| Finally at about noon time I arrived in my home | | | | that this area was already settled about two |
| town and took a quick spin around the centre. | | | | millennia ago by the Romans, and nearby |
| Weiz is a district capital with a population of about | | | | excavations even prove that there was human |
| 9000 people, and it is located about 25 km from | | | | settlement here in the Pre-Roman times. Other |
| the Graz, Austria's second largest city. It always | | | | excavations in the province of Styria have |
| amazes me that when I ask North Americans | | | | unearthed proof that there were human |
| about Austria they all seem to know Vienna and | | | | settlements here dating back many tens of |
| Salzburg, and some of them have heard of | | | | thousands of years ago. An area with a lot of |
| Innsbruck, but very few people have actually | | | | history... We had successfully finished our shopping |
| heard of Graz, even though with a population of | | | | trip and my brother started the cooking while |
| about 250,000 people it is Austria's second largest | | | | Anneliese and I decided to go on a local hike to |
| urban centre. Weiz in itself is an industrial town | | | | the so-called Kleine Raabklamm (Small Raab |
| that for many years was centred around the | | | | Gorge) and the Bärental (Bear Valley). Like most |
| ELIN, a manufacturing company that produces | | | | of Austria, Eastern Styria with its rolling hills, |
| electrical equipment such as transformers and | | | | forests, rivers and brooks is just predestined for |
| generators for hydro electricity production. In | | | | hiking, and we enjoyed our 1.5 hour hike from |
| recent years, a Canadian company called Magna | | | | Mitterdorf through the valley of the Raab River. |
| International, founded by Frank Stronach, a | | | | The Raab is a major river in the area that |
| former resident of Weiz, has built several | | | | eventually flows into the Danube and into the |
| factories in the area. Magna is the largest | | | | Black Sea. A beautiful hiking / biking trail took us |
| automotive parts supplier in the world, and Frank | | | | through forests and lush green meadows to the |
| Stronach is considered one of Canada's (and | | | | valley of another tributary - the Bärental, which |
| Austria's) greatest entrepreneurial success stories. | | | | may indicate that this valley was inhabited at |
| Due to these manufacturing jobs, Weiz has | | | | some point by bears. The interesting thing about |
| become a rather dynamic and prosperous regional | | | | this area is that there are a variety of wayside |
| centre and many new developments in the | | | | shrines, and one in particular is supposed to mark |
| downtown area attest to that fact. The overall | | | | the grave site of hundreds of people that died |
| feel of the town had stayed the same so after | | | | during the late 1400s of the Black Plague. Ever |
| satisfying my initial curiosity I drove to my | | | | since I was a child, this dark forested area that |
| brother's house on the outskirts of town where | | | | was supposed to be the final resting place of |
| my sister-in-law Anneliese welcomed me; my | | | | hundreds of people from more than 500 years |
| brother Ewald was still at work. It was great to | | | | ago has fascinated me, and even today visiting |
| see her again even though we had just recently | | | | this place sent shivers up my spine. Our serene |
| seen each other in November of 2006 on the | | | | hike continued and shortly after we had reached |
| island of Tenerife where my husband and I had | | | | an elevated ridge on the southwestern side of |
| gone on a joint vacation with my brother and | | | | Weiz from where we had a great view of the |
| sister-in-law. After settling in and unpacking my | | | | entire region. Weiz' most prominent building is the |
| suitcase we went for a quick walk downtown to | | | | Weizbergkirche, a baroque church on the |
| do some shopping and got caught in a major | | | | Weizberg hill that can be seen for kilometers while |
| thunderstorm. So we sat down in a little café in | | | | the town spreads out in the valley below. The |
| Weiz' pedestrian zone called "Weberhaus" and | | | | entire scene is framed by an amphitheatre of |
| waited out the downpour. In the evening I had a | | | | mountains with an elevation of about 800 to 1000 |
| reunion with my brother as well and we started | | | | metres. There was still a bit of time left before |
| catching up on all the news. Around 11 pm I got a | | | | our dinner plans, so I hopped into my little rental |
| bit tired and jetlag started hitting me so I headed | | | | car for a country driving tour. I went past the |
| off to bed to rest up for today since we had | | | | village of Gutenberg and the Goller Mountain to |
| early plans. Bright and early at 8 am Ewald, | | | | the mining village of Arzberg that used to be a |
| Anneliese and I left to do some shopping in the | | | | location for silver and zinc mining. Today a mining |
| nearby town of Gleisdorf, the second largest | | | | educational trail displaying local minerals and a |
| town in the district of Weiz. We went for a nice | | | | mining tunnel introduce the public to the mining |
| walk with the dog and strolled through the | | | | history of this little town. Arzberg is also one of |
| farmer's market where I admired all sorts of | | | | the entry points to the Raabklamm (the Raab |
| locally grown fruits, vegetables, home-made | | | | River Gorge), the longest river gorge of Austria. I |
| breads, and a typical Austrian specialty: smoked | | | | returned to Weiz via the mountain road on the |
| pork meat. Austria has a long-rooted agricultural | | | | east side of the river, next to the limestone cliffs |
| tradition, and farming, although only providing | | | | of the Gösser mountain. After a refreshing |
| about 5% of the employment in the country, is | | | | shower it was time for our small birthday party, |
| still an important tradition, particularly in the | | | | and our friends Luis and Isabella had arrived. |
| extremely fertile area of Eastern Styria. People | | | | Together with my brother and sister-in-law this |
| go shopping every few days and many of them | | | | couple had visited us in 2005 and I reported |
| actually try to buy local produce and meat in the | | | | extensively from our Toronto adventures. |
| local weekly markets on Wednesdays and | | | | Anneliese's niece's husband and son also joined us |
| Saturdays. Big supermarkets and TV dinners are | | | | and we got ready for a beautiful five-course |
| by far not as popular as in North America, and | | | | dinner prepared by my brother Ewald, the expert |
| many people still prepare home-made food from | | | | chef. Everybody enjoyed the amazing meal and |
| scratch, using and actively seeking out local | | | | we sat together until about 10:30, laughing, |
| ingredients. And my brother is a chef, and today | | | | exchanging stories. The little boy and my brother's |
| was his birthday dinner, so he was on the hunt | | | | dog became friends on the couch and we all had |
| for some special fresh ingredients. After Gleisdorf | | | | a fabulous time. A long night of discussions until |
| we also checked out the farmers market in my | | | | 2:30 am followed since I had to catch up on |
| hometown of Weiz which was a bit smaller. I | | | | everything with Ewald. But then it was time to go |
| took the opportunity to shoot some video clips of | | | | to sleep since tomorrow (well, actually today), we |
| the main square of my home town and the | | | | are planning another hiking trip and I definitely will |
| surrounding buildings which go back to the 17th | | | | need to get some rest. |
| century. The old church, the so-called Taborkirche, | | | | Susanne Pacher is the publisher of a web portal |
| even dates back to the 1100s, was built in the | | | | for unconventional travel & cross-cultural |
| Romanesque style and is dedicated to St. Thomas | | | | connections. Check out our FREE ebooks about |
| of Canterbury. Some ancient Roman gravestones | | | | travel. |
| are on display in the church yard, an indication | | | | |