Hiking to Mariazell

Okay, but first, last night. We wanted to watch Casa Blanca. We meaning John Paul, Brendan, Caitlain, Andrea, John, Liz and I. Well, try as they might, the boys just couldn't figure out the mess of cords and plugs. They tried valiantly for some twenty minutes. Finally, Sr. Celina, sitting on the couch working on her laptop, just up and says, "In Poland, we have a proverb: that when Man can't get the job done, God sends a woman!". Rolling up her sleeves, she had our movie going in no time!

So, early this morning, we set out for Mariazell, the official Marian shrine of Hungary, Austria, and Slovakia. It was about a 15 mile hike over the river and through the woods and marching right past mountains and waterfalls and all the beauty the earth can muster. We started walking at about a quarter to seven, and reached Mariazell twenty to one. Not too bad a time, I think.
Andrea fashioning an umbrella for herself in the early morning

A little bit of Austrian beauty expressed in an arachnoid way

Andrea and Angela
The backside of my awesome RD, Katie Hess

little tiny people, big rock.
I was trying to convey an idea of the clearness of the water with my camera and ended up getting a hobbit shot of my feet.
A cave, which after perilously reaching, was not accesible without a rope due to a twenty foot drop immediately inside. It had great acoustics, though.
Katie Hess trying not to get completely wet.
The backside of Prof. Siefert. Unfortunately, that is mostly what you see of people on a hike - their backs.

Just like Oregon...except....better!


Prof. Maria Siefert, my awsome Philosophy professor, philosophizing.

Across the canyon, Fr. Brad, Mindy, Ashley, Megan, Sr. Bonita, and Laura

Dominic was zonked after an exhausting hike. Daddy Mark carried him all 15 miles.
Luca and Rutka and some other LCI students on the fence.

I found this patriotic petal on the pavement. Look - it is the Austrain flag!

Jersey Cattle in an Austrian field....next month's milka!

Some funky Dexter cattle

In Mariazell
A really interesting Tabernacle. The world, with the serpent finding no entrance. I also loved the Crucifix, with God the Father holding His Son's hand!
I was sitting there praying and This Polezei brass band came in and practiced for, I later realized, the Mass with the Cardinal.

hey, mom, remember how I was telling you that you that your mention of Cardinal Josef Mindszenty jogged my memory of some new knowlege concerning him? It was this - he was buried in this chapel 15 miles from where I live. Although his exiled body was recently moved back to his own Hungary.


The story goes, a monk was in the wilderness forging his way to somewhere....I don't remember. There was this big boulder that completely blocked his way. He carved a statue of our Lady with the child Jesus and placed it on the rock, and the rock split. He later built a hermit cell near the boulder, and placed the statue in it (thus , Maria-zell - our lady of the cell). The statue soon became reknowned for the many miracles associated with it. Now it is dressed in clothing. Thousands and thousands of pilgrims journey here daily.

We celebrated a Mass for the pro-life cause here.

We were loading up on the bus and some Cardinal walked by in an official procession to the church. He looked just like the pope. The Pope came last year on this day, the 850th anniversary of Maraizell, and I think for just a second some people thought he made a surprise return visit. Our whole bus was madly waving and cheering, just as if it was the pope, anyway. He was pretty tickled pink....no pun intended.
My first taste of fresh fig. Prof. Cassidy, my awesome Scotch CMP professor (in front of me) offered it to me. I am not really sure I have made up my mind whether or not I liked it. I think I prefer a fig newton, you know - processed and preserved, with just a touch of figginess to the actual fruit, but I still enjoyed it.
When I got home, I decided it was time. Time for the big jump. Everyone has to do it at least a few times during the semester. It is part of the Austria experience.
I came home to find Caitlan and Liz in the kitchen making an enormous apple pie for the boys (the bequeathing of which was my evening's entertainment) and some pasta for dinner. I couldn't resist a picture, they are so cute in their aprons.
Okay, so I did it. I jumped. Into Alpine water at around 2 degrees Centigrade. It causes real shock to your lungs, first of all.

