February Fun

February marks the beginning of visitors. We are excited to have a list of friends & family coming from now until summer. We started first with Sarah and Nikki. After a little confusion of the arrival day, Sarah arrived in Vienna just in time for an adventure to Venice for Carnival. We took the "Carnival" train which meant an overnight ride Friday, spend all day Saturday in Venice, then another overnight ride Saturday, bringing us back to Vienna on Sunday morning. We had two cabin sleeping cars for the 7 of us, and the train came complete with a Saloon Car and Disco Car-it never fails, no matter how far removed you may feel, you can never escape the Macarena!

Once in Venice, the colors and artistic beauty of Carnival costumes were abundant. One-by-one we selected and bought masks to celebrate the occasion. We walked along the cobble streets and over bridges and took in the sights. The people dressed in extravagant costumes were exquisite-they assumed serious roles and posed for the cameras. Most of the festivities took place in San Marco square and the day was filled with celebration and ended with shows and dancing. We had so much fun walking into squares playing music where we stopped everything and danced. The train rides were also a blast, filled with games and eats and drinks.

The day we returned from Venice, Nikki arrived! It was so great having both Sarah and Nikki here during my February ski week. We spent the first 3 days touring around Vienna-went to a couple museums, ice-skating at the Rathaus, quiz-night at Johnnys, and of course eating and drinking. Then we were off to the mountains in the Salzburg area. We stayed at a guest house in Altenmarkt and skied gorgeous slopes at Zauchensee. We were blown away by the amount of mountains and ski resorts there are in this area

and we are already making plans to go back in the summer for rafting and canyon hiking.

One night in a nearby town called Flachau, we did about an hour hike up a steep and snowy mountain with unguarded cliffs and subtle turns. Our destination was a huge traditional

Austrian restaurant. There, we ate heavy and delicious food amongst other locals and visitors whom we became friends with as

the evening went on. After dinner, the best part of night was the sled ride back down the mountain. We saw the terrain during the sunset hike, but now it was dark and we only knew that it would be best to stay away from the edge.

The sleds were fast, really fast, and all we could do to slow down was dig our feet in the snow as best as we could. Once we got the hang of it, we eased off the breaks

and went for it. It was incredible and some of us were a little more out of control than others (Nikki :).

The day before Nikki had to head home, the girls took a Salzburg trip. We walked around the charming city, gave ourselves a small Sound of Music tour, and visited the Augustiner Brau-the brewhouse where monks have brewed beer since 1621-and they know what they're doing!

This February "ski week" has been non-stop fun filled with shenanigans. We miss Nikki and her excellent German and shopping talents and are still loving having Sarah here until the end of this week.

It's back to school and to "normal" life-although, I'm not sure how "normal" our lives have been lately.

2010....

let's say it has started off cold, very cold, and yet, amazing!

After returning to Vienna to "normal life," it was time to get back into the swing of things. I am loving my students and school, but Andrew has also been doing a good amount of substitute teaching. My assistant had to be out of work for over a week, so my students had both Mr. & Mrs. Leckie as their teachers-and they loved it! Aside from that, Andrew has been assisting in the elementary library and office and he's getting pretty good at doing Read Alouds with the classrooms, shelving books, and answering phones. He has also been busy coaching basketball and tutoring. Recently he has traveled with his team to Frankfurt and Budapest for tournaments. Even with his busy schedule, Andrew is still the chef and lunch maker in the family and still taking great care of me.

I started taking German classes at the University of Wien, so again I am a student at UW. Between teaching in English all day and having english speaking friends, I have not been able to embrace the German language. In hopes to prevent the blank-stare-look I often have when asked something in German, I hope to learn some survival phrases besides my ability to order food and drinks at restaurants. I have also started a running group with some friends and it's been nice to meet other people with similar interests. Andrew and I are going to do the Vienna half-marathon in April and I signed up for the Berlin full. Berlin has always been a dream marathon of mine. Recently for my birthday, I traveled an hour to Sopron, Hungary with 5 other girl friends to go to Wabi spa. The spas in Hungary are pretty extravagant and are very reasonably priced. I was able to get my hair cut, a facial, massage and my train ride there and back for less than it would cost for just a hair cut in Vienna. Thanks Georgia for my birthday present-a trip to the spa!! We made a fun trip out of it and know that we are going to make this a habit.

