Austrian Christmas Vacation

Wow, it has been crazy here! I finally found some time to blog a little bit.  The campers are here and everything is in full swing.  It's a little bit different from our usual Young Life assignments….there are just so many more things to consider for a winter camp - ski and snowboard rentals, storing all the equipment, life tickets, sleds, etc.  Everyday looks a little different with different jobs, so we are just taking it day by day.  Our Work Staff is being incredible and so willing to serve… in fact the staff here are so impressed at how quickly and efficiently we work.

So anyways, let me back up a few days to when we got here way before we were even worrying about the camp.  John and I get into Austria after a long train traveling day! We were picked up at the train station by two Young Lifers and travel way up the mountain to Hotel Olympia.  It was not what I expected at all.  In fact, I let my expectations get the best of me.  This wasn't my finest moment and I'm actually embarrassed to admit it, but when we walked into our room…I started crying.  John laughed at first, and then realized I was serious.  I think I was just exhausted, hungry, overwhelmed by not really knowing what to expect, and a little sad to be missing Christmas at home.  Anyways, in the daylight everything wasn't so bad, plus we got to be with everyone from home - Buda's, Wilson's, JB, Pat Hurley Shiracks, and Mitchell's.  They were the little bit of comic relief and comfort I needed.  We travelled into the town of Innsbruck that day with everyone to visit the HUGE Christmas Market they have.  Christmas is a really big deal here and we loved it! We got some souvenirs, ate dinner with everyone, continued to shop and then a few of us stayed in town to hang out a pub called the Elverhaus…it was so authentic and definitely a highlight of the trip.

The next day, we skied. The Buda Boys were actually learning to ski here…in the Alps.  I was amazed.  They caught on quickly and loved it. Skiing here is unlike anything I've ever done, and I consider myself a pretty advanced skier.  I let John borrow my goggles, and we just happened to be skiing on the day that there was a huge blizzard rolling through. And my boots were two small.  These two problems equal me being really agitated and perhaps shedding a few tears in the middle of a slope.  At this point, I'm pretty sure John would have liked to put me on a plane and send me home.  It was my second crying episode in 2 days!!!  So after we got John his own goggles and traded my boots for a bigger size - it was a whole new world.  Skiing on powered is so different, hard to get used to but worth it!  I was a happy girl. We then attempted the 6(ish) km sledding run...Awesome.  

The days sort of run together here, so I have no idea what day of the week it is.  The next day we went to Salzburg.  We were going to do the Sound of Music tour, but it was going to take 4 hours.  We opted for the Salzburg Castle/Fort, then walked around their Christmas Market, ate dinner, ventured to a brewery hall in an old church and went back to Innsbruck.  

On Christmas Eve, it was pretty low key.  We started learning the process/schedule for camp…but then got bored and went sledding again twice, Mario Kart style.  It was a total race, to the point where JB would pass me and say "banana peel", Kirk picked up my sled at one point and tried to chuck it away from me, John was running to the finish line, sled in tow, and tripped in the middle of the road. It was a good time.  We had a nice dinner with the whole team at the hotel, and then met for our own little Christmas Eve service.  

It didn't even feel like Christmas here.  We were all busily putting all of the camp together preparing for the kids' arrivals.  I promise I didn't cry on Christmas though.  It was actually really refreshing when the Lord reminded me that I can sacrifice a holiday that celebrate HIS birth so that I can serve HIM.  It's kind of ironic that I almost said no to coming here… I'm so glad we're here now.  

Enjoy some pictures!  

John and JB watching a football game on the iPad.  A little too close?

View from our hotel room. Thank you God. 

Behind the hotel/slopes.

This is one of 2 of their McDonald's pictures.  They like to take American pictures in foreign countries. Weird.

That is the Salzburg Castle sitting up on the hill.

View from our room again.

Downtown Innsbruck

Me and my cup of Gluhwein!  It's hot spiced wine….so good!  It's like the thing to do around here in the winter - stand around the Christmas market and sip on some gluhwein.  My kind of place.

Christmas Vacation Part Deux

So we rode the Chunnel into Paris (it’s the train that goes under the Channel – it’s not as exciting as it sounds. You don’t even see the water before you go under it, it just feels like you’re in a tunnel, but nevertheless it was an experience).  We get to the metro station and we’re trying to figure out what trains we need to take, where we need to switch trains, and how to buy a ticket. NO ONE was helpful. NO ONE spoke English.  It was rough.  I kept saying I want my mom and John kept saying I want to go back to London.  So word to the wise – learn the basic French words if you go to Paris.   When we finally figured it out and made it to our hotel (they have Best Westerns in France!!) we were shocked by the size of not only our room, but the hotel in general. It was tiny. We had to basically ride on top of our suitcases to fit the two of us into the elevator.  Each floor had maybe 4 rooms. The tub and nozzles were located under the sink’s counters (I have pictures of it that I will post when we get home).  It was actually a really nice room, and ended up being all the space we needed…we just weren’t used to it.  Once again, it was an experience.  So for that night we quickly just went to all the hotspots just to get pictures  – The Eiffel Tower (Tour Eiffel), Arc de Triumph, Champ de Elysee, Musee de Louvre (<--how’s that for French?!).  We got dinner at a cute French café and had a crepe for dessert. 

