Minimundus and Burg Hochosterwitz

On Thursday, my fiancé, Michi Schmieder, and I went to visit his mother, who lives in Klagenfurt.  After we arrived at his mother's apartment, we decided to spend the evening at Minimundus (miniature world in English).  The park has approximately 150 models of famous structures, trains, and ships.  We were able to travel around the world in a single day!  We strolled around the park visiting different countries and observing many miniature structures, such as the Sydney Opera House, Eiffel Tower, and Taj Mahal.  I was even able to travel back to America as I stood in front of the Statue of Liberty, the Hollywood sign, and the White House.  Below is a full list of the monuments displayed throughout the park:

The models have been constructed with close attention to the smallest details on a scale of 1:25.  In most cases, the models have been created from their original materials, like sandstone, basalt lava, and marble.  The models were made with precision, in attempts to resemble as much of the original structures as possible.  Even the smallest details from shutters to street lamps are accurate.  

The next morning, Michi and I drove about 30 minutes from Klagenfurt to visit a castle situated on a 150-meter limestone rock near Sankt Georgen am Längsee.  Burg Hochosterwitz (Hochosterwitz Castle) is considered to be one of Austria's most impressive medieval castles.   The castle was first mentioned in a 860 deed and has been possessed by the Khevenhüller family since the 15th century, according to Carinthia.at.  The castle consists of thick walls and high towers with 14 fortified gates, each equipped with different treacherous methods of protection.  Tourists can walk the 620-meter long pathway through the gates up to castle or take a lift straight up to the castle.  It was an eye-opening experience being in such an old structure and observing the architecture of that century.  On a clear day, the castle can be seen from 30 km (19 mi) away, but unfortunately, the weather did not permit this when we visited.  It was a foggy day and we could not see much, but luckily, we were able to view the entire landmark on a miniature scale at Minimundus the day before! 

Burg Hochosterwitz at Minimundus

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A Week of Games, Castles, Kegeln and Kirtags

The Neuberg Highlanders had their first match against Devils Graz on Oct. 7.  Although it was an exhibition game, we still played to an 8-1 victory, with goals from seven different Highlander players (Illchuk, Janzen, Wheeler, Davies, Hochegger, Weiss, and Schneeberger).  We tried to bring home another win on Saturday but came up unfortunate.  The Highlanders lost their first regular season game, 6-3, against HDK Maribor.  The Highlanders struck first as I put in a short-handed goal in the first period.  Maribor evened the score at the 12-minute mark, 1-1.  Kate Wheeler scored the go-ahead goal, making the score 2-1, but Maribor managed to tie the game before the period ended.  With a 2-2 tie game, Maribor scored three consecutive goals and by that time, the Highlanders lost all hope.  With frustrated minds, it was difficult for the Highlanders to bounce back.  We did not backcheck and lacked defensively allowing many odd-man rushes, which cost us our first game.  Hopefully after a hard week of training, we will be able to respond to this loss with a victory in our next regular season game.  We host our first home game against Klagenfurt on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. in Kapfenberg. 

Photo Courtesy of Chelsea Illchuk

In addition to our matches, my roommates and I also engaged in several activities last week.  On Monday, we hosted a "Canadian Thanksgiving" at our apartment.  We invited my fiancé, Michi Schmieder, and our team trainer, Axel Riegler.   As we drank wine, beer, and Sturm, we celebrated Thanksgiving in Austria.  Although we couldn't find a turkey in the grocery stores here, we cooked a whole chicken and a ham instead.  It turned out to be a great Thanksgiving with lots of leftovers.

Photo Courtesy of Chelsea Illchuk

On Wednesday, we went to a castle in Kapfenberg, Burg OberKapfenberg, which overlooked our ice hockey rink and the rest of the town.  I have been here several times before, but it was nice to finally take two of my roommates up the mountain to see the view from the castle.  Later that night, I took my roommates Austrian bowling, or kegeln, for the first time.  The difference between Austrian bowling and American bowling is that in kegeln, you bowl with a smaller ball with two finger holes and try to knock down the nine pens, which hang from strings.  The pins sit in a diamond shape before you bowl, and if you hit the first pin at the top of the diamond, your score doubles.  My roommates found it difficult at first, but I think they got the hang of it by the end.

