My own private Emocide

I did finish packing yesterday morning and decided to leave at about 11am. Initially I still needed to get some sun lotion, as it was set out to become one of the hottest days of the year. Got a pocket size sun lotion at the 2nd drug store I stopped at. In between I stopped at the local jewelry store, where I needed to pick up my polar pulse watch. Got all that and finally hit the road. Henry Rollins on my portable player — funny enough I listened to “Black Coffee Blues”. It’s hardly one of my favorite works of his, but the 2nd and 3rd day of his story play in Vienna and my home turf Linz. So that sort of amused me.
After about 30km of biking in the really warm midday sun with 30lbs of luggage on my back, I stopped at “Spar” grocery store. Got a bottle of water and jugged it. Back on the bike. A few hundred meters later i passed a Hofer (aka Aldi) market. Still being thirsty, I stopped again and got a 1.5ltr mineral water bottle. The first splash I used to clean my hard-to-see-through-the-dry-sweat-layer glasses. Secondly I cleaned out my sweat crusted eyes. Thats one thing that sucks about cycling in the heat: The sweat evaporates from the wind, but the salt stays and builds really starts to irritate the skin around my eyes. Pouring mineral water over my eyes really makes everything fizz and effectively removes the leftover salt. so, next i refilled the bike bottle, and last but not least, I tool the sweat drenched bandana off my head and washed it a little. Then put it back on and poured the rest of the bottle over my head, to soak it thoroughly and keep my head cool for the last 20k.
After about 50km I hit the lake. The rest of the way was supposed to be on the lake road. Since I could not find the road to the hotel right away, I asked someone living by the lake and he helped me out. I also passed a grocery and a drug store on my way. I decided to come back later to pick up some food. Then, on the way to the hotel. The owner was friendly on the phone and had told me, that the hotel was “uphill”. I was like “sure, I am used to that. No problem”. So I thought. This was some road that I couldn’t push through on a road bike. My mtb — alright, could’ve managed somehow — but this was just really steep winding roads through wooded areas, not knowing how much further it was going until being right there.
Eventually I made it; had to push the bike for the final .5k, as my thighs actually had began to cramp and I did not want to risk them being out of order for the next couple of days.
Once off the bicycle, I checked out the hotel. It is more like a restaurant with rooms. And anything but vegan friendly. The menu offers 2 veggie options though, which was a pleasant surprise. But inside the place, tons of hunting trophies and utensils. I asked for the room, they told me there was none free, then I said that it might be in the hotel next door, which they agreed, since they belonged to the same family. Walked over there, passing a bunny & guinea pig stable — very sweet things — and a building I could hear cows moo out of. Furthermore there were a bunch of cocks (as in male chickens) running around.
Went into the house and ran into someone who must’ve been the owner. He was a guy in his late 30s, short and stout, dressed in stable clothes. I was shown the room by him. Got out of my clothes. Took a few pictures of the room and took a shower. Then I rested for a little and got adjusted. The room was on the top floor of a 3 story building, right under the roof. The view showcasts a beutiful panoramic over the lake and the alps down here. I took quite a few photos already. I then was starting to get hungry. Knowing I wouldn’t get anything from the restaurant up here, I got dressed and walked over there, asking whether anyone was going to go down to the village and return again in a bit sometime before the shops closed. Sat there with a couple of 50+ locals, who had a beer and a smoke as well as the son of the owner. He seemed to be in his mid 20s. Sitting there with them for an hour or two and listening to their talks, it really hit me for the first time, how different people here are. I mentioned a couple of things from my work; it seemed like I might as well have talked about a space station built by martians. However, finally one guy left and I could get the other one to give me a ride down to the village. I was there at about 4 and did my grocery shopping. Then, before I decided to head back, I took a few pictures of the area down there. Then also walked the half kilometer down to the public shore pool. i stayed there for about half an hour, walking out into the water a bit — fully clothed, with backpack and camera in my hand, so slipping would not have been exactly great. Then, to get a little warm food into my system, I got a small order of fries to go at the beach snack place. It’s been forever and a day since I got deep fried food. And it was greasy and salty — more thatn expected actually. But considering the amount of cals I had burned dureing the day, that seemed more than ok to me. Finally I started to walk back then. Took more pictures and ran into a couple of pretty awesome horses I played with for a bit. The walk back took a total of almost an hour and revealed even more how steep the area actually was. I was playing with the thought of hitching a ride with one of the passing cars, but didn’t feel all up to stopping one of them.
Took lots of sweat till I made it back, but I eventually did. By the time I got to lay down in the evening, every single piece of clothing I had with me had been washed at least once … I opened both wings of my balcony door. While at first the sun still heated up the room, finally clouds pulled over it and it became nice and cool. Sat over some dinner in my room then and enjoyed the evening air up here. Then I sat down with my web book and tried to get some DVB-T TV reception. Which did not work. Eventually I re-watched a copy of “Careless” with Colin Hanks. The 2nd half of that movie is definitely faster paced and more interesting than the first, which I had watched last week already. Still, it’s not a movie that I will keep watching over and over. Then, some more of “Doctor’s Diary” before passing out cold.
The night was then not as calm as I had hoped it would be, mostly because a mosquito kept bugging me. Finally at 3am or something like that, I had it killed, but not before having received a hand full of itchy stings.
Got woken up then this morning at 6:30 by my alarm. Then again at 9 from a “cock-a-doodle-doo” cry outside. How cliché … Breakfast had already been prepared by the owner. Yet again, not exactly (and not expectedly) a vegans delight: Bread, rolls, butter, ham, cheese, own eggs and marmelade. Had some tea with my soy milk. Talked to the farmers lady for a bit — her answering my question about how long after having a calf cows give milk for instance. And, as I had said all along, it stops at some point. They do sell cow meat on the farm here too, and the owner also originally was a butcher, but now is a meat evaluator. I am trying to be as tolerant and friendly as possible, but on the inside my guts keep tying into a knot. Oh well.
I should get ready know. Got a 50k bike ride around the lake ahead of me. And this time I’ll bring my swimming trunks as well.

Quote of the day:

The world is a better place when you don’t speak, Mitchell

(Tony Shaloub in “Careless”)