Salzburg, Austria

So the morning we left Switzerland was clear and beautiful, so consequently we had an amazing train ride through the Swiss and Austrian alps. It is seriously undescribable. An eight hour ride could never be so pleasant otherwise. My pictures don't capture a fraction of the beauty I saw. Majestic. That's all I can say to describe it.

We got to Salzburg and settled in. It was about 5pm so we didn't want go "sight-seeing" in town. So instead we rented bikes, like old school handle bar and bell bikes. It was awesome. Something about riding a bike just makes you feel like a kid again. I'm not talking about hard core race bikes or mountain biking, but riding just for fun. I recommend it for everyone. So not sure where to go, we just turned towards the biggest mountain (I was told its name a million times but I can't ever remember it because german just sounds like gibberish to me) and rode. On our way towardsit we stumbled upon the Sound of Music house (front entrance) and the lane that Maria walks down with her guitar singing "I have confidence in me!" For those who were unaware, Salzburg was the film location for that movie. We took a tour the next day which is how we knew that what we rode by was what it was. We also found the gazebo with the very famous I am 16 going on 17 song. We also found several amazing playgrounds (much more fun than US playgrounds) and had the most scenic bike ride ever. You just can't beat a ride along fields with the Alps towering in the background. I'm sorry but no where in WI can compare.

The next day started a little rough because we were lacking on sleep (the biggest downfall of hostels, the more people in a room, the higher chance you'll have a loud snorer). But we did the early S of M tour anways and loved it. Our guide was a stich, as Dana says. We met two sweet girls from Texas who sang and goofed off with us. We got to frolick in the park where the kids in the movie ran around singing Do Re Me. We got to tabogin down a Bavarian alp! We saw the beautiful lake district where the church is from the wedding scene.

That afternoon was less eventful because we were pretty tired. We cruised around old downtown. Salzburg is such a pretty town. Now many grocery stores, but no town's perfect. As for cuisine, we both tried strudel, Dana had apple and I had tophen (white cheese?), and I had wienerschitzle cause momma told me to try it. Not too shabby. But now I'm on my way to Italy and I feel like that food will be more to my liking. That night the hostel played S of M so was had to watch it. I'd been so long since I last saw it. But after being in the city and tour it was so cool to see everything and know that I saw it in real life. I know that makes me an official dorky tourist. But I'm okay with that.

Oh and praise God that He got Dana and I to the train station on time. We had the alarm set for 5:15. There was a 6:08 bus we had to catch to make our train. The next one wasn't until 6:45 and wouldnt get us to our 7:04 train on time. Unfortunatly, for reasons unbeknownst to me, I did not hear my alarm. It was either under my pillow or we were just too tired to hear it at all. Miraculously, God woke me up at 5:57 (andI never wake up on my own that early, esp when I'm that tired, and if I do I almost always just roll over and go back to sleep). But when he woke me up he also gave me a sense of urgancy. I checked the alarm clock, freaked out, and jumped up to wake up Dana. Thankfully we packed everything last night so we just got changed, grabbed our stuff and booked it. Nothing left behind, we didn't even check out. We just threw our keys on the counter and ran. We got to the stop as the bus pulled up. A second later and we would have missed the bus and our train. So praise God for looking out for us and waking our butts up.

One last thought about the mountains. They've alternated from being a million different shades of green to rock and snow, from covered with clouds, to perfectly clear. There's somthing about them that I just can't explain. It's like that sometimes. I finally know what they mean when they say "it never ceases to amaze me" because it honestly hasn't. When they're green they give this wonderful impression of life and growth. When they're covered with snow it's like even the scarey jagged edge of the rock cliffs can be softened by something as light and pure as snow, like they're covered by a white veil. Both types express ultimate rest. The mountains aren't in a hurry to go anywhere. They seem content to just be. That's good enough for them. And in doing so they emmanate strength and might. Then sometimes these great mountains are themselves overtaken by clouds, harmless clouds can slowly overtake the giants at rest. And when the clouds do cover them, it's like they're trying to hide this great secret. It also looks like God's there, just chillin on earth, circa Mt Sinai or something. You just feel like you're seeing his presence just resting there, watching over the whole world.

You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and hills will burst into song before you,
and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.
Isaiah 55:12

Right now as I ride to Italy, the clouds have almost completely covered the mountains. They're look cloaked in mystery. But it's like a veil that God will lift in his own time. Then we'll all know what's been hidden. And when it's unveiled, like when you see the mountains after the clouds lift, you will have to stand in awe. I know for some of you that brings back a ton of references in the Bible, but that's what I saw when I watched out my train window. I firmly believe, espially now, that God uses his creation to reveal and remind us of Biblical truths. Like the mountains, Jesus is a source of life and growth (like the green ones) but he's also a dicatomy of strength (sharp rock face) and gentle purity (snow). For some the mystery of Christ is still hidden behind a veil of clouds, but it doesn't mean they don't wonder what's behind it all. When God lifts the veil, they'll see the truth. Maybe that didn't make sense to you, but if you saw what I did you'd understand. I find it funny that I haven't heard a sermon all semester but God teaches me just the same by having me look out the window of my train. He likes to do things like that.