Proud to be an American

Oh it feels good to be an American… especially in America! 

Mike and I have been back in the United States for about a week now and I don't think we have stopped smiling. For example; It just feels so good to be able to read in English and talk to people so freely. Hearing English spoken all around us is a delight.

We took the route of Vienna to London, then London to Chicago by plane back to the US. After clearing customs in Chicago, Mike's parents picked us up at the airport and we drove the last 2.5 hours to Madison, Wisconsin. We arrived in Piedmont Court about 11pm, (6am Austria time.) After ~16 hours of traveling we were exhausted and went straight to bed. Because of the time difference I first woke up at 4am, then 30 minutes later was able to sleep until 6am. Mike and I were wide awake with an "American Breakfast" on our minds. "The Original House of Pancakes" was the destination this morning, Mike's parents also joined us. We ordered a meal unlike anything you could get in Europe; hash browns, eggs, bacon and mouth watering pancakes. We also all shared bottomless coffee and great conversation. We couldn't have asked for a better first morning in America.

Later that day, Barb and Dean needed to get a few things at the grocery store. Mike and I volunteered, jumping at the chance to visit an American grocery store again. This was a much tougher task than originally anticipated. (On the menu this night was enchiladas)…when selecting tortillas we had like 20 options varying in brand, type and size. (Compared to any place in Europe where a person gets 2 choices: flour or corn.) Finding the rest of the ingredients were the same difficulty. It was very overwhelming with the many choices of basic grocery items.

The next night we were able to finally get our "Buffalo Wild Wings" fix that we had been waiting for for several months. It was even more delicious than expected. The combination of Honey BBQ Chicken wings, ranch (fat free) and a beer to wash them down was spectacular.

And everyday after that we have happily enjoyed American pastimes; shopping at the mall, visiting with family/ friends, ordering chinese, eating pizza, watching shows/ movies on a TV screen, etc.

I feel overall that coming back to America was appreciated greater than when we left it initially it. A person really notices all of the luxuries after being gone awhile. 

Such as:

• Bigger roads with adequate parking
• Large selection at the grocery store (this is a little unnecessary, but still nice to have available) During our first grocery store trip, we made sure to get the following items that weren't offered in Europe to us:
• Chocolate Syrup
• 'Swiss Miss' Chocolate milk
• SKIM milk with Vitamin D fortification
• Captain Crunch
• Sun chips
• Honey Mustard
• Bagels, 100% whole grain
• Cherry Coke Zero
• Longer store hours-Places are open over lunch, later and on Sundays!
• Target and Wal-mart!
• Better Dog and smoking restrictions, (I really didn't like having a dog or smoke around when eating at a restaurant or in the mall.)
• Country music on the radio
• Hooded sweatshirts, sweatpants and tennis shoes
• American Restaurants -Buffalo Wild Wings, Quiznos, Papa Murphy's Pizza, Texas Roadhouse, Taco Bell, Dairy Queen, House of Pancakes, etc.

These are just a few things I could think of off the top of my head. 

Obviously, Mike and I had an amazing time in Europe, filled with many memorable and educating opportunities and experiences that we will cherish forever. However...

"There is no place like home",  

In conclusion, Mike and I have never been more 

proud to be Americans. 

:) 

Barenschutzklamm

This is the name of a gorge located near the town of Mixnitz, only about 20 minutes from us in Kapfenberg. There is a brook that flows through the gorge creating wonderful waterfalls throughout the trail. The trail consists of dirt and wooden walkways, also stairs and ladders that weave around rock to the top.

We enjoyed the hike, getting as close to the water as we could. Mike even filled a bottle full of the cool, mountain fresh, river water. :) It was delicious!

Because of the time of year we went, the trail was not fully open (we could not reach the top)…however the little amount we did get to see was still breath taking. The pictures do not show a fraction of how beautiful it was within Barenschutzklamm.

Little figure showing us the way to the gorge.

Getting close to the water

Mike next to a fall.

Walking on one of the very narrow, wooden bridges. 

