AN AUSTRIAN HOLIDAY
My name is Steve Turner and in my late 20's I was stationed in the Army in Germany in the late 1960's. I had decided to take a fishing holiday in Austria in May 1969 and had sent off for tourist brochures for all the regions and picked Vorarlberg where I found a small village with a stream.
There were no North/South motorways from the North of Germany except for those further to the West which meant driving down in a large arc with increased distance, so I drove down normal roads. I had to stay a night in Germany because I was unable to reach the border and needed somewhere for the night.
The next day, Sunday, I crossed into Austria and arrived at the small village I had chosen as my base for the next two weeks. I booked into a small hotel owned by a couple in their early 30's, Herr and Frau X. It was the quiet part of the year, between the winter sports months and the summer hiking months and I was the only guest.
I went and explored various sections of the local stream and that evening I asked the owner about the best places to fish but he was a skiing man and didn't know anything about fishing. After the evening meal I sat in the lounge and had a quiet pipe and drink and read one of the books I had brought.
As soon as I had acquired my fishing licence from the village administration office on the Monday, I started fishing. Each day I would fish in the morning but found that it was pointless some afternoons because snowmelt would totally discolour the water, so after lunch at the hotel I would take a drive around the area and visit other villages and towns. There wasn't much fly activity because the weather hadn't warmed up and so I decided to try with worm. The only problem was finding worms. I solved that by asking the wife "Would any of the local children find some worms for a small payment?" The next day, I had a can of good worms
After a couple of evenings sitting on my own, Herr X asked, "Would you like to come into our private part of the hotel as we would like to talk with you about your life and I can shut the hotel part and save on lighting?".
They introduced themselves as Hans and Siggi (Sieglinde) and being used to dealing with foreign skiers they both spoke good English and my German was reasonable and we had a relaxing evening while they provided the drinks. Siggi said "I like the smell of a pipe and I was to feel free to smoke it in their rooms as Hans likes the occasional cigar".
Hans was of a similar build to me with a serious manner and Siggi was the livelier, about 5ft 7inch with a good figure, neither slim nor chubby, and short black hair. I found them so much more open and warmer than the Germans I had met in Northern Germany and easier to talk to. After that evening, we continued using first names as opposed to the stiff German manner of using titles and surnames.
When I caught good trout Siggi made me clean them and would then cook them for me and if more than one they would eat them as well. Here was a lovely stream on their doorstep but it seems no-one bothered to fish- probably because they were all so busy working.
The weather was bad on some days with snow and sleet and on Wednesday morning at breakfast I was undecided what to do. Siggi sat down to have a chat and said "Today is our 'ruhetag' day. Our hotel will be closed for the day, providing only cold snacks at lunch and no evening meal but don't worry as you are the only guest, and I will provide an evening meal. Normally any guests would go to the other small hotel in the village and when they have their 'ruhetag', their guests would come to us. However, because now was almost a closed season the other hotel closed after the skiing ended and will not re-open until June. As I have the day off, I'm going over to Bregenz to do some shopping, but I must take the bus as Hans needs our car".
"What is the bus journey like?"
"It is slow, calls at every village on the route and the buses are infrequent."
I suggested "As I haven't been to Bregenz, would you like me to take you and I could explore the town while you do your shopping?"
"That's a good idea and I will pay for lunch." Hans was all for it as it meant that she would be back much earlier.
We set off in the rain and sleet and eventually arrived at Bregenz. It was very handy having Siggi directing me, and I didn't have to worry about taking any wrong road. She showed me the hotel where we would have lunch and we went our separate ways. I spent more time inside cafes having coffee than outside because of the cold but enjoyed the town. We met for lunch and Siggi had found everything she wanted. She was a very relaxing companion, and the time flew by.
When we left the hotel, we went to put her shopping in the car, and she asked, "Did you go down to the lakeside?" On hearing that I hadn't, she linked her arm in mine and said" I will drag you down there as you can't leave town until you have."
I was quite happy to be dragged and even in the bad weather the lake was beautiful, and it was even more enjoyable with her on my arm. I told her this and she laughed and gave me a quick kiss.
On the return journey we talked about various things, and I asked, "Are you planning on having a family?" She went all quiet and then started crying. I drove until I found a parking place, stopped and reaching across put my arms around her. In between her sobs she said, "We have been trying for a long time and are worried that we might never succeed." While I was holding her, I was trying to console her, gently kissing the back of her neck and stroking her back and when she quietened, she turned to face me and kissed me full on the lips. I returned the pleasure, and we were soon French kissing. After a few minutes we sat back up reluctantly, and I continued the drive. She had regained her composure by the time we got back and apologised for her outburst, thanked me for such a nice day and for being so considerate and kind.
That evening after dinner, I was asked into their rooms again and we chatted as usual with Hans wanting to know what I thought about Bregenz. I told him "I thoroughly enjoyed the town, and I was dragged down to the lake." and we all had a good laugh. Hans said "When Siggi has made up her mind there is no changing it."
At that point Siggi said "I have something to confess" and I thought she was going to say about us kissing. Fortunately, it was nothing to do with that. She said, "I mentioned about taking the bus because I hoped that you would take the hint and offer to take me!" What a little schemer!
They wanted me to tell them about the countries I had visited and Siggi said "We don't think you are married but do you have a girlfriend?" I told them about having had a German girlfriend but found the formality with her parents so restrictive and, after going out with her for over a year, they still called me Herr Turner and I called them Herr and Frau. In the end it was too much, and we broke up the previous Christmas.