Last night we went to the IAEA Ball at the Hofburg Palace. This is a ball put on each year by the UN and what an event it was. With 5,000 attendees and the such an elegant venue as the Hofburg Palace, it was quite the spectacle. We were surrounded by ball gowns and tuxedos, while moving from ballroom to ballroom in a palace that holds an incredible history. We got to watch as the debutantes performed for the first time and watched entertainment from around the world. There were around 8 different dance rooms to go to playing a variety of music and dance styles. The balls stays open until around 4 or 5 in the morning and as we left around 3 am, we watched the older people out-party us for the night. In the winter around Vienna it is ball season and it blows my mind when I see people still dressed in ball attire at 9:00 as I am meeting my running group in the morning. The Viennese love their balls...

This upcoming weekend starts our stretch of visitors coming between now and May. We have 12 confirmed guests coming before the summer and possibly more! Next week is ski week and we have a break from school. This Friday Sarah Affolter gets here and we leave for Carnival in Venice. Sunday Nikki is here and we'll all explore Vienna and then make our way to Satlzburg and get in a little skiing.

Until next time...

España!

On Christmas, when you can´t be with family and the ones you love, then go to a place you love and spend time with great friends. So we headed to España. We landed in Barcelona where Brad picked us up and instantly started touring the city. We made our home-base at Brad & Janeth´s house-mi casa es su casa-we made ourselves at home. That night, in proper Spanish style, we ate a delicious dinner at 10:00 pm. Brad, the laundry king, is Andrew's great friend from college that stayed in Europe after they traveled around together in 2000. He started a laundry mat company called Lava Xpress and now owns, franchises, and sells machines in Europe. Janeth is his lovely girlfriend from Colombia whom is the sweetest person and you can't help but love her.

The next day we walked through the narrow streets in Brad´s neighborhood, along Las Ramblas, and toured the center of the old city. We were also on a mission-we had to buy A LOT of food for our Christmas excursion to the Pyrenees Mountains. First stop-the Boquaria-Barcelona´s fresh meat and seafood market. After purchasing a 5 kilo turkey, chorizo, oysters, razor clams, mussels, prawns, calamari, and more meat than anyone should ever eat. We ate at a busy fresh seafood counter in the market where they prepare dishes from food right there in the market-there we squeezed into our spots and feasted- it was delicioso, so good we made sure to go back. Again (as every night) we ate dinner at most people´s normal bedtime.

The next morning we packed 8 people, luggage, and a smidgen of food into a muy grande y azul van. Last town before we headed into the Pyrenees was Berga. In Berga, we hit up the Supermarcado- 8 people grocery shopping and 3 extremely full carts of food and drinks later we packed back into the van, this time with bags of groceries at our feet and on our laps. We went up the windy mountain roads. The higher up we got, the colder it was, and soon we were driving in a winter wonderland. We almost made it to our mountain house, but not before getting stuck in the snow at the bottom of the hill. We all had a good time walking back-and-forth from the van to the house carrying all of our things in the fluffy and slippery snow.

The next five days at the mountain house were spent eating, drinking, eating, drinking, oh-and eating some more. We got to know each other very well over incredible meals and lots of game playing. Max and Gustavo are from Argentina, Janeth from Columbia, Anna from Berlin, Brad, JoAnna, and John all Americanos but live in Barcelona, and Andrew and myself. So sometimes we spoke in English and sometimes in Spanish, well, it was mostly a combination of both. We had the most amazing meals that everyone took part in making. We had tradional big American breakfasts (which I mostly cooked), Colombian and Argentinian lunches of fried plantains, guacamole, pica de gallo and other deliciousness, dinners of carne cooked on the outside grill, a massive seafood fest, and homemade pasta. On Christmas we had a traditional dinner with turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, stuffing... Then I made turkey soup and turkey sandwiches with the left overs. One night, we had dinner at 6:30 and again at 1:30 am-the night when Max and Gustavo started making homemade pasta at 11:00. How amazing that was. They spread fresh pasta over the 10 person dining room table, then cut it to size.