On Thursday, we put those dirndls back on for another beer festival.  Riegler and Schmieder also came with us to the festival; however, they were dressed in lederhosen.  The festival, called Gösser Kirtag, is a celebration in Leoben, where the Gösser brewery is located.  I attended the same festival last year with Riegler and Schmieder.  To read about my previous experience, click here.  This year, we walked the streets of Leoben while stopping at a festive tent and several bars.  We listened to Austrian music and danced the night away as we drank Gösser beer and Sturm.  After an eventful week, my roommates and I are excited to see what else Austria has in store for us. 

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Oktoberfest

My three roommates and I, along with my fiancé, went to Oktobertfest in Munich, Germany (or München in German) on Wednesday, which actually turned out to be National German Day.  We drove about four hours and arrived in a town, known as Taufkirchen, located just outside of the actual city.  We decided to park and leave our car there because there would most likely be a lot of traffic inside the city.  In addition, we could park there free-of-charge.  From Taufkirchen, we took the train (S-Bahn) to the city.  Once we arrived in the city, we took the underground subway (U-Bahn) to a stop closest to our hotel.  We checked into our hotel in the late afternoon and proceeded to get ready for Oktoberfest!

The manager of our ice hockey team gave my roommates dirndls, which is the traditional dress worn in Germany and Austria, while I still had my dirndl from last year.  We put on our dirndls and we were finally ready to go to Oktoberfest...of course, after we consumed some bottled beverages to avoid the cost of beer at the festival.  We took the underground from our hotel to Oktoberfest.  From the underground, we didn't know which direction to go so we followed all the people dressed in dirndls and lederhosen (leather breeches) because we figured they were going to the same place we were...Oktoberfest!

Photo Courtesy of Chelsea Illchuk

Photo Courtesy of Dayna Janzen

The smell of beer and freshly-roasted nuts lingered in the air as we approached the entrance of Oktoberfest.  Hundreds of thousands of people dressed in dirndls and lederhosen filled the area.  Oktoberfest almost seemed like a giant amusement park where people could wear German costumes and consume as much beer as they wanted in a leisurely manner.  None of us have ever attended Oktoberfest or any event that could compare to it.  We were more than excited to start the festivities!  We made our way to the tents.  The tents weren't actually covered with a tapestry like we expected a tent to look, but they were actual buildings.  The music from German bands exploded in our ears as we walked into the first tent, or festhaus in German.  It was like a huge party as people ate German delicacies, drank liters of beer, and danced on nearly every hard surface of the tent.  After observing the first tent, we made our way to a second tent, where nearly every person danced on the benches of tables.  We were able to find a seat at a table with some nice people from Brazil.  We bought our first mugs of beer once we sat at the table while also consuming two, enormous pretzels (or Brezeln in German).  One beer mug could probably hold four cans of American beer.  It definitely took a while to drink.

Photo Courtesy of Chelsea Illchuk

After we left the beer tent, we walked around the festival and tried some more German food, such as wursts (sausages), corn-on-a-stick, and crêpes with Nutella and banana.  We also decided to try some of the rides in the park.  We went on the bumper cars and rode another ride that spun you around in a circle, which I'm very surprised I did not get sick!  My fiancé and I went into a tent that was almost like a stadium, with people gathered around a gigantic turntable.  As we walked in, there were a bunch of girls gathered in the center of the turntable trying to hold themselves from spinning off as the table moved clockwise, faster and faster.  Men in lederhosen were the next group to try and hold on for dear life.  It definitely looked fun and I finally got my turn.  The announcer asked that all couples come to the center of the turntable and try to keep themselves on, so my fiancé and I stepped into the ring.  We sat down and the turntable took off spinning in a circle.  It gradually got faster and faster.  We eventually couldn't hold on much longer and fell off to the sidelines.  Next, the announcer asked for two men to participate in a boxing match on the turntable.  As an ice hockey player, my fiancé of course wanted to take a chance at this opportunity.  He and his opponent put boxing gloves on, as they made their way to the center of the turntable.  The referee blew the whistle, the turntable started moving, and both men started to fight.  This definitely seemed dangerous from the sidelines, but I am relieved that neither person got seriously injured!
After spending several hours drinking some mugs of beer and eating lots of German food, we all were finally exhausted from Oktoberfest and proceeded to the hotel at the end of the night.  It was an eventful day and I'm glad to say I finally made it to the world-renowned Oktoberfest!

