Visual Tour of the First Two Weeks in Austria, Plus Language Camp

Some Photos from the Beginning to Share!

Etwas Bilder aus Österreich!

 

Leaving Iowa from Des Moines, Aug 8th

The plane/der Flugzeug, Chicago to Berlin!

                          Risilung Torte & a taste of the local Freistädter Bier, from the first night a                                                                                  Gasthaus in Gutau!

The newspaper of my state, Upper Austria News/Oberösterreich = OÖ

My Rotary counselor's wife, Ingrid, and Rotarians Max & Liselotte Mayr, with whom I first stayed in Gutau.

Schloss Ort, my first castle ever! In Gmunden, on Traunsee before I headed to language camp.

Evening shot with side view of the castle 200 meters from the school we stayed at for camp, and the light reflecting on the rocky face of Traunstein.

The same castle as seen from the hill going down to Traunsee.

A very quality, modern Austrian house in Altmünster, the village where we stayed for camp.

Traunsee from above with another village in the hills.

The high view over Upper Austria to the West.

Two "State Flags": Iowa & Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

Higher view over all of Traunsee and the grand Traunstein mountain.

"Jesus is the Outstretched Hand of God" -on the roadside to Hallstatt.

The dock off of which all of the Rotary exchangers swam nearly every day.

Distant Hallstatt and Hallstättersee.

Hallstatt from above.

Jus' bein' silly with a Carolina girl, a Coloradoan, and one of my dear Canadian friends in the most famous salt mines above Hallstatt.

At the overlook of Hallstättersee with my Swede friend!

The famous graves at the church cemetery in Hallstatt.

The skulls and bones of those bodies who have spent their allotted 50 years in the graveyard itself, now in the Bonehaus marked by their names.

A Gasthof and the central fountain in the town square, platz of Hallstatt.

My good New Yorker friend in Hallstatt.

Clear view of the most known, picturesque village in all of Austria.

Fog over Traunstein.

A shot of myself with a Canadian friend and a Carolinian friend back at Schloss Ort.

I have yet to translate this, but it made me think Iowa, or at least Charlotte's Web!

A crazy pic of a group of the exchangers with Rotary: Brazilians, Argentinians, Canadians, a Swede, an Italian, probably multiple Americans. We met with our "oldies" those students here January-January from the Southern Hemisphere.

My very first meal at home in Gutau, with my host family/Gastfamilie Dumfarth: Grießnockerlsuppe und Haschee knödel.

 

This has been a visual overlook of my first two weeks here in Austria. I have made some of the most amazing new friends and found so many great sights and opportunities. More pictures will come later with explanations for all. This time for me here is off to a fantastic start, I have traveled to Linz yesterday and today was in Salzburg all by train. These newer pictures will come later with updates. The news from my village in Gutau, Upper Austria, is that my experience here is and shall continue to be amazing! My host family, Christian and Gabriele Dumfarth with their son, my newest brother Tobias are so welcoming and helpful! The Deutsch/German is coming along, school starts on September 9th for me and that will be a great point to tackle this language from. News shall come in the visual form from the Upper Austrian Mühlviertel in a day or three, for now Tschüss!