Christkindlmarkt

One of my favorite things about Christmas in Vienna are the Christkindlemarkts. The markets consist of a group small wooden huts where you can by anything from christmas decorations, to homemade toys and candy, to almost anything else you can possible imagine. And then of course there are the stands that sell the traditional foods and snacks. Although my personal favorite food stand was the pretzel stand, it seemed that the majority of the people thoroughly enjoyed the Gluhweinpunsch stand. Literal translation being, glow-wine-punch, and more understandable translation being, punch with alcohol in it.

These Christkindlmarkts are all over the city. There are small ones of about 10 huts set up on every major shopping street and larger ones set up near a couple of the major sites such as the Schoenbruenn Palace. But the biggest most popular one is set up in the courtyard of the Rathaus (city hall). It has about 140 stands and is decorated to make you feel as if you're in a christmas movie. It also has the largest Christmas tree and Advent-Kranz in Vienna and probably Austria.

These Christmas Markets were so cute, I loved just walking around them for hours eating delicious pretzels, and listening to Christmas music in two different languages, and just enjoying the Christmas atmosphere. I have literally spend all of the last 4 weekends there. :)

My feeble attempt to get a good picture of the tree. :)

My even feebler attempt to get a decent picture of the market with the Rathaus behind.

(For better pictures or details you can check out www.christkindlmarkt.at)

Vienna's largest Advent-Kranz. (And before you ask.. No Jansen, they are not real candles)

Viennese Christmas traditions

As kids we were always told that Santa Claus and his reindeer had to travel all over the world in one night in order to get all the toys to all the good kids, but more importantly, we've always been told that Christ loves all of the children in the world. So, naturally, I've always known that Christmas is a world-wide holiday. Little did I know that the traditions for one holiday could differ so much from country to country.

Obviously the main origins of the holiday are the same, but this year, after having spent the first 18 years of my life in the states with the same traditions every year, my eyes were opened to new traditions, new ways of celebrating, and lots of yummy new recipes!! :)

During the month of December, as you walk through the city (or any town for that matter), it becomes quite apparent that Christmas is the most important holiday celebrated in Austria with all the beautiful, huge, and intricate decorations. As is the case with most European countries, December 6th is actually the day that Saint Nicholas, the giver of gifts, comes. He comes to all the children who have been good that year and brings them the traditional apples, mandarin oranges, peanuts and chocolate. Rather then setting up trees in their homes in the beginning of december and leaving them up to enjoy for the whole month, Austrians don't set up the tree until the morning of the 24th. Instead they enjoy other decorations, the most popular one being the Advent-Kranz, which translates to Advent-wreath. On top of these wreaths there stands 4 candles, one for each of the 4 sundays before Christmas. One candle is lit on the first sunday, 2 on the second and so on until Christmas when all four candles are lit at the same time. After the tree is finally set up on the morning of the 24th, each family dresses up in there best clothes and gathers together with all their relatives for a nice dinner. The traditional Austrian Christmas dinner consists of Gebackener Karpfen (Fried Carp) and Sachertorte (Chocolate and apricot cake), and the most delicious cookies ever, which are called, Vanilla Kipferln. (To all those who know me and my eating habits really well, you'll be shocked and proud to know that ... yes, I did in fact try the fish... just to confirm that ... yes, I do in fact still hate it!!!) After the meal the family relocates from their gathering around the table to a new gathering around the tree, where they proceed to read the biblical story of Christ's birth. Following the reading they all sing Christmas songs such as Silent Night (Stille Nacht) and Oh Christmas Tree (O Tannenbaum).

*Fun Fact- One of the worlds most popular Christmas carols, Silent Night, was written and first played here in Austria in a town called Oberndorf near Salzburg in 1818. The story is... On Christmas Eve the priest went to the church only to discover that the organ was not working. The leather bellows that are used to pump air through the pipes had lots of holes in them. So the priest, not wanting to have a Christmas without music showed the organist a hymn he had written and the organist, Franz Bauer, quickly composed a tune for it that could be played on a guitar.

Finally, after all the eating and singing, the kids are allowed to go crazy and open all their presents. However, here in Austria the kids don't believe in Santa Claus. They are taught that their gifts are brought by the 'Christkindl' (Christ child), a golden-haired baby with wings who symbolizes the new born Christ. The story is told that the Christ child comes down from heaven on Christmas Eve and decorates and distributes trees.

German Lyrics:

Silent Night

Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht,
Alles schläft; einsam wacht
Nur das traute hochheilige Paar.
Holder Knabe im lockigen Haar,
Schlaf in himmlischer Ruh!
Schlaf in himmlischer Ruh!

Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht,
Hirten erst kundgemacht
Durch der Engel Halleluja,
Tönt es laut von fern und nah:
Christ, der Retter ist da!
Christ, der Retter ist da!

Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht,
Gottes Sohn, o wie lacht
Lieb' aus deinem göttlichen Mund,
Da uns schlägt die rettende Stund'.
Christ, in deiner Geburt!
Christ, in deiner Geburt!

O Christmas Tree

O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum,
wie treu sind deine Blätter!
Du grünst nicht nur
zur Sommerzeit,
Nein auch im Winter, wenn es schneit.
O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum,
wie treu sind deine Blätter!

O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum!
Du kannst mir sehr gefallen!
Wie oft hat nicht zur Weihnachtszeit
Ein Baum von dir mich hoch erfreut!
O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum!
Du kannst mir sehr gefallen!

O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum!
Dein Kleid will mich
was lehren:
Die Hoffnung und Beständigkeit
Gibt Trost und Kraft
zu jeder Zeit.
O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum!
Das soll dein Kleid
mich lehren.

German Christmas Recipes

Gebackener Karpfen (Fried Carp)

3 - 3 ½ lb.s carp fillet
Salt
Flour
Bread crumbs
2 eggs, beaten
¼ lb. shortening (not butter)
1 lemon, sliced

Wash fish fillet and cut into serving slices. Sprinkle with sale and let stand for 1 hour. Put bread crumbs, flour, and beaten eggs in three separate dishes. Roll each slice of fish first in flour, then eggs, then bread crumbs. Fry slices on both sides in shortening until golden brown. Arrange slices on a hot platter and garnish with lemon.

Sachertorte (Chocolate and Apricot Cake)

1 cup butter
8 egg yolks
6 oz. cooking chocolate
1 cup confectioner's sugar
Vanilla
10 egg whites
1 cup flour
4 tablespoons apricot jam

Cream butter. Melt chocolate in a double boiler. Add gradually to creamed butter melted chocolate, sugar , and the egg yolks, one by one, stirring constantly. Add flour and a dash of vanilla and beat well. Beat egg whites until stiff and fold into batter. Pour mixture into a well-greased 10-inch mold. Bake at 300 degrees F. for about 1 hour. Let cool and turn out of mold. Split and spread heated and slightly diluted apricot jam over the lower half of the cake. Replace top and brush with apricot jam and cover with chocolate frosting. (Recipe below.)

