This is Austria

Ah, after a week of absence, I return with much to tell and more pictures to show! It was this past week that I-- on what seemed to be a whim-- ventured outside of Italy and into Gaming, Austria, a town nestled among the foothils of the Alps. This is the place where the Franciscan University undergrads go to study abroad. And in this quiet town of no more than 3,ooo people, where everyone seems to know everyone else's business, and where-- if you sneeze as you pass by-- could miss the town, in this quiet place is where I took a retreat from Rome's fast pace.

Submerged in a few feet of snow, Gaming offered me a lot of time to enjoy peace and prayer. It was quiet warm for the season (nearly 60 degrees all week) and the birds were out among the numerous waterfalls emerging from the snow. With clear skies overhead, I decided to climb a few of the 3,000-feet-tall hills-- small compared to the Alps, but nevertheless very difficult to climb (as I did not make it to the top of any one). Admittedly, only having my sketchers and a pair of jeans put me at a slight disadvantage against the deep snow and steep climb. At the heights I did reach, however, the views were amazing!

So, basically, for four days, I walked in the quiet hills (sometimes singing a verse or eight from "The Sound of Music") and enjoyed at a local tavern the beer indigenous to the land. I hung out with the students a bit, sharing stories and an occasional movie when the nights got cold. We even got a little frisbee (and snowball) tossing in. Haha, and the greatest thing of all?-- I got to "videoconference" with Val on the school's free and fantastic video equipment! Sehr schon!!!

And so begins the litany of pictures from my most recent trip (and so begins, too, my journeys outside of Italy)....

Stereotypical Austria...