moni's international diary

2011/04/17 Ödensee

This week we went a little further south to where the river Traun is rising..

We passed beautiful fields,

..romantic woods,

..and a little creek..

..before we finally got to the peaceful lake.

This is a great insider tip for going swimming in summer!

2011/04/02 Altausseer See

Matt bought an awesome hiking guide through the Salzkammergut East region, which offers a great variety of trails in all kinds of levels.

Since my mobility already is a little compromised..

..we picked out an easy route about one of the Salzkammergut's most beautiful lakes: the Altausseer See.

It is surrounded by mountains,

as for example the Loser (that's its name for real.. you have to pronounce it German, though *smile*)

or the Dachstein range.

The rural architecture is adorable,

..but can certainly not take up with nature's beauty.

The South: a different way of life

Once again, time simply flew by, and it took a few days to digest all the impressions. The wildlife there is just amazing: from otters..

..over parrots..

..to a whole life cycle of butterflies basically on the same plant..

..we always felt as if we were on a safari.

However, the different lifestyle also caused a slight cultural shock, even for Matt, the New Orleanian. We had to get used to the fact that the TVs are on all the time everywhere, even when you have guests.. this would be considered rude in Austria. Also, we had to get used to not walking or moving at all.. I even had to give myself a shot to dilute my blood, because my legs were hurting so bad from sitting around all the time.

Some commercials are a little cynic..

.. and having guns is so normal that you can even find bullet casings in the streets. Never saw that before..

Racism is still an issue [well, Austria is not really innocent when it comes to that, either..], as this little monument shows.

Simply put a cruzifix on the top of that KKK hat and you can leave it there standing.

Well, we most certainly had an awesome time with our friends and families, and we are looking forward to going back asap. But still, it is also nice to be back home.

2011/01/02 Matt's Birthday

My beloved husband has turned 31.. I guess, we're not the youngest anymore. However, the party was great, since a whole bunch of friends and relatives showed up, to watch the Saints lose and celebrate with the birthday kid.

The cake was awesome, by the way.. and baby daughter had a blast as well, as meonnet shows (same password).

2011/01/01 architecture

New Orleans is famous for its architecture. But not only the French Quarter is great, but also the Garden district with its beautiful houses from the 19th century.

The surroundings of the Big Easy are stunning, too. Every year I am amazed by the camps, again. It is simply unusual for us to see houses built up that high. Enjoy the slide show.

2010/12/27-28 Nottoway Plantation

This year Matt and I decided to not buy us presents for Christmas, but use this budget to spend a night in one of the plantations along the Mississippi River in Louisiana. We picked the prettiest one: Nottoway Plantation in White Castle.

It was built by the Randolph family (11 children!! That sounds like a goal..) in the 19th century, sold a few times and is now owned by an Australian, who turned it into a Bed & Breakfast. The old bedrooms are now used as guest rooms - and they are gorgeous. We spent the night in one of the daughters' rooms.. due to the amazing bathtub. Isn't it beautiful?!

I felt like Scarlett O'Hara when lingering around, and we took like a zillion pictures.. enjoy the slide show!

Baby daughter had a blast, too, as you can see on meonnet (once again, same password).

2010/12/22-23 Arriving and adjusting

It's been over a year! We're finally back in Venetian Isles at Emile's beautiful place.

In general, travelling with a baby is actually not that bad (certainly because we have the best baby ever..). The planes on transcontinental flights have baby bassinetts, which are great to put them down to sleep or play. Our little one only had some power naps, but we could rest a little, when she was playing in there.

The jetlag was not so bad, either - she really did not mind that she had not had a decent sleep in over 24 hours. It took her a day to adjust, but now she's finally back on her old schedule, and lets us sleep during the night.

After our arrival Emile' showed us his old new place. Not only had he renovated the outside, ..

..he had also fixed up our old room really nicely.

Baby daughter made a new friend immediately. Oreo signed up for being the guarding dog and does not leave her any more. We got to be a little careful due to her huge paws, but the baby loves looking at her and sharing her little fingers to be licked (as usual, pictures of her are online at meonnet, password is still the same).