trip report: part 2

(I bet you thought I’d forgotten to continue this – as if!)

Day Two: February 16

We had arrived in Salzburg, and my mom and I were in awe. The view from the plane, as we approached W.A. Mozart Airport, featured the rolling (and very green) hills south of Munich to our left, and the imposing, snow-capped peaks of the Alps to the south. It was a helluva way to enter Austria!

Upon arrival, we went through immigration (the shortest I’ve ever spent at such a place: a gruß gott, a stamp, and that’s it), gathered our luggage, and met Toni and Cristl, who were waiting in the arrivals hall. Toni is an old friend of my mom’s – his widow was mom’s best friend when they were both kids. They drove us to St. Johann im Pongau, which is the town my mom considers her home town (even though she was both in Russia).

The drive was fantastic: scenic, alpine views in the afternoon sunlight, with sheer cliffs and snow in the higher elevations. The autobahn leading south from Salzburg was a fantastic road, with two massive tunnels that bored straight through mountain walls, at the exits revealing incredible panoramas.

Within an hour, we had reached our destination: Sankt Johann im Pongau, a small village known for its picturesque cathedral. My mom spent six years here as a child, and this was her first time back in almost 30 years (I’d last visited in 1990). The town was a regional market town in its past, and it’s now considered a major shopping destination. The growth in town – new shops, a mall, a new government center, and other things – caught mom off-guard. When I first told her that the town had a reputation as a hub for high-culture shopping, she was most skeptical. However, a simple drive through the town center convinced her that the times have certainly changed.

However, one thing from the past was still in its usual place: Leder Schaller, where our family friends, the Schallers, have been crafting fine leather goods for over 100 years. The big smile on her face told me that she was “at home.” After we checked in at Haus Olga (a wonderful little gasthaus run by the friendly Klammer family), we walked up the Hauptstraße to the Schaller house.

Mom sent a letter to Helmut and Maria Schaller on February 6th, telling them that she was coming to town on the 16th. She sent the letter via USPS Global Priority, thinking that the letter would get to the Schallers and that they’d be prepared for our arrival. She figured that ten days was more than enough time for the letter to arrive.

So imagine her astonishment when we walked into Leder Schaller and caught Reini Schaller (son of Helmut and Maria) completely off-guard. This wasn’t a bad thing at all – it was positively joyous! Reini hadn’t seen my mom in 30 years, but he knew immediately who she was and gave her a huge hug. He also recognized me from 17 years earlier, even though I’ve grown my hair out a bit since 1990.

Immediately we were asked to come into the back room, where Maria was tending to the store’s finances and Helmut was working on a pair of lederhosen. The expressions on their faces were priceless: total disbelief, which quickly turned to immense happiness. Hugs and catching up followed, as did an invite to dinner at their house. Over a delicious, home-cooked meal, we all visited well into the night. After a little while, the Schaller’s eldest son, Hannes, joined us, which was a great treat and provided even more conversation opportunity.

Both mom and I were completely exhausted by evening’s end, the total effort of travel and visiting having drained us. But we stayed up ’til a little past 10:00 pm CET, which was my goal to minimize jet lag. After all: the next day was all about skiing!