© Dagmar Fischer
Institutes field trip 2024, day 1
07:10 - Meet at Operngasse 20
07:16 - Line 59A honks us out of the stop, the journey begins
07:35 - a first refreshing drink containing hops
© Christian Zaruba
Alex and Balint
Robert
Photo of Roman
14:00 - After a break at a rest stop we reach Postojna
Group photo on the train in Postojna Cave
14:30 - The tour through the stalactite cave begins with a train journey into the mountain. Unlike the Emperor, whose railway carriage was still moved by a pusher in 1872, we are sitting in an electric vehicle. The journey into the cave takes us through a number of cave rooms, some of which are lavishly lit and decorated (including chandeliers). The grotto is filled with stalactites (hanging), stalagmites (standing) and stalagmites (continuous columns). Stalactites, as we learnt, ideally grow as hollow tubes from the ceiling. Only when the tube becomes blocked by impurities, for example, does the stalactite transform its shape into a cone or icicle.
© Christian Zaruba
Photo in Postojna Cave
Any colour changes result from the different minerals that the water washes out of the rock drop by drop. The growth rate of the waxy formations is a remarkable 1 metre per 10,000 years, i.e. in the same order of magnitude as the growth of the rail network for the new U5.
Comic of Robert and Philipp
At the end of the tour, we are allowed to stop by a basinl with grotto olms and then it's back to daylight.
The hike through the cave shows its effect
for several colleagues
Heinz is eagerly awaiting us
17:30 - Arrived at the Hotel Albergo alla Posta in Trieste
The first step is to check in and take a shower. Anyone who feels the need to pull the funny red cord in the shower out of childish curiosity immediately realises that the accident alarm is definitely working. When you rush to reception to give the all-clear, you are told in a friendly and calm manner that the alarm has been registered, but that it is always a false alarm anyway and that no further attention is paid to the matter. The information invites speculation as to how many involuntary permanent guests are currently staying at the hotel. In any case, they are unlikely to die of thirst in the shower.
Comic of Robert and Philipp
© Ernst Kozeschnik
Group photo from the dinner in Trieste
19:30 - The evening ends with a pleasant meal and a rollercoaster ride through the quality levels of Italian wine. The finale is a sip of limoncello from the most elegant bottle a condiment can possibly end up in: Brand Vinaigrette at the salad buffet in the Freihaus canteen. A friendly street musician, whose performance "takes some getting used to" is probably a euphemistic description of her music. Although not particularly melodious, it is highly effective - the pressure of suffering flushes out the ransom... the donations in no time at all.
Finish in Trieste at night
Comic of Robert and Philipp
Comic of Robert and Philipp
Report: R. Kahlenberg, P. Retzl