Matt & Kari's Visit
Just before our farewell to Edgar and Roheela (sniff, sniff) Matt and Kari arrived from Seattle as our second wave of visitors. They left their sweet boy Finn home with the grandparents. It was so good to see our friends and give them a glimpse into our life abroad.
On their first full day braving the weather, which has been pretty ghastly in Vienna this spring, we went out in Vienna to see the sights. We wandered around the first district and down into the Naschmarkt, checking out the market and making sure they got a chance to visit Dr. Falafel a favorite that has become a traditional place to take visitors for its wonderfully flavorful falafel sandwich. I think they liked it because they went and got it again later in the trip. We bought tickets to Salzburg and planned to go on a Friday of the Austrian holiday weekend. Unfortunately for us as we called several places to find a place to stay on Friday and Saturday nights it became utterly clear that we were not going to be able to get a place for Friday. Luckily for us Ciara took the initiative to call instead of just heading there and hoping to find a spot. So we decided to leave Saturday instead and come back Sunday. Once we secured a place to stay and got our tickets for Saturday the banter began about us going on the "Sound of Music" tour. Matt and I were dead set against against it and of course Ciara and Kari were all about it. We had a nice dinner and prepped for the trip and continued the tradition of intense card playing. We played spades and hearts and had tons of fun.
The next morning we gathered our bags and headed to the train station. On the tram ride down it became apparent that it was going to be close if we wanted to catch the train we wanted. So we quickly devised a plan where Kari and Ciara would secure seats and Matt and I would get pastries and coffee. The events that followed can only be truly appreciated if you lived them but I will do my best to describe them. Once at the train station we located the train then the boy and girls split up. Matt and I headed to a bakery in the train station. Once inside the bakery our urgency continued to grow as we waited in line and subsequently waited for our order to be carried out. As soon as we had our goods we headed intently to the train we picked up the pace as we were getting closer to departure time. In the process I managed to dump half of one of the coffees I was carrying all over the front of myself. We pressed on. We charged down the platform in search of our wives. After a call we reunite and begin to realize that though the girls fought the busy train crowd and had secured a couple of seats, the train was pretty full and that we wouldn't be able to sit together. So the quick group decision was to get off and catch the next train for Salzburg that left in 35 minutes. That's when things got crazy. As we are walking down the platform, the whistle blew as if to say "All Aboard" and we suddenly realized that none of us had the tickets. Needless to say panic set in. It was left on the train where the girls had secured a couple of seats. Frantically we all bolt toward the train that is moments away from departure. Ciara jumps on; I jump on Kari jumps on, all on different cars. Frantically we were charging through the crowded aisles looking for the ticket. I then decide to stand in the door of one of the train cars in an attempt to hold the train if they begin to close, Matt stood watch to let me know if the girls got off. Suddenly, Ciara burst off the train with the tickets. Relief began to set in until we realized Kari was still on the train. "Kari" we are all screaming "get off, we have it!" finally we see Kari hit the platform. That very next moment the train shoved off toward Salzburg. Catastrophe avoided! It took about 20 minutes for my heart to stop pounding though. We didn't really feel like paying for 4 train tickets a second time around. Once on the train we had a nice ride with beautiful scenery, great company and of course some cards.
Once we got to Salzburg we headed out on the town. Salzburg is incredibly scenic and we enjoyed it thoroughly. We walked all over and got some great views from the hills. We went to the Augustiner Brewery, the oldest brewery in Austria run by monks. Quite a place they serve big mugs and delicious beer since 1621. After the brewery we wandered around Salzburg and stopped to play at a "big kid" playground that had all types of obstacles for rock climbers. After that, Matt and I finally gave in and we booked the "Sound of Music" tour for the next day. After dinner we hit the hay with much anticipation of what the "tour" would be like considering that the Salzburg marathon was going on in town it ended up being a pretty good idea. It took us out to the Lakes district which is very pretty, and we all enjoyed singing songs on the bus that took us to all of the sites from the movie. Let's just say you can understand why they filmed it where they did. It was beautiful. I could tell that Ciara felt like a child again.
It was nice to have Matt & Kari in town to get us out on some runs, enjoy meals, and out to the Western part of Austria. I loved having this time to get to know the both of them better. Being excited about parenthood, they were a great couple to talk with as it's a fresh experience for them, we cannot believe that Finn is turning 1 this month! Thanks for the running shoes!
Now that it's June, the school year is wrapping up, and that summer is just around the corner, we are anxious to go home. We don't have any more visitors lined up until August, so missing home will start settling in. At the end of this month we're going to the French Riviera-to Nice, Monaco, and Cannes. A little sunshine and beach action is something we're really looking forward to!