Chocolate Frosting

1 cup sugar
7 ox. cooking chocolate
1 cup water

Boil sugar and water until sugar is completely dissolved. Melt the chocolate separately in a double boiler. Add sugar syrup gradually to chocolate, stirring constantly. When cooled, frost the cake.

Weihnachtsbaeckerei (Christmas cookies)

4 ½ cups flour
1 ½ cups sugar
Pinch of salt
1/4 cup milk
1 egg yolk
5 eggs
3 tsp. baking powder
1 ½ tsp. vanilla
1 ½ cups butter

Sift flour, baking powder, and salt onto a board. Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, vanilla, and milk to butter and sugar. Mix lightly. Pour the moist ingredients into a depression in the flour and work ingredients into a dough with a knife. Divide the dough into 4 parts. Roll out and cut into desired shapes with cookie cutter. Place on a greased baking sheet and brush with egg yolk.

Bake in a moderate oven, at 300-350, until golden brown.

Batman Smells

So upon teaching the kids a new version of 'Jingle Bells' they absolutely fell in love with it and wanted to make a video of them singing it. So... I thought I would put them on here so everybody could see the kids but I'm having trouble uploading the videos to the blog so I posted the links below... hopefully they work. :)

Keep in mind that one of them is painfully long, but if I were to edit it then you wouldn't get the whole picture. (and I promise, they do sing at the end) And... Flora wrote my 'script' and was very strict about it! lol :) The shorter one is quite pointless really but it captures the kids perfectly... Christoph spazzing, and Fanny getting angry... :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwFjRumq4Ms

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6ipAiiF-TU&feature=channel

That Darn Spirit

This weekend was supposed to be the weekend of my trip to Budapest. And I was so excited to go and experience, and then come back and tell everyone about it! However... over the last week or two I had been having this nagging feeling that I shouldn't go. Of course I tried to ignore it, because I really wanted to go, but in the end there really just isn't a way around the spirit....at least not comfortably. So I finally decided to pray about it, and I knew that I should NOT go to Budapest this weekend... for whatever reason I don't know. On top of that my parents had been getting really nervous about my trip alone (more than usual), and had also been getting strong feelings that I should not go. So after discussing it with them it was finalized that I would stay home this weekend and make my dream trip to Budapest another weekend. :(

Wish I had a better story to tell, but all I can say is... that darn spirit...it'll get ya. :) But as frustrating as it can be, I'm grateful for 'that darn spirit'.... because even though I don't know why, I know I made the right decision.

Bittersweet Birthday Wish

Flora's birthday is coming up in a few weeks. She will be turning 8 on Dec. 6. The other day while we were discussing party plans, and she was showing me all the decorations she wanted, I asked her what she would like for her birthday from me. I personally thought it was a fairly simple question, but apparently I was wrong. Because she then proceeded to spend the next two hours going back and forth and back and forth with a million different ideas. Her list consisted of barbie ponies, horse stickers and posters, games... and thousands of other things I've already forgotten. Every time I thought she had made up her mind, she would change it again or say, "oh I don't know Neecol, it's too hard to decide." To which I would respond, "Flora, it's really ok, you don't have to decide right this second." Finally after literally hours of ping-ponging ideas I thought she'd given up for the day. But then she came up to me again and said, "No Neecol, I KNOW NOW what I wish from you for my birthday....I wish that you never have to go back to America and just stay with me forever."

Martin, Martin...wait... Who the heck is Martin?

For weeks I have listened to Fanny and Christoph sing songs that they have learned in Kindergarten. The main song goes something like "Martin, Martin hat einen grossen Mantel an....." I could never for the life of me figure out why they were singing about a man named Martin who has a big coat. But eventually I figured it out when I had to take the kids to a 'Martin's Fest' hosted by Fanny's and Christoph's kindergarten. (kindergarten here is more like pre-school or daycare) The fest consisted of all the kindergarten kids walking around a huge catholic church with little homemade lanterns and singing songs. After which they went to the front of the church and sang more songs about lanterns and Martin and presented a little production about the holy Saint Martin. And then at the all the parents (or au pairs) would go stand behind their kids, and the kids would take a piece of bread and 'ceremoniously' rip it half and share it with the parent (or au pair). :)

So naturally I was curious about this Holy Martin guy, therefore, I had to look it up.

Martin apparently started out as a Roman soldier. When he was an adult he was baptized a catholic and became a monk. He supposedly led a really simple life and was always kind and generous to everyone he met. But the story that made him famous is the story that he once ripped his large coat in half and gave half of it to a beggar during a really bad snowstorm to keep him from dying in the cold. Later that night Martin had a dream that Christ was wearing the half of the coat that he gave away. He heard Christ say to the angels, "here is Martin, the Roman soldier who is not baptized: he has clothed me."

So now St. Martin has an entire day dedicated to him and it is celebrated in many different ways throughout Europe. In Belgium, Germany, Netherland and here in Austria the day is celebrated on the evening of November 11. Children walk through the streets (or in our case huge catholic churches due to the rain) carrying lanterns and singing songs about lanterns and Martin. I still have no idea what the lanterns are supposed to mean, but the sharing of the bread is supposed to symbolize when Martin shared his coat.

Martins fest songs:

Ich gehe mit meiner Laterne

Ich gehe mit meiner Laterne

und meiner Laterne mit mir

Dort oben leuchten die Sterne

Mein Licht is aus,

wir gehen nach Haus

ra-bimmel, ra-bammel, ra-bumm

Martin's Lied

Martin, Martin hat einen grossen Mantel an

...oh dang it...now I can't remember the rest... :)

Laterne Laterne

Laterne, laterne

Sonne, Mond, und Sterne

Brenne auf, mein Licht

Brenne auf, mein Licht

Aber nur meine liebe Laterne nicht

Venice History/Info

Venice was created on a series of mud banks with canals instead of roads, making it truly one of the most unique cities in the world! It was orginally a province of the Byzantine Empire and by the 12th century it was a completely independent city-state. Through its control of the spice and silk trade form the East, it was the richest trading nation in Europe. The canals are lined with many beautiful palaces that date back to the 18th century. Venice's power was beginning to wind down around the 18th century and finally lost its independence in 1797....and has since been somewhat frozen in time.






The Grand Canal-
The Grand Canal weaves through the heart of the city ranging in width from 100 to 230 ft and is approximately 2.5 miles long. It is lined with palaces that were built over a span of 5 centuries, almost all of them bearing the name of a once-great Venetian family. There are 3 bridges that cross over the Grand Canal (...and I'm proud to announce that I've crossed all three!) the Calzi, the Rialto and the Accademia. As stated by the French Ambassador in 1495, the Grand Canal is "the most beautiful street in the world".

Ponte di Rialto


Ponte Accademia


Ponte Scalzi




Gondolas-
Most of the time when people think 'Venice' they think 'Gondola'. Rightfully so because the gondola has been a part of Venice culture since the 11th century and are still extremely popular today! We saw them everywhere! With its slim shape and flat underside it is designed to handle the narrow shallow canals. In the past it was simply a way of transportation but today it is mainly just a tourist attraction, and an expensive one at that!









