Austria's Top 3!

We spent 2 nights in Austria, but most of our day activities were in neighboring Germany. This pit-stop will highlight my top 3, most of which are focused on my new family!

Fun Fact #1: Cliche as it may be, there is nothing like singing The Sound of Music while in the valleys of the Alps.

 Austria's Top 3 Highlights!

3. The first night at our hotel, Colette and I settled onto the back porch with a glass of wine to gaze at the sunset. There was a bustle of noise and loud, laughing German inside the hotel's cafe, yet it was nothing but blissful outside. Soon, we were accompanied by Lexi, much upset about boy troubles at home and looking for advice. Richard, our very fashionable and very European bus driver, joined us; he gladly offered his advice to Lexi, as well. Not long after, Kaiah came out and similarly, Colette, Richard, and I found ourselves offering 'boy advice' to both girls. A sliver of the moon was out, there was an increasingly chilly wind in the air, and I sipped contently on a Martini Bianco. (Martinis are very different in Europe than America. There are much sweeter, a little tart, and garnished with lime (not olive). It is delicious!) It was a lovely evening in a beautiful country and good company- a common thing I am discovering to be my top highlights wherever I go!

Sunset near the Chapel

2. Buddy Intros! As a part of our 'get-to-know-each-other-really-well' activities, we needed to interview our buddies and then introduce them to the entire group. Colette and I sat with my buddy, Brad, during our Austrian dinner- creamy garlic soup, fresh salad, and roast beef with potatoes. As I've mentioned, Colette and I love our buddies (though Sherri was too busy enjoying wine with Darice to join us for dinner...). We all had a blast chatting and getting to know each other. Naturally, Brad and I were the first to start the Intros to the group, and we did a pretty rocking job setting the bar. In case you were interested, Brad works in the Parks and Rec Department (which is unfortunately nothing like the TV show), used to play football, has two daughters near my age, and his favorite color is purple. Of course, that was the abbreviated version of the eloquent introduction I actually gave him. And he did equally excellent introducing me; it's always nice to get accolades for teaching middle school and seeming far more mature than my actual age. Beyond our awesomeness, it was fun getting to know lots of quirks and facts about everyone in the group.

1. I don't know how many times I said the following while we were in Austria: "You know, if I lived here and got to look at that every morning when I woke up, I would be the happiest person in the world." I meant every word of it. Austria is bordered by the Alps, in the heart of the forested countryside. Looking at those mountains swelled so much happiness in me, and I would just deep breath and sigh peacefully.

Peace.