Yo - Deh - Leh - Hee - Hoooooooooo

So, I never managed to post a blog yesterday - I was just far too busy aexperiencing amazing new things! What, you ask? Patience, my friend!

So, yesterday morning, I awoke early. The pounding in my head had vanished and I felt ready for the day! I went out on the balcony and it was a lovely, clear day! After getting ready, I headed downstairs and had a very filling breakfast. I asked at the reception desk about paragliding! So, they gave the guy a call. But after an hour of back and forth, he said that if it was a go, it wouldn't be until after 3 pm. It was something to do with the wind? Since I had a good amount of time, I decided to hike down the mountain a bit to the center of town. It was lovely!! The waterfall is absolutely amazing! The town is full of old mountain resorts and tiny shops! They have all of these fountains that spill out fresh "thermal wasser" and you can drink straight from them! I's supposed to have healing properties! But you get the same thing from drinking tap water! Straight from the glaciers! So, after wandering around a bit and hiking some on the emporer's promenade, I had a quick lunch of grillwurstl mit pommes and started my hike back up the mountain! When I got back, I still had a bit of a wait, so I hung out - anxiously awaiting the pilots call! A bit after 3, he called and said that he would pick me up around 4:30!! Oh my god!! I'm going go paragliding over the Alps!!!!! Wow! I was nervous, but very excited. 4:30 came around quickly! Since the chair lifts wouldn't be running until next week, we had to drive up the mountain. Talk about a white knuckle ride!! Louis, the pilot, was taking the hairpin turns going very fast and I could see the valley thousands of feet below!! But I calmed myself down -after all, I was about to leap off of a mountain with the man. I suppoose I can muster enough trust that he knows these mountains and roads like the back of his hand. Yea. So, I was glad when the car finally stopped. But as I got out, I realized that I was literally on a ledge. Oh shit. Admittedly, I was a little afraid. But, the things that you fear the most are generally the most worth doing. So, I embraced my racing heart and the ensuing adrenaline rush! I listened intently as he buckled me in (how is this supposed to hold me???) and gave me instructions. Here's how it goes: Once the wind is just right, you run down the mountain towards the ledge and keep running until you are off. I was very concerned that I would fuck up the running part. So, the adrenaline pumping, he yelled "GO," and off we ran! As the ledge approached, my feet lifted off the ground and we were flying! OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was amazing!!!!! We were flying thousands of feet over the valley!! We kept twisting and turning and he was actually able to take us a bit higher than where we jumped off!! There are no words to describe it!! You simply have to do it!! So, the flight lasted for about 30 minutes, and we came to a landing in a golf course! It was great!! There were people all around watching us fly and waiting for us to land!! We packed up the parachute and headed for the pub. We all had a beer and while the pilots chatted in German, I glowed and reveled in the moment! Yet another beer that I thoroughly enjoyed!!

The rest of the evening was spent hanging out and drinking wine! It was an incredible day and worth every penny!! I can't wait to go again!! WOW!!!