Basilica di San Marco/ St. Marks Basilica-
In St. Marks Basilica you can find a mixture of architecural and decorative styles from the east and west to create one of the greatest buildings in Europe. Built on a Greek-cross plan, it is actually the 3rd church to stand on this site. The first one was built to enshrine the body of St. Mark in the 9th century but was destroyed by fire. In the 11th century, the 2nd one was pulled down to make room for spectacular edifice that would reflect the growing power of the Republic and it's connections to Byzantium. Many of the treasures, statues, and icons that stand inside were brought to St. marks after the 4th crusade had plundered Constantinople in 1204.

Venezia

As I sit down to write this blog I am so excited and yet a little confused. Excited because the trip to Venice was AMAZING but confused because there is so much I want to say that I don't know where to begin and my head is about to explode. You know how when you forget what you want to say to someone so you say "Oh man, I just lost my train of thought." ? Well, this time I did not lose my train of thought, in fact I'm painfully aware of its location and existence. The problem is that I don't just have one...I have about 20 and they can only go one at a time and, of course they all want to go first. And now (because I've taught them well) they've all lost patience and have all collided!!

*a few minutes later*

Ok, now that I've had a few minutes to clean up the mess in my head... bring on the Venice blog!

Last week my friend Ana Inestrillas, who is also and au pair here and a member of the churhc, suggested we go to Venice sometime because we have both always wanted to go there. Little did I know that she meant this weekend!! After a few days of hesitating over stupid things like time, money, etc... I finally just decided to go! And OH MAN! am I glad I did!

It all started Friday night when I met Ana at the train station after we both got off work. From there we got our tickets and then set off to find our seats on the train. WE were rally hoping for our own compartment considering that we would be on this train from 8:30 p.m. to 8:30 a.m., 12 hours!!!! ...but unfortunately that was not the case. After a few hours on the train we attempted to sleep but it didn't come easy, partly because we were so excited to get to Venice and partly because we were propped up in stiff positions in a crowded compartment with strangers. so by the time we actually reached Venice the next morning, we had each only gotten about 3, maybe 4 hours of sleep.

Upon our arrival in Venice we were so giddy that our lack of sleep (temporarily) had no effect. As we stepped outside of the train station the whole, unique world of Venice was opened up to us. I felt like I was dreaming as I realized that I was only a few feet away from THE Grand Canal, which I have desperately wanted to see for so long! Although the city is crawling with people, it is still strangely peaceful. Most of the credit, I'm sure, going to the fact that there really are NO cars in the whole city. The only modes of transportation consisted of walking and water-ways. There were so many small ferries, boats and gondolas gliding over the Grand Canal and weaving peacefully through the smaller canals. It was soooo cute!

Most of the cities main sites are located along the Grand Canal so we figured that we would just walk along the side forming the 'S' that weaves through the city from the train station to the Adriatic Sea. However, much to our surprise, there are not always footpaths along the Grand Canal, forcing us to take side alleys (I call them alleys because they cannot be justified as streets_ and across cute little bridges over the smaller canals. Which ended up being great because we not only got to see the sights but got to experience the actual city. Inside the city there are teeny canals and really teeny alleys everywhere! There is no real structure or organization to them and you constantly surrounded by buildings and water, which can and did make it extremely difficult to navigate yourself to the places you go...even with our 'trusty' map.

As we strolled for hours through the city we were offered many gondola rides, but unfortunately didn't have enough money to take them up on their offers. We explored the many great sights that the city has to offer and crossed the world famous bridges know as Ponte di Rialto and Ponte Accademia. We kept busy all day just soaking it all in stopping only to enjoy some authenitc Italian lasagna, pizza, and gelatto...and of course by some cool Venetian souvenirs! :)

Although we enjoyed it thoroughly, by the end of the day our lack of sleep was catching up with us. We were so wiped out from walking miles and miles and miles that it felt like we would never make it back to the train station We were so tired and 'slap happy' that everything we said or did was not only funny but absolutely hilarious! But the two things we found most hilarious on the way back were: 1st- the man that tried to sell us purses of the black market. He was seriously the funniest man I think I've ever seen in my life. He had a really cool Indian accent and would get about in inch from your face ever time he suggested a new price. As if it were a secret. He was so determined to sell us a purse that he weaseled his prices all the way down to 15 euros for a purse that was easily worth 100, and my friend finally just bought it! Of course to anyone reading this, it probably doesn't sound remotely funny...but we laughed so hard that my abs and face still hurt! 2nd- the old man that came up to us and started singing to us in an attempt to give us some true Italian culture! He sang for a good 10 minutes before we were finally able to make a smooth escape!

Now, for one of my favorite parts of the trip... After finally making it back to the train station we were literally praying that we would have our own compartment so we could lay down and sleep...because this would be yet another all-night, 12-hour train ride back to Vienna! We were getting excited with only a few minutes before departure because no one had come to sit with us yet. With literally seconds before departure, just a we were spreading out and getting comfortable...two people came in and completely dashed our hopes of a peaceful ride back. After sitting back up and moving to make room for them we discovered by their 'accents' they they were American. Which usually always makes me smile but we were a little cranky that they had invaded our space. But we began to lighten up when the guy (very good looking by the way) just started talking to us. He asked my where I was from and when I said 'Montana' he just about jumped out of his seat and exclaimed "REALLY?!? WHAT PART?!?!" After explaining to him where Hamilton was he told me that he actually knew where that was! Which is always surprising to me! Being a little intrigued at this point I returned the favor and asked him where he and the girl, his sister, were from. When the words 'Powell, Wyoming' came out of his mouth it was my turn to just about jump out of my seat with an exclamation!! Upon telling him that my parents were form Cody, and I have family in both Cody and Powell we instatnly became great friends! We ended up talking with them, Aaron and Leah, for a very long time about anything and everything! So even though we got less sleep tit was so fun to truly see how small the world can be sometimes! Especially when we need to be small...because to be honest I've needed it lately. Meeting two people from Powell, Wyoming in the middle of Europe on a night train put a huge smile on my face and gave me a great memory of Italy to keep forever!



As bad as I wanted to just dive in...you know I had to at least put my foot in!! :)

For anyone who doesn't know what the Danube is

First of all, for anyone who doesn't know what the Danube is...shame on you! haha I decided to do a blog about the Danube River, (Donau in German) because it plays various roles in European history, economy, and environment... and it happens to flow only a few minutes from my house.

The Danube is one of Europe's longest rivers, second only to the Volga. It's origin rests in the Black Forest (Schwarzwald) in Germany (Deutschland). It begins as the two small rivers known as Brigach and Breg, which later join forces near the German town of Donaueschingen and henceforth taking the name 'Danube'. The Danube flows smoothly eastward for approximately 1771 miles leaving its mark in 4 central and eastern European capitals (Vienna, Budapest, Bratislava, and Belgrade), and covering parts of 10 countries before spilling out into the Black Sea.

