Joe sampling raspberries in Mader

Home Away from Home.

Melainee always had a simple yet filling breakfast waiting for us each morning. There was fresh fruit and homemade bread, thin sliced bacon and pickle and pimento loaf. I enjoyed the honey most of all spread thick on the homemade bread Melainee made for us. The Nutella was a great treat too. The nectarines were just wonderful and the apples were so juicy and sweet.

Joe gives us instructions!

Billy, Melinda and Graham having dinner at the monastery.

Care for some Chocolate??????

Christopher Street Day in Munich

Scott prays!

Scott prays that there won't be anymore spinach balls while the rest of us pose for a snapshot.

She got me!!!

Melinda got me as we walked to the farm at the end of this mountain road.

Lunch at the little Italian place.

Remember we rode the train for a while and then Stephen showed us the restaurant he recommended we have lunch at. We asked if he would sing for us since he was on his way to Choir practice and he did. Pretty cool!!!

Lunch on Selvretta

Jackie, John, Gilda, Lisa, Alan and Nancy. We had such a great time in this beautiful place. Everyone chose something they wanted to do and then we had three hours of quiet peace to enjoy ourselves.

A fun night for the girls!!

More Fun at the B. G.

So much music and singing. It was such an experience. A true German Beer Garden in Munich!!!

A fun night at the Beer Garden

Sweet Music in Mozart Plaza

Some fun ladies!! Beth and Holly

Lavina and I.

Waiting for the train to Munich.

Remember these!!!!!!

I think the opinions varied about the spinach dumplings or as most of us called them spinach balls. I had the pork!!! I think for me that was the right choice. Everyone at our table knew how Scott felt. What do you think??

Kathy, Nancy and Billy after taking the lift up the mountain

Alan and Lisa

Harry and Deb

Briannnnn what are you doing?????

Brian, Scott and their Austrian friends

Nancy and Kathy after dinner at the Monastery

Erin and I on the train to Munich

Deb at Selvretta

Some Fabulous Folks

One of the best things about our trip to Bregenz was the great people we traveled with. I had such a fun time getting to know each and every person in our group. And what a priviledge it was to get to meet all the EKU gang. You all are the best!!!
Beth W. you are the perfect airplane buddy. That's what you need on a TEN HOUR FLIGHT!!! And we did it coming and going. And thanks for hangin' with me when the goin' got tough on our way up the mountain! You too Lavina. . . and boy can you sing! THE HILLS ARE ALIVE!!!!!!!!! With Lavina's beautiful voice.
Kathy, one, two three, SMILE!!!! We both need fair warning before they snap that picture don't we!! Billy did you really like the mineral water? I tried but couldn't do it. Melinda, out of 2000 pictures that were taken on my camera you were the only one who gave me bunny ears. I love it!!!! Graham will I really have good luck after shaking your hand? I already have because I got to go on this trip with you guys.
Susan you are such a tenderhearted lady. You and I would be great friends if we lived closer together. Thanks for filling me in when I needed filling in. April you crack me up. Thanks for wading in the cold water to get me a chair from underneath the golden wishbone before TOSCA. Now that's a true friend. And Theresa we tried hangin' out in Munich but that silly cold rain got the best of us. Are you still wearing your socks with your flip flops?? :o) Holly. . Ahhh the glam gal. Gosh you looked gorgeous before the opera and of course every day before that. You were stylin' no matter where we went! Lindsay you're just the sweetest gal in the whole wide world and I love ya!! Thanks for encouraging me to go to the beer garden with you guys. It was some of the most fun I had. Never thought someone would ask me for my sausage!! Hee Hee!! I will always remember the Bavarian Pub too. Was that place really as small as it seemed???? Erin you are so thoughtful and a ton of fun to boot. I'm so glad we had more than just Earth Force training to get to spend time together. You're the best! Harry and Deb, what can I say, I love ya, love ya, love ya. I'll take a lesson anytime you offer one!! Deb Thrall what a smile and gosh you're a blast to be around. Come visit KY sometime soon. Rebecca, Decolores and keep praying for my sis! It was a pleasure hangin' out with you. Jackie, I wanna be like you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You are like none other. What a blessing to spend time with you. You truly walk the walk. God bless! Scott, I'm still waiting for the perfect monitor and thanks for the laughs. Don't be eating any spinach balls O.K.!!!!!!! John and Gilda, you all are so sweet together. I want to hear that antique instrument play real soon too. Alan and Lisa you all are the same, just such a great couple. What a joy to have met you two. Jill thanks for loaning me your blow dryer and for making me a folder on your laptop for the first 1000 pics. Jess and Beth you all are a hoot. I had fun shopping at the toy store with you in Munich,I would never have found that bright yellow .50 cent poncho that made me look like a giant banana walking all over Munich, thanks for letting me walk back with you that afternoon. Gosh I was tired. Brian you're the coolest. I'm so glad we got to go on this trip together. You certainly were the most animated in the photos I took. Funny!!! And thanks for getting to the bottom of the missing envelope. I knew I never had it. So how was the drive home. Bet you wished you had listened to Joe!!!!!! And speaking of Joe, thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything you do. You know my sentiments about this incredible trip already so I won't repeat it. I do thank you for encouraging me when I needed it most and for everything you did, both big and small to put this program together. I can't imgaine all that it takes to plan those two weeks. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!! I will never forget it.

