I have to say that Arni has always been a fascinating and very special personality for me. In fact, he was born only a few kilometers as the crow flies from here, where I am sitting right now and where I also grew up.
He was born in the Graz area, in the small town of Thal, and so he was always seen as a Grazer and Styrian. And that is exactly what fascinated me so much! Out of this small nest into the big world, Mister Universe, movie star, governor, marry into the Kennedy family
So I would love to spend our weekend together here in the region. The Styrian boy and the girl from Graz. Both once left in their youth to make their fortune in Munich, that is something we have in common. Well, after that the life stories went on a little bit different ;-) When he came to Munich I wasn't born yet and when I came to Munich he was already a big world famous star on the other side of the big pond.
I would probably ask him a lot of things. Whether he, like most people from Graz, also felt that homesickness for our hometown never ceased to exist? Because that is something I have experienced myself and also heard from many other emigrants.
Graz is such a special place, comparable to nothing. And even if we like it very much elsewhere, there is always this melancholy in us.
My uncle once told me that he always saw Arnie at the bus stop when he was young. And also that a lot of people had loughed at him and thought he was stupid because of his bodybuilding.
Well, those were completely different times. Remember Schwarzenegger is born back in 1947! Bodybuilding was still unknown in our country. And one thing Arnie was and is definitely not, namely stupid. No, quite the opposite.
And that's why I'd like to ask him how he manages to go his way against all odds and realize his dreams, to be a "Sryrian oak". I mean, to make his way to world stardom and governor from here, if that's not an accomplishment?
Of course, we would take a walk around Thalersee, which is right near his birthplace, Thal. The lake where he proposed to his beloved Maria Shriver in 1985. Coincidentally, I was there last week and so I even have a photo of the small romantic lake with boats, how appropriate:
Most people probably would love to spend this weekend with Arnold Schwarzenegger on the movie set, to be there when it's "Action!". But I would actually like to use this incredible opportunity to get to know the person Arnie. Eating Wiener Schnitzel and Apfelstrudel, drinking a "Verlängerten" (Coffee) and enjoying the nature and air of our homeland. To see him laugh and above all to hear his stories and wisdom first hand.
While researching this post I found out that there is actually an Arnold Schwarzenegger Mindset book, unfortunately only in English, but I think I will read it, maybe this way my questions will be answered, until the day @galenkp arranges a real meeting for me with Arnie ;-) Ha! And then I have to ask him why the book was not published in our native language!
This was my entry to the weekend-engagement concept 118 by Galenkp
Community guidelines do not allow bilingual posts, so you find the german original written text within the comment section.
I am a blogger from Austria, founder of the Hive Memorial Forest Community, admin of the Introduce Your City Community, active in ecency discord and here and there all around this beautiful blockchain.
photos by @beeber
mostly translated with www.deepl.com (free version)