AUSTRIA TRIP 2011


We booked flights with Continental in December, making certain that we got an aisle seat for Ralph. Sitting for long periods of time is painful since his operation. Two days before departure, we were informed that we needed to re-book because we were being transferred to Lufthansa. The online booking service didn't work because the computer couldn't understand that two Ralph V. Harveys (our son traveled with us) were booked for the same flight. When we finally got tickets, the aisle seats were all taken, so I kept crawling over other passengers to get in and out of my seat. Otherwise the flight was thankfully uneventful.

Upon arrival, we picked up our rental car, a sporty new Citroen, and packed three adults plus luggage into its tiny interior. We arrived at Richard and Martina's home around 2:00 PM, very tired, but happy to see everyone again after 2 1/2 years.





First time our family was together since 2004








Only Becky's husband and children were missing


Richard and Martina have four children, Julia, Benjamin, Michael and Doris Joy





An old shed in the back contains buried treasure!


We got rooms in a nearby farmhouse with a panoramic view of the mountains and a lovely gazebo.








The children say our suitcases "explode"!


There is nothing quite like freshly baked Austrian bread!




We had two weeks of lovely weather with only a half hour of rain!














Our "tree-hugging" daughter got homesick when she found a redwood tree growing in Toskana Park!


Our favorite mountain-top restaurant including knoedel and Salzburger Nockerl.




An outing to Gosau Lake is family tradition.




















Refreshments in a Gasthaus after the hike




More fun at Richard's home






Another outing to Langbath Lake








A new science center for children opened in Wels








We drove across Austria to visit friends in Graz.




Becky finally got to visit Piber, where Lippizaner horses are bred and raised.


We met several hours with members of our youth group from the seventies. Most are now grandparents and some are even retired!






On our last day in Austria, we visited former neighbors on Muehlberg in Frankenmarkt. One of them has recently opened a candy factory.




Ralph preached on Palm Sunday in Voecklabruck and on Easter Sunday in Ampflwang. Unfortunately we took few digital pictures. We returned to America on April 27 after two lovely weeks! Thank you Richard and Martina for a wonderful visit!