Last weekend we ran a race in Graz, Austria's 2nd largest city. It is adorable in deed, and why wouldn't it be when, Arnold, the govenator of California, is from a town 2K from Graz. We spent the 2-hour train ride having breakfast mimosas with Lisa and Bridget, 2 friends from school. In Graz we met up with two more friends, Stephanie and Anika and explored the darling town. The city is rich in Art and great shopping. That evening we enjoyed dinner at a Greek restaurant for over 3 hours. In Austria, you're never rushed to leave your table, so it felt nice to take our time and get carried away in conversation.
The race had a marathon, and half-marathon, but we decided to do the 10.5K. The weather was gorgeous and perfect for running. After we finished, we waited for Lisa and Stephanie to finish the half marathon race. Everyone had a great run and we have some fast friends!
That afternoon we headed home. With so many people trying to get out of the city that day, the buses were PACKED! With backpacks on, we crammed into a crowded bus headed to the train station. Every turn, I felt like I was crushing the children next to me. At the stops, it was impossible to let people on or off the bus. Even when a nun got on, people groaned, but she pushed her way in.
Once on the train, by choice, we had a cozy ride home. The trains were busy and in our quest to have all 6 of us sit in one cabin, we ended up squeezing 8 of us in, along with an older Austrian man and woman. They really had a great sense of humor toward our dominating way about us. We continued to share stories and talk over a couple bottles of wine all the way back to Vienna. Once back home, we didn't want the weekend to end, so we all decided to go out for pizza.
It was a fun weekend mixed with good people, and a little exercise.
