Connecting

For many, July is a magical month.  It's often that summer month when we look forward to connecting with family and friends.  We were very fortunate that Paul, Courtney, Parker and Kate came to Austria to pay us a visit!  You can see and feel the excitement and anticipation as they arrive with luggage in hand, eager to see us on our mission.

A New Photographer

During a phone call which preceded their arrival, we learned that Parker had just completed a class in school in photography.  He shared with us some of his promising work.  It occurred to us how this visit could offer the ideal chance to switch from cellphone photography over to working with a dedicated camera.  What a great opportunity to connect on a shared passion.

Parker captured images that exceeded all expectations.  His name is added to his images in the captions.  We think you'll be impressed. We certainly are.

Vienna

Owing to creative flight-booking based on credit card rewards, Paul, Courtney, Parker and Kate had flights that spanned multiple layovers and covered the span of well over 24 hours enroute.  That said, upon their arrival in the city center, we dropped off luggage and made our way directly to Schönbrunn Palace.  Schönbrunn is Versailles' equivalent for the Holy Roman Empire, then the Austrian-Hungarian Empire, and now Austria.   

That evening, we attended the first half of a concert held at the Palace.  

Staying on your feet and keeping eyes open as long as is humanly possible is the best way to reset to your new time zone.  Vienna has a wonderful subway system that dates back to the late 1800's!

Our first stop the next morning was to the center of the city to visit St. Stephan's Cathedral, for which construction began in the 1300s.  To this day it is an active church, offering much to the city and well beyond.  Many devout worshipers find great meaning here.

Chocolate

It likely comes as no surprise, but Kate, takes after her grandparents and has a strong affinity to CHOCOLATE.  Zotter is a premium chocolate brand here in Austria. Its production facilities are located between Vienna and Leoben, not too far from our home.

Connecting with Dear Friends at Church

On Sunday, we were delighted that our family attended church with us in Bruck an der Mur.  The picture below includes several friends from our branch.  We love them all dearly.  We are so pleased for our close connections to them and also that Paul, Courtney, Parker and Kate were able to meet them.

Connecting with God's Creation

After our church services, we made a short drive to one of our favorite locations.  We believe it speaks to the beauty of God's creation.  With camera in hand, the images Parker captured communicate this perfectly.

Connecting - Mother and Daughter

We too are part of God's creation, as is the love that our Heavenly Father sends us.   Nothing captures this better than a loving connection between a mother and daughter.

Connecting with Great Alpine Peaks

No trip to Austria, and in particular, the Steiermark where we live, is complete without a visit to Hoher Dachstein.  Last month, we posted our excursion hiking on the north side of the peaks.  Here we are viewing the range from the south.

Connecting with Monica and her Milk Cows

We then visited our dear friend, Monica, a member of our church branch. She and her husband, Josef, own a dairy farm in the Enns Valley beneath Dachstein, which is now run by their daughter's family.  In all, they have about 30 milk cows and one steer.  The morning of our visit, a new calf was born!

A Trip Inside the Alps

On Tuesday we left the Enns Valley and made our way northward.  Our first stop was Eisriesenwelt, the world's largest ice cave, which is located near the town of Werfen in the Tennengebirge range.  After nearly an hour of hiking and a gondola ride, we found ourselves at the ice cave opening at an elevation of about 2000 meters.   As you can imagine, with ice being a permanent fixture of the caves, the average temperature never rises above freezing.

With camera in hand, Parker continued to capture remarkable images.  Notice the unique blue or blue-green color of the ice.  It's the same color that is found in lakes as well.  The ice formations are also dynamic, shifting over time.  

Overnight in Hallstatt

We continued on and stopped at Vorderer Gosausee.  We experienced a downpour for 10 minutes or so during our hike around the lake.  In the picture below, you can see the beautiful green cast of the lake.  

Our next stop was Hallstatt.  Parker's eye for composition and lighting is impressive.  

The Wealth of Salzburg - Salt

The area between Hallstatt and Salzburg is home to several salt mines, including the oldest salt mine in the world, dating back to about 5000 BC.  Some mines are still active and operated by Salinen Austria, AG.  Over the millennia, these mines have sourced salt for this area of Europe. From the middle-ages, they served as the economic basis which elevated Salzburg to a world renown culture center.

To access the mines, we first needed to suit up.  Then we saddled a narrow-gauge train that pulls several narrow wagons into the mine.  During the tour we learned about the history of mining in the area.  This mine is home to tours which date back to the 1700's.  Very early miners used picks to remove the salt as large crystals from the rock strata.  Aqueous (brine) extraction was also used in early years and by the 1600 a system of wooden pipes was in place to bring brine down the mountain side.  To this day large brine lakes remain within the mine system.  A highlight of the mine tour was a boat ride across one of these brine lakes. 

Salzburg - Connecting to the Sound of Music

Salzburg is home to many wonderful things, including Mozart's birthplace.  It is also home to the well-known von Trapp family, who left Austria following the Anschluss (annexation) of Austria by Germany in 1938.  The Sound of Music is currently celebrating 60 years since its release.  Some of the locations, such as the Nonnberg Abbey are correct, while others, including the von Trapp residence were substituted with locations which have greater cinematic appeal.  It's interesting to note that the residence used for the rear of the von Trapp home (Schloss Leopoldskronn) was actually the home of Max Reinhardt (Uncle Max in the film), who was the organizer of the Salzburg Music Festival at that time.  The festival is world famous and continues to this day. 

Munich - Connecting to the Holocaust

The greatest tragedy of the 20th Century can be attributed to the loss of 6 million Jews as well as others during the time leading up to and including World War II.  One of the first concentration camps constructed was located just north west of Munich.  Today it is an important memorial to this horrific loss of life.  

In school, Parker studied these events as he and his class read, Maus: The Survivors Tale, a graphic novel by American cartoonist Art Spiegelman.  Our trip presented the opportunity to visit and connect to a significant historical location where these events took place.

While contempt for the Jewish population was not new, the loss of World War I ushered in a new period of Jewish condemnation.  Both leaders and the population created and espoused the lie, that the Jews were to blame for this loss.  The economic challenges of war reparation payments followed by the worldwide depression opened the door to the totalitarian Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, NAZI for short, lead by Adolf Hitler.  The rest you all know too well.

Concentration camps where instigated under the guise that by putting Jews to work (Arbeit macht frei), they could be "reformed".  This was only a preamble or pretext to the atrocities that followed.

Annually, nearly 1 million visitors pay memory to the Holocaust at Dachau.  Connecting to such an unfathomable loss is forever sobering. We cling to the hope that this atrocity will never be repeated, and we trust in these words from the Bible:

"He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away"  --- Revelation 21:4

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