Thursday, June 23, 2016

Around Town

Special Edition:  Our 50th Post!  

Before we depart for the USA for a month, my aunt (#1 follower!!) asked to see what Gaming actually looks like.  So here's a quick walk through town!  There are no stoplights in town, so it won't take long :)

The town of Gaming from Kirchstein mountain
The main street running through town is on the right side of the picture, with the Kartause at the very top of that road.

The street we live on - facing the Kartause

The Kartause
St. Francis Hall - one of the Kartause's dorms

Sidewalk leading into town from the Kartause

The field along the path

Across from the field are little bridges that lead to homes and shops

The "busy" part of town - market (Spar) on the left - which is apparently huge to what they had 3 years ago when this one opened

Same spot - left side of the road: Urs (was a bar, now is just a guest house), a bank (there are 3 in town), and Spar (market -- not opened Sundays)

Same spot - right side of the road: Shoe store / post office.  Yes, the post office is a small desk inside the shoe store.

A little further down the main road: yellow building houses another bank and our doctor's office.  Parish Church is across the road.

Across the road - the sports store

Also across the road - the pizza / kebab shop.  This is our only "fast food" place (you still have to wait for your food to be prepared), but you can find McDonald's or Burger King at gas stations within 30 minutes of us.

Some homes behind the church.  Around the windows you'll often find gorgeous flowers boxes, what you won't find is window screens.  Bugs, come on in!

Flower boxes, no window screens.

The Pharmacy on the left, Parish Church on the right.  (If I had turned around and continued up this street we'd come to the schools).

Back on the main road - you can see the creek (freezing cold, mountain run off - but crystal clear) that runs through town.  You can also see the truck carrying lumber passing by.  Lumber is a major industry here and we often seeing these trucks passing by.  Although there are no stop lights in town, there are two pedestrian walkways with lights - so I always take those when with the kids.
Walking up the hill from the main road is the swimming pool.  Complete with huge water slide, two baby pools, two high jumps, tennis court, mini-golf, sand volleyball -- this is definitely a central hub for everyone in the summertime.

Just past the pool is a big playground

Continuing past the park on small side streets and paths we head back to our home

Path between the park and our home - you pass a huge field on your right and apartments on your left

There is a barn with 3 horses just past the field - and just a 1 minute walk up the road from our home

Home!  (Our backyard)

Hope you enjoyed your walk through Gaming!  I didn't get any animals - besides the horse - in the pictures, but people do have dogs as pets and cats that tend to run free.  Also pet rabbits that live in cages outside.  Most of the families I know get fresh milk from the farm one town over (the owner delivers it, or you can fill your own bottle from the big vat and just leave your payment in the basket).

And, finally, to follow up on Brian's comment from his first (and, so far, only) post, which promises his next post will include the story of his alcohol-related injury that doesn't involve anyone drinking.  Well, we've kept you in suspense long enough....  During our first week here, Brian had put some beer in the refrigerator.  He put it in the side door, which is broken.  So when he opened the door a few hours later, one of the bottles came crashing down on his foot...  Shattering the bottle and sending Wieselburger beer flying everywhere.  But don't worry, he learned from his mistake, and the only alcohol-related injuries he's suffered since then have all involved drinking ;)

Monday, June 20, 2016

Travels in Austria: Mondsee, Seefeld, & Innsbruck

Next weekend we'll head back to the USA for a month to visit our families!  We spent our final weekend of our first year here exploring parts of Austria we had not seen before!

Mondsee

Our first stop was the little town of Mondsee on one of the Salzkammergut lakes a little less than 2 hours from Gaming.






Fussen (Germany)

Continuing westward, we entered southern Germany (Bavaria).  We spent the night in Fussen and went to Neuschwanstein Castle.  Click here to see pictures from our visit.

Tyrol

Fussen is just a few kilometers from the border with Austria.  We drove south from Fussen into the region of Austria called Tyrol.  The Tyrol is famous for its magnificent scenery.  Our drive through the Alps and the countryside - with sleeping children in the car - was wonderful!




Seefeld

We were headed for Innsbruck when we saw the sign for Seefeld.  The name sounded familiar to Brian - who correctly recalled that this town was the location of a Eucharistic Miracle!  

On the night of Holy Thursday 1384, a knight named Oswald Milser attended Mass at the parish church in Seefeld.  He was the guardian of a nearby castle - and was a man of great arrogance and pride.  During Mass, he approached the high altar and demanded a large host for himself - the small host normally given to the congregation was too ordinary for him.  Milser had his sword drawn and a band of intimidating armed men surrounding him as he made this demand.  The frightened priest handed him the Host.  As soon as Milser had the Host in his mouth, he sank into the ground up to knees.  Pale with terror, he grasped the altar with both hands, leaving imprints that can still be seen.  He begged the priest to remove the Host from his mouth.  As soon as it was done, the ground became firm beneath him again.  Some accounts say that live Blood began to flow from the Host.  Milser rushed to the monastery, confessing and repenting his sin of arrogance.  He spent the remaining two years of his life continuing to perform penance for his sacrilege.  Shortly after the miracle, a knight (perhaps Milser himself) donated a silver monstrance in which to enshrine the Miraculous Host.


Parish Church of St. Oswald

On right side of the high altar you can see a black grate - it covers the hole in the ground where the knight sank.
The knight's handprints in the original stone altar can still be seen under the new altar built over it.
Near the high altar, marble steps lead up to the Chapel of the Holy Blood, which contains a monstrance holding the Miraculous Host (which was in the tabernacle when we visited).  On the ceiling is a fresco depicting the miraculous event.
Enjoying ice cream on a walk in Seefeld (church steeple in the back).


Innsbruck

Our final stop was Innsbruck, the capital city of Tyrol.  Innsbruck hosted the 1964 and 1976 Winter Olympics.  We stayed here two nights - meeting up with Brian's friend and his family who are currently stationed in Germany.  We had a lovely weekend!

Old Town

Goldenes Dachl

Hungerburgbahn funicular ride up the mountain
View of Innsbruck from half way up the mountain


Continuing up the moutain




Getting closer to the top - playground stop on the Nordkette mountain range

Sheep!

Ellie posing in the "sheep spot"
One more cable car ride and we were at the top!
Great day for red pants!

The very top!


Back down the mountain with a stop at the Alpine Zoo

A moose

Another moose?!
Ellie & friends
Great day at the mountain zoo!

Sunday morning - praying at Jesuitenkirche
"Mutter der Barmherzigkeit" (Mother of Mercy) statue
Sunday morning Mass at Dom zu St. Jakob (Cathedral of St. James)
Maria Hilf painting (c. 1530) above the high altar - one of the most venerated Marian images

Next stop: USA!

We have a loooong travel day this coming Saturday -- Gaming to Vienna to Paris to Minneapolis to Cedar Rapids -- please keep us in your prayers!  Especially for our sanity with a 14-month-old lap child who doesn't like to sit still for more than 30 seconds ;)  Thank you!!