Friday, August 24, 2012

EURO-JOURNAL DAY 14 (HALL)

Didn't sleep too well last night. Sofabed was comfortbale, but my neck was giving me terrible pain. Maybe from the rucksack yesterday? DD and I drove up to the mountains to deliver some Monster Engergy drink. That's one of DD's jobs - distributing and promoting Monster and organising their events. Seems like an awesome job. His other job is importing high-level snowboards from the USA. Also seems pretty awesome.
There was a Specialised Bike promotion up at a mountain resort where they are promoting next seasons bikes. DD had a Monster tent up there and fridges to give out drinks to staff and participants. He seems to know a lot of people and is able to get cool perks, like Specialized bikes at big discounts.
In the afternoon DD hosted a barbecue in the garden. His folks and grandparents and brother and godmother all came. Great food and great people. It's so strange to see someone's life like this. DD is someone I knew nine years ago as a wild backpacker. He was always looking to start a party, meet new people, be crazy and have fun. So it's amazing to see him all grown up with a wife and baby on the way, and all the people he grew up with around him. I feel lucky and privileged to see it and meet these people. Especially DD's step dad, Gigi. He's super cool. Very polite and soft-spoken, but a policeman who's got the best hobbies including mountain biking and off-roading in Africa. He has a Landcruiser that he works on at home and then once or twice a year, he and DD's mom drive to northern Africa for dune-driving and camping in the desert. It sounds and looks spectacular in the photos he showed me. I feel really inspired by these cool people leading cool lives and still being adventurous even after having kids and buying houses. etc.
I got pretty baked sitting in the sunny garden talking to DD's big brother and step dad, but the beers kept me cool. And this evening, DD's mom, who lives just above them invited us up to try some homemade schnapps. Schnapps seems to be the big thing in Austria. Not surprising since there are apples growing everywhere here. It is made of apples, right? Anyway, we sample three types of schnapps and also a bottle of grappa. Strong stuff and some of them are well over 40%. It was nice to try them, but perhaps not something I would rush to drink again unless it had some kind of mixer. They were only wee glasses that we drunk. But when DD and I walked into town for a quiet pint, things very quickly became a party.
It's hard to piece the events of the night together. But it was a Sunday and initially it looked dead quiet at the only bar which seemed to be open. But after a couple of pints and befriending the Romanian bartender who looked just like Vin Diesel, we got the party started. Bucketloads of drink seemed to get drunk as well as tequila shots from some "pretty boy" as DD called him. I've forgotten parts of the night, but it was just what I needed - a good blowout, since I hadn't really partied thus far. Good times!

DD working hard.

"DD! Working hard?"

One of the practice tracks.

Next season's bikes.

Homemade schnapps and grappa. Just say no!

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