Austria - Italy - Sweden

My stylist (or perhaps hairdresser - this being Kufstein after all) told me today that I look ”entspannt” (relaxed). A nice thing to say, but it’s also how I feel. This is my fourth week “between jobs” (as they say) and I really can’t complain.

There are actually a good few things that have to be taken care of before leaving Austria, countless forms to fill in to be able to obtain another form and so on... Also, there’s finding someone to take over the flat which has actually turned out to be trickier than I thought, at last finding someone to take over quickly in order to save time and money.

Lots of people showed up for our Abschiedsfeier in (the very Tirolean) Batzenhäusl which was very nice. I’ve made many good friends here but I’m certain it won’t be long before I’m back in Kufstein visiting some unlucky person – at the very latest when the snow’s back. Here’s a quick overview of what I’ve been up to in recent weeks:

09.03.05 – 14.03.05

Three friends from back home decided it was time to pay me a visit here in Kufstein. The chance to visit some of the finest ski resorts in Europe probably didn’t make their decision any more difficult and I took them to Ischgl, Stubai and Kitzbühel (in that order). We even managed to throw in a trip to the Biathlon World Championships in Hochfilzen to see the Norwegian team win the gold medal.

20.03.05 – 26.03.05

My brother Henrik is currently living in Perugia in Italy’s picturesque Umbria region where he’s taking some six months’ time-out from his challenging studies in Vienna, and I just had to take this opportunity to visit him. It even coincided with our mother’s visit to Perugia which was very nice. We strolled around in the streets of Perugia, sipped our macchiatos and did more than our fair share of people watching from the stairs of the cathedral. We also visited the beautiful town of Assisi where I bumbed into a former LKW Walter colleague(!). Before returning to Kufstein I simply had to make a stop in fabulous Florence/Firenze to check out the major tourist attractions that attract millions of visitors every year. Unfortunately this was during Easter and the queues were too long for me to have a chance to get in anywhere. However, you need not enter one of the many museums to enjoy a visit to Florence, for which the dome and the Piazza della Signoria are great examples. Still, I have to return to see the great works of art in Uffizi.

29.03.05 – 30.03.05

Shortly after returning from sunny Italy I went to Stockholm for a job interview. I had never been to Stockholm before so this was exciting for many reasons. The job interview went quite well I thought and the city too seemed very interesting so it’s quite possible that I’ll find myself living in Stockholm in the not too distant future. Swapping my telemark skis for my golf clubs is something I can live with….