Austria

I visited my old host family in Austria this weekend. On Friday I went on a tour of an old salt mine in the famous Hallein, Austria. Hallein is located very near to Salzburg. Salzburg means "salt castle".

On Saturday it was rainy all day, but the Nemestothy's live on the edge of the Alps, so I was determined to go play outside. I hiked up the woodsy and limestone hill behind the house and enjoyed the rain very much.

Sunday was a beautifully sunny day. Hanna, Niki, (host parents) and I went hiking on the rocky limestone mountain across the lake from their house. The grayness of limestone can appear very cold and boring in photos, but in real life, the starkness of the gray is very beautiful when scattered with green woods and set against a clear blue sky. We brought out bathing suites along and went swimming in the lake as a mid-hike refresher. The water was cold but felt really, really refreshing.

I had a good time hanging out with my old host sisters, Lena and Juli (Kathe lives in Vienna). It was fun to see them older and yet still the same old selves.

Monday I toured a cave which has huge amounts of ice collected in it. I was really put in a state of awe, fascination and a bit of fear during that tour.