August 6, 2012
Day 79: Irdning to Gesause National Park, Austria: Take Me Back to the Rivers of Belief (or not)
I had the chance this morning for one of my favourite things - going to the bakery for fresh bread in the early morning. We were waiting for Christian to get home from a night shift, so there was a brief window to just calmly walk in the town. The town is dominated by the Grimming mountain nearby, so of course here is another shot of the mountain. As a special bonus in our series of warning signs, this one cautions about (presumably wild!) horses in the town streets:
Back home at Christian and Birgit's place, it was one more coffee for the road (actually, for the thermos). Christian opened a drawer, revealing an impressive choice of beans!
Until Admont, the ride was characterized by more and more of beautiful mountain scenes, alpine meadows, and chalet style houses. We did notice that at Liezen there were apparently not only factories, but the other necessary facilities that will not make it onto postcards. Since Liezen is only 20 km from Christian and Birgit's place, it is easy to see that viewing the world from the point of view of someone with a car, everything you could possibly need is just on the doorstep.
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THE RIVERS OF BELIEF
As we have travelled through Europe on this trip, it has been impossible to ignore the church. Every town of note, or not of note, has a church in a prominent location. Larger towns have cathedrals of impossible size and opulence. Hills in the mountains have chapels or pilgrimage churches. Roadsides have roadside chapels.
Talking to (admittedly) just a few people about it, it seems that while the churches still do play a role in daily life, it is nothing compared to the number and grandeur of the buildings. People are casual about it. They will say they are "just not that religious".
So here we have the Grampies, wandering through buildings of great antiquity, with familiar and mysterious symbols of a spirituality and belief system that was strong enough to leave this enormous legacy. How are we to react to it? Do we say "Hey, neat, interesting building (I guess)" or should we open our minds or spirits and see whether there is some ancient force lurking in these places?
This kind of question brings to my mind (Dodie probably not) the impact of listening to Gregorian chants, or more likely material like "The Rivers of Belief" or other stuff by the group Enigma. Have a listen to this.
So I have thought about it and my answer is, sorry, it's just interesting buildings. On the other hand, they are very interesting. Here then is the Benedictine monastery at Admont. Apparently, it's world famous. It has been a centre of scholarship for centuries and has a whizz bang library (cost 9 euros just to look at it!).
Our way from Admont lead into the national park: Gesause. This park is modelled on the American idea of a national park, and has rangers, campfire talks, and nature programs. Even more, it has a campsite with a large building of quality construction, featuring full kitchen facilities, tables and chairs, proper lighting, and free wifi.
Steve will take that over an interesting monastery any time!
Today's ride: 58 km (36 miles)
Total: 3,671 km (2,280 miles)
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