Vienna. July 1, 2014 Tuesday. Afternoon
At 3 p.m. the party ended. Mary quickly left the university building. The woman boarded a tram heading towards the Margareten district. The weather outside was truly summary. The July sun was shining. There wasn't a single cloud in the sky. Peaceful city pigeons flew here and there. The tram was moving fast. Mary got off at the fifth stop and went to the clothing store. It was a large Art Nouveau building that housed many shops. Mary knew this store well, she had bought clothes there before. The woman approached the clerk, a young man dressed in a suit.
>Good morning sir.<
>Hello, dear customer, welcome to our clothing store.< – The man said. >What do you wish for?<
>I need good shoes for hiking in the mountains,< Mary said.
>Are you talking about mountain climbing?< He asked.
>More like a walk. Besides, I don't know if climbing is out of the question,< replied Mary.
> Which mountains are you going to? < The man asked a question.
>Alpbach area.> The American said.
> Ah. Yes. Alpbachtal. It's a really beautiful area. I know Alpbach well. I've been there several times. The mountains there are nice and small. There is no question of mountain climbing. So you need solid walking shoes. I recommend Olex leather shoes. What size are you interested in?<
>Number 35.< Mary said.
So Mary bought shoes at a clothing store and then went to a bookstore. Mary was looking for a tourist guide to Alpbach and the surrounding area. Unfortunately, this bookstore did not have a tourist guide to Alpbach itself. However, there was a book on the shelves titled: "The most beautiful places in Tyrol". It was a beautiful and very expensive photo album. However, Mary did not acquire this position, but quickly went to the headquarters of the Austrian Tourism Office. Mary took a taxi to get there as soon as possible, before 5 p.m. After 5 p.m. most Viennese offices and shops were closed. Mary was lucky then, because the headquarters of this tourist and information office was open until 6 p.m. Mary wanted to obtain materials about Alpbach there. A lady from the Austrian Tourism Office gave Mary a map, a guide and a list of accommodation places in Alpbach and the surrounding area free of charge. Mary went to her apartment with these materials and studied them carefully late in the evening. Then she packed up and went to bed. She couldn't fall asleep right away, she kept thinking about the birds. These thoughts were terrifying and filled with terror. The night was pleasant and warm. Mary looked out the window at the illuminated buildings of Vienna. The city looked impressive at night. Mary said to herself the words of a famous Austrian song: Have you ever seen Vienna at night? Mary had the opportunity to see the beautiful nightlife of Vienna for many years. Around 10 p.m. Mary finally closed her eyes and woke up at 8 a.m. She didn't actually get up on her own, but was woken up by Paweł Kowalski, who knocked on the door of Mary's apartment.
Alpbach. July 2, 2014 Wednesday
Paweł Kowalski went from Maria on the Alpbach route. The man was not alone, after all. He was accompanied by his dog - an English cocker spaniel with a friend called Dude. Mary traveled while studying tourist materials about Alpbach. The follow-up ride takes place in Brixlegg. Next, take a taxi or take the Postbus mail bus, which takes travelers to Alpbach itself. The road between Brixlegg and Alpbach took us through the small Austrian option of Reith im Alpbachtal and then into mountains, forests and rock cliffs. When he and his companion reach Alpbach, he will first show up at the tourist information point to access information about available rooms in the village guesthouses. Both Mary and Paweł must have single rooms for themselves. It turned out that there were only two free single rooms in the whole of Alpbach, one from the Ted Schieferstein family, the other from the Joseph Weber family, with both houses controlled side by side on the Trat hill. Mary and Paweł went there soon.
Mary knocked on the door of Ted's boarding house. The door was immediately opened by a young woman, thirty-year-old brown haired Camila, Ted's daughter. Camila greeted Mary as she opened the ash wooden door of the house.
>Hello, ma'am. And you came to us about this matter?<
>I'm talking about peace. Apparently you have one single room for rent,< Mary said.
