frEiZEit & sPOrt - DAS MAGAZIN Steiermark-Mitte

frEiZEit & sPOrt
The real language - not learned at school?!
Arlo‘s experiences with Austrian German
I arrived in Austria in a train
from Frankfurt, after passing
through miles of fl at German
landscape. The weather was
hot and the air conditioning in
my compartment wasn’t working,
so I was exhausted and
sweaty by the time the fi rst
mountains came into view.
The landscape changed as I
crossed the border, and I saw
spruce forests, steep mountains,
and houses with fl owers
in the windows. I noticed the
alms on the hillsides and the
lush green valleys, the castles
perched on hillocks and the
rocky crags in the distance.
Austria is beautiful to behold,
and I never tire of looking
at the comfortable villages,
snug in their valleys, with the
green-clad mountains soaring
up on both sides. But when
I travel, I want more than a
series of postcard pictures: I
want to know how the people
think and to try to understand
why they do things as a culture.
Right away I noticed
the forests are very well preserved,
and most of the development
has been confi ned to
lower-lying areas. In my home
state of Colorado, which is
an alpine region very similar
to Austria, people rampantly
slash the forests to make room
for houses and hotels on the
crests of every mountain ridge
near the roadways. Already I
perceived a deeper respect for
the forest and the preservation
of nature than I see at home.
I am continually discovering
further examples of a thoughtful
unifi cation of the needs of
a technologically-developed
society and the appreciation of
the landscape as a cornerstone
of the culture.
My experiences with Austrian
people have defi nitely been
positive. I have been invited
into homes, offered delicious
food and drink, and have felt
like I was an old friend instead
of a new acquaintance. Even
though I have been speaking
German for half my life, I still
have trouble deciphering the
local dialects, but the message
has always come through with
perfect clarity: I am welcome.
While Austria is clearly a pro-
Arlo Pelegrin (H2 Hirner Touristik) is looking
forward to seeing you
sperous country, the people I
met are more concerned with
good cheer, camaraderie, and
sharing a conversation over an
excellent meal.
I have heard from my new
friends that Austria is facing
many of the same issues as
other developed countries: the
infl ux of foreigners, a shrinking
birth rate, poor management
in the higher levels of
fi nance, and the eternal stare
down between tradition and
novelty. Yet, I fi nd a perpetual
optimism and honest good humor
among these people, and
I trade genuine smiles with
strangers in the supermarkets.
Is the secret somewhere in
those tree-covered mountains,
those cosy villages, and the
natural love of life that comes
from spending time outdoors?
Whatever it may be, I enjoy
being here, and I hope my next
visit will last longer.
August 09 Das Magazin | 29