Gruner See

...which translates to "green lake" in English. This unique formation is in a small village just north of Kapfenberg about 20 minutes, called TragoB. The Gruner See is only a lake in the Spring season for about 3 to 4 months. It's created yearly by the snow that melts down from the surrounding mountains.

Unlike anything I have ever seen, this place was gorgeous...

Austrian Wine Country

Our first outing consisted of a short travel South, approximately 1 hour, to the "Austrian Wine Country". 

We first visited Schloss Seggau, a castle in the town of Leibnitz. During the time here, we toured around the grounds, admiring the beautiful sites around us. We next visited wine cellar on the historic land. Upon entering an arched doorway,  the four of us walked down a few steps into a cold, dark, cave-like cellar. Large barrels lined the walls, that once held wine. All was very historic and a marvelous sight to see. After viewing the cellar, we tried a local white and red wine.

Mike & Kate under the clock tower. 

Inside Schloss Seggau

Inside the wine cellar

The largest wine barrel.

We traveled a little further, winding up and around vast fields of vineyards to a small village called Gamlitz. In Gamlitz, we reached "Wien strasse"(aka Wine Street). Here we appreciated a small wine museum, basically describing the birth of a grape to the creation of a bottle of wine. We finished with a  glass of Sauvignon Blanc on the patio before heading back to Kapfenberg.

Mike messing in the Wine Museum.

They made it...

...and we are having lots of fun!

Mike's sister and brother in law arrived very late on Wednesday night. We picked them up from the train station then went straight to bed. Since then, we have attended an "Away Game" in Oberwart, visited the Austrian Wine country and stopped at the Gruner See. In between all of that we have been sharing meals and laughter. :)

Today we are headed to another Away Game in Traiskirchen. This is the 1st playoff game for the Bulls, and also the start of a 5 game series. If we win three games, we move on to the second.

Just wanted to give an update. I have been taking lots of pictures of course that will be up soon!

Picnic!

This whole past week we have been blessed with wonderful weather in Kapfenberg! It has been in the 60s everyday and sunny…I was even laying out in the sun a couple of days and got a little color. :)

Earlier in the week, Mike and I packed up a lunch with a blanket and walked to the park in town. We followed a little walking trail along the river on the way. It was a very lovely walk.

While at the park, we put our blanket down next to the river and enjoyed our lunch.  When finished we fed the ducks…and even a couple of swans!

On our walk back we noticed major commotion in the river and stopped to try and figure it out. I got my camera video rolling because we had never seen anything like it! At first we thought they were fighting but then came to the conclusion that there were 2 very excited males after 1 poor female…

I uploaded the video on YouTube, click the link to view:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqKek4ERaiM

Mike's Birthday!

Last Thursday, March 18, was Mike's 25th birthday!

He had practice during the day, but after, that evening we decided to get a little dressed up and go out to eat for the occasion. He had originally wanted to go to a Chinese Restaurant that another teammate recommended, however when we arrived the place was closed.

So, thinking fast…I remembered passing by a small restaurant that looked neat on the outside. It's name also caught my eye- "The Waldcafe." Luckily this place was open. The server spoke very well English and even brought us to a NON-smoking section!  We were next brought English menus, I ordered the Swiss Schnitzel and Mike ordered a Hawaiian pizza. Both were delicious. The "Swiss Schnitzel" was a grilled chicken piece with ham and cheese on top. It also came with a side of rice and vegetables complete with gravy drizzled atop it all.

At the finale we each ordered mouthwatering desserts. Mike choose a "Hot Raspberry dessert" and I picked an Austrian delicacy, "Apfelstrudel." yummy!

Apfelstrudel

Hot Raspberry dessert

As I mentioned previously, I was intrigued by the name of the place. When our server had a moment, I explained to him that my last name in MedenWALD and that I was interested in possibly buying some glasses. He liked this detail and told me to take the glasses, "No problem."
...So now 2 very lucky Medenwalds will be receiving a glass with "Waldcafe" engraved on it. :)

We were very happy with everything this place had to offer; the service, ambience and authentic Austrian food. We left our server a very nice tip and plan to visit there once more before we leave. Hopefully we can try it out again when Mike's sister and brother-in-law will be visiting us at the end of the month!