7 quick takes...

The abbey in Melk.

Monday- Český Krumlov – Some places are so enchanting that you cannot help but fall in love. Český Krumlov is one of those places. The beautiful castle on top of the hill, the quaint cobblestoned streets, the charming medieval houses. So pretty! It may have helped that it was a warm summer day. That we arrived when the busses with tourists had already left, and that the light of the setting sun painted all the colours a little warmer, a little more vibrant. It may have helped too that we found a playground next to the river, with a terrace on the side, where Hartmut and I had a cold beer while the girls played. It felt like the town was showing its most beautiful face, just to please us. And now I want to go back. So that I can search for what I will never find again. The magic of a first time cannot be beaten.

Tuesday – Middle of Nowhere - We craved nature and rest and when that’s the case, we start driving, open up Park4Night (an app that helps you find places where you can sleep with a camper) and look for spots that seem to meet our needs. On the app, I found a random car park in the middle of a field. Close to a lake, but far from everything else. Perfect! We drive on a small countryside road to what seems like nothing, and when we arrive, the place is just as it seemed online. Not much, and exactly what we wanted. We go for a walk (where Doris ends up badly bruised because of a big fall with her scooter), find some geocaches, do some school and relax. I love having that flexibility to just move to where you want to be. Be it a town, a village, a festival of nature. We just drive there, park our camper and start exploring.

Wednesday – Linz - Today we went to a place that most people will only drive through on their way to better places, but for us, it’s very meaningful. 14 years ago, we met during a student conference in Linz. It was a life changing weekend, but we had both never been back. Now that we were so close, we had to pay a visit. It was great to stand in front of the hall where we met, to see the park where we went on a walk together, and to see the parts of the city that we did not see last time because the conference was full on. Hartmut and the girls had prepared a special geocache with a present for me, which made it even more special. I am grateful for that weekend 14 years ago, and even more grateful for all the years between then and now. For all the memories we have made. For the highs and the lows and for the God who brought us together who is still very clearly going with us in every step we take.

Thursday – Melk- Today we spent all our birthday and Christmas money combined and bought something that’s been on our wish list for long. A SUP! It’s a perfect day to buy it because it’s hot, and we can try it out right away. On Park4Night we look for a place close to the water, and we find one in Melk, on a quiet branch of the Danube river. So much fun!

Friday – The Library of the Abbey in Melk- When the doors to the library open, we can hardly believe what we see. It's big! And beautiful! Books are stacked neatly stacked on shelves that reach from the floor to the ceiling, and the ceiling is high! ‘How many books do you think they have here?’ We wonder out loud. And we start counting. ‘One, two, three….’ It dawns on the girls that it will take forever, so we play it smart. How many books on a shelf? How many shelves in one bookcase? How many bookcases in this room? (that’s maths covered for the day ;-)) Our quick calculation tells us that there must be about 8000 books in this room. And this room is not the only library in the abbey. We read that the entire library is contains about 100,000 books. Perhaps our next maths lesson should be on how many books you need to read per week if you want to read all of those books in your life.

Saturday – Vienna – Before we go into a new place, I do quite a lot of reading to find the best sights to see, the best food to eat and the best places to visit. And sometimes that ends up being a waste of time because once you arrive you find something that’s even better. On Saturday we were in Vienna and I had some things lined up for the day, when we saw a firefighter's truck where kids could play with the hosepipes. And next to that a climbing wall where kids could climb for free. And next to that, a stand where kids could decorate linen bags. Also for free. We quickly learned that those stalls, and many more, were part of the annual party that Vienna throws for all the kids to celebrate the start of the summer break. Needless to say that we didn’t see any more churches, famous buildings or other sights that day. The girls crafted, played quizzes, did scientific experiments, jumped on jumping castles, played games and had the best time. Vienna definitely knows how to throw an epic kids party!

Sunday – Vienna - We hadn’t found a campsite in Vienna that seemed to be worth the money. Instead, we decided to camp our camper on a free car park outside of Vienna and cycle/use public transport to go into Vienna for the days we were visiting. The weather was stunning Sunday morning, so we took our bikes to cycle to an inner city church. We realized how ‘inner city’ they were when we asked them where we could park our bikes. They looked at us as if we were aliens on vehicles they had never seen before. Cool inner-city people clearly use public transport and definitely not bicycles.