Gebhartsburg and our last night

We went up the mountain to Gebhartsburg and had dinner at this beautiful Medieval Castle. The views were incredible. We had a wonderful dinner with our house frau and guests and spent time remenicing about the two fabulous weeks. Joe and John played for us and we all sang along to some great songs. We watched the sun set over the Rhine Valley, watching it disappear at the edge of the Bodensee. What a perfect way to end an unbelievable time in Europe.

Small Minds

Mama always says, "Small things amuse small minds." So was the toilet video small minded? I think the water usage that night went through the roof because we ladies were all fascinated with how clean that seat got after a good scrubbing!! I know, I know . . . small things, small things.

Ahhhh the life of a European or is it You're a peein'

More photos to come!

I feel like I need to take a break from all the photos. I've had my nose in these files sorting through each picture trying to decide what else to post on the blog and what to send to the printers. I'm tired. The house is upside down with all the mail that collected while I was gone plus an entire suitcase of menus, napkins, brochures, maps and anything else that I could bring home free of charge from my trip. There are strategic piles all over my house that need to be sorted and stored. Inservice on Tuesday and lunch with the girls on Thursday. My days of summer will soon be a distant memory. I do have one more post to do and then I'll give it a rest. It's the best video I have of the entire trip (not really but it's quite a hoot)

Beautiful Mountain flowers

The mountain and the dam

Nancy and the Mountains

More from Selvretta

A view from my hotel room.

Munich

The Beer Garden

Munich

The Entertainment

We had the pleasure of hearing tons of wonderful musicians on the streets of both Munich and Salzburg. The following few posts are some brief video clips of some of what we saw and heard.

Tosca

Tosca was fabulous. I knew the plot of the story but it was still difficult to follow along. The opera was sung in Italian with German subtitles. That didn't matter though because I was so fascinated by the stage and the mechanics of it that I stayed in awe of what was going on.

The flowers

The flowers in Austria were just fabulous! Many of the homes have flower boxes just overflowing with color varieties of flowers. I'm inspired to do the same at my house.

No snacks for you!!

The Ponies

On the mountain

Selvretta was one of the most peaceful places in the world. The views were awesome and the weather just perfect. I walked to a small church and just sat and looked at the mountains. It was so quiet. There were ponies there and they came right up to me and I petted them and took several photos. What a day.

Mirabell Gardens

The gardens at Mirabell are beautiful. You can also see these gardens in one of the scenes from Sound of Music. Maria and the children are singing their hearts out and dancing like crazy all over the gardens. I tried to contain myself and just walk calmly but it sure was tough.

