Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna, Austria

I have stepped foot in Austria now. Vienna, to be exact. I was ecstatic and it was beautiful!

 We arrived at Schönbrunn Palace around lunch time and got tickets for our tour of the inside (soooooo worth it!!) for later that afternoon. 

Then we began touring the gardens. 

My horticulture heart was freaking out!! It was fantastic - and I would do it again in a heartbeat!! The girls who had been before told us "not to look!!!" as they lead us around the back to keep from spoiling the view. So we just ogled the palace instead and kept walking. When we were to the middle of the back of the palace they said we could look and it was definitely worth it! The view was absolutely fabulous!!

We walked and oohed and ahhed over everything (at least I did). There is a fountain at the end and then up the hill is the Gloriette which offers another gorgeous view. We went halfway up to eat our picnic lunch and then had to go inside for our tour - again, so worth it! The history of those rooms....incredible!!!!! I stood where a 6 year old Mozart performed for the Habsburg family!!

We walked around some more, took some great pictures, and then headed to downtown Vienna to see the Habsburg's winter palace (this was the summer palace...no big deal...)

...don't worry - this is just the side of the palace...

Now, this is the front of the palace. There was also some kind of celebration going on for the people of Kurdistan in the front of the palace, hence all the green/red/white flags with yellow stars.

When we came out on the other side of the palace, there were horses and carriages lined up to take people on rides. If you know me at all, I was very tempted, but the price was way to steep and I didn't try to sweet talk any of the drivers. But it was a neat set up.

We walked a few blocks (at the end of the day we had over 15,000 steps in) and had dinner outside at a cute little Italian restaurant down a side alley. After a scrumptious dinner, we walked a little more to the Basilica and then headed back home. It was a long day, but a wonderful one!

Peace, "Public", and Fireworks

August 20 is a National Holiday here! Saint Istvan (see the link here to learn more about Saint Stephen) was the first king of Hungary around 1000 AD. He also made this a "Christian" nation. I felt like celebrating because the high was only 71 degrees!!! After this last heat wave (second one I've had here), the cool, breezy temps brought welcome relief!

I also worshiped at Danube International Church on Sunday (with the Jantz family leading worship). It was a blessing beyond what I could have imagined! I had such a hard week last week - exhausted, hot, overwhelmed, and (sadly) very fearful of the unknown. I was able to spend some time Saturday resting and allowing myself to breathe after all the work I'd been doing at school. Sunday, every single song had to do with peace and resting in the Lord.  

Ok, Lord, I hear you...

Several verses that the Lord kept bringing to my attention are:

Pslam 91:1-2 "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in Him will I trust."
Joshua 1:9 "Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest."
Psalm 46:5 "God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early."
Psalm 46:10  "Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth."
Exodus 14:14 "The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still."

Do you see the major trend?
I was so thankful that I was able to take some time Saturday to be still, and rest. I needed it. We are encouraged to make sure we are taking care of ourselves to keep us from burning out. That is key - spending time alone, and resting, basking in the presence of the Lord!
I was incredibly blessed by one song we sang. This is Kari Jobe's version, which I love, and I strongly encourage you to listen to it! [click here to listen]

That evening, me and three others (two veteran teachers and one other newbie) went downtown for the festivities. This was my first time navigating "public" and I was terrified...but survived (that is what they call public transportation)! Buses and metros, Hungarian and coins, tickets and passes, oh my! So thankful for the two wonderful ladies that guided us patiently through the process.

Below are some of my [many many many] pictures from the evening. 

 

St. Steven's Basillica

 The beginning of the parade for the Holy Right Hand (see the article at the top of the post about St. Steven)

 

This. This right here is how close I got to the Holy Right Hand. So amazing. (Not pictured: all the "secret service guys" who were flanking the hand and were checking everybody out like crazy)

 

 "Pot-bellyed man" statue

Rose Gelato - mine was nutella and strawberry!

 

Erzsebet Bridge (the "newest" bridge over the Danube) - we stood in the middle watching the fireworks

 Standing on the Erzsebet Bridge (means "Elizabeth" in Hungarian)

 Our {stunning} view for the evening - this is the Chain Bridge. The fireworks were set up on it and on the next bridge, and also on barges in between those two bridges.

 I still can't believe this was real!!!! (Buda Castle on the left and Parliament on the Right)

Sigh...it was so magical I can't even describe it. The above picture is the Buda Castle.

And then the real magic began!!!!

 Be. Still. My. Heart.

I can hardly believe these were real!!

I forced myself to only choose six to post, and it was soooooo hard!!!

It was such a blessing to be able to witness this, and to hear "The Blue Danube" played over a loudspeaker while standing over the Danube watching fireworks in Budapest!! I still have a hard time believing that this is my life. 

I am aware, however, that my life will not always be as fantastic and fun and memorable. There will be hard times. Thank you for your continued prayers! I am continuing to work in my classroom and it is coming together! I am hoping to be able to post some pictures by the end of this week!

We begin school next Wednesday!!! I will be keeping you posted on that front!