The Sparbach nature walk

Last Sunday, in the cold and the wind, we decided to hop in the car for a quick 30 minute drive to Sparbach, a small village just outside of Vienna. Andi had done some research for a bit more of a 'real' hike up high in the mountains, but the weather report was not favourable and had we gone, we might still be up there...either lost or frozen. So the Sparbach solution was very welcome.

Little did we know that the nature park that was our backup is in fact closed for the winter months. But that does not stop a Slovenian. Andi successfully convinced me to climb over not one, but two stone walls and plop down into the pristine, wild boar infested, no-human contact for miles nature park.

It was pretty crazy to be in this huge park all by ourselves. The untouched snow, the quiet, the two big wild boars charging down the hill in our general direction. Wait, what?

I was PETRIFIED. I remembered stories of my youth of man-eating wild boars. Don't boars like human flesh? After almost wetting myself and turning to see that the stone wall was too far to provide any life-saving service to me...then scanning the trees in vain for any branches low enough to grab...I hunted for a big enough stick to defend myself with. Once the immediate threat of the piggies had passed, I forced Andi to walk with the stick...to poke my lifeless body after the boars had mauled me to death, I suppose.

Along our way through the park we saw many strange and wonderful things. Many fun ruins, animals, this mill with frozen water falls all over it...

It was cold, can you tell?

Here is the first ruin we ran into along our walk. It has a fun bridge and stone walls and a church and tower and all the good things that ruins should have. And it was ours, ALL OURS!!!

As I was walking over this bridge, I startled yet another pair of boars who went streaking in the other direction.

And here is the second ruin at the highest point in our walk. We walked up those snow covered stairs there to look through the window down on the valley below. It was a lovely view. And then just to the side of the stairs I found poo!

Boar poo? Goat poo? Can anyone identify this poo?

Then upon our return, as we often do, Andi and I make little bets as to whether Kitty is on the bed, on the couch or on the ottoman...but she tricked us both when we found her sitting in the hallway, with her face scrunched up to the only heater we have on in the apartment. She is a heat seaking fuzzball.