March Madness

After a whirlwind of a month, I'm happy to be back in Pöchlarn to enjoy our remaining two months in Austria. March, and even into April, was full of visitors and travel. Now that things have settled down, I have time to get all my faithful readers up to speed.  If there are any of you still out there after my long hiatus, that is.

Below are some highlights from March and April:

1) Tom and Martha: March 6-13

Unfortunately March came in like a lion and we had to endure the brunt of its force. After spending some time in Vienna and Salzburg, we settled in Wieselburg to give Michael's parents a taste of our daily life in Austria. With cold, wind and snow, we didn't really feel like doing a lot of sightseeing. Rather, we found ourself sampling some Kaiser beer at the Wieselburg brewery, making apple strudel with Elsa and learning how to dance with live music performed by the Erlauf Trio.

 

2) Fabian and Chrissi: March 17-20

These two friends from Germany reminded me just how crazy it is for two Americans to be living in Pöchlarn. We spent a lot of time talking about cultural differences and attitudes toward certain things like family, career, and the general optimism of the American people. Maybe we are a little crazy to move here for a year, but I wouldn't trade the experience for the world. 

We showed Fabian and Chrissi what small-town life in Lower Austria is all about with big-city tours of Wieselburg, Pöchlarn and a bike ride through Wachau. We even found the Sigl Winery!  

3) Sarah and Annie:  March 20-26

As was our goal for all of our visitors, I wanted to give Annie and Sarah a glimpse into what our lives are like here in Austria. I hope they got that and a whole lot more.  

After a long flight and then a train ride, we dragged them to a Wieselburg city music event starring Josef and the Erlauf Trio.  It doesn't get more Austrian than lederhosen and some traditional music. It was the perfect way to kick off a week in Europe. The next day we let them sleep in; we had breakfast at 1:00 p.m.  They needed their energy though because we had a busy week including stops in Salzburg, Vienna, Maria Zell, Melk, the Wachau and Scheibbs.

Having two friends from Minnesota brought up a variety of emotions. On the one hand, their visit made me look forward to coming back to MN, but on the other hand, showing them around Austria really made me sad to think about leaving our life here.  It's a beautiful country and a relaxed life. We're really lucky to be here. This I know. 

  

4) Monika and Matthias:  March 26-March 30

 I promise I'll only say it once, but that Deutsch Bahn train is really something else!  So sleek and modern, it's definitely a first-class train. We took that efficient German train to Idar-Oberstein to visit some of Michael's distant relatives. We were treated to the best in hospitality with a full itinerary. We toured the Mosel wine valley, the Idar-Oberstein Gemstone Museum, the Marksburg castle and a copper cave from the Middle Ages.   

5) Mari Jo and the Sieger's:  March 30-April 6

20 years later, we decided it was time at last to have a reunion with Anne, the foreign exchange student we hosted oh so long ago in North Dakota.  Michael and I met my mom in Düsseldorf for a couple days before meeting up with Anne in Cologne. The daffodils were in full bloom along the Rhine Valley despite the chilly weather. Our tour through Cologne included stops at the Cathedral (Dom), Chocolate Museum and a restaurant where you eat completely in the dark.  We then made our way to Münster and Warendorf to see the rest of Anne's family.  We had a nice Easter and were filled to the brim with cake and chocolate.