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First Road Trip: Slovenia and Croatia

My roommates and I took our first European road trip together on Sunday, Sept. 9.  We drove in the evening to our first stop, Ljubljana, Slovenia.  One of my roommates, Kate Wheeler, has a friend in Ljubljana so we were fortunate enough to stay at his apartment for two nights.  Once we arrived at the apartment, we casually tasted some Slovenian wine while we waited for Wheeler's friend to get home from his ice hockey game.  After the first taste of Slovenian wine, my roommates and I realized that Austrian wine is far better.  Despite the wine, Slovenia seemed like a beautiful place to travel to.

The following afternoon, we drove to Portorož just for the day.  With its beautiful mountains and sandy beaches, I can see why Portorož (literally "Port of Roses") is considered one of the country's largest tourist areas.  We walked around the town enjoying the warm atmosphere before stopping for a late lunch at a local bar and restaurant, Alaya.  The cocktail bar, located right on the edge of the beach, seemed as if it belonged in the Caribbean or Hawaii with its straw-like huts and palm trees.  After a few drinks and a light lunch, we made our way back to Ljubljana, which was only about an hour drive.  

With only one night left in Ljubljana, my roommates and I decided to try a sushi restaurant for our last meal.  Sushi is not considered a popular delicacy in Europe, so once we heard that there was a sushi place in Ljubljana, we just had to try it.  We drove two minutes to downtown Ljubljana and arrived at our destination, MoySushi, located in the heart of old town.  The Sushi restaurant did not feel like the Japanese restaurants we were used to for its interior design had a modern twist to the traditional Japanese culture.  The restaurant was almost like a tapas bar since you could only two pieces of sushi each time.  In addition to sushi, the menu also featured other items, such as sashimi, miso soup, and tempura, which reminded us of our hometown sushi restaurants. 

After dinner, we walked around downtown observing the beautiful sites.  In addition, some of my roommates had their first taste of gelato which they enjoyed in a mere five minutes.  After an eventful day, we headed back to the apartment for a good night's sleep for we were traveling to Croatia the next morning.

We arrived in Pula the following afternoon and checked into the hostel, Riva Hostel, where we made reservations.  Pula is situated at the southern tip of the Istrian peninsula and is the area's largest city, according to tripadvisor.com.  After checking in, we quickly took the bus to the closest beach, located on the Verudela Peninsula.  The beach was nothing like my beach at home, Virginia Beach.  Instead of sand, rocks covered the shore, which initially became difficult to walk on.  My flip flops finally came in handy!  Despite the rocks, my roommates and I enjoyed the warm, sunny weather and the clear blue water of the Adriatic coast.  This was our definition of a vacation!  We sipped on some wine and vodka as we relaxed in the gorgeous, beach environment.  Once the sun began to set, we made our way to a pizza restaurant, Pizzeria Jupiter, which was walking distance from our hostel.  My roommates and I shared three small pizzas, which were delicious!  In addition, the restaurant owner was kind enough to buy us several pitchers of white wine, which we appreciated deeply.  It seemed like a great way to end our first night in Pula.

We had reserved a room in the hostel until Friday, so we spent the rest of our days in Pula either at the beach, if weather permitted, or walking around the town center.  We observed some historical sites, including the Arena in Pula, the Temple of Augustus, the Triumphal Arch of Sergius, the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin, and the Kastel.

