Kringing. cowbells. toilet flush. And the sound of the rotors of the rescue helicopter. These are the few sounds that break the silence in the Johannes-Schlößl of the Pallottines in Salzburg. I ended up there for a week to switch off.
Because work, stress, the virus and the food – all of that was too much in the end. I longed for rest. Sealed off from the world, hear nothing and see nothing. Gain distance to be closer to myself. That’s how it turned out with fasting. Just like the place.
The monastery is hidden in the countryside on the Mönchsberg – and at its foot the hospital. Kind of comforting for a fasting newbie like me. Because before my trip, I hear many horror stories about fasting. Vomiting, nervous breakdowns, dizziness – none of this keeps me from checking in.
Fasting begins before the holiday
A few days before the fast comes a detailed email. Just drive there and get started is not. You should start giving up coffee even before you arrive. I’m motivated and switch to tea. The packing list for the stay is long: hiking poles, hot-water bottle, drinking bottle, thermos flask. I carry so much stuff with me that it would easily have taken three weeks of survival training in the jungle.
From the Mönchsberg you can enjoy a wonderful view of Salzburg
Source: dpa-tmn
When I arrive, I’m the first. I use the ledge and explore the area. Without a plan, completely unprepared and hungry. My stomach has been growling since the early hours of the morning. And the weekly schedule doesn’t include dinner. This causes a little uneasiness. I didn’t even buy a drink on the way, and my room, where I can hide from the temptations of the world, is not ready until later.
I roam through the forest hoping to find an inn somewhere. Finally I end up in front of the Museum der Moderne. All of a sudden, the power seems to return to the body. Because the logical conclusion: where there is a museum, there is also a shop. And right: there is a terrace café.
The sun is shining, the view is magnificent. The old town of Salzburg with its winding streets spreads out below me, next to it the venerable fortress seems close enough to touch. How I would like to have something between my teeth now. But I dare not go to the café. Instead, I stroll through the shop. A drink will do, too. On display: postcards, art prints and pretty notepads. But nothing to settle my stomach. I buy a ticket for the museum.
Art by Frida Kahlo, among others, can be seen in the Museum der Moderne in Salzburg
Source: dpa-tmn
First floor: Frida Kahlo and Marilyn Monroe keep me busy. It’s about tracks. Which ones do I want to leave behind? When is the crucial moment? About now? Are there nice mistakes? I keep walking and see a photo of a cow – a crispy schnitzel immediately springs to mind. Second floor: This leads to the café I was already standing in front of. Third floor: I love the multimedia exhibition.
But the excitement only feeds the senses, not my growling stomach. So two hours later I’m sitting on the terrace after all and ordering juice and clear soup.
Renunciation is capitalized in the monastery
Back in the monastery: the rooms in the guest house are simple, without a TV, but large, with a private bathroom and a view of the garden. Mine is quickly becoming a private retreat for me. I unpack my suitcase and put my emergency cookies on the desk.
Eating under the crucifix: Faith is omnipresent in the dining room of the Johannes-Schlößl in Salzburg
Source: dpa-tmn
Half of the now complete tour group was not aware that they had booked a fasting seminar. Neither do I. The dense weekly program is surprising. It hardly leaves any space. After the obligatory getting to know each other, we go to spoon juice together. Dinner is a glass of pressed apple with carrot and beet. I’m happy to get anything at all on the first day and scoop on my juice for more than 20 minutes.
“The trick is to be slow,” says fasting leader and Qigong teacher Alexander Steinberger. Every spoonful is slurped consciously and mindfully. It is important to get as much as possible out of the little. Then the big decision: Who will take part in Otto Buchinger’s hardcore fasting with juice and soup? Who chooses the lighter alkaline fasting variant? I out myself as a wimp and decide to do base fasting.
A dense fog has long since settled over my thoughts and my head is pounding. I pour down a cup of wormwood tea and go to bed. At night I dream more intensely than I have in a long time. In the morning I feel like I’m standing next to me.
