A Sinking City and Dolomiten Italy - from kinetosis to biathlon world cup yodeling

pre-switchback malaise. yes, that's a piece of toilet paper.

• Switchback #42 - more beautiful craggy mountains, kite skiers, sun and blue.
• Switchback #37 - cute little mountain 500 year-old huts of stone. let's stop for an espresso and hardy meats. there goes the world cup downhill across the valley.
• Switchback #28 - feeling whoozy, but the view's amazing! climbing routes everywhere.
• Switchback #14 - ski trails through Dolomite rock and trees. Anything to stop the car!
• Switchback #9 - another espresso? oh no, please no. just focus on the road.
• Switchback #6 - focus. focus. focus...
• Switchback #3 - I think I can survive... Can't I enjoy the view? no.
• Switchback #1 - phew. uh.. We start again over another mountain? Can I walk back to Venice? It's flat and floating. oh dear, not much better... better stop for some Grappa at the Biathlon World Cup street party instead.

Nevertheless, we still had a blast. Here are a few photos. I regret to inform you that I was not able to upload the purity of the drunken bar yodeling.

mountain meal: wild mushrooms, meat, cheese, polenta and wine. always wine.

either people are really fit here or they just don't go to church.

43 km of awesome just past the border into Austria. We did it!

no cars in Venice. walk or swim.

an aspen spreads her roots

I have launched!

Flappy says good-bye to Vancouver, and Canada

I cannot believe it. Via a circuitous route to be described in future posts, I have begun my year of tracing roots to Denmark - my family, my language, my genetic culture - and diving academically into my interest in people and nature through a Master's in Friluftsliv. 

Why not?

But what is "scandinavia" anyway? Since I wasn't quite sure myself - having never lived there - I called upon friends and family to help me "research." 

Guests arrived embodying their stereotypes of Scandinavia. 

Three Pippi's appeared with robotic braids. Red and white futbol stars arrived by bicycle (at -30C in the snow!); IKEA-Man battled with the lesser Jydsk Clerk; a caribou-coated viking and Finnish death metal rockers drank Aquavit schnaps ("water of life") and Absolut (actually the rocker and his lederhosen friend were visiting from Switzerland). Lucy managed not to set her long blond hair on fire. No gnomes were seen and Terje Håkonsen and Björk sent their regrets. Hans Christian Andersen and modern design were discussed. A paradoxical '80s pop foursome performed "Dancing Queen" throughout the study period... 

Agnette, Ani-Frid, Björn and Benny perform during the study...

Experiments from Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Denmark complemented the study. Researchers brought Tuborg beer, stegte løg, blue fungus cheese and fishy anything. The glögg concoction evaporated... I Googled my mother's brain and prepared a smorgasbord ("table of tastes") showcasing Danish meatballs/pickled beets, kaviar/cucumber or pickled herring on dark kernel rye bread  - all with butter! Why did I wait 31 years to make all these wonderful delicacies now? This, I vowed, will be continued! 

Pre-trip research completed, I am ready to dig for the real roots. But where do they lead? Where do they begin? Can one's roots grow in more than one place? 

Well, rather than choosing, I've decided to be my lifelong favourite tree - Populus tremuloides. The aspen is not one but many trees, connected by a network of roots that nourish the whole. Though my heartwood grows strong in the Yukon wilds, rootlets explore other fertile ground and a sapling sprouts from previously dormant roots.

aspen/ski track image (how fitting!) via a4gpa on Flickr

I can't wait to see what the leaves reveal...

Thank you for your warm well-wishes!

 - Flappy and Sara 

For more on What is Scandinavia? try:

http://goscandinavia.about.com/od/scandinaviatripplanning/p/scanbasicstats.htm

Next post: A Sinking City and Dolomiten Italy - from kinetosis to biathlon world cup yodelling 
Research Acknowledgements and Disclaimer:

I am grateful to the contributions of all researchers involved. No animals were harmed in the course of this pre-study. All meets were ethically sourced and very much appreciated. Consumption of reactants by study participants was entirely voluntary and researchers are absolved of any and all resulting behaviours.