Spring Break (a.k.a. How I Discovered that the Hills Truly Are Alive with the SOM!)

Warning - super long post!  But it's full of pictures! :) 

It was such a joy to have my friend Alexis visit during my spring break in April.  I have been looking forward to it all year! 

Our second half was spent in Salzburg, Austria but we began our time in Budapest. It is still so strange and so incredible to me that I LIVE here! I do not ever want to take it for granted.  God has given me an opportunity that I never sought out, to live in Europe and serve His little ones here. One of the greatest joys of this is the chance to travel and experience different cultures. I am so very thankful! 

The day Alexis arrived, we began with dinner and a walk along the river.  The lights along the Danube river at night is still one of my favorite things!

Parliament up close with a beautiful full moon!  

 We also did the Ferris Wheel and enjoyed a beautiful view from the Pest side! 

I introduced Alexis to the wonder of rose gelato. So good! 

On Saturday, we headed to Diosd so Alexis could see my little yellow house...

and my school ICSB! 

In between, we enjoyed lunch at Johnny's Bistro. 

Then it was off to tour Memento Park...

and the Terror House. 

In the evening, we took a river boat tour...

Parliament at night (again)!  My favorite! 

We finished off the evening at Szimpla ruin pub, which is always a real experience! 

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The next day, we had a morning tour of the city, including

Gellert Hill

Fisherman's Bastion

and Parliament.

Parliament on the inside - so beautiful! 

We stopped by the Easter Market at Vörösmarty ter 
for Alexis to do some souvenir shopping! 

I insisted on pictures at my favorite metro stop 

(on the yellow line, which is the oldest on continental Europe)! 

It's my favorite because when you come up 

from the steps, you see...

This beautiful building! 

We went to the Opera House to see the ballet "Manon!"

This was one of my favorite things we did.  Alexis and I both danced for years and we both still enjoy watching ballet!

 The storyline of the ballet itself was very strange (look it up if you are interested!) but the orchestra and the ballet dancers were wonderful.  

***

The next morning we were off to Heroes' Square, 

the Hospital in the Rock museum (so cool...really 
want to take my dad here!) 

St. Matthias Church, 

and the Great Market Hall. 

Introducing Alexis to lemonade here - they are freshly made with all different types of fruits.  Very refreshing! 

Next we went to one of my favorite places, St. Stephen's Basilica.

It is so beautiful on the inside but my favorite thing is going to the top and enjoying a 360 degree view!  So amazing! 

That night, we saw Beauty and the Beast!  Alexis had already seen it and thankfully was happy to see it again!  What a wonderful movie, I absolutely loved it.  And Alexis got to see what my movie experience here is like (audio in English with Hungarian subtitles). :) 

***

This is the part where I learned that the hills really are alive with the sound of music!  The next day we took an early morning train across Austria, arriving in Salzburg at lunch time.

 Did we watch"The Sound of Music" on the train ride?  Yes.  Yes, we did. 

Note: if this movie means very little to you, you may want to skip the rest of this blog post! Haha! But really, the story behind the movie is truly amazing and it was really meaningful to learn more about it and see Salzburg with my own eyes. 

We started off the day honoring Salzburg's most famous composer, Mozart.  This is Mozart Wohnhaus, a house that the Mozart family lived in when he was older.  

We also visited Mozart Gerburthaus, the home his family lived in when he was born! 

I learned so much about Mozart, I definitely never realized what an incredibly prodigy he was from such a young age. I loved both of the houses, they were really interesting!  

We took a break to enjoy some apple strudel - so delicious! 

The rest of the day we explored more of the city, including 

Salzburg Cathedral 

The Horse Pond - a filming location from the Sound of Music (SOM) :)  It can be seen in "Do Re Mi."  

Residenzplatz - seen in SOM in "I Have Confidence."

Then it was off to St. Peter's Abbey and 

the St. Peter's Cemetery -  it served as the model for the SOM set when the Von Trapps are hiding from the Nazis.  

That evening, we enjoyed dinner and an opera concert at the oldest restaurant in Europe (established 803).   

This was THE best meal of our entire trip.  The beautiful setting, the dinner and the music made for an unforgettable evening! 

***

We started the next day like this...yep.  SOM bus tour.  It was an absolute must!  

Schloss Leopoldskaron - the back of the house used in SOM 

Frohnburg Palace - the front of the house used in SOM 

The gazebo from SOM, now at Hellbrunn Palace - seen in "Sixteen Going on Seventeen" and "Something Good." 

The church at Mondsee where the Captain and Maria got married (in the movie).  