Sightseeing while hiking around Salzburg
Breakfast is a bright spot and seems like gluttony: apple, banana, tomato, cucumber. In addition, a sweet puree of plums, dates and raisins. Another cup of tea, then we go hiking – several hours, every morning. The destinations are sights in or around Salzburg: Leopoldskron Palace, Hellbrunn Palace, the Maria Plain pilgrimage church or the Kapuzinerberg. Fasting with sightseeing, so to speak.
It doesn’t matter what the weather is like – exercise is part of the fasting holiday
Source: dpa-tmn
Movement is distracting. But I can’t find my rhythm in a group. That’s why I start running on my own for the next few days. It works. I’m more with myself when I’m alone. I can better classify what I’ve heard and felt. Others need the entertainment and company. Finally, group dynamics play an important role in fasting. The we and the exchange carry us through difficult hours.
The first day of fasting is a rollercoaster ride for me: I feel different every hour. But mostly not good. I’m drained and exhausted. During the afternoon rest I fall asleep immediately – with the first liver compress of my life. Does he help? No idea. An afternoon nap at home is unimaginable. In the monastery I fall into a deep sleep.
Conversations with the Father about God and the world
On the second day it feels like I’ve been here for three weeks. In the afternoon I look for the spiritual impulse with Father Rüdiger Kiefer. Touch his words. Everyone is there because they have lost something, want to get rid of something, are looking for something or want to find something. Sometimes it’s about the weight, but in truth it’s about much more. The Father takes the time to talk about God and the world.
The headache is gone. I look forward to lunch, the sun and the garden. The monastery walls provide support. The Lenten fog clears. I listen to my body and my soul. The hunger? It’s there. But not as intrusive as feared. Half an apple and I’m full. It doesn’t feel like giving up because I focus on what’s there and not what’s missing.
Beetroot soup instead of Sachertorte: Those who fast are also happy about modest meals
Source: dpa-tmn
While we eat beetroot soup, the other house guests are served Sachertorte. A priest commented with a smile as an exercise in asceticism. If there was no one in the room, two people fasting would have pounced on the chocolate treat long ago. I don’t mind the sight. I am delighted with our large plate of vegetables.
It tastes heavenly. The conversations at the table are always about the food. I didn’t think there was so much to say about fasting. The hardcore fasters don’t look so fit anymore. You drank Glauber’s salt to rid your intestines of toxins. This is not necessary with base fasting.
Yoga gets the circulation going again
On the third day I write down everything that moves me. Finally, what’s in your head is allowed to come out: toxic memories and thoughts that are no longer needed. That calms the mind. After all, fasting is about letting go and reorganizing. In the evening it’s time to eat soup, visit the roof terrace, walk in the dark and give a lecture.
The mood among the fasting participants after Buchinger seems to be down. Typical. It’s the third day. That’s where it’s worst. I take flight. After 8 p.m. I am neither receptive nor group compatible.
Schloss Leopoldskron is just one of many tourist attractions in and around Salzburg
Source: dpa-tmn
Hunger is drunk away. Three to four liters of water and tea spread over the day – an unbelievable amount for me. I’ve found my rhythm now. At lunch, euphoric plans are made. The mood increases, the number of participants in group activities decreases. I’m no longer the only one who wants to go my own way.
Every day I do my rounds in the forest and do yoga in the room. This gets the circulation going after the liver compress. The energy comes back. That’s how I persevere. On the day of departure, the emergency biscuits are still unopened on my desk. I won’t need them anymore. Fasting isn’t that bad.
Source: Infographic WORLD
Tips and information:
Entry and Corona situation: The Federal Foreign Office offers up-to-date information on Austria on its website.
Information desk: salzburg.info; Johannes-Schloessl: johannes-schloessl.at; Fasting with Alexander Steinberger: fastenapfel.de
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Source: WORLD | bri, mgi, kci