The Castle overlooking the Rhine Valley

Our last night in Bregenz we had dinner at a Medeival Castle overlooking the Rhine Valley and the Bodensee. It was breathtaking. There were storm clouds all around but the sun broke through and lit the water like huge spotlights. Magnificent!!!

A View from the Fortress in Salzburg

Rode the tram up alone and then met Jackie at the top.
I took several photos of the incredible views from this
ancient fortress.

Deb and me!

Deb is a new friend that I met on our trip. She works with Environmental Issues in her home state of New Mexico. She was just a super lady!

The Saltz River

We got into Salzburg and checked into our hotel and then
headed out to see the city. We were able to stand at the edge
of the Saltz River and watch the sun go down. It was beautiful.

Lindau Streets

The streets of Lindau were narrow cobblestone. Most people drive very small cars or ride bikes or scooters.

The Shops

There were so many interesting shops in Lindau. We walked all afternoon seeing the sights.

Lindau, Germany

We took the boat from Bregenz to Lindau. It's a beautiful city with amazing architecture.

Pleasure Boats on the Lake

The Doors

I became infatuated with the doors in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. Many of them were handcarved and just beautiful.

Munich

This photo was taken in Munich, Germany near the Residence Plaza. It was beastly hot that first day. Thankfully that was the only day of the entire trip that was that way.

The Market in Bregenz

Every Tuesday and Thursday farmers brought all kinds of fresh flowers, fruits and vegetable to town. They have the best apples I've ever eaten in my life

Sunset on Lake Constance

Tosca

This was shot by the lake. They advertise Tosca all over the city.

Bregenz

Pictures

I'm finally home and now the pictures!!!!

Our Last Day in Bregenz

I can not believe the 16 days are over. We just had our last class meeting and I have some free time so I came to the information center to do my last post from Bregenz. We have been busy as all get out the past couple of days. The trip to Salzburg was fabulous. The castle was just amazing. I have so many pictures to show you. We have a great time on the train ride back from Salzburg too. Just riding the train through the Austrian Alps is an experience in itself. Yesterday we too the boat across the Bodinsee to Lindau, Germany. It is a beautiful old city with some magnificent architecture. More pictures to post so you all can see.
I better run. I need to pack my suitcase and get ready for another night out. The opera last night was just unbelievable. We are having dinner out tonight with our haus fraus. It is a celebration for us all.
Watch for upcoming photos. It will be a couple more days but I will get it done.

Sound of Music Tour

This morning we took off to do some shopping. We got to see more of the city plus a wonderful art exhibit of work by Picasso, Dali, and Miro. It was great. I bought a couple more things to bring home with me and hopefully I am done with my shopping. We took the Sound of Music Tour this afternoon and saw some of the places where they filmed the movie plus some actual places the VonTrapp family spent time. We had an interesting tour guide. She was a german lady who would yell at us if we asked her a question before she finished her story, if we opened the van door on our own or if we blinked an eye the wrong way. When the tour was over we all wanted to run. We also visited the Mirabelle Gardens. It was beautiful. I took another ton of pictures and will be excited to show everyone when I get home. Keep checking the blog those of you who are and the pictures will be there soon. We head back through the Austrian Alps tomorrow afternoon to spend our last two days in Bregenz. I can not believe the trip is nearly over. What an adventure this has been.
Off to bed. We visit the fortress and St. Peters tomorrow.
mama you would have loved the tour and seeing places from the movie. We need to watch it again real soon. I have to compare my notes to the movie. Daddy we will not make you sit through it.
See you ALL soon!!!!!!!!!!!

Day two Salzburg

I thought I might be able to post some photos from here this morning but it is not going to happen.
plugged the camera in and got it all set but the file just wouldnt open. i guess I will just hang it up until I get home.
We had dinner last night at a small pizzeria very close to the hotel and then we walked around a small part of the city before coming back to the hotel for bed. There is a huge fortress here that we will go visit tomorrow. Today we are going to take a tour of the city. There will be seven of us going. Mirabella Gardens is top on our list. We will have a beautiful view of the city from there. We plan on having dinner at a small Italian restaurant and then walk to the gardens in time to get some shots of the city at dusk.
The hotel we are staying is was built in the 1300s. I don't think I have ever stayed anywhere that was that old. It is wonderful.