The SOM tour ended after Mondsee, but Alexis and Laura's SOM tour had only just begun. :) 

Felsenreitschule (Rock Riding School) at the Festival Hall - this is a real place where the Salzburg music festival is held each year.  It is where the real Von Trapp family performed before escaping from the Nazis (also seen in SOM)! 

"Tea with jam, jam and bread!"

Winkler Terrace - seen in SOM in "I Have Confidence" and "Do Re Mi."

View from the terrace

Mirabell Palace Gardens - seen in SOM in "Do Re Mi." This was one of my absolute favorite things!  The gardens are huge and so beautiful! We actually went by there twice, these pics are from both times! 

That evening we enjoyed a Mozart concert from a string quartet at the Marble Hall in Mirabell Palace.  In terms of the music we enjoyed during our trip, this was my favorite.  Absolutely incredible musicians! 

***

The next day, we were off to a half day tour of salt mines in Germany.

Our super cool outfits! :) 

The salt mine tour was full of miner's slides, several train rides and my favorite...

taking a boat across an underground lake! 

The water was incredibly clear! 

Next stop, the Mozart Chain bridge, 

seen in SOM in "Do Re Mi." 

Nonnberg Abbey - where the real Maria was a postulant! 

This was also where Maria and the Captain got married in real life! 

That afternoon, we checked into Villa Trapp (not Von Trapp in Austria because the Captain lost his aristocratic title after WWI). 

It's hard to choose favorites on a such an amazing trip, but this was a definite highlight! The house is absolutely beautiful! 

Oh you know, just relaxing on one of the Captain's benches! This one of the very few original pieces remaining in the house. 

There are really cool pictures of the family all over the house!  

The next morning we enjoyed breakfast in the lovely dining room.  The house is so tastefully done, it truly feels like a home! 

We had to do some singing/frolicking while we explored the grounds! 

That evening we enjoyed dinner at Stieglkeller restaurant/beer garden.  They have been brewing beer in Salzburg for over 500 years!  So I had to try one in honor of my brother and my late grandfather (both brewery mangers). :) 

 ***

The next day we went to Cafe Tomaselli for chocolate milkshakes for lunch as a last hurrah of our time in Salzburg!  

***

What an amazing spring break!  Alexis, thank you again for joining me on the trip of a lifetime!  It was such a joy to see Salzburg with you and make so many memories traveling together!  

Visitors from Texas! :)

This past weekend, I enjoyed a visit from my older sister Meredith and brother-in-law Jake!

Can I just tell y'all that these two started dating when I was only 13 years old?  They are celebrating 15 years of marriage this year!  I am thankful to have a bonus older brother for all these years!  It was such a joy to share my life here with them!  In just 4 days we were able to see and do so much.  I do not ever want to take this for granted.  It is amazing to live in Europe and see so many beautiful things! Traveling always brings you closer and gives you wonderful memories (and inside jokes) to look back on. :)

But truly, just enjoying laughter and conversation was my favorite thing of all!  Here are some highlights of their visit:

Just about an hour after they landed - they were hungry so we went out to eat right away! 

We walked across the Chain Bridge and took the funicular up the hill. 

Enjoying the views from Fisherman's Bastion 

Gelato after dinner is always a must!

Parliament Building

St. Stephen's Basilica

Inside the Basilica

Danube River boat tour

The Parliament Building all lit up at night! 

Heroes' Square

***

Day trip to Vienna - Imperial Palace

Vienna - beautiful gardens!

Vienna - St. Stephen's Cathedral 

Vienna - State Opera House

Signs of springtime in Vienna! 

***

Visiting my house in Diósd! 

Lunch at Johnny's in Diósd

Finally got to try an "After Eight" milkshake (so good)! 

Spent the afternoon at my amazing school!  In March 2016, Meredith and I visited here after I had been accepted through ICSB and TeachBeyond.  It was really special to be back here together one year later, with Jake, too! 

We were able to spend time with my class (pictures of that will be in my newsletter, not on the blog). :) 

I am so thankful that they got to see my sweet 1st graders.  Those kids are the entire reason I am here!  I love them so much.  They are so much fun and they definitely turned up the charm in honor of our special visitors.

We spent our last evening together at my favorite restaurant, Akademia Italia.  (L to R > Pizza > Lasagna > Spaghetti).  I love it because it's so bright and cheerful, and the food is amazing! 

***

It was a real blessing to be encouraged by Jake and Meredith in my ministry here, especially because I have committed to serve at ICSB for the next school year!

It was good to talk with them about my sense of calling to this school specifically, to serve these children.  Most of you know that I would have never done this without feeling called by God to do so.  I have never wanted to live overseas, and I would never choose on my own to live thousands of miles from my family.  Only God could bring about something like this!

