SU Story: Alpination 2004
The following story was written by our member Ville Tolvanen. He visited in July 2004 the Travelling Summer University with the name “Alpination” that led him from Munich to Innsbruck and to many other places.
Last summer I participated in the Travelling Summer University (TSU) called Alpination, which took place in Southern Germany and Austria at the beginning of July. Because I like all kind of sports and outdoor life, I was really keen to see that there was going to be a SU with that kind of themes!
We were two Finns participating. Because both of us were Ville by name, it took some time to convince the other participants that there are also other male names in Finland… There were also students from Poland, Hungary, Russia, Slovenia, the Netherlands, Greece, Malta and Spain participating. It was nice to see that the group consisted of some twenty open-minded persons, which is important when travelling in a group during two weeks. Alpination was arranged by AEGEE-Munich and AEGEE-Innsbruck, which meant we had some people either from Germany or Austria travelling with us all the time.
We started our tour in Munich and took our way over the Alps to Innsbruck, the capital of Tyrol. Munich is about 100 kilometres north of the Alps. Because one of the themes was cycling, we got the bikes right after the start of the common programme. The bikes belonged to the German Railways and were similar you can borrow on the railway stations.
There are many nice parks for having a picnic in Munich. One of the most famous is the English Garden located close to the city centre.
Munich is a city of many students, which we could see already at the arrival party. On lectures and city tour we got information also about the history of Bavaria, the southernmost province of Germany. Bavaria has always had close relations with Tyrol, the Alpine province of Austria.
On our last day in Munich we saw the final of the European Football Championships on TV, where Greece surprisingly won over Portugal. There were two Greeks in our group, and I will never forget when we cycled through the city where there were thousands of Greeks celebrating the Greek victory by shouting “Hellas, Hellas”.
Monastry of Andechs is famous for its beer. The guided tour has not advanced to the tasting yet, and you can see it!
After the three days in Munich we started cycling to the Alps and Austria. On the first day we got to the Monastry of Andechs some 30 kilometres from Munich. The monastry is famous for its beer, and I have seldom tasted a beer as good as in Andechs.
After two days in Andechs we continued southwards to the Alps. This meant that there were more hills to cross by bike. We got more challenges because of living in the tent, which all of us did not seem to like too much. Despite of that nobody could complain about the incredible landscapes we could see. Perhaps the most extraordinary place to visit was the castle Neuschwanstein, which was built in the 19th century for the Bavarian King Ludvig II and is like a fairy castle.
Do not miss the mountains, when you are in Innsbruck. During the hiking break there is not place for everybody on the bench!
After one week in Germany we reached Austria. Originally we should have been hiking over the border but because of the bad weather we took a train directly to Innsbruck. It is located in the valley, where the river Inn flows through the city. There are mountains on the both sides of the valley, which means that Innsbruck is a perfect place for hiking.
There was no need for tents or bikes in Innsbruck, because we lived close to the downtown in a school called Ferrari (!). Our Austrian hosts arranged us a many-sided program including treasure hunting, rafting in the river Inn and many parties. We also visited a brewery in Zell am Ziller (a famous ski resort) and the famous crystal factory Swarovski near Innsbruck. What is more, we had a daytrip by bus to South Tyrol in Northern Italy.
It was sad to notice that our SU was soon over. After the Alpination I visited Bodensee, the biggest lake in Middle Europe. From there I took the train back to Austria to see the international tennis tournament in Kitzbühel. It is very easy to travel in Middle Europe, because the railway network is very good and the distances are often much shorter than for example between Lapland and the Southern Finland.
To sum up my experiences during the Alpination, people are a good reason to participate any SU. The community spirit is unbelievably high, when everyone is eager for new experiences. What is more, it is possible to visit many interesting places when travelling in a group.
It was a kind of surprise to me that most of the other participants did not understand German. However, I am convinced of that the Alpine area and its culture became familiar to all of us. The organisers arranged a magnificent event: thanks to everybody in AEGEE-Munich and AEGEE-Innsbruck!
Participating a Travelling Summer University is a great experience. Warmly recommended! :)