>There is one available at the very top, in the attic. We welcome you very warmly!< Camila said, adding after a moment. >I'll take you to your room. He is very lucky because most of the rooms in Alpbach are already occupied. I'm Camila. You?<
>And I'm Mary Brenner. Call me Mary!> The she-American is out of the question.
>Are you Mary, a native Austrian? Forgive me for asking, but there are foreigners arriving here in Alpbach. There have been a lot of Japanese people here lately,< Camila said.
>I came from the USA. I am an immigrant. But I've been living in Austria for years,< Mary explained.
Camila took Mary to the upstairs room where Mary's family lived. It would be small with a wooden window and door on a small balcony. On the window of permanent flowers, red like blood or the sun in the evening dawn. The room had a wooden bed, a sliding wardrobe, a table and one chair. He was in a wooden Tyrolean room. Mary took a shower first and then unpacked. In response, Camila knocked and explained Mary's invitation to dinner, which also included the resident of Camila's accident child - Ted and Margareta, and four other guests of the property. At 2 p.m., the store was running out of lunch. Mary ate Viennese schnitzel and talked to both the property owners, Ted, and his daughter, Camila.
>Delicious cutlet.< Mary praised the dish.
>Thank you. It was my wife who prepared it. Margareta is a great cook.< Ted boasted.
>I have a question. How many guests do you have at home now<. Mary asked curiously.
>We have a full set of free rooms, i.e. six occupied ones. This guesthouse is run by our daughter, Camila, because my family and I work every day at the hospital in Kufstein. I work as a medical assistant while Margareta is a nurse. Today we are on duty at 5 p.m., so we go to work after lunch. If you need something, please check whether it is necessary.<
>Deal with the truth. I am the informal boss. I take care of another person when I work. I also order meals for guests, which they bring us from the restaurant in the center of the village.< Camila's notification.
>Our Camila is a writer. We are very proud of her. She has already written three books and novels that were published in Berlin,> Margareta boasted.
>What is it about, Camilo?<Subject matter of interest.
>Too terrible, thrillers. The last novel is about the swamp monster, Moormann and the full moon. And now about the mermaid and vampires,< Camila said.
>Apart from that, I still do it today.< The guest of the guesthouse said, an old hunter who was listening at the table.
>Now forgive us, Mary. Ted and I are going to the apartment to work on duty,< Margareta said. When Mary knocked on the door of Ted, Margareta and Camila's property for the first time, her companion Paweł Kowalski with his dog Dude came to the neighboring house of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph and Marzanna Weber, where a single room for rent was waiting for him. The man was greeted by the Weber family with cognac in the kitchen. However, he refused to drink alcohol and asked for a glass of juice or mineral water. Paweł talked to members of the Weber family: Joseph, Marzanna, their adult children Ulla and Daniel about the weather, their life in Alpbach and their activities.
Joseph told the young Pole that he was a plumber and worked in Wörgl. Marzanna boasted that she was of Polish origin, which made Paweł, also Polish, very happy. Ulla told the man about her work in a hairdressing salon in Alpbach as a beautician. Only Weber's son, Daniel, remained silent. Paweł also talked briefly about his fate in Austria and the job at the Vienna University that was offered to him. The Pole shared his observations about life in Austria and his admiration for Alpbach in the old days.
After Paweł drank the juice, Daniel took the Pole to the second floor of a large villa, most of whose rooms were rented by tourists, both Austrian and foreign. The young Austrian took Paweł, cleaning products, toilet paper and towels to Paweł's room. He first spoke to Paweł in his room.
>Nice dog. He's probably biting.<
>It's Dude. English cocker spaniel. He doesn't bite. This is a friendly and gentle breed of dogs.<
>All dogs bite me. Animals don't like me because I'm probably a bad person.< Daniel admitted.
>There are no bad or bad people, but they are unhappy.< Paweł philosophized.
>True!< Daniel agreed.
Paweł looked out the window. It had a view of the path towards the Gratlspitz peak and the view of the neighboring Schieferstein house. However, the window of Mary's room was on the other side, so Paweł and Mary could not see each other.