36 Years Ago

36 Years Ago, Vienna 1971—A Student Journal

Day 157: Sunny skiing

Day 157 — Sunny skiing
06-January-1972 (Donnerstag—Thur.)


Tirolian ski venue
My last day of ski class brings me a full day of skiing with beautiful weather. At night, I go dancing. Did I meet someone?
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Day 156: Great skiing; world conversations

Day 156 — Great skiing; world conversations
05-January-1972 (Mittwock—Wed.)


Great skiing venues
Today is an amazing day of skiing that brings me down the backside of the mountain and many miles away from St. Anton. How amazing is that?

At dinner, I come face-to-face with the emotion behind the conflict in Northern Ireland between the Irish Catholics and the British. At the same dinner table. A true-life learning experience.

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Day 155: I’m in a fog; I’m naked next to a girl

Day 155 — I’m in a fog; I’m naked next to a girl
04-January-1972 (Dienstag—Tue.)

Skiing on a sunny day
I’m in a fog today. Literally. As I don’t want to ski off of a cliff, I decided to spend the whole day with the ski class. I talk about money a bit.

Oh, and one of my fantasies almost comes to life—standing naked next to a beautiful girl in a white nurse's outfit, next to a sign that says “
Massage.”

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Day 154: Great skiing at Valluga

Day 154 — Great skiing at Valluga
03-January-1972 (Mon.)


Cable car to Valhalla
A quality day of ski lessons and skiing at St. Anton and the cable car to Valluga. Nice.

Suddenly I'm Don Juan, meeting girls all over the place.
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Day 153: St. Anton, Skiing Day 1

Day 153 — St. Anton, Skiing Day 1
02-January-1972 (Sun.)


St Anton a vast mountain
My first day of skiing at the wonderful resort of St. Anton, an international skiing mecca for the rich and famous (and a poor American student studying in Vienna). I take ski lessons again and spend the day skiing all over St. Anton. Nice.
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Day 144: Goodbye Innsbruck; Christmas Eve



Scenic Innsbruck mountains
It’s goodbye to skiing, Innsbruck, the scenic mountains (see photo), Elisabeth, George, and a new girl I’m trying to pick up at the train station. (I’m now Don John.) It was an incredible week of skiing, beautiful scenery, friendships, spas, and picture taking. What a vacation! Back to Vienna. It’s Christmas Eve. Read More...

Day 140: Skiing; Elisabeth; naked men in a sauna

Day 140 — Skiing, Elisabeth, naked men in a sauna
20-December-1971 (Mon.)

Meet Elisabeth
I have an extremely long journal post today. Why? I love Innsbruck. It was an incredible fun-filled day. From rain in Innsbruck to snow in Seegrube, to the extreme but pleasant torture of an Innsbruck health spa—complete with sauna, cold bath, hot and cold foot and body baths, and naked men in saunas.

There is only one Austrian in my ski class. She is a good-looking Austrian girl, Elisabeth. She becomes my skiing partner and a welcomed source of information on Innsbruck. When I said, “Where can I run around naked with a bunch of old men?,” she was right there pointing me to the health spa. Only kidding. Winking

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Day 139: Innsbruck: Seegrube Ski School

Day 139 — Innsbruck: Seegrube Ski School
19-December-1971 (Sun.)

Beautiful scenery
My first day of skiing in the Austrian Alps is at Seegrube. I take lessons to improve my paralleling—after all this is Austria. If they can’t teach me to ski, no one can. I love it. I love the fresh air. Just thinking about it, I want to go back. Right now!
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