Fuschl - Getting used to the beauty

We arrived in Fuschl late at night and was damn cold even with our heaviest jackets on. Maybe it was the newness that made it colder than it actually was, or maybe because after a 3.5 hour of a cosy cab ride our body was not expecting a windy night. We arrived close to 9pm at our company apartment. Lugging our luggage into the new temporary apartment was seeming like the hardest thing that I could do with a hungry and sleepy 4-year-old and the damp dark night. Even the driver had started to crib in german about how many suitcases we had while he tried to help. My husband had gone to arrange for the keys while we waited, trying to make sense of where we had arrived. Our driver was helpful enough to stop over at a gas station for us to get some bread and basic food but me being an Indian decided to get only sandwiches for dinner and thought I'll buy the rest tomorrow. Little did I know that the nearest supermarket would be 6.5 km away from this little place! Of course, there was one nearer, about 2km in the Fuschl town too which I found out in the due course of time, but boy it was so different. 

My number 1 suggestion to all folks relocating would be to make sure you have a lovely meal waiting to greet you at your new destination whatever time you arrive. It just makes the whole experience of arriving a whole lot happier and satisfying. Eating a cold sandwich (Indians prefer hot meals) on our first night in a new country and nothing in the fridge made me a little angst.

Day 1 of quarantine and Abhi starts his work while I am trying to find some lunch besides crips and bread from last night for my kid if not me. Thank goodness for the angel from Abhi's work who drove me to the supermarket for buying essentials like food and coffee on our very first day. So quarantine here meant no social gatherings but you could always go to the supermarket, go for hikes and long walks and even meet people outside in parks etc. Hmm, I loved this kind of quarantine. Masks were only mandatory when you get inside the supermarket or any other enclosed area. Coming from an extremely crowded city, Mumbai where quarantine meant not stepping out at all to a European countryside town was such a delight. 

The landscapes blew our minds. I did not venture far in the coming few days but I just loved the hills and lake and the tall trees and the fresh air. It all seemed like a fairy tale land. How did somebody decide to make two large volcano-like structure in the middle of such beauty and call it an office? How can anyone work in such a pretty place? Won't they always wish to go for runs and long walks and many many coffee breaks? Yet, Abhi got into his 7.30 am leave for office routine leaving me and Ivaan clueless about what to do next. 

We slowly got into a rhythm that anyone from India (or any workaholic place) would call boring. We loved our simple days of getting up and having breakfast. We took time to get equipped for stepping outdoors which for us was extremely cold. We both played in the park and tried to make friends. I say tried because we absolutely failed. Both had no german skills and people here were settled in their routines. I won't blame anyone but not being able to talk to people becomes a highly ineffective way of living one's life after a few weeks. The park and the nature walks were our only friends for almost a month. Video calls to family and friends was a saviour and it did take me into the rabbit hole of wondering how people managed to relocate without such facilities. It will be a good time to also appreciate language translation apps such as google translate or I would quite literally be lost in translation. 

Without sounding depressing I give you my next tip, make friends. It may sound ridiculous if I say it's easy because it is not, but there is no hiding away from the fact that humans are social beings and need company. Call people over, cook some good food even if the house is not perfect (off course in corona this was not possible for us). Join activities and greet people on the way. We received a lot of smiles and soon a few words were being exchanged in our usual spots. I managed to make a friend or two but it did take me overcoming the awkwardness and sometimes not relating to situations the way we normally do. 

Our weekends were nothing less than spendid as Fuschl is the perfect place to reach other equally pretty lakes and towns. We went to Saint Gilgen once where we heard families talk in English with the perfect American accents and it did feel like home for that day. The lake here is vast and has pretty little swans and ducks to feed and share the sunny view. Parks here so well done that I may need a separate blog on just that. For now let me just add a picture for me to better explain them.

Wolfgansee was another small but extremely mid century modern touristy town that we visited close to christmans. The town was all dressed up and only waiting for its streets to fill up with the tourists. I could imagine how popular these spots might be just by looking at the decorated shops and the artistic figures made in almost every prominent corner. The church here has a picturesque alley which overlooks the big lake and gave me a very good profile picture. This town is ear marked in my book of places to visit once more.

 By the time we started interracting a little with people, we realised the favourite passtime of the local Austrians was skiing and hiking. While skiing was left for another winter, we definitely wanted to try some easy hikes with the kid. No wonder we saw many cars parked on the road every weekend. Those were just the little paths to some of the incredible trails. We were surprised how much Ivaan could endure and how much we enjoyed this very basic activity. All you need for a good hike is water and shoes! I decided that I will challenge Ivaan more often and would leave with him on a trails or just long walks. We started with one trail quite close to my apartment and took a 6-7 km long circuit back home. It was magical and was shown to me by another of Abhi's Red Bull colleague. The path was simple and yet relaxing. Come rain or snow, leaving the apartment for even a few hours was the only thing that kept me sane and certain that things can only get better. This was the life we chose and the beauty that adorned it made us feel healthier than usual so what if it means that we may need to learn a little german and make new friends.

By mid December when it was time to decide where we want to live next Salzburg city or Fuschl. Trust me it was very tough for us to not get tempted to just live in Fuschl. I still think if Ivaan had got his admission in the kindergarten there, I would happily have opted for a nice place in Fuschl to live. Transitioning from Autumn to Winter was so smooth and our first heavy snowfall was another experience that I wont forget. The snow just outside our apartment was enough to bring out the tobbogan and slide away for fun. Winters could be fun when houses are heated and we have the proper gear to cover ourselves. I could get used to the heavy countryside snow and maybe even shovelling it away to make a path every two hours on a bad day; but as luck and logic would have it, we decided that we would want the city of Salzburg to be our next home.