Throughout history the Danube basis has been the site of some of the earliest human cultures such as Linear Pottery cultures, Vucedol culture and many more. It was also part of the Roman Empire's Limes Germanicus. It was often used as a border for the Roman Empire.

Although here in Vienna the Danube is not used for drinking water, it still remains a source of drinking water for approximately 10 million people in other countries. Today it remains a vital part of European transportation by connecting the Black Sea with many industrial centers within Western Europe and the Port of Rotterdam.

I'll take it!

Before I begin with my cute little story for this week, I'd first like to say that I have officially booked my train ticket to Budapest, Hungary! I will be going on the weekend of Nov. 20-21. So mark it on the calender and wait for a (hopefully) really cool blog!

The past couple weeks I have come up with cute little nicknames for each of the kids. Each one is just one word before their name that describes them and has the same first letter as their name. For example we have 'Crazy Christoph' because...well...he's 3, enough said. And then we have 'Funny Fanny' because when she's not busy being mean and self-centered, she can actually be quite funny. She's a little comedian! When Flora heard these ones she insisted that I come up with a name for her and Timon as well. So after a few minutes of thinking we came up with 'Floppy Flora' and 'Tricky Timon'. Floppy Flora fits her because she is gymnast and is always doing cartwheels, handstands, flips etc.. She's constantly 'flopping' around the house. In fact sometimes when she eats, she'll take a bite and then stand up to do a cart-wheel, or stand on her head for a few minutes and goes back to take another bite, and continues this process until she is finished. Tricky fits Timon because he's a habitual liar and in his mind, "It sounds cool!" Each of the kids absolutely loves his/her nickname and thinks its hilarious! But after a few days, the girls decided that I needed one too. But I told them that if they wanted me to have one then they had to come up with it. After a few minutes I was beginning to regret letting them choose, especially when Flora came up with ' Ninny Nicole' ! yikes! Thank goodness she decided to try something different after I explained to her what ninny meant. :) So after a few more minutes of hard-core brainstorming she came up with my new name. The conversation went as follows. "Hey Nicole I've got it!! What about Nicka Nicole?" "Umm... Flora? I really have no idea what 'nicka' means" "UGH, Yes you do Nicole! You do know nicka!" ...me thinking..... "Actually I'm pretty sure I don't!" "You know like the store!! The shoes you always wear! You know?!?!" "OH you mean NIKE!.....I'LL TAKE IT!!! So I'm proud to announce my new name as 'Nike Nicole'! Couldn't fit better!!

More Vienna History

Sorry...just more Viennese History...I'm hoping to take a trip to Prague or Budapest (or both)  soon though  so sit tight.  :)

               

The Burgtheater:  

  -The Burgtheater is  known as the most prestigious stage in the German-speaking world.   Originally the theater was built during Maria Theresa's reign but was replaced in 1888 by the Italian Renaissance style building that is there today, which was designed by Karl von Hasenauer and Gottfried Semper (does anyone else get a kick out of all these old german names?!  I know I do!)    In 1987 it was closed for refurbishment because it had been discovered that there were several seats that had no view of the stage.   (haha good one Hasenauer and Semper!)   48 years after that it was devastated by a bomb leaving only the side wings.  But due to a lot of fantastic and successful restoration, it is now just as beautiful as ever!  

Neues Rathaus (New City Hall):

  - The new City Hall was built during the years of 1872-1883 to replace the Altes Rathaus* (old city hall) and is the seat of the Vienna City.  Friedrich von Schmidt, the architect, was chosen by the authorities in a competition for the best design and chose to go with a Neo-Gothic style.   The building has 7 courtyards where summer concerts are held every year.  (I actually attended 2 of these summer productions, one being the Cinderella Ballet and the other a really creepy opera about...who knows what....basically...it made me miss basketball!!)  On all four sides of the building are Neo-Gothic arcades and statues of Austrian worthies including the very prominent Habsburgs**.  Underneath the city hall is a very popular restaurant called Wiener Rathauskeller.

   * Altes Rathaus -  In 1309 2 brothers by the names of Otto and Haymo Neuburg conspired to overthrow the Habsburgs but were unsuccessful.  Their property was confiscated and donated to the city.  Over centuries the site was expanded to form the complex of buildings that served as the city hall until 1883.  In one corner of the Altes Rathaus is the Andromeda Fountain which is located in the main courtyard and was the last piece of work designed by Gerog Raphael Donner in 1741.   In another area is a late 13th century chapel called the Salvatorkapelle, the only surviving building of the medieval town house.   My favorite attraction of the Atles Rathaus is the Austrian Resistance Archive.   Many Austrians welcomed Hitler's takeover in 1938 but in this Archive it pays tribute to the distinguished minority who resisted Nazism.    

  ** Habsburgs - The Habsburgs began centuries of rule over Austria following the death of Friedrich II in 1246.

Parliament:  

  -  Theophil Hansen, a Danish born Architect chose a specifially Neo-Classical style when designing the parliament building.    It was originally constructed to serve as the Reichstrat building (the parliament building of the Austrian part of the Hapsburg Empire).  It's construction took 10 years, beginning in 1874 and ending in...oh come on, it's simple I'm sure you can do that math problem yourselves.  :)  It's entrance is raised above street level and can only be approached by a very broad ramp.   The ramp itself is decorated with marble figures of Greek and Roman historians and at the foot of the ramp are the bronze Horse Tamers which were designed by Josef Lax.   After the collapse of the Habsburg empire on November 11, 1918, the parliamentary deputies proclaimed the formation of the republic of Deutsch-Osterreich and was renamed the Republic of Austria in 1919.   Half of the parliament building was completely destroyed in WWII.  Although most reconstruction was successfully completed by June 1956, the restoration of some damaged artwork only began in the 1990s. 

     - "Austrian Parliament:  The Austrian parliament is ocmposed of two houses, the lower house, or Nationalrat,  the upper house, or Bundesrat.  The Lower House has 193 seats and it's member are elected for a four-year term by proportional representation.  it comprises the governing party and the opposition.  The Upper House is ocmposed of elected representatives from Austria's nine provinces (Burgenland, Kaernten, Niederoesterreich, Oberoesterreich, Salzburg, Steiermark, Tirol, Vorarlberg, and Wien) and tis function is to approve legislation passed by the Lower House.  Bills may also be presented to parliament by the general public or by the Chambers of Labour (representing consumers and employees) and the Chambers of teh Economy (representing employers and industry_.  The federal President is elected for a six-year term and is largely a figurehead.  Theoretically, he or she has the power to veto bills and dissolve parliament, though this has never occurred. "   -as stated in Eyewitness Travel Guides-Vienna  :)       

Hofburg:

  -  In the Hofburg complex there are former imperial apartments, several museums, a chapel, the Austrian National Library, a Winter Riding School and the President of Austria's offices.  For over 6 centuries it was the seat of Austrian power.  Seven centuries of architectural development can be seen in this complex.  Although there are many attractions in the Hofburg complex, the one that really caught my attention was the Neue Burg.  The reason being because the Neue Burg was where Hitler stood and gave his speech welcoming Austria into the union on March 15, 1938.  