Anna made Gluwein (which we were very used to by now and makes the perfect cold-holiday drink) and she made another burnt rum specialty. Note of caution: when making burnt rum, beware of objects that may melt above the stove (such as overhead oven fixtures ··· and items above the fireplace). Being in the Pyrenees was a great way to escape city life, take time to relax, and be in nature-it was a fun holiday getaway.

Back in Barcelona...Crazy Barcelona-

We made our home base back at Brad & Janeth's house. The next couple of days we toured around-we saw Gaudi buildings around the city including the Sagrada Familia (126 years in the making), the Picasso museum and took a trip to Figueres to the AMAZING Salvador Dali museum. During this time, our friends Jason & Diana from Seattle, came to visit us in Vienna, and since we weren't there, they stayed in our house and saw the sights (slight miscommunication). Shortly after, they met up with us in Barcelona.

With them, we continued to explore the sights, especially the restaurant and bar scenes. Barcelona is to have the most restaurant and bars per head than any other European city. Multiple times we visited the well-known Xampanyeria (Champagne bar), that isn't really how it sounds. It is tiny and PACKED. They serve a million different meat sandwiches (not for me), and delicious cava (champagne) for less than 2 Euro a bottle. Each time we went, we stocked up for home and New Years. If you're looking for a roomy place to sit and eat, this would not be it. Instead you are packed in with a million other people and you stand and eat and discard the paper your sandwich was wrapped in, onto the floor. When in Spain...

During the time we were there, we frequented tapas bars, had great Spanish wine, and had our share of Catalunya, Basque and Spanish food. We also got to meet up with Vanessa's family (from Colombia), we met her cousins and step sister & brother for dinner. Then they went to Vienna and stayed at our house. We got to spend some time with her cousins for a couple days when we returned to Vienna (wish you were there too Vaness!). We have been really lucky to meet good people that are friends and family of people we know.

The streets of Barcelona are narrow and if you don't pay careful attention, they can look the same. It's amazing to see all the stores and restaurants that suddenly appear at different hours of the day. Most merchants have graffiti painted garage doors that cover the store front during certain hours-most of which are closed during the afternoon siesta. Finding your way around Raval and the parts of old town can be tricky because sometimes a place may be there and sometimes it's not, but I got to know my way around like a pro-Andrew had a little harder time as he was lost one night in the same neighborhood for over an hour.

New Years Eve-spent around town. We had delicious paella for lunch-made by Carlos and his family at his restaurant. Their restaurant is next to Brad's first laundry mat he opened and have been friends for 6 years. He made delicious seafood paella and after our meal brought us homemade grappa from his village and cava. Next we headed back to the boquaria for more fresh seafood. Back at the house Diana and Jason made cioppino-delicious! Best cioppino I've ever had. I made fried plantains and guac and we had another mini-feast before our NYE celebration.

That night, the moon was amazing. It rose and shone like the sun. It was so bright, it was almost as if you needed sunglasses to look right at it. It was a special night because it was a blue moon (2 full moons in one month-which only happens every 2-3 years) and there was a partial lunar eclipse. We enjoyed the sights, then headed to Max and Anna's to bring in 2010. We walked through Las Ramblas and it was a ZOO. Although we were in the heart of the mayhem city-in the middle of Las Ramblas and Placa Cataluyna, we were in a perfect spot. We had a party on their roof top and could hear the crowds filled with thousands of people around us-where people were going wild and things get extremely rowdy. As we counted down the New Year and the clock struck midnight, it is tradition to eat 12 grapes for every dong. We did this, trying not to choke, and made a wish for each grape. That night we danced, and had an amazing time until moon set.

