Austria!
We made it to Austria!!
Despite my best planning (neck pillow, eye mask, and only relaxing nature videos as stimulation), I had a rough time sleeping and am extremely jet-lagged. I was in the back middle row, right next to the bathroom, so even when it was quiet, the high-power suction of the toilet woke me up every few minutes. I was also in an aisle seat so was able to stretch my legs out a bit, but had nothing to lean my head against aside from my neck pillow. I wish I had packed Benadryl; historically that has knocked me out.
I arrived a bit before my parents and Aunt Bobbie, who were flying out from JFK. I collected my bag and then sat and waited in a jet lagged stupor, catching my first earfuls of rapid German conversation. I found their baggage pickup area once it showed up on the arrival board, staked out the area, and we were happily reunited before heading out to find our ride The wedding is out in the countryside surrounding Vienna, so we had a scenic drive through the city and then out into the foot of the mountains.
The hotel is absolutely beautiful. It’s called Berghotel Tulbingerkogel, and faces a valley with a long stream of mountaintops far beyond. I’ve never seen so many layers of mountains. It almost looks unreal, like a theater set painting. Our rooms look out on the view, and I have the door wide open to draw in the mountain air and sunshine.
In other news: during check-in, I met a dog named Anke. She is adorable.
After we got setup, we were starving, so my parents and I checked out the award-winning restaurant downstairs. Please expect lots of food pictures on this trip.
I do prefer to stick out the first day of international travel without napping, but am worried that I will crash during a wine tasting this evening, so I’m going to shut my eyes for a few hours. More news to come.
