Day 8: Lucerne To Innsbruck

When the bus arrived at the drop-off point for us river rafters, the sun felt really hot. The raft staff showed us the way to the wetsuits, booties, and helmets, but not before signing a waiver. I don’t know what it was about the area, but there appeared to be flying dandelion seeds everywhere. After donning on the gear, it got even hotter. The booties still had water in it, so it didn’t really feel too comfortable. Ali afforded us the opportunity of locking on belongings in the back of the bus.

Then the raft staff had us take a group photo. Afterward, he told us to assemble into groups. I was with Mike, Garrett, Julie, Spiros, and Stan. We got on the boat while it was still ashore and simulated some rafting motions. Although I was in front, Julie recommended I go to the middle or back since I hadn’t rafted before. Then, we carried the boat to the river.

Our raft guide told us to try the water out. Before, I was burning up in the wet suit. After getting in the water, I nearly froze. We got the boat on the water and went on our way. The guide had us practice some moves, and he had us get in the water, which was still cold.

The guide also asked for a volunteer to fall out of the boat. Julie bravely volunteered to fall out first. Then we took turns. Then we started balancing on the boat. Unfortunately for Mike, he dislocated his shoulder on his way back up. The guide blew his weak whistle, which the other raft guides did not hear until much later.

The boats then slowed down a bit so that the guides can discuss and assess the situation. They decided to drop Mike off after the photo point. We tried pulling Mike’s arm back in place but that didn’t help. When the rapids came, the guide had us paddle harder. After getting our picture taken, we went to the side and dropped off Mike. Our crew was then down to a measly 6, including the guide.

The guide described the rapids at Grade 3, but according to Spiros, they were more like Grade 2. I know now that the next rafting trip I take should be a Grade 4. Throughout the river, the guide had us “play.” He told us that he was going to give us a chance to swim, but we really didn’t want to. I did try, but I came back real soon, because the water felt even colder than before. Then the guide jumped into the water, and we all looked at each other with the expression: “he’s our guide, this is not a good thing.”

When he came back, he had us stand on the outer edges of the boat in a pyramid formation. He also told us to run around the boat on the outer edge. Most of us started using the heads of others as a handrail. I did fairly well, and Garrett decided to push me into the water he “couldn’t resist because I was doing so well.”

As we rafted down the river, the guide really interested us in the sights. He pointed out the little town where Arnold Schwarzeneggar was born. Then he pointed out the mountain where Paramount Pictures got their logo. We occasionally splashed the other boats with our paddles. And there were kayakers that kept following us. Actually, they kept on going in front of us, into the rapids, where they paddled upstream.

Toward the end, we performed that pyramid formation again. We walked on the edge of the boat. And I took a final swim in the chilly water. We were welcomed by the “volley ball players” (those travelers that decided not to river raft with us) at the end.

After dragging and carrying the boat ashore, we searched for towels. I got tired of searching and got a bunch of paper towels, which were reasonably effective. I found this one big changing room all to myself. I found out why I was alone in the room. When I showed the others to the room, they said it was for women. Too bad there weren’t any.

While waiting for people to finish showering and get dressed, we found the photo area. They were sold for the low, low price (sarcasm added) of 5.00 Euro per small picture and more for the large picture. Although I don’t like purchasing overpriced pictures, I have to admit that they do have a monopoly, so I bought one from each group. I think our group would agree that the boat with Dale was the most “active” picture. He had the biggest grin (others commented that he always grins), and if we didn’t know any better, he was posing. This picture could replace the one that Contiki currently has in its brochure.

Back on the bus, I talked to Kyle about the Paramount mountains, and he gave me this puzzled look. Then he told me that Paramount Pictures never got any mountain logos from here. Then I asked him about Schwarzeneggar’s town, to which Kyle said was untrue. He said that the river guides like playing around like that. My river guide was full of crap. At least now I don’t feel so bad about missing photo opportunities while on the boat.