We spent the next day having another great time with Jason, Diana, Brad and Janeth, then we flew to the capital, Madrid. Barcelona and Madrid are very different. Although Madrid is bigger than Barcelona, it felt smaller to us. I think it is because of it's bigger streets and the layout of the city. Both places are incredible. From what we experienced, Madrid had a big city feel and with busy night life, but it wasn't as crazy and wild as Barcelona. In Madrid we had a list of must-see/do from a friend of mine I teach with that used to live there. We of course ate amazing food and tried out fun bars and restaurants. We saw grandeur architecture, did some shopping (Spain is much cheaper than Vienna!), and went the Prado and Rena Sophia. We saw such incredible art on this trip, from Dali, Picasso, Goya, Velazquez, and so many more. We checked out the fun neighborhoods and watched a Real Madrid game amongst locals at a bar. It was a nice getaway for us. We took the high speed train back to Barcelona-that was fun way to do it-fly to Madrid, then take the train home so we could see the country side. The train was the nicest train I'd ever been on and it went close to 300 km the entire time.

Back in Barcelona we spend one more fun night with Brad and Janeth. We went to our friend Gustavo's Argentinian restaurant and continued the theme of eating ourselves to capacity. Each day was an adventure and most days we had our personal tour guides Brad and Janeth to help order the best food and take us to all their favorite places. 15 days of non-stop fun, filled with uncontrollable laughter is a great way to end a year and bring in a new one. To you and yours, Happy New Year and to an incredible 2010. We love our family and friends and appreciate them more and more as time goes by.

Much love,

Ciara and Andrew

In this latest edition of our Blog, We are going to take a look as to what our goings on were in Vienna along with a Thanksgiving trip...

November came after the before mentioned Adriatic Excursion, and we had to say goodbye to Alice and Shawn, But not before a trip to the Belvedere Museum where we got to admire a few painting from Monet, Van Gogh and of course Gustav Klimt. We were not dissappointed with the famous kiss. The Museum itself is also something to see, built in the 1700's the grand halls and staircases make looking at art almost a side note. We really enjoyed it.

But soon enough after an amazing trip, our partners in crime siblings had to head home. The parents however stayed in town and though it was bitter cold, they got a chance to settle back in to life in Vienna. Ciara headed back to school so I was in charge of tourism; we took strolls around the city and enjoyed many meals together at local restaurants and ones we cooked ourselves. My sweet mother gave me a cooking lesson on how to make chicken cacciatore and apple crisp. I got a chance to work in our kitchen with a great mentor and we had a blast cooking together. We got to spend some quality time together and went to see Arsenic and Old Lace at an English Theater, and went to the Vienna Symphony at the famous Musikverein.

Back to our normal life after quite a stretch of "vacation," we got back into our routine. Things in Vienna where changing though. The Chrismas markets were out in full effect. If you haven't been to Vienna during Christmas time, it is something you have to see. In every neighborhood square, including the Rathouse and Schonbrunn Palace, streets are lined with lights, decorations, and huts selling crafts, Christmas treats and mugs of gluwein and a varieties of punsch (all delicious hot beverages). Strolling though the markets is quite an experience especially with all the chestnuts roasting on an open fire. We got a chance to spend some quality time with some friends that we heading back to the states. Friendships we made in a short time that will last. And then came Thanksgiving......

Thank goodness for teaching at an American school because we get Thanksgiving break! So where better to go on Thanksgiving than... Turkey for Turkey Day! We booked a flight to spend the holiday with another expat friend who is teaching in Istanbul, Andrea. It was quite an experience. Our flight got delayed so we didn't get in until about 10:30 so we had to catch a cab to Andrea's house. This city is huge, we drove from the European side over one of the bridges that crosses over the Bosphorus to the Asian side where she lives. This city covers two continents, so needless to say traffic is intense and the cab drivers, nor most people driving have much respect for rules of the road, if there are any. We made it though, in a fiat cab playing frogger with semi-trucks and oversized tour busses-what lane?-pick a lane, any lane. At one point our cab driver answered his cell phone while we were sandwiched between two semi-trucks in a space where I'm pretty sure at one point we fit underneath the trucks.

