. Carola and I then went to her friend’s place where he was having a pool party. He milked 20 cattle and was a teacher at a grammar school in Steyr. I helped him milk the cows and then we joined everyone else at the party. We played games and shared stories and had a good time.
Day 21. My last day with Carola, Daniel and their dog Kate. We went around their property and had lunch at Carola’s parents. I met up with her mom and dad, her brothers and their girlfriends and her grandparents and Carola announced that she was having a baby. We said our goodbyes and I left for my next host in St Ulrich in Tyrol. I met my next host, Christoph late in the night at the Fieberbrunn station.
