Maryann's Musings

😊WARNING: This post contains numerous alpine photographs that may incite jealousy. Proceed with caution.😊 Yes, we  took that picture. Which means, yes, we  were there. I might be saying that mostly for my benefit. Some things are better left to be experienced on your own. Words cannot express the feelings, sensations, and impressions that certain real life situations offer. So I will tell you now, telling the story of our experience in Austria is hard! While Tristan and I traveled to Austria with our host family in our trusty automobile "Jedi Bob," we referred to everything as "alpine." Tristan started it. At the first sighting of the Alps, we gaped in utter awe at the beautiful, craggy mountain slopes. Soon we were cruising through the peaks, and a stream of water rushing from underneath the ground was flowing past the car. Excitedly (and rather loudly) Tristan exclaimed, "It's an alpine stream!" And everyone else's brain was ob

  We are living in the 21st century. Imagine walking on paths and in buildings that were built in the 10th century. Architecture and history that is older than the United States of America!     Tristan and I toured Vyšehrad, a historic fort that (according to local legend) was the first settlement in Prague that grew into the city itself. Very few of the structures from the Medieval Ages remain. However, the area is saturated in history, from the Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV to the Hussite revolution (a very important precursor to the Reformation). It was even an Austrian army base under Hapsburg rule following the Thirty Years' War       Even if Vyšehrad wasn't so rich in history and didn't have meaningful sites, I would go just for the landscape and views. Whoever maintains the gardening and landscaping there deserves a raise. Tristan and I were very impressed!  Tristan, taking in the view A view of the Vltava River, which we had bo