Marching on

On the first day of March I put on a heavy jacket and headed to the train station. I took the train to the bus station, where I then took a bus to the house of a Rotarian, and was then picked up in a BMW to head into the mountains.
This web of transportation was my way to our Rotary ski weekend, which took place in Oberstdorf, a village in the German Allgäu mountains. This ski area, where Lindsey Vonn began her training, is about five kilometers from Austria and was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. The crisp blue skies, 7°C air, soft snow and brilliant sun promised an unforgettable ski vacation, and as the gondola rose higher our excitement went with it.

We were not disappointed. For my friends from Australia, Colombia and Argentina, snow and skiing were a completely new experience; for me, skiing in these mountains was a dream come true. 

The weather was warm and pleasant, the snow like divine ice-cream under our skis. 

We kept up our strength with hot chocolate...

...German käsespätzle...  

and Austrian Kaiserschmarren.  

The sunset on Saturday night was a stunning whirl of golds and greys and whites, reflecting off the pristine snow.

But what I liked even better was Sunday morning; a wall of mist below us, the sun rising above, and the sky a perfect shade of blue. 

Standing at the head of a ski trail with the sun shining on my face and my country spread out below me, I felt like I was on top of the world.