  -http://www.thirdreichruins.com/vienna.htm    Check out this website.   It's really neat to see picture of places I've been and see that not that long ago this place was crawling with Nazis!   It's also kind of cool...actually no, on the contrary it's extremely sickening to be walking or standing somewhere and know that one of the most evil and historical men known to the earth also stood or walked in that exact same spot (or at least very close).

-Close up of the Neue Burg where Hitler stood and proclaimed annexation of Austria in 1938.

Sunday Talk

Last sunday I had the opportunity to give a talk in church.  It was the first time I've been able to give a talk as an 'adult'.  Until now I was always just another one of the youth speakers OR the one that Bishop Schallenberger called on at the last minute.  :)  In contrast to having only a few seconds, this time I was given a whole month and a half to prepare.  At first I was grateful to have such a long time but in the end I think it stressed me out way more.  It was constantly in the back of my mind and I couldn't stop thinking about it... for 45 days!  I would sit down and start writing, be almost finished and then have new ideas and have to start all over again.  I thought and prayed and thought and prayed some more because I wanted to give a good talk that people could relate to, rather than a boring traditional talk that everyone has heard a million times.  But at the end of the 45 days I was confident that I had a pretty good talk prepared and was actually really excited to give it.  I had a feeling that everything I had prepared was exactly what I needed to say.   After it was finally finished I was quite proud of myself.  Instead of fidgeting and talking really really fast like I usually do, I was calm and spoke in a clear, normal voice.   They might have actually mistaken me for someone who is good at public speaking.  In fact...they did.   I had many people give me compliments but only one seemed to matter and it really stuck out to me.  One lady came up to me at the end of the day and gave me a hug and sincerely thanked me.  She just kept saying that she'd been feeling my spirit all week and couldn't wait to get to church.  She told me that everything I had said was exactly what she needed to hear and asked me to always share my gift (what that is I'm not exactly clear on yet), and that I was a blessing to have here.  It was really neat because that day I saw that the Lord really does work through each of us so long as we allow him in our lives, and if nothing else, that one comment made this whole adventure totally worth it just to know that the Lord was able to work through me to help someone else, even when I didn't realize it right away.  

-And I must say to my wonderful friend Doug, aka Bishop Schallenberger, that I kinda miss being called on unexpectedly.   Actually...I just miss you...and the beautiful Lori of course!  :)

Profiles

Sorry it's been a while, there really hasn't been much to post lately.  But today I decided to do a quick post about each of the kids.  I realized that I mention them a lot but nobody really knows them so I'll tell you all a little bit about each of them.

Timon (tee-moan):

Timon is 9 years old and is extremely hyper.  I know most kids have a lot of energy but his is over the top.  He's actually ADHD.   He enjoys playing tennis and doing gymnastics (but only because his 'favorite sister', Flora, does gymnastics too).   He absolutely loves singing and listening to music.  His current favorites are Poker Face by Lady Gaga and Right Round by Flo Rida, and he sings them ALL the time!!   I call him little Dwain, because he is going through this phase where he thinks he is super cool and some of the things he says and does remind of how Dwain was once upon a time.   :)  (love you Dwain)  He wears these really big, ugly sunglasses and a big, ugly hat with a dollar sign.   In his mind, every time he puts them on he is magically turned into this really cool 'gangsta' that walks with 'pimpin' kind of strut.   He's recently discovered that it's cool to say 'chillin'  (i.e.  I'm just 'chillin')   So now he refers to himself as a "Chiller."  haha

Flora:

Flora is 7 years old and is the easiest of the 4 to get along with.  She is the most mellow and reasonable.  Her favorite things to do are gymnastics, vaulting (gymnastics on horseback...AMAZING), and playing with her best friend Sophie.    She is extremely smart and her english is impeccable for a 7 year old!

Fanny:

Fanny will be turning 5 years old this week.  Of any kid I have ever met, she is the most difficult to get along with.  One minute she loves you and the next she hates you.  I try really hard to understand but...I just don't.  In her good moments she is one of the cutest kids ever.  She could probably be famous one day just for her smile.    She, like Flora and Timon, also enjoys doing gymnastics.  Her other activities include being mean to Timon and Flora and beating up Christoph.  haha just kidding...(ok I'm not kidding but she does have good qualities too...I think)   Her less devilish activities include coloring and playing with perler beads to no end!    In some ways, as much as I hate to admit it, she is kind of like my kindred spirit.  For example, she is a perfectionist, she likes almost all the same foods as me, and she bites her nails like there's no tomorrow!  :)

Christoph:

Christoph will soon be 3 years old and is, most of the time, really funny and happy.   He is currently going through potty training which is interesting.  At first he absolutely loved going on the 'big toilet' but now he's bored with it, making it extremely difficult to get him to NOT wet his pants.   Sometimes he runs up to me or Isabelle and screams "Ich muss LULU"-I must peepee, even if he doesn't actually have to go because he thinks our reaction is funny.   He is the good-humored one in the family, however his good humor can spoil really quickly when the other kids don't think he's as funny as he thinks he is.  In which case he deems it necessary to scream, kick, hit, pinch, and break Fanny's glasses.    His favorite thing to do is to sit by me, play with my hair,  and be read to.  He loves it when I read english books to him.  We would do it for hours everyday if I allowed it.  He also never goes anywhere without his schnule (binki) and stuffed animal bear which actually looks more like a rag.  He will do anything as long as bear wants to do it.  Which makes things really easy for me when he's being difficult.  For example:  -"Christoph, it's time for bed now buddy."  - "NO I WANT NOT GO TO BED!!!!"   -"but Christoph, bear just told me that he's really really tired and wants to go to bed.  But he doesn't want to go without you.  Just look at him, he's so sad and tired, you better go to bed with him. "   -*sniff sniff*  "ok bear, we can go"        or "Christoph, bear doesn't want to sleep with you tonight if you don't brush your teeth.  He thinks your breath is yucky and really wants you to brush your teeth before bed."  :)

Salzburg

My host family (for lack of a better term) bought me a rail pass for 25 euros which enables me to travel anywhere in Austria by train for free during the months of July, August and part of September.  So Saturday 8/15 I decided to put it to good use and jump on a train to Salzburg.  There are two parts to the ticket and I thought that I had both of them but discovered otherwise when I went to show them to the train ticket coordinator (again for lack of a better term).  His english wasn't so good and likewise my german so we could barely understand each other.  But finally I understood enough to know that it was a problem for me to be on the train without the other half of the ticket.  After a few minutes of useless arguing he said with a harsh accent that I could stay on the train but that he would have to take my ticket which meant that I couldn't use it more.  I'm sure it goes without saying but I was furious!  But unfortunately there was nothing I could do about it (barring punching the guy in the face and making a run for it which also would have been fruitless considering we were already on a moving train)  and you just can't reason with Europeans.  It wasn't the best start to my day trip but thank goodness the rest of it went pretty smoothly except that I had to buy my ticket back which cost almost 50 euros.  :(

The people of Salzburg are very proud of Mozart and the movie 'The Sound of Music.  There are statues and posters of both all over the city.  They are proud of Mozart because he was born there and they are proud of The Sound of Music because it was filmed there.    They even have a tour specific the movie where they take you to different scenes and settings that are shown in the movie. ( I was smart enough not to take the tour)  After a while of walking around and seeing all the posters and hearing all the music (do ra me blah blah blah....the hills are alive.......you are sixteen going seventeen da da da da da da) I pretty much wanted to throw up.  But despite the fact I was still able to see some amazing things.  Salzburg is a truly beautiful city surrounded by Austrian Alps with the Salzach river flowing right through the middle of it.  

