Dana and Julie Go Abroad: Farewell To Austria

July 19th, 2015 at 5am, Julie and I rolled into Salzburg on an overnight bus with the morning sky lighting the Untersberg and the night rain wetness still clinging to the sidewalks and grass. This was the beginning of the last few days in Salzburg and Austria.

The next couple hours we meandered the streets of south Salzburg reminiscing about our time in this most beautiful city and in Austria, the country we both now know and love. What adventures and amazing experiences we were granted in this wonderful German speaking land!

Over the three months in Austria we learned new skills and techniques as well as about ourselves. We learned how to milk goats and keep cow milk curds properly separated while making mountain cheese. We learned how to cook venison, choose herbs from the garden or fields for meals and tea, and fed trout in a small family pond. On the amazing family pig farm we experienced new foods, were taught different skills in preparing and processing meat and pork, and gathered honey from beehives. Lastly, in southeastern Austria, we learned about shepherding sheep along public roads and highways and were shown all the amazing berries nature provides for us to pick and eat.

Not only have we become more competent in a variety of new practices, we've grown personally. First and foremost, Julie and I have grown to appreciate even more the benefits of regular exercise and healthy eating. We've actually developed a habit for running several times a week and doing different exercises for strength and toning. We feel great! I've learned from all the wonderful people we've met more about the person I want to strive to be. I will always be myself, but I want to be the best version of me. I want to allow others to sometimes be in control, to be flexible, to find the wonder and joy in daily happenings and give the deserved love and thanks to all my amazing family and special friends! Each and every person we have met in the valleys or mountains or rolling fields of Austria have shaped us in one way or another. And we thank them!

Strolling through the familiar streets and walking trails of Salzburg gave Julie and I time to fully appreciate and remember these fantastic three months we've experienced.

We were able to spend the remaining couple days with my beloved host family near the old city and share time and conversation with them. Julie was even able to play in the pool with the children!

Julie and I also attended our last service with the Salzburg International Christian Church. What a friendly and open-armed bunch of folks! We were then able to enjoy a Kenyan meal following the service with a great friend and her husband. It was SO SUPER to have NSHIMA! Nshima is the corn-made staple food from Zambia I ate while in Africa. Kenyans also eat this, but call it a different name, Ugali. I was taken back to my village as we enjoyed nshima with our hands and a tasty relish of meat and vegetables. What a super memorable day!

The last full day in Austria, Julie and I chose to culminate our time by hiking up the Gaisberg, a 4225 ft high mountain in the city Salzburg. The day was hazy with low clouds and a few showers helped cool down our trek to the top. However, it was a wonderful hike up with amazing views of the old city below and the beautiful green fields beyond the city limits. We even were able to see the mountains that we lived among with our dairy farm host north of Salzburg!

As Julie and I made our way up, and eventually down, the damp and sometimes rocky path, we were again reminded about all the ways we've grown. We have the endurance and patience to make it all the way to the top of a mountain. When we missed the last bus for several hours, we instantly knew we would still be able to enjoy and make the most of the steep route back down! The rain and mist didn't deter us for a moment, and when our feet thought they were getting tired, we focused on the neat trees, the beautiful green fields and the wonderful views from the vantage points on the mountain. These may seem simple every day ways to go about anything, but we've learned how looking at the positives and bright side of everything how much more pleasant daily events and views can be. The thin air may have been getting to us as we trundled down the rough slope, but we will credit our Austrian experiences for the amazing laughter we found for ourselves on that mountainside!

Tuesday, July 14th around 8:30am, Julie and I headed by bus to the Salzburg train station. We boarded the train bound for Munich, Germany and watched as the Salzach river and Austrian mountains faded from view.

The first and main priority of this trip was for my intense longing and need to be in Salzburg and Austria to be fulfilled. I loved every minute in Austria and cherished all the familiar faces and places I revisited in Salzburg. It is with great happiness that I declare I still love and adore Austria, but I no longer need to be there. I can enjoy new places, feel content where I am now and live each day with a fresh start. This is an amazing feeling. I feel free to live and love and be alive wherever I find myself!

I am fulfilled! Julie, of course, has the Austrian urge now and may be finding her way back again before me!

Farewell to Austria for now!