After a good nights sleep we headed out into the city from the Asian side where Andrea lived on Acibadem in Kadikoy. We took a local bus down to the ferry where we took the first of our many ferry rides across the water to the European side. Quite a scenic place once to the otherside, we headed into Sultanamet, the old part of town. The buildings in this area are breathtaking. The Hagia Sophia is opposed by the Blue Mosque both are marvels. We spent the day touring the area visiting the Grand Bazaar enjoying the day. But then we had to get prepped for Thanksgiving. We headed back to Kadikoy and did some shopping and did our best at a local market. Not that they didn't have an abundance of beautiful food, but we were short a few things. We made due however and ended up with a chicken, some mashed potatoes, carrots, dressing, gravy and some turkish dishes. Quite an event we enjoyed our dinner and enjoyed wine and each other's company, just like the holiday should be. Of course we missed family but we had a enjoyable Turkey day!

The rest of our time in Istanbul we did touring about the city the Blue Mosque the Cistern both of which were quite impressive. We walked the Galata bridge and check out the Galata tower. We went and had a cocktail in Orikoy which is a great little community with a view of the first bridge. It is full of shops and restaurants. I (Ciara) enjoyed a Hamam (Turkish Bath). This was a scrub-down experience like no other. I won't get into all the details, but basically I was slipping and sliding on a warm marble slab as my entire body was exfoliated thanks to a strong Turkish woman. In a big marble room with a big dome in the center letting in beams of natural light, I was bathed from head-to-toe. I can check-off this experience in the "1,000 Places to See Before You Die," book and I would do it again and again.

Last but not least we did a turkish dinner off of Istikal street and area that is bustling with people shops, cafes, restaurants and bars. As the streets narrowed the more people there were. once we finally found the place we were looking for called Cardak. We entered the place early for our 8 o'clock reservation. We were the first ones there so we sat down to starter food and all you could drink, slowly people started streaming in to the place. We got our food and the drinks were flowing, we grew to really love the Raki-a Turkish favorite. Before too long with the place packed at this point the music started and things started to really pick up. People began singing and dancing. Every single song, the entire restaurant (of about 100+ people) were belting out every word to every song and dancing like nobody's business. There were people standing on their chairs and they were encouraging us to get up and dance. Of course, we did. It was quite a time a true turkish dinner.

The next day we had to bid far well to this amazing place. Such vivacious place, proud and buzzing. Like no place we've ever been. The call to prayer every 5 hours echoing across the neighborhoods from mosque to mosque. The people were very friendly. The "Evil Eye" ever present. A historical place truly important in the shaping of human civilization.

The experience was also made special due to to the hospitality of our great friend Andrea, it allowed us to navigate this trip with ease and enjoyment. Hopefully, we helped her enjoy being a tourist again.

So it has been a month since our last post. There are several (forgivable) reasons for our lagging behind. First, Alice and Shawn came to town and we had a week of extravaganzas. Then the whole Leckie family met in Vienna to start off an epic week-long road trip, followed by a week experiencing some Viennese culture with the parents.

Alice and Shawn came to town October 15th and settled into our little home. With the help an air mattress in our living room, we had a cozy home for 4. They arrived to Vienna with a drastic twist in weather, snow was falling. Though it did not stick it was definitely a change in temperature from the previous week into the cold seasons. During the first weekend we had several social gatherings that allowed Alice & Shawn to meet some of our new friends in Vienna and get a feel of how we live our lives here. It also probably inhibited them from getting back into a proper sleep routine. However, if ever a choice of sleep or fun, choose fun! We showed them around the city and explored the nightlife that proved to be enjoyable. And they got an extensive sampling of Austrian beer and the now infamous Kase Kreiner (a sausage with cheese inside) a standard late night snack! Needless to say it was a wonderful experience to have them stay with us and continue our visiting together into the wee hours of the mornings. It was nice for us to host them as they had been so gracious in extending such loving family hospitality prior to us leaving on our adventure. They took a break from Vienna and made a trip to Prague, which we we very happy for them to be able to do, they had a great time there with my parents.

The next stretch culminated in the family gathering in Vienna, Shawn and Alice returned from Prague a day earlier and headed to the airport to meet Marko and pick up the Van for our version of European Vacation. Then it was off to the Sudbahnof to pick up the Parents from their train ride from Prague. We all met up at the Kaiser Franz Joseph, a hotel near our house and exchange warm greetings, such a great thing to be all together! That evening we went to on of our favorite Viennese restaurants called Figls where we had some food and planned our decent out of Vienna toward the Adriatic coast.

