Up and Down, and Sideways

About the Book

The book describes the author’s outdoor activities, spanning the years from 1960 to the present. As the book name implies, it deals first with climbing Up the mountains, in the Adirondacks, State of New York, and in the Swiss Alps. It then turns to the Down part – downhill skiing in Vermont, and on the Alpine trials in Italy, Switzerland, and Austria. Next comes Sideways motion on bike tours in France, Spain and Austria. The final part is more passive: traveling on a river boat from Passau, Germany to Budapest, Hungary, stopping on the way in Bratislava, Slovakia, and Vienna, Austria. Interspersed between these main sections, are short side trips to Slovenia for down hill skiing, and to Estonia for cross – country skiing.

About the Author

Peter Aven has performed and toured as a professional drummer and/or violinist for over thirty years, playing over two thousand gigs with eighteen different bands from all over the United States, in particular from the northeast. He attended Ithaca College and the Berklee School of Music. He also has a BA in English and is an award-winning poet. He worked for four years teaching English and music in the Boston public schools. He currently lives near Saratoga Springs, New York.