Friday, 23 August 2013 07:03 pm
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deckardcanineHi, all. Yes, I've been back since Sunday. I've been putting off my Austria trip report, partly because I've been busy catching up with things and partly because...well, what I'm about to say, I didn't tell my family at the time, lest I ruin it for everyone:
It was the least fun vacation I've had since St. John of the Virgin Islands in 2005 (where there's little to do besides swim and snorkel). Oh, nothing very bad happened. The Austrians were tourist-friendly enough. We found plenty of ways to pass the time. I just couldn't get excited about any of it, before or during. Only the zoo looked promising, and we opted out for economic reasons.
I can think of many factors in play for my lack of enjoyment. One, my previous two trips -- to New Zealand and the Galapagos -- were among the best in my adult life and thus a hard act to follow. Two, classical music and aristocrat museums don't interest me as much as nature or visual arts. Other family members loved the scenery, but I found it too predictable. Three, I've been to so many western European countries that it's starting to feel like old hat. Four, I don't take nearly as much synesthetic comfort in German as in Romance languages or even Dutch. Five, the best foods for a semi-vegetarian are not native to Austria. Six, I suspect that months of underemployment are subtly wearing on my disposition.
I intend to go into more details later, perhaps incrementally like last time. Hopefully I'll sound less negative then. For the sake of getting that negativity out of the way...
Dear Europe: This will not be your last summer to reach the upper 30s Celsius. Please look into more ways to stay cool. If you skimp on air conditioning for environmentalist reasons, at least consider alternatives to duvets.
It was the least fun vacation I've had since St. John of the Virgin Islands in 2005 (where there's little to do besides swim and snorkel). Oh, nothing very bad happened. The Austrians were tourist-friendly enough. We found plenty of ways to pass the time. I just couldn't get excited about any of it, before or during. Only the zoo looked promising, and we opted out for economic reasons.
I can think of many factors in play for my lack of enjoyment. One, my previous two trips -- to New Zealand and the Galapagos -- were among the best in my adult life and thus a hard act to follow. Two, classical music and aristocrat museums don't interest me as much as nature or visual arts. Other family members loved the scenery, but I found it too predictable. Three, I've been to so many western European countries that it's starting to feel like old hat. Four, I don't take nearly as much synesthetic comfort in German as in Romance languages or even Dutch. Five, the best foods for a semi-vegetarian are not native to Austria. Six, I suspect that months of underemployment are subtly wearing on my disposition.
I intend to go into more details later, perhaps incrementally like last time. Hopefully I'll sound less negative then. For the sake of getting that negativity out of the way...
Dear Europe: This will not be your last summer to reach the upper 30s Celsius. Please look into more ways to stay cool. If you skimp on air conditioning for environmentalist reasons, at least consider alternatives to duvets.