Then, in a reflexive action you thrash wildly for the shore, and you are not sure if you will make it. Then, you think, hey, this is not so bad...but get out before you die!
Then, you come out and what seconds ago seemed like a cool 16 degrees Centigrade suddenly feels like a searing sauna.
Psyching herself out.
Trying to describe what just occured to me, and nothing is coming out but awkward shreiks.
Christy taking the plunge! Geronimo!

I know, it looks pretty wussy for all the hype. It is becuase there is no snow on the ground or icicles hanging from the trees. But believe me, that would actually make it better, becuase you wouldn't have the fever-like sauna shock when you came out, nor would the actual plunge be quite so suicidally shocking.

You know, after I jumped in for nearly a whole hour my knees didn't hurt. And boy did they ever after that long hike. But then I started to get the feeling back in them, and joints are back to themselves. So I guess, if I jump in every hour, all pain will subside.

SALZBURG: DAY ONE

The first thing you notice about the city is the castle towering above it, which we were later to explore.


A little peice of Italy

A really annoying compeletly pointless and out-of-place peice of artwork. It just totally detracts. It was commissioned a few decades ago to be something to characterize the city of Salzburg by - a good use of tax money, right? The dude on the top is a nobody, the thing means nothing, and the whole thing is either a bad joke or should be imploded.
The Salburg Cathedral, erected in 774, allowed to burn by the corrupt prince-bishop in 1628, and reconstructed after WWII in 1959.
Through a key-hole in the cemetery chapel
The Salzburg Cathedral
The chapel built into the side of the cliff over the cemetery.

St. Joseph's platz.
Legend is, this was a loaf of bread that turned to stone when a woman decided to stay home and bake her day's bread rather than go to Mass on Sunday.
I was trying to capture the beauty of these sunflowers. I have completely fallen in love with sunflowers since coming here. Orchids and roses are great, but sunflowers are supieror for me now. They are just so trademark of Austria. Every church has a vase of sunflowers somewhere. Fields are full of them. These particular ones had little piles of pollen at their feet, with continual shower of the golden stuff glimmering down ever so lightly and faintly.
This was the Franciscan Church of Our Lady. There is a series of ten altars in a semisircle behind the main altar, making it a rosary church. A cool concept, I think.
Mary, again, one for you: The city and farms around it are full of Halflinger Ponies!

Caitlain and I got excited over this on one of the buildings at the University of Salzburg. Cosmos and Damien at center, and St. Thomas, I believe to the left. Who the philosopher is we are still debating. We decided that we were going to do graduate work at this university together, in any case.

Amen, sister!
Everyone else took a picture of Mozart's birth-house, so i did too.
Austrians are proud of their beer, their milka, their redbull, and Croc shoes. This waitress is showing off her Austrianess.

Me, Liz, Caitlain, Christy, and Laura
Caitlain taking it in


The Imperial Gardens

Me and the grinning unicorn. Look familiar? It is if you have seen Sound of Music.

Again, a classic Sound of Music pose. What is funny is that most of the locals have no idea what the Sound of Music is, except that it is some movie that all the Americans that visit Salzburg buzz about.
And, yes, also in the famous musical.
The Gardens were amazing. We spent a long time just strolling.

We went to a Piano Concert. I don't remember the name of the dude who played - some famous old guy with amazingly expressionative eyebrows - that was about all I could see of him over the head of the person in front of me but that was all that needed seeing. He played Mozart and Beethoven peices. The Moonlight Sonata (!) and others. It was absolutely amazing. Just amazing. But afterwards everyone was talking music and i had no idea what they were talking about. Apparently it is some rare performance piano worth millions that has two extra keys just to show off. I am sure Elizabeth would know.

Afterwards we went to a gelati chop where I realized I should stay away from Italians. It is far to easy to fall in love with them. Two brothers greet you with a grin and a "Buon Giorno, Principessa" just like in my favorite movie Life is Beautiful and then they proceed to sing to you an Italian love song while scooping up the most amzing ice-cream you ever did taste in your life and handing it over to you. I mean, can you blame me? Gelato+Italian+singing=I love you. It can't be helped.

Just a bleary look out the bus window. Nothing special. It all looks like that.