How to Drive a Stick Shift

Teaching my sister Amy how to drive a stick shift in Austria was a fun, yet very interesting experience.  We spent about an hour in a Eurospar (grocery store) parking lot one evening near Linz working on this new skill.  After many bumpy starts (and a few stalls), she was finally able to figure out how to start and stop smoothly.  Good job Amy!

Going through Austria and Germany

A week after school ended Amy and I went on a road trip through parts of Austria and Germany.  It was a lot of time to spend this time together (even though it rained most of the time) and explore places we had never been to before.

Salzburg (Austria):

Day Trip to Konnigsee in German Bavarian Alps

Hiking in the Bavarian Alps

Our Tour Bus

Ketchup anyone?

Hitler's Eagle's Nest

City of Salzburg

Neuschwanstein Castle (Germany):

The Castle

Picture in the rain :)

Another castle close by...goodness, how many castles do they need?

Front of the castle

Mary's Bridge

Rotenburg ob der Tauber (Germany):
Medieval town along the Romantic Road

Back in the car after a rain storm

Wurzburg (Germany):

The Residenz

Ingolstadt (Germany):
The Romberger (my mother's side) homeland

Mauthausen Concentration Camp (Austria):

Entrance

Prisoner Barracks

Mass Grave

Layout of Camp during the 1940s

Stairs of Death

Rock Quarry

Path from Stairs to the Camp

Finishing the Season

The week after school finished my softball team competed in the semi-finals and finals for our softball league.  Going into the semi-finals we were ranked as the number 2 team out of 6.  During the semi-finals game my team played our hardest, but we lost (by 3 point).  This lost placed us into the final game of competing for 3rd place in the league.  We once again played our hardest and unfortunately lost again (by 4 points).  Win or lose, it was a great season filled with fun memories.  I can't wait for the Fall season to begin!

Final Game: Greenhorns & Magic Mushrooms

Enjoying a Hike to the Top

One beautiful summer evening, Amy and I took a picnic dinner to Schonbrunn Palace to enjoy the nice weather.  After eating, we hiked up to the Gloriette and saw an amazing view of the palace and city.  We ended our time exploring the forest surrounding the palace.  It was amazing to see the beauty of God's creation set in the middle of a major city.

Front of the Palace

Dinner :)

The big structure at the top of the hill is the Gloriette

I believe this woman was a mother or teacher...she's telling her kids to come here right now!

View from the top

Exploring the forest

Our new best friend-This little guy came right up to us (about 1 foot away).
We were slightly afraid that he would decide to attack once he realized we didn't have any food.

Down on the Street

At different times throughout the year, several ICSV teachers will go out the center of Vienna and perform (sing).  It's always a lot of fun to watch them, but it's even better to watch those in the crowd who enjoy their performances as well.

The performers: Whitney, Chad, and Liz

Their biggest fan (man on the left)...He wanted to know if Liz was available. :)

Solo time by Chad

A request for Britney Spears