Once morning arrived we headed out- 7 people in a spacious van headed south toward the Adriatic with anticipation of beautiful scenery ahead and hopefully some sun. Along the way, we stopped in Graz for a delightful lunch at a Greek restaurant and a stop at a quaint little French shop owned by a young family. Then on to Slovenia which was quite picturesque with rolling hills of green, everything seemed to be going smoothly and along the highway, we were cruising by toll booths without having to pay-lucky us! The next thing you know we are pulled over on the side of the road by the Police. The officer asked Marko to get out of the vehicle and follow him to his vehicle, in typical Marko form he turned around to us and said "Don't worry people! Relax, enjoy yourselves." As it turns out if anyone plans on driving in Slovenia it is imperative that you purchase something called a Vinetta, which is a 15 euro sticker that allows you to drive on the highways in Slovenia for 8 days in lieu of paying tolls. But instead, we got to pay 150 euro for the ticket. Our first little lesson in European car travel. After that little pit stop we headed on to the Croatian border where instantaneously, the skies grew clearer and temperature warmed up. It was quite the sight when we first saw the Adriatic with its beautiful aqua marine tones, and rugged cliffs. Our first destination was the Mozart Hotel in the coastal city Opatija. Opatija is a beautiful beach and resort town and it really felt like vacation. This being only a few hour drive from Vienna-it's a definite must come back to destination.

The next day we headed to Split via the island of Pag. Marko, our fantastic cousin/driver/tour-guide, drove along the coast and shared history and information along the way. He has spent much of his life in these areas and we were fortunate to have him give us a personal tour the entire time. We just had to sit back and enjoy the ride.

Croatia is an incredible country, every turn we saw turquoise water, sand beaches, and small cities with red-tile roofed houses surrounding the town church. We took a ferry to the island of Pag that was comprised of rock that almost felt like we were on a different planet. The land was filed with little rock walls that acted as wind barriers to protect the small farms. Pag is known for it's goat cheese and we had to stop on the highway for GOAT CROSSING.

Moving on, we stopped in Split for the next 2 nights. Split is a port town and home Diocletian's Palace-one of the largest and best-preserved Roman palaces. Here we enjoyed visiting the palace, shopping, eating delicious food, and the warm weather! We went sailing on the Adriatic Sea to the island of Bac. Our captains were fun and served us grappa and appetizers along the way. It was so nice to be on the sea with the wind on our faces. We enjoyed a little sea-town on Bac then headed back to Split during sunset and enjoyed the star-lit skies-such an incredible feeling. In split we stayed in garden apartments where we picked fresh lemons, oranges, and pomegranates. We shared our 2 bedroom apartment with Alice & Shawn and continued our love of playing cards into the late hours.

After Split, it was on to Herceg Novi, Montenegro. Again, thank goodness for Marko. He took us to all the quaint little towns, stopped off at this remote and adorable restaurant in Mali Stone, and took us through all the border crossings. Traveling in the former Yugoslavia, there was so much beauty and the further south we traveled, we got more into the heart of historical tension within these nations. We saw bombed homes, abandoned hotels and businesses and destroyed landscapes, witnessing some of the aftermath of the wars. Driving along Croatia, we had to pass into 7km of Bosnia, back to Croatia, and shortly after, the Montenegro border-each time stopping and getting clearance into each country. This is another time when Marko was of particular help considering he speaks Serbian-Croatian. Passing through Dubrovnik-which we went back to visit twice, we made it to Marko's home in Herceg Novi.