History Lesson #...I don't know what number...is anyone counting?

Salzburg-  Salzburg was founded by Bishop Rupert, according to legend, who arrived with Benedictine monks.  The towns first cathedral was built by an the Irish Bishop Virgil.   The credit for the glory of Salzburg goes to three archbishops who ruled between 1587 and 1653: Wolf Dietrich, Marcus Sitticus, and Paris Lodron.    The most famous architect of the Austrian Baroque, Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach (mentioned in a previous blog) began his career in Salzburg.    My favorite attraction of the city was the Hohensalzburg Fortress.  It is a huge fortress/castle like thing that sits on the rocky peak of Festungsberg and overlooks the entire city.   It was built in the 11th centure during the wars between the Holy Roman Empire and the Papacy and was gradually extended.  It was served as a refuge for Salzburg's archbishops whenever they felt threatened.  

Lucerne

On my second free day, I decided to make another attempt at going to Lucerne.   But first I had to go back into Zurich to the train station there.    Upon my arrival at Zurich Hauptbahnhof I started to go upstairs to the main level where I would try again to purchase a ticket to Lucerne.  While I was on the escalator I noticed that the people in front of me were dressed very strangely.   Which isn't that weird in a big city but these people looked like they were getting an early start on Halloween.  I wanted to tap them on the shoulder and say "Excuse me, you do know it's only August right?"  As I was entertaining myself with all the one-liners I could pull on these people I let my eyes wander around a little bit.  Which only brought to my attention the fact that almost everybody in the train station was dressed extremely weird, leaving me, the self-entertaining queen of wit, the odd one out.  There were people dressed in just about every costume you could possibly imagine, (most of them inappropriate) and my personal favorite was the guy dressed as bugs bunny.  :)  When I finally got to the top end of the escalator it was only to discover that there was a major festival going on in the city with the main part being held at the train station (don't ask, I don't know why either) .   For anyone who might know anything about the Berlin Love Parade, this festival was very similar only smaller.  It's filled with a bunch of crazy liberal techno freaks who bring their crazy techno music and LOTS of beer and dress up for no apparant reason.   So naturally, knowing me, I couldn't get out of there quick enough.   This time my attempt to get my ticket went much smoother and I was finally on my way to the beautiful Lucerne.  

-Lucerne is the heartland of the Swiss Confederation and a central base for Swiss tourism.  It's easily the most beautiful town I've seen so far.  It is surrounded by crystal clear lakes and beautiful mountains.  The Kappellbrucke is the city's most famous symbol.  It is a covered wooden bridge that crosses the river.  It was built in 1333 and formed part of the city's original boundary but had to be renovated after a destructive fire in 1993.  

Zurich

Although the majority of the trip was a total bust, I did have a couple days to myself where I was able to do some wandering and exploring.  My first free day I went into Zurich.  The city is really nice but there is not much to see or do there.  I had pretty much covered all the bases by noon and I didn't need to be back until evening.  Up until noon I had wandered through Bahnhofstrasse which is Zurich's most famous shopping street, and I had seen the two most famous attractions, the Frau-Munster and Gross-Munster churches.  After looking through my maps and travel books (yes I know...super nerdy tourist) I discovered that I had pretty much done everything worth doing.  So I decided to go back to the train station and buy a ticket to Lucerne.  I had heard that it was very beautiful and it was only an hour away so I thought it would be perfect.  However, while waiting in line to get the ticket I was approached by an older man who kept trying to talk to me.  Now I, having taken after my dad in many ways, was being polite and talking back.  After all there is no harm in friendly conversation.  However the conversation started getting a little too friendly when he kept telling me that he liked the way I looked and that he would like to buy me a drink.   For anyone who is thinking..."ooo go Nicole"  Keep in mind that this man was easily in his 40s and I was wearing dirty sweats and a grungy t-shirt and was lucky to have found time to even run a comb through my hair that morning.  ( I didn't feel it necessary to dress up to wander around town by myself )  So there was no possible way that this man could have been interested in my 'good' looks.  Needless to say I was casually but frantically searching for an excuse to get the heck out of there knowing that if something were to happen, Liam Neeson probably wouldn't be willing to come to my rescue.   So being the smart and cunning person that I am I came up with a very crafty excuse.  To quote myself exactly, "Umm...yeah ok well I...have to go to the bathroom really bad...so it was nice meeting you...BYE!"    He responded, "well wait don't you want to get a ticket first?"  I thought about it for a mili-second, after-all I was next in line, but then I figured that if I were to buy my ticket before making my crafty escape to the ladies room, he would just overhear and 'conveniently' end up on the same train.  So I quickly responded with a "NOPE, I really have to go, a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do you know?!!"  But before I could take off using my practiced power-walk, he speedily took a piece of paper and pen and gave me his number insisting that I call him.   Thinking it would make a great memory to laugh at in a year or two I took the paper and proceeded to the bathroom at the other end of the train station, all the while taking care that he wasn't following me.   On an unrelated note, when I finally reached the bathroom, I had to pay!!  (Switzerland takes any opportunity to rip you off!) Which was rather frustrating considering I didn't actually have to go.  Fearing that he might still be there creepin on everything that walked by, I opted out of going to Lucerne that day and instead walked to the edge of the city and rested in a park along the beautiful Zurich Lake and read a book.  :)

And now for a brief History Lesson of Zurich-

During medieval times, while the guilds ruled the city, the people of Zurich obtained a talent for hard work and accumulating wealth.  Zurich is now home to the worlds 4th largest stock exchange which opened in 1877 and today Swiss bankers have control over purse strings of many major international companies and organizations.   As I mentioned before, two of the main attractions are the Grossmunster and Fraumunster churches.  The Grossmunster rests on the east bank of the Limmat River, which flows right through the city.   It dominates the city with its profound structure.  In this church a man by the name of Ulrich Zwingli launched the reformation on the receptive burghers of Zurich in 1520.  There's not much to know about Fraumunster, which lies on the other side of the river, except that it looks kinda cool and is a really old church.  :)

Grossmunster

Train station

A view of the Grossmunster and Fraumunster churches over the Limmat River leading into Lake Zurich.  

Sick Kids, OCD, and a Break-In...oh my

Oh boy do I have a lot to catch up on so I'm just going to start with the overall trip to Switzerland.  

