Lazy day in Aflenz

27/12Having a much lighter breakfast this morning. Only some cheese and Erdaepfelkaese

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The snow is gently falling and the flakes are about 3-5mm diameter. I have just come in from shifting the car. We parked it outside the shop last night as all the hotel parks were full. I went into the shop to buy a coke (0.99E) and the clothes I was wearing stung from the cold. I only walked about 50m from the hotel to the shop. All the cars are covered in soft flakes.

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(written the next day)
Uschi and I spent a long time walking around the shops in Aflenz. We spent a long time in the sports clothing shop. I nearly bought a 130E coat but the only one in my size was damaged. I may go back and buy the next size up. We went past the bakery but didn't go in due to too much food over the last few days. We spent quite a long time in the shoe shop (surprise). I bought some apres ski boots and Uschi
bought some attractive brown boots. The lady from the shoe shop sprayed some waterproofing on them and it turned out that she knew Mitzi as she was one of her students. The community is very small and many people know each other. We finished up by walking down the road to the Apotheke where Uschi bought some Renis and I bought some throat pastilles.

Around 13:00 we went to pick up Christine to take her to the Thoerl cemetery where her mother and brother are buried. After sitting for a while and lighting a candle, Uschi and Christine walked around the cemetery with Uschi reading off the names on the headstones. Christine seemed to know about 50% of the people and was able to remember them as the postman, driver, cook etc. In some ways it is strange that the entire 1930s community of this small area only exists in the memory of a few old people. We drove out to Schwaben bartel after cleaning the car. The road was icy and the light fading, so it wasn't a very inspiring trip. When we got back to Mitzi's place we found Gretel and Franz were already waiting for us. They had heard on the grapevine that Christine was back in town and they came round, on spec, to see her. They spent about 3 hours talking to Christine and kept evryone from having tea(!). In the end they offered us a lend of a tripod and Franz made two trips back home to get it. The first time because he couldn't find it in his shed. I must say at the end of the trip they forced us to keep the tripod, which was very kind of them.After they had gone home Franziska made us all a bread and meat tea, but I was really too weary and full to enjoy eating very much. Went back to the hotel and fell straight to sleep.