But what I am doing does not demonstrate any more obedience than others who use their gifts for the glory of God and for building His kingdom in many other different ways.  We talked about how wherever God plants us, He desires that we share His love in that place for whatever period of time He chooses.  Every time we follow His lead to be a light for Jesus, we are acting in faith and obedience.

Sharing my heart with Jake and Meredith, and being encouraged by them was such good medicine for my soul!

***

There are only about 10 weeks left in the 2016 - 2017 school year!  And they are going to be incredibly busy but I can't wait to see what all God has in store.   I am so happy that spring is in the air.  We are enjoying more sunshine and warmer temperatures each week.  I am getting excited about putting my heavy coat away (I.Never.Want.To.See.It.Again)! :) 

Thanks for reading all about my long weekend with my family! :) 

February > January

After the whirlwind of the fall semester, January felt incredibly long and cold. Being home in Texas for the holidays caused a fresh wave of homesickness when I returned here.  For me, living overseas means that homesickness is always there but some days it is stronger than others. 

 I have SO much to be thankful for here. I truly love my school and the work I do here. I have good friends who are kind and understanding.  I do not feel alone in this place.  And yet, some days are just hard.  I struggle to share about them here because I don't want people to think I am complaining, or that I'm not grateful for all the ways God has provided for my life here.  So I am trying to share more honestly about the harder times. 

I also got really sick at the end of January, which did not help.  I had not run a fever for years, probably since I was a first year teacher! :(  So many of my students and friends at school had illnesses, so there were lots of absences which always disrupts the flow of things at school.  

 I thank God for reminding me to choose joy on the long/cold/dark/hard days.  I'm not always very good at this but I am trying to get better. 

 (Reminds me of my dad's favorite answer to "How are you?" 

 "I'm not good...but I'm better than I used to be." Haha!) 

***

February has been a MUCH better month for me, physically, emotionally and spiritually.   I have enjoyed going into the city a few times and even caught some sunshine along the Széchenyi Bridge (also known as the Chain Bridge).

Journaling and reading with spiced berry hot tea and a caramel muffin. Yum! 

***

Last week was one of the most anticipated of the entire year at ICSB - Tournament Week!  Our school hosts a big basketball tournament every year.  I was so excited to experience this event for the first time.  It begins with some fun spirit dress-up days during the school week! 

The Elementary team went with a 101 Dalmatians theme for Character Day.  Our amazing principal agreed to be our Cruella De Vil! 

For Wacky Tacky Inside Out Day, a few of us went with a theme that will only make sense if you are familiar with the movie "Inside Out." :)  

The Tournament weekend kicks off with an all-school pep rally.  It was so fun! They introduce the Varsity Girls and Varsity Boys basketball teams and get the students pumped up for the big weekend ahead. 

A group of teachers (including me) did a short performance as glow stick people and it was hilarious! We danced to snippets of songs like Eye of the Tiger, Ku Fu Fighting, and the Cotton Eye Joe. The kids loved it!

The tournament itself was awesome.  If there is a highlight video posted by the school on Facebook, I will definitely share it because I want all of you to get a glimpse of what a special weekend it was! 

I snapped these pictures of the ICSB teams praying with the opposing teams before games. The other participants in the tournament were international schools from the Czech Republic, Ukraine and Russia.  There was such a spirit of fellowship and camaraderie among all the players and spectators.  The teams played so hard and gave their best effort in every single game.  

I can't believe I didn't take a picture of the American candy table.  It was a glorious sight!  There was only one candy I stocked up on though - Peanut Butter M&Ms.  Soooooo good!  

The tournament ended with championship games, a 3 point shoot-out, awards to teams and players, and an awesome reminder that what really brings these schools together is faith in Christ.  Parents, teachers, coaches, and students all coming together to enjoy a wonderful weekend of competition and fellowship. 

***

The day after tournament was over, it was time to relax at the Széchenyi Baths.  I had been wanting to go here for so long!  

It is definitely a unique experience and the baths felt so good in the 35 degree weather!  There are huge pools outside and many smaller ones inside.  There are also steam rooms, saunas and many spa services.  

***

This weekend I enjoyed dinner at the Balna! This complex is shaped like a giant whale and it is right along the Danube river.  It's really pretty all lit up at night! The inside feels like an upscale mall. I hope to go back when the weather is warmer and enjoy the views of the river. 

So fun to enjoy a dinner with friends on Friday night! 

I also enjoyed my first ice skating experience at Varosliget which is is a huge park in the city.  Can you believe the castle behind it? So beautiful!  

The weather was perfect, I was so happy to skate without my coat and enjoy the sunshine! 

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Thanks for reading my latest update!   I will be working on a newsletter soon to share more about my students and my ministry at ICSB. So let me know if you would like to receive it and learn more about what I am doing all the way over here in Hungary! :)