Babel

Toblach; Thursday. Thunderstorms were in the offing for the afternoon today and besides that I am even more sore today than I was yesterday. When I was in my late twenties I went treking in the Himalayas. At that time I carried a full backpack and did a hike about as difficult every day of the trek (about ten days) as I did up to the Sarlriedl. You couldn't get me to undertake again what I did the other day with a gun barrel jammed between my shoulders. No way. I am a bit disappointed because the reward, namely spending some time in the unique high alpine milieu, is worth the effort. I guess I will have to rely on cable cars like every other person of modest capabilities or out of shape/unmotivated tourists. Sigh.
I took care of small matters this moring, checking out the quite lovely town of Toblach. My main quest was for an internet connection so that I could post my blogs. The small public library came to the rescue. While I was working at one of their (two) computers I overheard a woman reading a story to a young girl in Italian. It was so cute -- especially the girl's comments. (If she can speak Italian that well, why can't I?) The pic of the day is of the main street of the town. I was in a store and momentarily forgot where I was. When I stepped out this view took my breath away.
The deal here in the Hotel Rosengarten includes a fabulous breakfast and a really superb multi-course dinner (and they are happy to accomodate my dietary needs too). The beer and the local wines are all wonderful. There is a veritable babel of languages to be heard amongst the guests: mostly German, some Italian, Dutch, Norwegian, French, Irish English, etc. I'll bet that I am one of the few Americans to have ever stayed here. At the table next to mine there is a very friendly and energetic German lady (retired/widowed) who is here for three weeks. She is really fit, walks and bikes long distances. It's nice to have somebody to converse with, to share common enthusiams about the area, and compare notes with over dinner. She is yet another European who is THRILLED that Barak Obama is the President of the USA. All I can say is: Amen to that!

As I have mentioned before, the South Tyrol belonged to either the Bavarian or Hapsburg realms for centuries. It was only after the First WW that the area was given to Italy as a prize. At that time it was 90% German speaking. That was (and still is) one of the great injustices of European history. The Italians behaved very badly since then with a program of ethnic cleansing and suppression of German language and culture. There was a period of unrest with acts of sabotage against the Italian State. Many Tyroleans left but they are still 70% majority in this area. In recent years they have gained a status of political and cultural autonomy, though still part of Italy. And that is why all signs are bi-lingual. In the main square there is an info kiosk which includes a brief history of the S. Tyrol. It very conveniently glosses over the sticky period of the Italian take-over. The Tyroleans seem to be content with the arrangement now and are glad to have German-speaking guests. Ironically, both Austria and Italy have embraced the currency of the Euro, so a major aspect of division has been wiped away. Call me a rabble-rouser, but I would like to give a shout-out to Tyrolean self-determination: Freiheit für Süd Tirol!!! (I'm always a supporter of the underdog.)
In the area just south of Toblach, around Cortina d'Ampezzo, signs are also bi-lingual. These are not Italian/German, but Italian/Ladin. The latter is a language that is a corrupted form of Latin left over from the days of the Roman Empire, a language that has survived for 15 centuries in this mountainous region. (Switzerland has a similar phenomenon with Romansch, the official fourth language of that country.) Ladin is virtually incomprehensible to Italian speakers. The goulash of languages in the alpine regions is fascinating.