The next day we went to the Louvre again, but the line was outrageous and we really didn’t want to waste our only full day standing in line to see the Mona Lisa, so we just walked through the gardens at the Louvre, got more crepes of course (I got nutella and banana, and john got strawberry jam), toured Notre Dame, went up in the Eiffel Tower (I thought I was going to die it was so cold), went back to Champ de Elysee, stopped for dinner at another cute café, and went back to the Louvre after the gallery was closed. You were allowed to enter through the glass pyramid, which was probably more exciting than seeing the Mona Lisa and we just walked around in the underground mall there where we stumbled upon a McDonalds and the Apple store, so John felt like his day was complete after that. 

Before we left the next morning we got up early and went to the Musee d’Orsay. They have a ton of Monet, Manet, and Van Gogh paintings.  I thought John would hate it but he actually enjoyed it.  He said he liked the Van Gogh paintings because he felt like he could do just as good of a job.  We both loved the impressionistic paintings, especially Monet.  We really wanted to go to the L’Orangerie museum, but we got the days it was closed mixed up and ran out of time. 

I think we actually accomplished a lot in the small amount of time we were there.  But honestly, I would have been fine with just walking around. Everything there is GORGEOUS.  Your eyes really never stop being fascinated with the beautiful buildings.  There are some creepy and rude people there, but it was amazing.  We went to the same bakery twice to get the same pastries because they were SO good.  We both had a total of 3 crepes each (not all at once!!).  I’d love to go back in the spring or summer, just because I’m sure the flowers and sun would paint everything in a more beautiful light. 

So now we are in Innsbruck, Austria!  It has already been very interesting.  To leave you a cliff hanger, we went sledding today down a 3-4 mile run…had to take the bus back up the mountain.  Sledding in the Alps…awesome.

(Sidenote: When you travel with two people, picture taking is rough, it's either of one person, or self taken because asking foreigners to take pictures of you is just embarrassing and awkward sometimes)

Au revoir! 

John throwing up the WV sign in front of Notre Dame

The Louvre at night.  I never realized how BIG the Louvre actually is.

Arc de Triumph

Illegal picture of the inside of the Musee d'Orsay.  You're welcome.

European Christmas Part I

For those of you that haven't heard, John and I were asked to be Work Staff bosses at a Young Life camp that is in Austria for kids from families in the military. The "camp" is actually in Innsbruck, Austria…it's in the village where the Olympics were hosted back in the 60's and 70's (I think…more on Austria when we actually get there in a few days!).  Anyways, the camp starts on Christmas day, and since we were flying over here we decided to lengthen the trip by making a few pit stops. First to London then to Paris.  

John and I left at 4 A.M on Friday morning and got to London at 10 pm.  We stayed with some of our Young Life friends Brooke and Tate Johnston and their kids Asher and Reuel.  They were AMAZING hosts.  They live about a 40 minute train ride outside of the city in a refinished, but authentic farm house.  So after we got there and chatted it up with them way past their bed time (since it was only 5 pm to us!), we tried to go to bed. The next morning was rough, but we were up and moving by 8:00! We made it into the city, immediately went to Big Ben, Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace (where we saw the changing of the guards), Harrods, The British Museum (where we saw the Rosetta Stone and pieces of the Parthenon), rode a double decker bus to the London Eye, and then rested for a cup of tea and a cupcake at a cute cafe before heading back to meet Brooke and Tate for dinner at their local pub.  It was a WHIRLWIND of a day! I had a blister on my foot since John's pace is about twice as fast as mine. I was basically running to chase him the whole time.  London was so great! I really think it is my favorite city, but then again I haven't fully experienced Paris yet….we shall see.  We are in Paris now in our tiny hotel room with a spotty internet connection ….more to come on Paris later. 

Cheers! (And as John says in EVERY country he is in "Good day, mate!")

Shawna and John

Here's some pics of London so far….  

Behind us is the London Eye. It has huge glass bubbles that hold like 20 people each, and you can see the entire city. It was awesome.

John with a Lego Buzz at Harrods.  

View of Big Ben, Parliament and a little bit of Westminster Abbey from the London Eye.

Me at Tea Time!  

Westminster Abbey 

More to come. I took a lot of pics on my camera, but forgot the cord!  :(