Salzburg

We just arrived in Salzburg and we are perfectly situated in Old Town. There will be many things to visit here so i am very excited. We are at an older hotel in the center of the area. There are 9 of us staying at this one place. We are off to dinner in just a bit and then we will strole through the city to what we can discover.
one foot note to our trip on the train. The train was delayed almost an hour and as we left the station we saw that there was a body laying on the tracks. Well, I should say parts of a body. Someone had jumped in front of the train. I saw more than i wanted to of what was left of this person. it will be fine though. The train ride through the Austrian Alps was breathtaking.
More later. love you all.
Nancy

Selvretta

We are home from Selvretta. What an amazing trip it was. The day was as clear as a bell and the wind blew just enough to give us all a bit of wind burn. When we got to the mountain we had free time so everyone chose something different to do. I took off up a smaller hill (mountain) to take some photo and enjoy the view. When I got to the top I was surprised to see three small ponies just grazing away. To my surprise they came right up to me and I was able to pet them and get some great shots. We spent the night on the mountain and the view from my room was incredible. I am still so upset that I can not post photos from here. You would not believe the sites that we have seen. Tomorrow I am off to Salzburg with a group of friends. Not many more days and i will be heading home. This has been such an experience for me and everyone else on this adventure. Love you ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Switzerland

we just got back to Bregenz from two beautiful towns in Switzerland. We visited a windery and then stopped at Appenzell to shop for just a minute. The views were amazing. i have taken almost 800 pictures so far. There will tons to post. The group was just seated for dinner here at the messmer. i am hoping to get in a few more minutes of shopping before i head home to pack for another trip into the Alps. Today was one of the best days i have had so far. Sorry for all the lower case letters. This keyboard is real trouble. Thanks for the prayers and keep it up. We will be staying over in Selvretta tomorrow night. it should be awesome.

The Alps

Today we traveled to the mountains. It was incredible. lots of rain and mist so visiblity was down. it was still amazing. we had lunch in the mountains and then dinner at a monastery. We walked home from there which took about an hour because we took a wrong turn. I am bushed so i will close for now. Still cant post photos so i will just continue to fill you in briefly this way.

Storm

jill, lavina and i went to eat dinner and after we finished, this big bad storm blew in. The rest of our group walked about 7 blocks to a beer garden and no umbrellas in hand. they will be shopping for something to keep them dry as they walk back to the hotel. I bought several small items today to bring home. You would not believe how expensive it is over here. I think the dollar is worth about 1.64. I am doing my best not to spend too much on trinkets. I did find a beautiful Austria book and will have everyone in the group sign it.
I better close for now my thirty minutes is about up here at the internet cafe. love to all.
oh mz itäs raining very hard.
Nancy

Munich

Today we traveled by train to munich it was a beautiful ride through the countryside of Germany. We are stazing at the mirabelle hotel. hot hot todaz. tomorrow we will tour the city as much as we can. Sunday we will go to the concentration camp museum. hope this posts iäm having trouble.

i will trz this again

The kezboard is weird so iäm spelling things wrong.
We just had dinner at the Messemer and we will be going down to lake constance to walk along the water and enjoz the evening. Todaz we went to see how cheese is made and that was the time that we spent driving along the German Border. it was beautiful being able to see the Alps and Lake Constance in the distance. Tomorrow we take the train to munich. We will stay there all weekend at the Sorry about the inability to use this keyboard. So much is different and much is in german so im struggling. it is a beautiful place and i love it.

Busy Day

We drove along the German border todaz it was beautfl.

Time to go!

The last bag is in the car and I'm ready to leave. Hope I'll have a chance to post a few photos along the way. Jill is bringing her laptop so maybe I can make a couple of entries before the long 10 hour flight. We land in Zurich on the 9th and from there we hit the ground running. We will travel to Bregenz by bus and immediately go to our respective homes to meet our host and hostess!!!!