Arena in Pula

Temple of Augustus

Triumphal Arch of Sergius

Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin

Kastel

For celebrate our last night in Pula, two of my roommates (Chelsea Illchuk and Kate Wheeler) and I went out to a club.  People filled the dance floor of the club as my roommates and I also joined.  We all definitely had a great time at our first club overseas.  On Friday, my roommate, Dayna Janzen, and I drove five hours back to Austria while my other two roommates stayed in Pula to attend an outdoor ice hockey game at the Arena.  Overall, it was a great first road trip and I'm excited to see what adventures we plan next! 

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"Live the Dream! - Women's Hockey Life"

I had my first article published on the official website of WomensHockeyLife on Sept. 7.  The article serves as an introduction of my experience in playing professional (post university) women's ice hockey overseas.  It also details the start of my second season (2012-13) with Austria's Neuberg Highlanders.

My blog on WomensHockeyLife will cross-reference with my current blog, SkatingTheDream.  Some articles on WomensHockeyLife will coincide with my posts on SkatingTheDream, while other articles may differ from the ones I publish on this blog.  Please take a look at my introductory article on WomensHockeyLife for it describes some experiences that have not been posted on this blog (click here to view article).  I will keep you updated of any newly published articles on WomensHockeyLife's website, so keep checking back!

WomensHockeyLife is a website that provides information regarding women's hockey at the recreational, university, and professional levels.  It serves as a resource of first-hand knowledge, information, and experiences pertaining to women's hockey all over the world, such as North America and Europe.  One can read about success stories or learn about opportunities available in North America or overseas.  The website contains blogs, written by players who are "living their dream" in playing women's hockey at recreational, university, or professional levels.  Readers can follow the lives of these players as they share their experiences on WomensHockeyLife.

Link to WomensHockeyLife: www.womenshockeylife.com/

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Video of First Day of Practice

Below is a video of my first day of practice with the new international teammates (Chelsea Illchuk, Kate Wheeler, and Dayna Janzen) and fellow Neuberg Highlanders teammates.

(Illchuk: grey jersey, Wheeler: white jersey, Janzen: grey jersey, Davies: red jersey)

Video Courtesy of Hartmut Marchl

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First Days of Training

Photo Courtesy of neuberg-highlanders.at

The Neuberg Highlanders hosted their first official practices this past weekend.  Once I stepped on the ice for the first practice on Saturday, I felt as if I hadn't even left!  It was extremely odd seeing former collegiate teammates Chelsea Illchuk and Kate Wheeler on the Austrian ice for I've only skated with them when we were on the same team at Quinnipiac University.  It may take me some time to get accustomed to seeing them in the royal blue and bright yellow Highlanders jerseys.  From Bobcats to Highlanders, all three of us seem ready to take on this new adventure together, joined by a fourth international player, Dayna Janzen.

Photo Courtesy of Chelsea Illchuk

Janzen, Illchuk, and Wheeler seemed excited to meet their new teammates for the first time at the eishalle (or ice rink), while I was elated to reunite with my Highlanders teammates.  Although most of the mädels (or "girls" in English) barely know the English language, the idea of having them admire us seemed comforting enough.  Since girls ice hockey isn't considered a popular sport in Austria, the few Austrian girls ice hockey teams import players from Canada and the United States to help develop the sport in the country.  As the young Highlanders skated in awe, Janzen, Illchuk, Wheeler, and I tried our best to show our talent and skills during the first days of training; however, we felt we didn't deserve their veneration because we did not perform our best for we haven't participated in a "real" practice in such a long time.  Once we get back into gear, we will feel more confident and earn the admiration from the younger girls.

Photo Courtesy of Harmut Marchl

Our first game is next Sunday, Sept. 16.  It is an exhibition game against a Hungary team, who plays in the European league (EWHL).  The Elite Women's Hockey League is considered the highest league in Austria.  Because Hungary is not part of our league, the Damen Eishockey Bundesliga (DEBL), all four of the international players will be allowed to participate in the match.  For regular season games within the DEBL, only three of the international players will be allowed to play.  It seems as if the three chosen players will be selected upon their performance on and off the ice, but this selection process has not been set in stone and is still to be defined.

All four of us seem thrilled to play in our first game as Neuberg Highlanders and we look forward to spending the year together in Austria!

For the English translation of the article featured on the Neuberg Highlanders website, click here.

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