I could tell you that my trip to Switzerland was wonderful and amazing, and that's probably what you're expecting.  However, if I were to tell you what you were expecting I would be lying because in fact, the overall trip was terrible.   When we arrived at Tante Catherine's (Aunt Catherine's)  house just outside of Zurich, it was only to discover that Tante Catherine's house wasn't a house at all but instead a small apartment.  Which meant that for the next 10 days there would be 9 people squished into 3 rooms and all sharing 1 shower.   I was to share a room with Fanny and Flora while Isabelle and Matthias took the other guest room with Timon and Christoph.  But all that changed when Flora began throwing up everything she had eaten that day just before we were getting ready for bed.  She was followed closely by Fanny who came down with an awful cough and fever.   As bad as I felt for the poor girls, I didn't exactly want to share a room with them.  (can you blame me?)  And thank goodness I was rescued when Isabelle offered to sleep with them and suggested that I take the couch.   Although I was really excited to have the couch to myself free from sick children, it also meant that I had absolutely no privacy and that I would have to stay up as late as the adults (which is really late) and get up as early as the kids (RIDICULOUSLY EARLY)!!   On top of the "close quarters" issue Isabelle's sister, Catherine (pronounced Katrin), is OCD to the tenth power!  She freaked out over every teeny little thing.   She was constantly pushing a vacuum around everybody and cleaning up after every single person to the point of extreme rudeness.  Her whole world almost came crashing down when Timon got an ALMOST visible fingerprint on her perfectly clean refrigerator door.  Heaven forbid.  

After a couple days of no sleep and excessive cleaning we received a phone call from Isabelle's mom who was watching the house while we were gone.  She bore the wonderful news that the house had just been broken into.  She called us again later, after having called the police and stood by as they ran forensics tests, to tell us that all of Isabelle's jewelry and some of Timon's money had been stolen.  But the room that the stupid thieves had the most fun in was mine.  They stole all of my tithing money along with all of the money that I had been saving.   They also stole a ring of mine which is actually kind of funny because they'll be quite angry to discover that the ring is not real silver nor is the emerald real and it's really only worth 20 dollars or less.  You'd think that stealing would be enough to satisfy them but OOOH NO!  For some reason they felt it necessary to trash my room as well, throwing all of my clothes on the floor and emptying all my drawers out onto my bed, and scattering everything that was on my desk.  Nice guys those thieves.   So instead of being relaxed and trying to enjoy switzerland I was anxious and just wanted to get home before anybody could take anything else. 

We kept thinking that after a couple of days Fanny and Flora would get better.  Which was the case with Fanny but unfortunately not Flora.  She remained sick until just a couple nights before we came home.  And, sure enough considering the "close quarters" issue, Christoph had picked up what Fanny had and joined Flora in the sick room, which meant I remained on the couch for the duration of our stay.

The upside to the trip was that I was able to get some good quality time with Timon.  Him and I have been struggling lately and it was really good to break through the barrier a little.   We spent most of our time together playing hide and seek games throughout the apartment complex and neighborhood, and going for long walks often visiting a farm to see the cows, sheep, and eat apples from a wonderful apple tree.   One evening during one of our games, I was trying to be sneaky so that Timon couldn't find me, but was interrupted by a really old creeper guy with the majority of his teeth missing.  He kept mumbling the same thing to me over and over and the only word I could distinguish was 'gorka' which means cucumber.  As you can probably assume I was a little confused but eventually I figured out that he had a bunch of extra cucumbers he wanted to give away.  So after taking two and bringing them back to the 'house', I discovered that he had also given some to Timon and some to Joaquim (Catherine's husband).  It made for a good memory to see that we had all been reeled in by the same creeper old man with the result being an overload on cucumber.  :)

Despite all of Catherine's annoying and unfortunate OCD issues, she is a wonderful cook!  I'm literally salivating just at the thought of her cooking.  She made excellent desserts which included rasberry cheescake, zucchini chocolate cake (yeah yeah I know what you're thinking  but I ate it and admitted liking it before I knew there was zucchini in it) and also mouthwatering tiramisu.  ooohhhh sooo delicious.  She also made wonderful lasagna and heavenly schnitzel.  So all though I was not well rested at least we were all well fed.  :)  Another good quality about Catherine was that she married a great guy.  He is by far my favorite family member and I'll tell you why....He loves basketball.  He even keeps track of the NBA.   And, Joe you'll love this one, his favorite teams are the Boston Celtics and the Utah Jazz.  It was so awesome to be able to finally talk to someone about a sport I'm actually interested in.

So I just decided that this post is entirely too long so I'll finish up real quick with a couple facts about Switzerland....  First of all, did you know that they're not actually part of the European Union?  So even though they are surrounded by EU countries on all sides, they refuse to join, forcing you to exchange your money from euros to swiss francs every time you enter the tiny country.   Another fun fact is that Switzerland is a quadrilingual country.  They speak 4 languages!!  On the Italian border they speak Italian, on the French border they speak French, and the they German and Austrian borders they speak, you guessed it, German.  The fourth language is called Romansch and is only spoken by a few valleys some where in the middle. 

Ice Age 3: Die Dinosaurier Sind Los

This week I wasn't really in the mood for sightseeing or exploring (perhaps I'm saving my energy for Switzerland next week), so I don't really have anything too exciting to post to the blog.  BUT...it's been brought to my attention that certain people don't like it when I go more than a week without posting something. (not to name names or anything but ...JOHN POULSEN)  So I've decided to write a little bit about the movie theaters here.

I know you're probably thinking that this is weird because they can't possibly be that different.  And you're right, this is weird.  However, there really are quite a few little differences.

  

This week I took Timon and Flora to the third Ice Age Movie, and of course, it was in german.  BIG DIFFERENCE!!!   The next difference is a little less obvious and concerns concessions...they don't have butter on their popcorn.  Butter isn't even an option, nor is any other kind of seasoning.  bleh  Also, they sell orange juice for the little kids.  And let me tell you, orange juice does not go well with butterless popcorn and chocolate.  The last difference I will talk about, is about the seating.  In America, when you go to a movie, you get to pick your own seats.  So naturally I thought it was the same here.  But when I chose the perfect seats right in the middle of theater, and looked up to find Timon and Flora still standing in the isle looking at me with a really strange look of irritation, I started to think otherwise.  Timon showed me the tickets and sure enough, there was an assigned seat written on it.  So in order to keep the kids calm, (because heaven forbid we sit in the wrong seat... I mean one of the other 4 people in the theater might drastically need that exact seat and who knows what kind of horrible things could happen then?!)  we hiked all the way to the top of the ridiculously large theater and sat in the back right next the other 4 people.

Needless to say, next time I'd rather just wait and rent the movie.  :)

they doesn't speak so good english

Something that Timon and Flora said to me over vacation inspired me to do a short little blog about the kids and their english.   It's absolutely amazing to see 4 kids at these ages that are bilingual.  But, as expected, they're grammar isn't exactly the best and they tend to mix things up a lot.  Because I am around them every day, I have grown used to all their little sayings and mix-ups but once in a while they say something that really tickles my funny bone. 