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Upon entering the house we were greeted graciously by Marko's parents Tomo and Danica, two of the sweetest people you will ever meet. We sat down in there living room and where immediately attended to offered vino, pivo(beer), lemonade and grappa. No, was not an answer that was listened to and we could observe that from the first moment. They were so happy we were there and so generous we were a bit overwhelmed by the warmth and generosity it was truly special. After a short time we went to the lower house and put our things in our respective rooms and relaxed for a little bit before dinner. The lower house has a large deck on the 2nd floor with great views of the water, a pleasant place to sit and relax. After, taking a little rest we headed to the main house for dinner. Sasha, Marko's brother had arrived and we all sat down for a meal. We were immediately bombarded with Tomo's homemade grappa and platters of prosciutto and cheese, followed by other platters of olives, pickles, peppers followed by hot meats and potatoes. Danica, always encouraging us to eat more. If she saw we liked something you would get two more on your plate. Ciara was very sly and moved most of her 2nd-5th helpings onto my plate (mostly the meat), leaving me to take one for the team and eat more than imaginable. Tomo's homemade wine was delicious, and after every sip, your glass was refilled. After the dinner came the dessert apple strudel, torte and a cake. The hospitality and generosity was like no other. With our bellies full of dinner dessert and wine we went to bed eager to adventure the next day. We woke up the next day to another gorgeous day, walking out on to the deck and smelling the fresh sea air. Once we had all gotten up and ready we headed up to breakfast at the main house where we were again continuously spoiled and stuffed. Many hvalas (thank yous) where given due to the overwhelming hospitality and all Danica would say is "Ne hvala" meaning that we didn't need to thank her. Such a sweet woman, it was hard not to squeeze her. And you could tell by her affection that she was so happy to have her family visiting her in her home. Each morning after we said our goodbyes to Tomo, Danica and Sasha we headed out into Montenegro, Croatia, and Bosnia.

In Montenegro we visited Risan (an old Roman town), Perast (where Catherine Zeta Jones and Michael Douglas have a home), Kotor (an old town with city walls and medieval architecture), Sveti Stefan (an old fishing village built on an island peninsula that is now filled with villas and luxury hotels-to open again soon), and Budva (another old city within walls along the coast). Montenegro is filled with natural beauty- gorgeous water, dramatic mountains, and from the mountain tops, we looked down on deep valleys and across to Croatia to the north, Albania to the south, and on a clear day, Italy to the west. We have a feeling that Montenegro is going to come from the shadows of years of unrest and take on the appreciation and beauty it holds.

Twice, we took a day trip to Dubrovnik, Croatia-one of our new favorite places in the world. We were awe-struck by it's presence- a fortified town along saphire waters. From it's beginning in the 7th century and since the rebuilding of what it looks like today after an earthquake in 1667, it's hard to believe the city was heavily bombed during the war from 1991-1992. It was mind-blowing to enjoy a pristine and unique city knowing the hardships and distruction that occurred here a short while ago. We walked along the city walls and couldn't help but take a picture of everything we saw. We spent much of our time eating and drinking while staring out into the Adriatic horizon.

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The following day, we did a day trip to Trebinje, Bosnia to visit an orthodox monastery. No matter what country we went to that was formally part of Yugoslavia, this trip was particularly special because it allowed the family to visit our Serbian roots. We visited the villages, houses, churches and a school and cemetery that our former generations call home. It was an emotional experience for all of us in different ways and it was truly a blessing to share this experience with everyone.

At the end of the week, it was time to say goodbye to Marko, Tomo, Danica, and Sasha. Such an amazing time had come to an end. Without our driver, we headed north to Croatia, Bosnia, Croatia again, and headed to Slovenia. We missed Marko and all the funny things he would say, so we found ourselves quoting and mimicking him the entire way. We filled our 7-hour drive playing games like Loaded Questions and used our IPODS to play trivia and 20 Questions against the computer-a freaky thing considering it guessed our item most of the time.

We made it to Lake Bled, Slovenia. What a perfect place to spend our last day of vacation,

at least for Ciara's October break and our road trip. It was magical. The small town surrounded a lake

about 3 miles around-everything about it was picturesque. Autumn was a perfect time to be there,

the weather was crisp and the leaves were bright hughes of red, and orange. We stayed in a very nice

hotel-thanks to Baba Lu for treating us. We got to spend this time relaxing from the hours we spent

in the car and before we headed back to Vienna. What a vacation this turned out to be, we could not

have asked for a more perfect time and are so blessed to have such an amazing family.