Thursday, June 19, 2008

The Last Supper

Appropriately so, I enjoyed Wienerschnitzel as my final meal in Vienna before returning home. Although I've tasted some fine schnitzel over these past nine months, tonight's was especially good. Ben, one of Michael's friends from Houston, came to visit for a few days and joined Michael, Richard, and me for dinner. Having familiar faces with which to share meals makes a big difference for me. Until recently, our family had been the only visitors (which we greatly appreciate), and it's been refreshing to also have friends come and be a part of our life here.

Our ride to the airport train comes in less than 5 hours, and most of the packing is complete. Thankfully, my parents took home two huge suitcases when they came in April. I realize now that there is no way we would be able to haul all of our junk back home without having had their help. Mom and dad, thanks again for lugging our stuff around because I know it wasn't fun. :)

These past two days have consisted of several "lasts," most of which I am glad to see go. Our shower here is less than satisfactory, so, needless to say, I bid good riddance to it this afternoon, and I doubt I will ever look back. I rode on the bus and U-bahn within the city for the last time, and I probably will miss public transportation once I start paying for gas again. However, I will not miss being able to get places in the exact time it takes to drive...no more waiting for buses or planning an errand around the bus schedule. I cannot imagine having children here, especially young ones, and being dependent on public transportation. One day, I will remind myself of this. I used Skype to call someone, and I'm excited to have a cell phone where the conversation is not hindered by a bad connection...well, at least for the most part.

As I stand in this place of leaving our temporary home and returning to a place of familiarity, I am filled with a sense of gratefulness for this entire experience. I would not trade any challenging moments or times of joy that we have been fortunate to have in Vienna. At the same time, I cannot act as if I am not glad to be moving on, because I am. We have been blessed. For the rest of our lives, we will always have Vienna, but for now, I say, "Auf Wiedersehen, Wien."

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

A Quick Update

Richard and I are having a great time on our two week European adventure. We are half way through our itinerary, having visited Athens, Amsterdam, and Berlin. We've balanced our time well between enjoying ourselves and relaxing. Our motto (compliments of Richard) is, 'All we have is time.' Therefore, it's unnecessary to plan to far in advance or worry about what we will do. Since I like to know what lies ahead, this has been a little adjustment, but I really am having a good time. Maybe I'm turning over a new leaf myself...we shall see. But seriously, it has been such an easy and pleasant trip except for the fact that Richard's allergies have been bothering him. He's been a trooper regardless, and I am so glad we are able to experience these cities together. Even though I'm not the biggest sports fan by any means, we've really enjoyed our routine of watching the Euro 2008 matches each night. It's fun to be surrounded by such enthusiastic people, and, if we had been thinking, we would have tried to get tickets to a game since some are being played in Vienna. Oh well.

We head to Warsaw tomorrow followed by Auschwitz and Prague and then will be back in Vienna next Wednesday with one full day before heading back to the states. Speaking of which, I am excited, but I'm not allowed to express that excitement during this trip since no one likes a Debbie-Downer. It's hard to believe that this much anticipated end is finally approaching. I am so grateful for the opportunity Michael and I have enjoyed by moving to Vienna, and I know that appreciation will continue to grow in the future. Right now, I'm just ready to spend time with those I miss so much and the little one I haven't met yet. All in good time.

Michael's project is due Monday, so he is beyond busy at school. The timing of this trip with Richard has been perfect, since Michael probably has spent more time in studio than our house over the past week. I'm proud of how hard he works because let's just say that some of his classmates don't share his same work ethic. He's tolerated quite a bit, and I know he's ready to be home as well. Chris, a friend from school in Houston, is coming to visit the last week of June. Due to complications with air mile usage, Richard and I are leaving before Chris arrives, but I'm glad Michael will have someone to keep him company during that final week.

Monday, June 2, 2008

Trip of Champions

As I mentioned earlier, a few of my friends came to visit recently! Lesley's short adventure was crammed full of sight-seeing, good food, and an all around wonderful time together. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures because they are on her camera...in Denver. Thanks again for coming, Les--I had so much fun!


Jordan and Julie arrived just in time for a random cold and rainy day amidst the warm, enjoyable weather. We braved the nastiness and did some sightseeing to take advantage of their limited time in Vienna. One of Julie's lifelong wishes has been to see Venice, so that was our first destination. I don't know that I can do justice for Julie's reaction to Venice as we stepped off the train, but she was quite impressed to say the least. Jordan and I were very fortunate to have Julie's sweet spirit remind us just how great it was that we were in Europe. We spent 24 hours in the city and made the most of our visit.


Our next stop was Nizza Monferrato, Italy where a childhood friend, Rachel, and her husband, Guiliano, live (sorry if I misspelled his name). Many families in their region have some type of vineyard, and we were lucky enough to visit theirs!



I included this video so that you could see just how incredible the countryside is. We were thrilled to spend time with them, and they were wonderful hosts in spite of being sick. They also took us to a traditional Italian feast where we ate very tasty food. We were completely spoiled during our time in Nizza, and we loved EVERY minute of it! Thanks again for having us!

We had high hopes for Milan but were not that impressed. Luckily, we decided to take a short trip up to Lake Como, which was beautiful. The lake was set in between the mountains, which were covered with houses. We walked down the bridge (middle picture), which extended into the middle of the lake to get a better view. While we were standing at the railing, a boat passed by a few yards away. I noticed the man near us moving away from the edge and did so myself. At the same time, Julie and Jordan are saying there's no way the water could come up on the bridge. Well, guess who didn't get wet? That's right...me and the random man who snickered when the girls were splashed with water.


As if our trip couldn't get any better, we then had the privilege of going to Barcelona for three days. We all agreed that Spain is a magnificent country. Thankfully, we all thought the hop-on/hop-off bus was a good idea so we could see the most of the city during our short visit. Overall, it was very convenient, but we did have a few mishaps when we missed stops and/or went the wrong direction. Regardless, we have fabulous memories. Tapas are a typical Spanish cuisine, and we went to the same restaurant twice because the food was so good.

We made a list of all the funny stories that occurred during our trip, but I don't have it with me, nor do I think it's all appropriate blog material. However, I hope it's obvious that we thoroughly enjoyed our time together and the new places we experienced. Thank you to my dear friends who took the time, money, and energy to visit me! [For those friends reading this who were not able to come, I still love you just as much because I know you would have come if you could have. :)]