After we had been in Croatia for about a week I was beginning to get a pretty good tan and Timon came up to me and said "Wow Neecall you are really much brown!  really really much!!"  After a minute or two of staring at me he turned and left and then Flora leaned over to me and whispered "He don't speak so good english.  right Neecall?"  When she said this, it hit me just right and me laugh pretty hard so I just had to share that.

Fanny and Christoph are probably my favorite though when it comes to their english speaking skills.   Sometimes their sentences are half english and half german.  For some reason they just can't get a grasp on the english words  but, with, and now.  So whenever they would use them they replace them with the german words  aber, mit, and jetzt.  

For example:

"Aber Neecall, I don't want to!"

"Neecall! Come play mit me!"

"No, I want it jetzt!"

But my favorite thing that Fanny says, whenever she thinks she can't do or say something, is:  "Aber I don't can do it Neecall!" ( I wish you could hear her say because her voice is so cute!!)

One more quick example-

One day I was telling Timon about one of the weekend trips that I will hopefully be taking in the near future.  I told him I would be taking a train and he asked "But what happens when the train doesn't want to fly anymore?"  Of course I was a little confused so I asked him what the heck he meant and he just replied, "You know! When the trains stops flying and hits the ground where will it be?"   I, still a little confused, answered "trains don't fly Timon."  This answer seemed to throw him for a huge loop and then I finally realized what he meant and said.  "Trains don't fly but PLANES do."  He just got super irritated and said "yes whatever Neecall!  it sounds the same!"

Croatia

So for those of you who have been waiting, I am finally back from Croatia and I'm ready to tell you all about it!   We stayed in a mobile home in a camping area of a holiday resort.  Staying in the mobile home was by far the worst part of the trip because there were six of us crammed into a teeny little space that's smaller than the average living room.  But nonetheless it was still an amazing vacation.  The resort we were in was right on the Dalmatian Coast on the Adriatic Sea.  I literally felt like I was walking right through one of my infamous travel books!   On this resort they have a beach (obviously), a pool, and a shopping area filled with souvenir shops and restaurants.  They also had lots of things to keep the kids entertained such as mini golf, pony rides, water-slides, and about a million more things.    The beach was absolutely beautiful and the water was the perfect temperature.  However, after a few days of swimming in the sea I came to a conclusion about myself.  I'm a freshwater girl!!  If you get splashed in the face with fresh lake water its no big deal...it's just water.  But if you get splashed in face with sea water (which was inevitable and unavoidable in my case considering I was with 4 very active kids the whole time)  it tastes disgusting and stings your eyes like crazy!  Another thing I hated about the sea was whenever we got done swimming and dried off we each had enough salt caked on our bodies to fill a few salt shakers.  YUCK!    But luckily for me, Fanny and Flora hated swimming in the sea more than me, so the girls and I spent a lot of time in the nice clean pool. :) 

       -Just a quick story about Fanny because I think it's really cute...First you need to know that

        Fanny has really bad eyesight.  In fact it's terrible.  (which is sad considering she's only 4, 

        but she's so dang cute with her glasses!)     One day when we were at the pool and she 

       wasn't wearing her glasses she was wandering around the pool by herself (usually she likes

        to hold my hand).  After a little while I looked around to make sure she was still doing ok.  

        I turned around just in time to see  her approach a lady who had a swimsuit 

       that looked like mine.  She put her arms around her neck and said "NICOLE!  where is 

       Flora?"  when the lady responded with nothing but a confused look, Fanny restated her 

       question but still the lady just looked at her and laughed.   At this point I went over closer          to her and said "Fanny, Flora and I are right here!"  She then looked at the lady with a                  panicked look and swam away from the lady to me as fast as she could.  ...Since then she has       worn her glasses EVERYWHERE!

My favorite part of the vacation was the boat trip we took from the resort to a national park called Kornati. We left at about 8 in the morning and returned at about 6:30 in the evening.  Kornati National Park is about 3 hours from the mainland, and consists of 365 islands of various size.  The islands were unbelievably beautiful.  I can only hope my pictures can give a small idea.  Also, the water was a shade of blue I'd never seen before.  Words can't begin to describe the beauty of the water.   The boat stopped at one of the major islands and let us off to wander for a few hours.  We ended up going swimming in a salt lake that was on the island (as if we hadn't had enough of salt water).  Around the lake and all over the island they have various wild animals.  The most popular one being the wild donkeys!  It was absolutely hilarious to see them just wandering around but surprisingly they were really tame and mild.  They handled the people very well and all the little kids loved petting them!  After spending some time on the islands we all piled back onto the boat and set off for another 3 hours back to the resort, and even saw a few dolphins on the way.  :)

This is all I can think of for now, so I'll just end with this last little piece of info.  After spending 2 weeks in the sun, for the first time in about 9 years...I'M TAN!!!  :)

I just had to add these pictures of Christoph because they're good for the soul and really make me laugh!  He loves wearing my glasses and Timon's hat!  :)

Just another day in paradise

  

Ok so it's not really just another day in paradise but I suppose we could call it "just another saturday in Vienna."  But either way I was in my element yesterday (saturday 6/28) as I, again, went into the city to do some sightseeing on my day off.   

But before I got to the actual sights that I was planning on seeing...I happened upon a small little store in the middle of Vienna called Bobby's Market.  It turns out that "Bobby" (whoever that might be)  wanted to look out for the english citizens of Vienna so he opened a British/American market.  In this little market I found things like betty crocker muffin mixes, doritos, oreos, and much much more.  But much to my surprise (and probably anybody else who reads this)  the thing I was excited to see the most was ....drumroll please....the cinnamon poptarts.  I didn't realize how much I liked them until now but putting that poptart in my mouth was like tasting a piece of heaven!  :)

Anyways, after entertaining my taste-buds I eventually found my way to my sight of interest for the week, Karlskirche.  (now this is the part where I should tell Allie, who will be reading this, to go get Joe because this just might be a post he'd be interested in....)  For anyone who doesn't know german, Karlzkirche means Karl's Church.   (and now for the brief history lesson for the history nerds...is Joe here yet? :))   

   -While Vienna was suffering through the plague epidemic in 1713, Emperor Karl VI promised that as soon as the city was delivered, he would build a church and dedicate it to St. Charles Borromeo.  (Borromeo was a former Archbishop of Milan and a patron saint of the plague; 1538-84)  In 1714, Emperor Karl VI announced a competition to design the church which was won by an architect by the name of Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach. (I dare you to say that name 5 times fast!) The beautiful baroque building (shown in the pictures) was the result.  The huge dome and the portico are borrowed from ancient Greek and Roman architecture while the echoes in the gatehouses and minaret columns reflect Oriental styles.  Inside the building you can find carvings and altarpieces by the biggest artists of the day including Daniel Gran and Martino Altomonte.   The building of this church  took close to 25 years and sadly the designer, Fischer von Erlach, didn't live to see it finished.  he died in 1723, leaving his son to complete the task.  

Oh yeah...and I definitely put my feet in the 'cement pond'  out front.  :) hehe