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November 18 Paris & homeWe have returned back home to Australia via a week in Paris. Paris was beautiful!!! It really is a wonderful city. We stayed for 6 nights, so had enough time to get around a visit all the famous sites and sample a few of the delights on offer in the myriad of patisseries that seem to be on every street. The Musee d'Orsay was fabulous, as was, of course, the Eiffel Tower, espicially at night, the Musee de l'Armee, the Louvre, the Arc de triumphe and the Champs Elysees, Sacre-Couer and the surrounding Montmartre... and everywhere else we visited, too.
It's good to back back home now, too. We're back to work in a couple of weeks, and have somehow managed to scam 3 summers in a row...excellent....
A few pictures of Paris are in the Paris photo albulm October 13 Feeding the swans
October 09 SalzkammergutWe've just returned from a weekend in the Salzkammergut, a beautiful area of Austria. Yesterday we went to Hallstatt, an ancient village, and the home of the Celts. The village is lovely, with the houses built from the lake's edge up into the steep mountain, overlooking Hallstattsee (Lake Hallstatt). We stayed in Gasthof Simony, which was the originally the home of an explorer of the region, and had a fantastic Austrian meal at the Gasthof Zauner. Today we went through St Wolfgang before heading home. The whole area is beautiful, and the weather was warm and perfect for walking around.
<----- Check out the photos in the album on the left called Salzkammergut. October 03 Mum's visit to AustriaMum has been here in Austria for about a week and a half, and it's been great to have her with us. We have done a lot of sightseeing: we've been to St Wolfgang, Salzburg, Cesky Krumlov, Passau, and into Linz, and she's enjoyed all of it. And we have, too! I hadn't been to St Wolfgang before, it's a lovely little town on the Wolfgangsee (Lake Wolfgang). There was a nice old church, which mum just loved as it was full of medieval art, lot of which she studied in art history at uni. We'll probably head back there for another day trip before she leaves. I've written about Salzburg, Cesky Krumlov and Passau in other blog entries, so I wont repeat the details, but it's all been thoroughly enjoyable!! Check out the pictures in the Mum's Visit Part 1 (still got 2 weeks to go) photo album on the left
<------ Middle EastDavid has found his trips to the Middle East for work have been really interesting, and it's a whole new world. Here are a few pictures of the places he's been to and the toys he gets to play with over there. See photo album called Middle East. September 17 SchlögenYesterday we went to a little place nearby on the Danube called Schlögen. I'd seen pictures of a great view looking down onto a curve in the river there, so we set out to find it. Expecting an easy amble up to a viewing platform, I discovered we had to climb up steep paths, some rock falls and wander through farmers fields. So, and hour later, (and after I was wishing I'd worn better shoes!!) we reached the the top. It was quite a view, and worth the effort it took to get there! The sun was setting, and so the photos at the top look a bit hazy. During the walk I found a bright red toadstool - never seen one in real life before! There were no gnomes nearby, but we did spot a small deer, which took of like a shot up a really steep hill to make it's get away! <--- As usual, for pictures, check out the Schlögen photo album! The weather is cold and rainy today , with a chilly 10C. I thought it was still officially summer here!! We took a drive through a nearby town today called Rottenegg. It was too cold and wet to roll the window down to see if it smelt bad. Maybe this is where all the rotten eggs come from? September 15 Siggy and Belinda's VisitOur friends Siggy and Belinda came to stay with us for a week or so during their Europe trip. It's been great to see them again after so long!! We took a trip to Cesky Krumlov,Czech Republic, and this time my camera battery was charged up!! We walked around the old town, had some lunch at the old Bohemian food restaurant, climbed the steps up to the viewing balcony of the bell tower, checked out some shops, David and Siggy had a look in the torture museum, and then we had a good dinner in the town square.
We also went to Salzburg and back to Passau. This time we went up a little way into the town, and had a look around in the antique shops and the cathedral with the world's largest church organ. We had lunch in the town square. Unfortunately, the Roman Museum we wanted to visit was closed! Oh well, It was a good visit, and Passau doesn't seem so bad after all!! Siggy and Belinda have left now, for the last part of their trip before returning home. Next visitor: mum!! For pictures, check out the Siggy and Belinda's visit photo album on the left. September 04 Ruine StauffThis afternoon I went to Ruine Stauff with Edith and Andy, and Derek the dog  . It's about a 40 minute walk up the hill from where we could park. Along the way we spotted toadstools and sampled blackberries (yum!). The castle was built in the early 12th century. It had some extras added on in the 16th century. I'm not sure which bits left standing today are from which era. There is a tower which is still intact, so we climbed up the narrow staircase of about 5 or 6 levels (even the Derek did it) to the top, where we were greeted with a great view. We could even see the area where we live (didn't come up too clearly in the photo though).
<----- For a few pictures, check out the album on the left, called Ruine Stauff. Linz Sound and LightsLast night there was a big light and sound show on the banks of the River Danube in Linz. I went with the Groiss family. We were sitting up on the balcony at their Oma's flat, about 14 storeys high, with a great view of Linz and the river. As we weren't down on the river bank, we missed out on getting the whole story they were telling with the sound and lights. I'm told the theme was the Iron Danube, about how after WWII the Russians controlled the Linz on north side of the river and the Americans controlled the south (we were sitting on the Russian side). They had these huge spotlights all over the place, and they had planes fly over very low, and the spotlights would chase them.
 It was really cool, because we were so high up and the planes were flying so low, and close to us, that we could almost see the pilots!!! As some WWII planes flew past they played bomb sound effects, which reverberated through the city, and you could get the feel of what it could have been like during a bombing raid (not nice!). The best was the tiny jet that screeched past with a lot of noise, then turned on a 90 degree angle and shot straight up in the air until he was just a tiny red speck in the night sky! (My attempts at catching a plane on camera as it zoomed past weren't very successful.) The show ended with a bang, as they set of fireworks and the crowds down on the riverbank cheered like mad.<--- For pictures, check out the album on the left called Linz Sound & Lights. September 03 Wild berriesIt's pretty cool to be able to walk through a forest here, and pick wild strawberries, blackberries or raspberries, and eat them. The wild strawberries are particularly sweet, it's almost artificial. Apples are now growing on the trees at the back of our house. I didn't actually realise it was an orchid until the apples starting turning red. I wonder if we can have some? Maybe the deer will come back to eat them off the ground. The summer is ending, and so the berry season is over, but we enjoyed it while it lasted. Check out this punnet, purchased for €5. Every single strawberry was ripe and delicious!!
PS the other night I saw my first hedgehog. I couldn't get a close look, as he was running away, and it was quite dark. But, it was still exciting!
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